By Jim Twamley
RV plumbing is a BIG issue to most RVers. Many travel trailers and 5th wheels have two separate gray water dump valves. Usually one gray tank drains into an exit drain pipe shared with the black water tank, while the additional gray water drain is located elsewhere.
This type of arrangement makes it easier for the RV manufacturer but harder for the end user. If you own a rig like this you need to figure out how to link the two drain pipes externally.
RV stores sell “Y” adapters for this purpose. You can also purchase connectors to assist you with this project.
An avid RVer wrote to us that his Coachmen travel trailer had two separate dump valves — one forward of the wheels and one aft. He opted to make his own “Y” connector using a standard stick-house black pipe “Y” connected to an RV male coupler. He used flashing, caulking and hose clamps to fashion this homemade adapter. Since the location of the sewer hole varies from park to park, he decided to make one end of his hose shorter. Whether the sewer dump hole is forward or aft of his tires he can simply swap the position of the hoses to accommodate the situation.
