Gray tanks combined! Mod with pics!!

[MotoLynx27x]

Hey ya'll! I have gotten fed up with the piddly 35 gallon shower tank in my camper, as well as having two separate hookups outside. Having to move the hose back and forth got old fast, so I bought a Wye and short hoses to connect it all at once, but I still had the problem with a small shower tank when boondocking.

So..... I went to Home Depot, bought some pipes and parts, and got to work! The plan is to not only combine both 35 gal gray tanks together but also to have only one drain line.

here is what I bought:

3" x 3" x 2" Wye
2" elbow
3" to 2" reducer

TEARDOWN.

well look at that. The drain line for the Shower tank popped off in my hand when I grabbed it. Looks like it was going to go at the worst time like towing when the tank is full.

Cut the removed drain line just after the elbow to fit the 3 to 2 reducer.

Glue it on using ABS/PVC compatible primer and glue.

Since I'm using PVC, I decided to paint the pipes black, but I used masking tape to cover the joint ends so the paint doesn't cause gluing problems.

 

[MotoLynx27x]

I cut and fit the Wye and inserted the 2" to test the angle

I found these cool metal galvanized hanging brackets which I painted black to prevent rust.

Here is the paint I used for the pipes and for the brackets.

Completed! Looks great and no more dual drains!

now you may have noticed I did not install a 2" gate valve. I didn't have one when I did the install. I will get one and add it soon.

i did remove the black tank valve handle extension.

so, what do you think?

 

[Tallyrver]

Very nice ,I also have two hookups on the Gateway . I just bought a "y" adapter and another hose to have both connections ,but now I have twice as much stinky slinky to store. I may have to check your mod out.
Nice pictures
Wayne

 

[dbbls59]

Makes one wonder why the factory couldn't have done that in the first place.

 

[Turtlpwr]

Wow, great work! I want to look into doing this myself. I have two separate black/grey tanks with separate valves on my Gateway 3650BH. I didn't think it would be too much of an issue, but even with two hoses and a Y adapter it still is a pain sometimes due to the location of the rear valve being under a slide-out. Definitely will be looking for consolidated tanks in my next fiver.

 

[JohnD]

Makes one wonder why the factory couldn't have done that in the first place.

Because it would have added $10 to the manufacturing cost of the trailers!

 

[MotoLynx27x]

Thanks guys! I tried not to get too super descriptive with measurements and such and make it boring!

 

[TravelTiger]

Great job, great pics! Thanks for sharing!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gary521]

Quick question. Why did you not use ABS (or did I just miss this somewhere ) so you didn't have to paint it.

 

[porthole]

Just an FYI. When I re-did all the plumbing on the Cyclone, none of the local or Goshen RV stores had the required oddball fittings.

Got everything I needed in ABS on Amazon

 

[MotoLynx27x]

Quick question. Why did you not use ABS (or did I just miss this somewhere ) so you didn't have to paint it.

Well, I didn't use ABS for two reasons, neither of which is the fault of ABS itself. 1.) ABS pipe and fittings are not readily available in my area. 2.) PVC is readily available. Painting the pipe and fitting didn't bother me, as I was able to achieve a durable finish with the plastic paint I found.

I would have preferred ABS over PVC as it would have meant the entire system would remain flexible and be of the same material, which would have meant sourcing the cement would have been easier as well. Since I only replaced a small portion of the system with PVC, I don't feel I lost much flexibility in the total system. And even if I do spring a leak down the road (seriously unlikely), then I'll buy the parts in ABS online and reassemble the kit again and swap out the PVC.

So in conclusion, I was able to quickly repair the failing joint at the tank, eliminate one of the drain connections, and tie both tanks together all in the span of about 4 hours. Since I'm heading to a campsite this weekend, I'll verify the quality of my modification and be sure to update you all if I have to "tweak" anything.

 

[stevenssr]

Very good improvement. My last trailer had 2 connections and I thought about doing the same. Now I'm curious to see how the 2 gray tanks will fill up now that they are connected. Tank heights, and vent locations could be a factor. Hopefully, they will fill equally (equalizing through the connection).

 

[JohnD]

I've thought about combining both grey tanks into one, but I do have enough sewer hose to drain them without issue!

I've been trying to locate a 'Y' adapter so that i can have both hooked up together, but so far every 'Y' adapter has not been the right one to hook up both sewer hoses at the same time.

Not that big of an issue . . . takes only a minute more to drain all three of the tanks than it would if I had the correct 'Y' adapter . . .

 

[jimtoo]

I've thought about combining both grey tanks into one, but I do have enough sewer hose to drain them without issue!

I've been trying to locate a 'Y' adapter so that i can have both hooked up together, but so far every 'Y' adapter has not been the right one to hook up both sewer hoses at the same time.

Not that big of an issue . . . takes only a minute more to drain all three of the tanks than it would if I had the correct 'Y' adapter . . .

Is this the fitting you need John?

Jim M