Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Topic: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain. (Read 2699 times) previous topic - next topic

Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

June 09, 2024, 10:44:42 pm

Hi All,
Couple of years ago we bought a 1997 U270 34' custom shortie. We are the third owners, and the previous travelers were diligent about maintenance, quick with the upgrades and were fastidious record keepers.

Fritz is a handsome fella and a wonderful host.

We've been on the road full time in Fritz for just about three years and not once have we regretted the decision. We've had our fair share of mishaps, but nothing too serious. As I understand it, anyone with the time, patience and aptitude can keep these lovelies on the road indefinitely. Doesn't hurt that my big brother, Mike is a diesel mechanic. Hard core. Like Christmas morning when the Snap-On truck rolls in...lol.

So here's the issue. What started as a clogged kitchen sink has turned into a stinky mess in the shower. I've been devouring the info on these forums for a couple of days, and have done pretty much everything suggested. I've removed and cleaned every single accessible pipe, p-trap and vent I could get my hands on. Even tried snaking the vent up top the bus and there's no blockage.

I've also snaked the two drains in the kitchen and the bathroom sink. We've used vinegar and baking soda, green gobbler and copious amounts of hot water. It would seem that the shower pan (corner style, drivers side) sits above the tires so I can't get reasonable access to the p-trap in the shower. Because of the weird angle of the shower drain, snaking isn't possible. I've tried one of the black plastic grabbie type snakes, it wont penetrate more than six inches.

It's been two days of dumping drain cleaners, waiting an hour-or two-or overnight and then vigorous plunging. What doesn't creep down the drain has been siphoned up with an industrial strength turkey baster, and subsequently dumped via the toilet into the black tank.

The grey tank has been closed to the sewer dump line, and it has been open as well. I've taped off the air exhaust things and plunged like a fiend, and I've left them as they should be and plunged as well.
My best guess is that there's something really unexpected trapped in the 1 1/2 black pipe that begins under the kitchen sink, travels toward the back of the bus, where it meets up with the bathroom sink drain and then scoots toward the shower where it meets up with the shower drain..?
I'm getting all sorts of interesting crud coming up the drain, black sludge, red sand from the southwest.. that stuff gets everywhere. It's why we don't take the backest of back roads anymore. I'm still finding it in crevices and corners from last winters adventures. Back to the mystery....it's just terrible to see and worse to smell.

This is the one and only home I have ever owned, and I am absolutely fastidious about keeping stuff out of the drains. I feel like I've done everything right.. but here we are

I can disassemble the cubbie at the foot of the bed where I suspect the air exhaust is hidden. I'm sorry that I'm not using technical jargon, I'm well beyond my capacity to think at this point. At least for today.

My plan tomorrow is to run a hose from the city water spigot, thru the kitchen window and into the shower where I'll try to blast the beezor out. That, or I'll use my brand new spot carpet cleaner (Bissell Pet Pro Heated..blah, blah) to attempt to suction whatever may have decided to make it's home in the drainage system between the shower, bathroom sink and the grey tank below.

The dump system is pretty basic- gated valves operated manually so I don't think there's any mystery there... but that's exactly why I'm here now. To see if any other Foretravelers have had a similar problem.

We also have an air compressor- I was thinking I'd go get a decent length of pex pipe or more likely aquarium tubing to affix to the compressor and see if I can force the disgusting mass into the tank with compressed air.

We adore Fritz. He is our forever home. We hope to wander the planet until our dying day with Fritz by our side.

Neither my partner James or I work presently.. You can make a pretty decent play at life as a volunteer with State Parks and Federal Lands (USDA). Occasionally we get a daily stipend for our time, and that and social security seem adequate for the time being...

I digress. My apologies. If anyone has ideas or experiences that they deem useful, helpful or entertaining, I am all ears.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my rambling post....

Cheers!
Julie
Edit: James had just filled the fresh water tank- please tell me that there's some magic bypass we tripped. I'm beginning to feel as if we're just scouring the pipes the hard way. I've bailed out at least 24 gallons from various orifice's.

Lemme know if you need the build number... I'll try and add it to our profile just as soon as I can regain some semblance of motivation. lol.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #1 – June 10, 2024, 08:05:14 am

You might try a shop vac with the hose on the blow side. Remove the shower drain cover using a rag to seal around the shop vac hose at the shower drain CAREFULLY apply pressure to the drain to help move any obstructions on down the line. I wouldn't use an air compressor, might be a bit much.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #2 – June 10, 2024, 12:48:10 pm

If you started with removing and cleaning the P-trap under the sinks, then snaking both sinks you should have eliminated the worst of the challenge.
Black sludge is often a bacteria issue, but my suggestion would be to keep on using drain cleaner soaking, use a metal snake to loosen whatever you can, then buy a cheap wet/dry vac to suck it out with until you get the obstruction out.
I don't think the air compressor would be a good idea, might be a bit too much.
Sooner or later you will suck the problem out, or melt it down enough to pass thru.

Very interested to hear how this is resolved, best of luck.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #3 – June 10, 2024, 01:18:21 pm

Thanks guys. Boy- don't I know that I made the problem far worse than it needed to be!
Foolishly, we had not prepared for this..
Had I not been so lazy on day one, gone to the store and bought a plunger and a snake...I would have enjoyed the beautiful PNW weather and not made myself sick inhaling green gobbler fumes.

No exaggeration here, I actually vomited pretty violently at the end of day one since I had not taken necessary precautions to protect myself against accidental exposure to the gobbler. Cross contamination.

I appreciate the info- bacterial sludge.. interesting.
Looks like I'm gonna get a shop vac today.

I'm grateful for the reassurance, that it'll likely eventually break down and end up in the grey tank as it should.

I will keep you posted.

I'm of the mind that in any given situation, it isn't a mistake so much as a steep learning curve.
Using this philosophy, I would have to say that I have gotten pretty damn smart over the years 🤣

Cheers!
Julie

An addendum: bacterial sludge vs hydrogen peroxide sounds promising. That stuff is cytotoxic and unless there's a serious drawback to using it in the pipes I'm going to add it to the arsenal. In fact I could swing by the beauty supply store and grab some 20, 30 or 40 volume peroxide instead of using the 3% from the drugstore.
Thoughts?
As an aside here's a tip- hydrogen peroxide is genius at removing stains on the carpet. Especially organic ones.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #4 – June 10, 2024, 01:56:30 pm

I cannot help with the drain problem, but wanted to share that for 20 years we have done the following to keep drain pipes clean: On each weekly dump, use a dedicated ½" 50' water hose with exit end fitting cut off, to keep it from scratching or getting stuck in drain or toilet. One of us inside directing the outside person with intercom or 2-way radio to control city water faucet, especially important as the only way to stop water flow from the inside is to fold hose over on itself. We use lots of water with tank valves open or closed. Hose is fed into coach through a window. 2-way radios without push to talk are the best as each talks on different frequency for simultaneous conversing. We also use these radios while biking for safety and conversation.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #5 – June 10, 2024, 04:04:10 pm

Thanks for the tip.
We were just thinking that we might need to do this to flush the black tank since I've been dumping water from the shower drain into the toilet.
The gray tank is empty so it seems the smartest way to flush the hose.
It might have been info I gleaned from another post on the forum, I believe that you were the contributor.
Smart. Smart. I appreciate the input!

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #6 – June 10, 2024, 04:13:40 pm

Before you blow with the shop vac, suck. I have cleared many drains by sucking up the blockage as it is blocked going down not up.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #7 – June 10, 2024, 04:24:41 pm

Have you been able to locate all the air admittance valves for the drains? There should be one for each sink, one for the shower, and one for the toilet. (And another one if you have a washer/dryer hookup, even if you don't have a washer/dryer). Location for the shower one is going to be floorplan-dependent and it might even be across the bath from the shower location.

Usually, AAV's fail open/leaky - that's when you get the "stinky coach syndrome" issue. If an AAV fails/is stuck closed, however, it will cause a very slow drain issue. That might allow things to "back up" to other fixtures or for gunk to build up in the plumbing.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #8 – June 10, 2024, 07:12:04 pm

Quote from: thelazyjays – June 10, 2024, 01:18:21 pm

An addendum: bacterial sludge vs hydrogen peroxide sounds promising. That stuff is cytotoxic and unless there's a serious drawback to using it in the pipes I'm going to add it to the arsenal. In fact I could swing by the beauty supply store and grab some 20, 30 or 40 volume peroxide instead of using the 3% from the drugstore.
Thoughts?

I honestly hope you're kidding on that high-volume peroxide idea.

You've already dumped chemicals down the drain and they aren't all rinsed out. Adding hydrogen peroxide (a strong oxidizer) to the mix, especially at hair lightening strengths is not at all a good idea. Goodness knows what the chemical reaction might be. Plus you're working in a confined space where the fumes from one of the cleaners has already made you very sick.

Those of us who have worked with such things in the concentrations you are considering and the types of things you are mixing would only do with the chemicals in a fume hood, full PPE - safety glasses, gloves, full chemical apron, and possibly face shield as well (especially if the hood didn't have its own shield you could pull down.)

Please slow down before there are more serious consequences than a slow drain.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #9 – June 10, 2024, 09:29:15 pm

Quote from: Michelle – June 10, 2024, 07:12:04 pm

I honestly hope you're kidding on that high-volume peroxide idea.

You've already dumped chemicals down the drain and they aren't all rinsed out. Adding hydrogen peroxide (a strong oxidizer) to the mix, especially at hair lightening strengths is not at all a good idea. Goodness knows what the chemical reaction might be. Plus you're working in a confined space where the fumes from one of the cleaners has already made you very sick.

Those of us who have worked with such things in the concentrations you are considering and the types of things you are mixing would only do with the chemicals in a fume hood, full PPE - safety glasses, gloves, full chemical apron, and possibly face shield as well (especially if the hood didn't have its own shield you could pull down.)

Please slow down before there are more serious consequences than a slow drain.

Yeah. I wasn't thinking that idea thru. I appreciate your warning. Here I am, 8 hours in today and nothing. Actually there's an interesting evolution today. I suppose I ought to post that separately. Again, thanks for the warning! I was actually considering going to Sally's.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #10 – June 10, 2024, 10:14:56 pm

Quote from: craneman – June 10, 2024, 04:13:40 pm

Before you blow with the shop vac, suck. I have cleared many drains by sucking up the blockage as it is blocked going down not up.

That's my next move... thanks for mentioning it. I'm reluctant to follow my own ideas as clearly shown by my consideration of high concentration peroxide. D'oh.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #11 – June 10, 2024, 10:19:30 pm

Quote from: Michelle – June 10, 2024, 04:24:41 pm

Have you been able to locate all the air admittance valves for the drains? There should be one for each sink, one for the shower, and one for the toilet. (And another one if you have a washer/dryer hookup, even if you don't have a washer/dryer). Location for the shower one is going to be floorplan-dependent and it might even be across the bath from the shower location.

Usually, AAV's fail open/leaky - that's when you get the "stinky coach syndrome" issue. If an AAV fails/is stuck closed, however, it will cause a very slow drain issue. That might allow things to "back up" to other fixtures or for gunk to build up in the plumbing.

Well, not exactly. I just disassembled the cubby in the bedroom. Nothing of note except the pex tubing and shower connections. All look brand new, so at least I can check that box for our annual once over. That's a thing I made up today to justify the extensive exploration I've been doing.
I also took a look behind the drawers under the stove. It shares a wall with the toilet (other side, of course!)

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #12 – June 10, 2024, 10:39:13 pm

Quote from: thelazyjays – June 10, 2024, 01:18:21 pm

Thanks guys. Boy- don't I know that I made the problem far worse than it needed to be!
Foolishly, we had not prepared for this..
Had I not been so lazy on day one, gone to the store and bought a plunger and a snake...I would have enjoyed the beautiful PNW weather and not made myself sick inhaling green gobbler fumes.

No exaggeration here, I actually vomited pretty violently at the end of day one since I had not taken necessary precautions to protect myself against accidental exposure to the gobbler. Cross contamination.

I appreciate the info- bacterial sludge.. interesting.
Looks like I'm gonna get a shop vac today.

I'm grateful for the reassurance, that it'll likely eventually break down and end up in the grey tank as it should.

I will keep you posted.

I'm of the mind that in any given situation, it isn't a mistake so much as a steep learning curve.
Using this philosophy, I would have to say that I have gotten pretty damn smart over the years 🤣

Cheers!
Julie

An addendum: bacterial sludge vs hydrogen peroxide sounds promising. That stuff is cytotoxic and unless there's a serious drawback to using it in the pipes I'm going to add it to the arsenal. In fact I could swing by the beauty supply store and grab some 20, 30 or 40 volume peroxide instead of using the 3% from the drugstore.
Thoughts?
As an aside here's a tip- hydrogen peroxide is genius at removing stains on the carpet. Especially organic ones.

Okay here's today's update. Eight hours later I have been unable to find the toilet exhaust valve as well as the one for the shower.

Lots of chemicals, vinegar and baking soda and plunging in rotation.
I want to let you know that I completely flood the drain and remove every ounce of water, flood it again and using the "Baster of the Gods" I make certain that I am doing everything I can to minimize the mixing of chemicals.

There's been one strange development.. I tried altering the position of the grey water drain valve (closed it) to see if anything was making it to the tank..

Holy Sh*t! There was a fair amount of water in there. How it's getting there, I can't say since the sinks still drain to the shower and the pan fills up..

We set the compressor to 20 psi and using the nozzle (for beach balls and the like) and an inverted 32oz Maverick cup (carefully sized with a flaming hot awl) we attempted to blast the mass into the grey tank.
No dice. So, I'm going to remove all the excess water that's making its way between the sinks and the shower,
I'm going to use my brand spanking new, unused Bissell Carpet Cleaner. 🥺
This all started the evening that I was prepping to clean the carpet in the bathroom.

Coffee stains are everywhere on the carpet and although I usually scrub by hand I decided to splurge.

I can't justify scolding anyone for spilling coffee. It's a long story. Suffice it to say that James was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting MS in 2000, just as he turned 30.
And here we are. 24 years later and by what magical power he channels, I do not know.
He walks funny. But.. He. Walks.

So, as far as I'm concerned he can paint the walls with coffee and I ain't sayin nuthin.
Besides, these carpets have so much Scotch Guard on them I haven't managed a permanent stain yet. 🤞🏻

I'm going to upload photos of Fritz from the last owner, perhaps it'll inspire someone who may have an idea of where to look for the two missing air exhaust valves.

I truly appreciate your advice, fellow Fore-Travelers. I feel so much less alone in this debacle now.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #13 – June 10, 2024, 10:41:52 pm

Can someone walk me through how to add photos. I suspect that it can't be done on my iPhone so I'll look on the laptop and get photos posted asap.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #14 – June 11, 2024, 08:22:20 am

After rereading your troubles here are some thoughts.
Could the grey tank dump valve have failed causing the grey tank to be full? What I am saying is the handle pulls out but has broken off the gate. The OEM tank level indicator on those tanks are notorious for not reading correct so don't depend on it.

Mike

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #15 – June 11, 2024, 09:18:07 am

Hi James and Julie!
Where are you at?
Maybe someone is close by.
A fresh set of eyes may help.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #16 – June 11, 2024, 09:58:32 am

Quote from: thelazyjays – June 10, 2024, 10:39:13 pm

There's been one strange development.. I tried altering the position of the grey water drain valve (closed it) to see if anything was making it to the tank..

Holy Sh*t! There was a fair amount of water in there. How it's getting there, I can't say since the sinks still drain to the shower and the pan fills up..

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – June 11, 2024, 08:22:20 am

After rereading your troubles here are some thoughts.
Could the grey tank dump valve have failed causing the grey tank to be full? What I am saying is the handle pulls out but has broken off the gate. The OEM tank level indicator on those tanks are notorious for not reading correct so don't depend on it.

Mike

Julie,

Maybe you can clarify for us what you did. I've read what you wrote a couple of times I'm not clear on what happened? Are you saying that you had the grey valve closed for a while and then later had water in the tank or it already had water in it? Mike might be on to something.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #17 – June 11, 2024, 11:43:11 am

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – June 11, 2024, 08:22:20 am

After rereading your troubles here are some thoughts.
Could the grey tank dump valve have failed causing the grey tank to be full? What I am saying is the handle pulls out but has broken off the gate. The OEM tank level indicator on those tanks are notorious for not reading correct so don't depend on it.

Mike

This was exactly my thought from the get go. Having the sink "drain into the shower" is most definitely a sign that the grey tank is over full. The smell of an over-flowing grey tank is enough to make anyone double over - it might not be an air-emitter valve at all.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #18 – June 11, 2024, 11:57:56 am

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – June 11, 2024, 08:22:20 am

After rereading your troubles here are some thoughts.
Could the grey tank dump valve have failed causing the grey tank to be full? What I am saying is the handle pulls out but has broken off the gate. The OEM tank level indicator on those tanks are notorious for not reading correct so don't depend on it.

Mike

Yup, and pretty easy to check. If there is very little resistance when pulling the handle for the dump valve, the blade that allows contents of the gray tank out may not be opening.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #19 – June 11, 2024, 01:20:14 pm

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – June 11, 2024, 08:22:20 am

After rereading your troubles here are some thoughts.
Could the grey tank dump valve have failed causing the grey tank to be full? What I am saying is the handle pulls out but has broken off the gate. The OEM tank level indicator on those tanks are notorious for not reading correct so don't depend on it.

Mike

Hi Mike-
After yesterday's adventure I am coming to the conclusion that the problem MUST lie elsewhere. I.e., the grey tank. I believe the gate is working, I was able to force water into it (the tank) somehow yesterday afternoon and I emptied it completely (it sounded like it was empty, anyway. James also managed to force a couple of gallons into it during the early evening hours as well. This morning he's going to track down one of those apparatus that will clean the inside of the tank from the outside. I believe he said that it was placed inside the tank from the sluice gate on the tank itself.. I am optimistic, but we are open to all ideas at this point- we are about 30 man hours in. I'm not complaining about that. If you want to do the math on that at the mobile RV tech rate it's somewhere between absurd and catastrophic in US dollars 🤣.
Thanks for the input, every little bit helps.

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #20 – June 11, 2024, 01:24:26 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – June 11, 2024, 11:57:56 am

Yup, and pretty easy to check. If there is very little resistance when pulling the handle for the dump valve, the blade that allows contents of the gray tank out may not be opening.

Hmmm. But isn't the sound of rushing fluid thru the hose a pretty clear indication that it's draining?

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #21 – June 11, 2024, 01:33:24 pm

Well you have had this coach for a while BUT are you sure that you are working with the valve for the grey tank and not the sewer tank? I know this may be a dumb question but it has happened before with a Forum member with disastrous results.

If that gate is open into the grey tank you should be able to get one of those wash wands pushed all the way into the tank for a backflush.

Mike

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #22 – June 11, 2024, 01:41:45 pm

Quote from: Lt403 – June 11, 2024, 09:18:07 am

Hi James and Julie!
Where are you at?
Maybe someone is close by.
A fresh set of eyes may help.

Great idea!
Right now we are at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, WA. Although the campground is officially closed this year we are acting as a presence to deter any activity that may run afoul of the law.
We're still doing maintenance work, litter patrol and basic gardening though.

Here's an open invitation to a fresh set of eyes. Send me an email and I'll put you in contact with James.

I so appreciate the idea/offer. Y'all are amazing!!

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #23 – June 11, 2024, 01:44:45 pm

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – June 11, 2024, 01:33:24 pm

Well you have had this coach for a while BUT are you sure that you are working with the valve for the grey tank and not the sewer tank? I know this may be a dumb question but it has happened before with a Forum member with disastrous results.

Mike- oh how I wish we were making that particular mistake. We're definitely pulling the right handle. One is silver/grey and the other is black. And broken. It's a Valterra brand and if anyone knows where to get a new one I would appreciate any info.

If that gate is open into the grey tank you should be able to get one of those wash wands pushed all the way into the tank for a backflush.

Mike

Re: Losing my mind... Shower will not drain.

Reply #24 – June 11, 2024, 03:06:23 pm

Quote from: Dave Larsen – June 11, 2024, 09:58:32 am

Julie,

Maybe you can clarify for us what you did. I've read what you wrote a couple of times I'm not clear on what happened? Are you saying that you had the grey valve closed for a while and then later had water in the tank or it already had water in it? Mike might be on to something.

Sure, I'll recap.
Friday night I was rinsing white beans in the sink. (I dump the bean water directly into a city sewer drain or freeze it in a plastic container). Some of those bean casings escaped into the kitchen drain. (The larger of the two.)
And then water started backing up in the sink. I grabbed the baking soda and some vinegar and immediately put it in the drain. After half an hour or so, I flushed it with hot water. It still wouldn't drain so I grabbed a large plastic lid from a gallon pail of ice cream and began using it as a flange of shorts to create suction.*
At the time I believed that I was successful.
Next morning I look in the shower to find that a small amount of water has pooled into the drain and pan.
I immediately jump into action and dump more baking soda/vinegar into the kitchen drain and the shower drain.
Fast forward a bit and I try to flush the drains. Nothing happens. Well actually more water appears in the shower.
We don't have a snake or a plunger at this point so..
This is when I began researching the forum and YouTube.
cave and accept that I have to leave the campground.
So I cruise up to the Fred Meyer and grab a small plastic baffle-type plunger, a bottle of green gobbler, a 25' snake a giant bottle of apple cider vinegar (they're out of white) and a big box of baking soda.

After removing the excess water from the shower and the sink, I attack the pipes.
I track down the AAV under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, remove them and inspect. At this point I disassembled the 1 1/2 pipes and p-traps from the kitchen and bath. No blockages. I snake the kitchen all the way back to the bathroom and then I snake the bathroom- but this is difficult because it will only go so far before hitting an angle it cannot pass.
Reassemble the pipes, add ACV and soda to shower and wait.
A little while later we try flushing it with hot water and no progress. That's when the plunging comes in. The ridiculous little plunger works. But only in as much that it begins to bring up black crud and vinegar water into the shower.
I remove the mess from the shower pan and we close up both sides of the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink with their stoppers and dump four cups of green gobbler. We wait an hour, flush with hot water begin the plunging. Still no progress. I clean up the foetid water in the shower and add another 4 cups of gobbler.
Overwhelmed by chemicals I puke, make rice Chex for dinner and we go to bed.

Day three: gobbler doesn't clear the drain after adding hot water. Plunging begins again and I remove as much water as possible from the shower.
We try snaking the vent on top of the bus but find no obstruction.
Another day of rotating between ACV/soda and gobbler...
Yesterday, we tried blowing the obstruction through... plunging.. all we're getting is hot water and diluted chemicals. Some water has made its way into the grey tank and I open the valve, water drains into the sewer. Try running the water into the shower drain and it still will not drain freely.
Exhausted and nearly defeated I try a Hail Mary. It's nearing sunset and I cave. I finally use the carpet cleaner to suck the water out. I hear an interesting noise.. is it..did we...? I add hot water and I remove hot water with the carpet cleaner.
Eventually I can run the water very slowly and the drain seems to keep pace.
Good enough for a quick rinse off which I so desperately need. But the drain isn't working. Water starts puddling at my feet just as I complete the final rinse. I've achieved the victory of a navy shower and it's good enough. There is enough length of pipe that when it and the p-traps are empty a super short shower is possible.

And here we are. I still have not found the AAV for the shower or the toilet. It's not under the stove or in the cubby in the bedroom.
The shower/sinks and toilet are all on the drivers side of the bus. There's a set of pipes that travel across the bus to the passenger side (not visible from upstairs but it's the logical answer), it comes up in the first closet of the wardrobe. One pipe in total until at waist height it splits. One heads straight up to the ceiling, makes a turn and continues up to the vent on the roof. The other pipe in the wardrobe splits at a 90* degree angle and travels through the back of the closet and vanishes. We make the assumption that it makes anoth 90* turn upward and joins the roof vent. But we don't know. The water manifold is on the passenger side as is the water pump.
The wet bay is on the driver side just about mid cabin. The shower sits over the rear tires on the drivers side.

I've had two thought here as I type.
We haven't leveled up in some time. At least not in several weeks. The air bags do settle some- we may or may not be 100% level.
Second, it there any connection between the water pump that is gasping air at some point in the bus? We replaced the old pump a couple of months ago as it was making a hammering noise. It still does. Tracking down where the leak happens is on our summer maintenance punch list but everything else has been supplanted by the current problem.

Last thought- we haven't dumped the black tank yet. Without water in the grey tank I'm gonna have to run a hoe thru the kitchen window and into the bowl.
Is a weird vapor lock possible? I don't know that we've removed the drain hose from the valve in the wet bay. In fact I don't know if we've removed the hose from the sewer opening. It's loosely sealed with a pair of heavy duty Playtex gloves to mask any odor.

I hope this is concise enough for y'all. I tried not to editorialize or be clever. I tried to keep it brief but my mind is already soup.

Aside from trying to clean the grey tank from outside I may just have to go buy a wet/dry suck/blow shop vac. They're less than 50 buck but we just don't have space to keep it around.. the Joey bed is full of tools. Completely full of tools. Not complaining though. If I do go buy a shop vac I think that we might just have a complete arsenal to tackle any problem we may have in the future.

Any thoughts, ideas, tips or tricks are welcome. Encouraged. And most of all, appreciated.

*

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