Garbage Disposal

[Galtgirlrn]

While browising RV listings I saw that the new Mobile Suites have a garbage disposal as an option. WOW...that would be fantastic since we will soon be living in our Bighorn full-time. We are planning to add the new Splendid dishwasher and would love to have a garbage disposal too.

I'm wondering how this would work with the drainage into the grey tanks and if anyone has added this mod to their Heartland RV.

 

[Garypowell]

Interesting. Like most we try and put most of our garbage in the trash and use screens to protect the tanks.

It it might be interesting for you to call the MS factory and ask them how this works. Maybe there is some trick rather than a house type unit.....

While I think it would be possible you could end up with a fair amunt of non-soluable material that could easily get stuck such that the gate valve would not shut.

Gate vavles seem to get blocked by stuff that is supposed to be soluable.

We use a dishwasher I installed 2 years ago. We are careful but don't wash the dishes before they go in. We have had no trouble during that time and have used it for about a years + worth of travel over that time.

 

[MTPockets]

I would be skeptical about using a garbage disposal in an RV. It does grind the solids, but not as much as I think it should for an RV system. Your grey water tank doesn't have the flushing system like the black water tank. It may work if the grey water tank had the flush capabilities, but I personally would pass.

 

[JohnDar]

I've had to disassemble sink drains more than once to unclog disposal debris from the trap. Running a lot of vegetable peelings down it in a hurry is not a good thing. My other concern would be with the weight of the disposal attached to the lightweight sinks in most RV's. Although ours is a double steel bowl model, it's no where as heavy gauge as the one in our house. It's the sink bowl that supports it, not the plastic plumbing. With the shaky mountings of some of our sinks, it might present another problem repair. It also takes more water to flush it through, which means more frequent tank dumping.

We just use our paper napkins to scrape the waste into the trash. Dishes get hand washed.

I also have it on good authority from a waste treatment plant worker that the biggest problem they have is egg shells being flushed down the drain.

 

[SilverRhino]

When I totally rebuilt our kitchen a few years ago, in our house, I did not put a garbage disposal in and not only have we never missed it ......... we have not had to have our kitchen drain lines cleared. Most plumbers will tell you they are nothing but a source of trouble. That being said, I would never consider installing one in an RV with a holding tank system......just asking for trouble. Just my opinion.

 

[sengli]

We took a tour recently and saw a DRV product with a garbage disposal. I couldn't hardly believe what I was seeing, when I opened the kitchen cabinets under the sink. The disposal was supported from underneath, not just hanging on the sink alone for support. Considering how hard it would be to actually flush out that added debris, there is no way I would want a disposal in an RV. We dont even use a disposal at home either.

 

[DocFather]

Many RV parks, especially those out in the wilderness, that have full hook-ups usually have septic tank systems and not that many have waste-water treatment facilities. Depending on which authority you believe, most say that sink-type garbage disposals should not be used with septic systems. Add this thought to the other replies on this thread, and, full-time or not, it seems like a bad idea, in my opinion.

 

[Nabo]

Has DRV come up with a back wash system for that gray tank that's tied to the garbage disposal??? I would want some way to wash the gray tank out every so often to help keep solids from building up in the tank.

 

[Crumgater]

What Nabo said!

Need a grey-tank wash system, similar to the black tank flush... otherwise, I wouldn't want to use it, either.

A grey-tank flush might be a good idea anyway... as I watched the "mud" from our coffee cups go down the drain last week at our campsite.

 

[camr]

Both the black and grey water tanks have a tank wash system. Of all the "Full-timer" extras included in the coach, I would probably miss the garbage disposal the least. Perhaps if we had one in our stick and brick home we would use it more, or at all.

 

[blkdodge]

Has DRV come up with a back wash system for that gray tank that's tied to the garbage disposal??? I would want some way to wash the gray tank out every so often to help keep solids from building up in the tank.

YES, they have..

 

[scottyb]

Agreed, a gray tank flush would be mandatory. Another thing that would help is if the tank had a funneled bottom like some black tanks, That way there is no place for the solids to hide.

 

[porthole]

Some time ago I finally acquiesced and put a GD in the house. Someone that grew up on the other oceanside had them and thought they were great.
We have had no issues in the 10 plus years so far. But, I was against it then and if it ever fails it will not be replaced.

Of the negatives I see listed here the biggest one for RV'ing IMO is the extra water you need/should use.
Why double or triple the water you store usage?

And, I haven't seen a sink yet in our trailers that I would trust to support the GD.

Now, dishwashers - that I want in the rig.