Hi Folks. No, I don't want recommendations for a good urologist or gastro surgeon thanks.
What I want is some advice on cleaning out the waste water PVC piping in my van. The sink is the highest point, then the hand basin and finally the shower.
We get a terrible smell out of the handbasin which is obvious less used than the sink and usually its just cold water and used toothpaste going down it.
Have read plenty of past advice on the many previous posts here, but seems to be about the sullage pipes and I run plenty of hot water and clean the connection end out with a brush.
Currently I bung up the outlet with rag and then tip a little bit of Draino down the sink and handbasin plugs.
Any better suggestions please??
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
I put nappy soaker, the one used for the loo - down the sink, basin, and shower plug holes at least once a month, or if I get a whiff of something "not nice". Now this plumber could come and fix my pipes anytime!!!
Your on the right track. Keep using the Draino over night. In the morning run plenty of water and use the old hand held rubber sink plunger ( Bunnings) it will lift all that chest hair that sits in the S bend / Trap.Normaly start accumulating after a stray bobby pin go's missing.
Jim - Bev is really upset with you !! She gets all her chest hair waxed off once a week LOL (and Ive stopped using Bobby pins now and just let it all blow in the breeze)
Jules - I hope that's not the rear end of Billeee we're seeing there is it - his plumbing looks like it has a major crack in it hahaha.......perhaps a bit of bog (aka fiberglass) will fill it in
And John - thanks for that, I will give it a try. We've had this terrible smell before and blamed the toilet - but I keep it very clean and always give it a careful "sniff" test to make sure the cassette and where it sits is always fresh smelling. We seldom have any solid waste in it as normally we are house farm sitting, in a CP or if free camping, a 12" hole in the ground or the local public toilets
All the smell was in fact coming up from the handbasin (presumably because it is the last inlet in the plumbing). The Draino certainly did the job (only had it in there for 30 mins as per the bottle instructions) and no more smell. We also hooked out Bevs hair and the slime that had gathered where the sullage pipe is screwed on and washed out the pipes.
The other problem is the caravan is on a slight lean at the farm we are staying at (despite wheel chokes on that side) - this allows the water to sit in the lowest part of the pipe. We leave here (thank god) this Sunday. I will stop in a metalled rest area and with the van leaning the other way slightly, run some boiling water down the sink and hopefully that will get the residue out. I don't want to turn up at Surfils place this Sunday with dirty pipes :)
Next time I will try John and Jules recipes.
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Hey Jim wrote: and use the old hand held rubber sink plunger ( Bunnings) it will lift all that chest hair that sits in the S bend / Trap.
I'm not up with vans with ensuites. Do they install S bend/traps below handbasins? If they do then the best way to clean them is to pull them apart for cleaning.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Watch out the draino doesn't set hard in S bend , Just recently my friend put draino down his sink over night and set hard and had to buy a new s bend .
I think you need to look to see if you have a water seal in the drain hose. Most vans don't have s traps but we made sure pipes go up and then down just to seal off the smells in our grey water tank.
Maybe try that.
Be careful with the draino, you may have no pipes left soon.
Cheers baz
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
I break a odour B gone tablet used for toilet cassette leave a piece in the sink after washing up and a piece in the hand basin it takes ages to dissolve, it cleans out the pipes as you wash your hands or washing the vegetables in the sink.
Too easy
