Three Misc. Plumbing Questions

[Len Silva]

My experience, with two people aboard, is that 60/40 black/grey works for us.

[sledhead]

I put in 100 gal fresh  75 gal grey  35 gal black . When we use state parks with no sewer hock up I would have liked to have had 100 gal grey? The black can last as long as 3 weeks with the proper additives if its just my wife and I. So put in a black and a grey tank           would be my opinion                dave

[Uglydog56]

My tanks are 175 fresh, 150 grey, 45 black.  I wanted a bigger grey than fresh, but physical limitations dictated my tank sizes. 

[arutkow]

I am still designing my coach in my head...

But I was curious how much larger the waste tanks should be than the fresh water tank.  I assume you shouldn't plan on using public bathrooms (gas stations, tourist spots, etc) to prevent excess use of your own tanks?

[luvrbus]

Guys the spring loaded under the cabinet vents are called Studor valves

[Len Silva]

Actually, they are called air admittance valves.  Studor is just one brand.  Others are Oatey, Keeney, Rectorseal.

[luvrbus]

Studor was the the original Len that was the only brand for years sorry about not saying admittance valves lol walk in to a plumbing supply and ask for a admittance valve and see what you get 

[belfert]

I am still designing my coach in my head...

But I was curious how much larger the waste tanks should be than the fresh water tank.  I assume you shouldn't plan on using public bathrooms (gas stations, tourist spots, etc) to prevent excess use of your own tanks?

I figure my waste tank would need to be 10% to 20% larger than the fresh water tank for the waste tank to not get full before the water tank is empty.

The biggest issue for me is the waste tanks filling up when boondocking.  When I am on the road there are usually plenty of places to empty the tank.  We will use public restrooms when we stop for fuel or whatever, but not specifically to keep the tanks from filling up.

[Len Silva]

I didn't mean to sound like a smart-@$#, though it does look that way.  Because of some business dealings I have been made very aware of brand name protection.

[RJ]

Michael -

Just a thought that nobody's mentioned:  Heated bay.

If you put the water heater in the same bay as the fresh/grey/black tanks, even tho it's insulated, there will be some heat given off that might just save you a broken water line if you're suddenly caught in a cold front.  It does happen, even in FL. . . 

Additionally, someone else mentioned this, but in the back bay is a lot closer to the head and kitchen sink than the old HVAC condenser compartment - thus less water waste potential, even with the recirculation feature.

If you stack your tanks, that will open up some additional space in the bay.  Just make sure you've got sufficient support for the upper ones.

Not putting the water heater up front also allows you to use that compartment for your genset, or a couple of portable propane bottles (if you're planning on using propane for anything.)

Think nautical - sailors have been putting a quart in a pint pot for over 5,000 years.  Our buses are simply land yachts!

FWIW & HTH. . .