Grey and black tanks

[GaryandKim]

we have a 2019 Landmark 356 Lafayette, which has 2 grey tanks and 2 black tanks, well my question is what fills the front grey tank and what fills the rear grey tank?
i finally got an answer the the capacity of each tank, 45 gals for all 4 ( if wrong please inform me correctly ).
I also found out ( by myself) that if you leave the hose connected to outside faucet to the flush connection that water will "leak" into the tanks so it fills up with water. i found this out by having a "blow back" problem! hey we are newbies so mistakes will be made haha.
with the Lafayette being a new model (2019) we didn't get a manual for this model, just an 2017-18 on a thumb drive, hoping they made a new one in 2020!

Gary Barker
USAR{US Army Retired}
sgbarker1994@gmail.com

 

[jimtoo]

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed. I’m sure you will get some information from other Lafayette owners soon.

Jim M

 

[Fox]

I'm no expert but there are two separate things that come to my mind.

1. If you leave water attached to the flush point it's doing its job - it's running flush water to clean out the black tanks. You should open the exit gate to prevent overfilling.
2. OR if you're connected to the regular water point AND HAVE A DEFECTIVE VALVE/ OR BACKFLUSH VALVE then water often leaks in to the fresh water tanks and eventually they'll overflow.

As I'm unsure which you're referring to I just figured to throw that out there.

EDIT IN: I believe USAR stands for US Army Reserve -
as for me it's USA, RET.

 

[danemayer]

Hi GaryandKim,

The 2019 manual can be downloaded from this folder.

In addition, we have an owner-written Landmark 365 User Guide that covers many of the things not in the Heartland Manual. It's in this folder along with a number of owner-written guides that may answer questions you didn't know you had. The mid-2017 version is pretty close to what you have.

As for gray tanks, on most Landmarks, gray #1 is connected to the main bath sink and shower, and usually also gets the washing machine drain. Gray #2 is for the kitchen sink and dishwasher. I'm not positive, but I would expect the 1/2 bath sink to empty into gray #2.

You can verify the grays easily enough if you have a clear adapter on your sewer outlet. Empty both gray tanks. Open the dump valve for gray #1 and turn on open each faucet in the main bath and 1/2 bath, one at a time. Close the valve and do the same with gray #2 dump valve.

 

[GaryandKim]

Jimtoo,: i stand corrected it is USA Ret, thanks
Danemayer: thanks for the answer to what goes where. i looked at the link, it's still just a revision done in 2017, but thanks any ways. 2nd linked helped a lot.

 

[emery395]

Do grey tanks have overflow outlets?

I heard dripping and water was accumulating on top of bottom covering. I drilled small hole to release puddle. It had no smell. After emptying grey tank the dripping stoped so I assume it was coming from a tank.

I figure fresh water tank has overflow but did not know grey would and assume black definitely does not. Am I correct?

 

[danemayer]

Do grey tanks have overflow outlets?

I heard dripping and water was accumulating on top of bottom covering. I drilled small hole to release puddle. It had no smell. After emptying grey tank the dripping stoped so I assume it was coming from a tank.

I figure fresh water tank has overflow but did not know grey would and assume black definitely does not. Am I correct?

Gray and black tanks do not have overflows. But if you overfill them, the water has to go somewhere. Gray water may accumulate in the shower. Black tank overfilling may push water up the vent and onto the roof. As the tanks expand, you can force water out where the drain pipe connects to the tank.

 

[Rphome]

Please forgive me, I am new. We are brand new RV owners and have a 2015 Big Country. In the rear it has 2 levers: Waste Water Holding Tank and Grey Tank #2. In the front it has 1 lever: Grey Tank #1. We see no where that says Black Tank. When we dump Grey Tank #2 it appears to be waste from toilet (I have clear elbow and can see tissue I think). When we dump Grey #1 and #2 its basically a more cleaner looking water. Why do I not see any thing saying Black Tank?

 

[danemayer]

Please forgive me, I am new. We are brand new RV owners and have a 2015 Big Country. In the rear it has 2 levers: Waste Water Holding Tank and Grey Tank #2. In the front it has 1 lever: Grey Tank #1. We see no where that says Black Tank. When we dump Grey Tank #2 it appears to be waste from toilet (I have clear elbow and can see tissue I think). When we dump Grey #1 and #2 its basically a more cleaner looking water. Why do I not see any thing saying Black Tank?

You described the output of Grey Tank #2 twice. I'm guessing you meant to say that when you dump the Waste Water tank, you see tissue. That would make sense as Waste Water Holding Tank would likely be the Black Tank.

 

[NP_Chief]

What model Big Country do you have? The toilet should be directly on top of the black (or waste water) tank. It is possible that the labels are incorrect.

 

[emery395]

Our cyclone has 2 grey tanks. Second one does kitchen sink and washer drain.

About to install washer and am nervous about filling grey tank and overflow spilling out washer drain pipe.

I'm assuming those that have a washer just empty the grey tank after almost every wash because the tank fill lights are so unreliable.

Comments?

 

[danemayer]

Our cyclone has 2 grey tanks. Second one does kitchen sink and washer drain.

About to install washer and am nervous about filling grey tank and overflow spilling out washer drain pipe.

I'm assuming those that have a washer just empty the grey tank after almost every wash because the tank fill lights are so unreliable.

Comments?

Our washer drains into gray #1, along with bathroom sink and shower (2011 Landmark). I keep the gray valves open for 5 days after dumping the black tank. On day 6 and 7 the valve is closed so as to accumulate some gray water to flush through the sewer hose after dumping the black tank. While the grays are open, I let the sewer hose hang down to create a p-trap that keeps odors and sewer flies from getting into the gray tanks (not really sure about sewer flies, but some people claim bad experiences with them).

On days 6 and 7, I ask DW to let me know if she's doing any laundry. Our 2 showers and 2 washer cycles on mode 10 aren't a problem for our 45 gallon tank. A 3rd wash may cause water to back up into the shower. So if laundry's running, I'll let some water out of gray #1 to prevent overflow.

If you have 40 gallon tanks, or if you take long showers, or if your washer is on a mode other than 10 (quick wash), you may have to intervene more frequently.

 

[emery395]

Dane -thank you for explanation and your washer hookup must be in bedroom which makes the shower a lower point than the washer drain pipe. I'm assuming your tub could act as overflow catch for washer draining.

Unfortunately, our washer in in the 'garage' and nothing is lower than washer drain.

 

[danemayer]

You'll have to manage it more closely.

Also, our washing machine (and perhaps most) has a timed water fill. So at different parks, with varying water flow, we get more or less water used by the machine. When you get to a location with good water flow, you might run an experiment using a tub or bucket to catch the water as it comes out the sewer outlet while running the washing machine. That'll give you a better handle on how quickly you'll fill the tank.

 

[JohnDar]

Typically, I’ll just open the tank valve for the gray tank for the washer while it’s in use.


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[Cas0114-bighorn]

Re: Grey and black tanks 2015 bighorn 3755fl

Hi newbie here. Our 5th wheel has two grey tanks. Tanks one and two with tank 1 in the back position next to the black pull. I’m trying to figure out why grey water is only draining from tank 2. With a front living space I think tank 2 must be holding kitchen water. With the bedroom and washroom near back I figured it would be for washroom shower and sink plus washer from rear bedroom. Is this wrong? Would tank 1 be for washer only. We have used the shower and bathroom sink. Thanks

 

[Rphome]

What model Big Country do you have? The toilet should be directly on top of the black (or waste water) tank. It is possible that the labels are incorrect.

Thank you all. We have discovered that the labels are backward.