Grey Water. How to deal with Motorhome Waste Water

[Jim]

I live in mine ....parked in mums drive 5/6 months of the year. Waste tap is never closed . All grey waste goes straight on the driveway ( pink chips) there's no visible sign or smell ever

Yes but what will happen when you finally get around to taking that shower?

 

[62272]

I live in mine ....parked in mums drive 5/6 months of the year. Waste tap is never closed . All grey waste goes straight on the driveway ( pink chips) there's no visible sign or smell ever

Does your mum live in St Tropez?

 

[Northernraider]

Yes but what will happen when you finally get around to taking that shower?

Shower every day plus cooking, dishes etc. Not sure what some folk put down their drains to have such toxic waste water

 

[Northernraider]

Does your mum live in St Tropez?

No but its convenient and free when I'm not travelling the other 6 months

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

Colapz are now selling a filter to use with their hoses. Great idea to stop any food particles being left in the hedge bottoms. https://colapz.co.uk/collections/flexi-waste-pipes/products/flexi-waste-pipe-inline-filter

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We use a biodegradable dog poo bag which is filled with grass (or similar) to act as a filter. The bag is then punctured a few times and tied to end of the grey water pipe. Reserved for use when appropriate to do so, otherwise dispose of grey as directed.

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[cyberyacht]

I have a total 7M of hose and can direct it well away from the pitch, the policy for which I confirm with the CL owner upon arrival. At the moment it could be argued you are helping create a firebreak.

 

[yodeli]

I'm happy with any grass really, especially if it's been raining.
For some reason the Germans don't like you doing it though.

They might change their mind once they have their firemen back from fighting fires in France
For godsake stop being fussy ( not you in my quote, but funsters in general who think it's disgusting!) with grey water, don't put food in your waste tank to start with, dustbins are there for it, and open your grey tank wherever earth needs water!!!

 

[Verteuil Man]

When the site allows the grey goes down the MWP. On rallies it goes into the hedge as is the custom on CAMC events.

Every now and again I take a full grey tank home and drain it 9nto my drains. Before travelling I crumble an Aldi washing tablet I to the sink. This washes around on the way home.

I know a couple of people who use the Aldi washing tablets in the toilet instead of blue. The reasoning is that over a weekend the blue does not have time to break "stuff" down and all you need is something to suppress the odour. I tried it, Mrs B did not like it.

 

[GAVLAD]

For the past 3 weeks on site in Spain, I drained my grey into a washing up bowl and transferred it into a bucket (bucket wouldn’t fit under van) and walked 50metres to the tap sink to empty it.
One day, I made 6 trips, filling my watering can to top up the fresh on the return leg.
I didn’t see any of my Dutch neighbours empty or fill their caravans in all the time I was there.
I used to joke with some of them that the wife had just had her bath, but they didn’t get the humour.

 

[Canucks]

Thought I would ask an expert, Dr Izzy Bishop, Lecturer in Ecology at UCL, her views on the matter (well, actually she is my niece and I asked her about dumping my grey waste whilst parked in her Mum's garden.)

She said that it depends what is in the water. Soap tends to have phosphates, which damage the environment and, if the water has been used for laundry, it probably contains microplastics. Suncream and bug spray that has been washed off bodies and clothes are also bad, as is make up and some other products which contain nasties. If grey water is dumped, then rivers and drains connected directly to a river should be avoided.

Basically she said that if I MUST dump it (and I really shouldn't) just make sure it is well clear of any watercourse and where at least the plants might absorb some of it.

​

I have wondered what the issue is to direct grey into street drains? I haven't done it but it made me think that my waste couldn't be worse than the dirt, diesel and who knows what flowing into these drains, could it?

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[Shrimp]

The THS we are on at present-Beehive-said grey on the ground or in the hedge.
Don't like the idea of it on the ground so ours gets decanted into a bucket and then the hedge.
Field looks funny now as it’s all brown ‘grass’ and then big green patches where the previous people have dumped grey!

 

[poppycamper]

Field looks funny now as it’s all brown ‘grass’ and then big green patches where the previous people have dumped grey!

As long as no "lumpy" bits left for next occupantants does this not rather prove waste water does not harm grass..

 

[Shrimp]

Nothing wrong with grey water on the garden or grass it can be a problem if tipped straight into water courses, rivers, streams etc. as most soaps do not agree with water wildlife, but the ground filters them out.

 

[denisejoe]

All grey water at home from the kitchen sink goes on the fruit patch

 

[Don Campbell]

Our grey water discharge used to be in the middle of the van which I thought was was pretty stupid. I extended it so the outlet is now in line with the edge of the van and now simply drive directly over a storm drain in a motorway layby to discharge.

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[Stavelot]

Ex narrowboater here. What's interesting & also confusing is that all of the narrowboats I've ever known has had a grey waste outlet on the side of the hull for the water to empty direct into the canal or river. This includes water from the shower, washing machine & sinks. The only waste that goes into a holding tank or cassette is the black from the loos.

I've also witnessed the occasional boater pumping their black waste straight into the canal but this is definitely against the rules.

I'm a keen gardener & also on a private water supply from a well at home and, in times of drought have showered into a trug which I've then used to water my plants. There seems to me to be a lot of conflicting rules and also opinions on grey waste so we just apply what we consider to be a little common sense and courtesy. Having said that we mostly stay on sites for a single night whilst touring so use the facilities there and think nothing of a daily grey dump and water fill.

For the record we have on occasion emptied our grey waste onto our gravelled drive at home. As far as I can see it's no different to all the soapy water that soaks into the ground from when we wash the cars and MH. The dog takes care of any food waste on plates before they're washed. By the time she's finished they're sparkling!

 

[Binky]

Ex narrowboater here. What's interesting & also confusing is that all of the narrowboats I've ever known has had a grey waste outlet on the side of the hull for the water to empty direct into the canal or river. This includes water from the shower, washing machine & sinks. The only waste that goes into a holding tank or cassette is the black from the loos.

I've also witnessed the occasional boater pumping their black waste straight into the canal but this is definitely against the rules.

I'm a keen gardener & also on a private water supply from a well at home and, in times of drought have showered into a trug which I've then used to water my plants. There seems to me to be a lot of conflicting rules and also opinions on grey waste so we just apply what we consider to be a little common sense and courtesy. Having said that we mostly stay on sites for a single night whilst touring so use the facilities there and think nothing of a daily grey dump and water fill.

For the record we have on occasion emptied our grey waste onto our gravelled drive at home. As far as I can see it's no different to all the soapy water that soaks into the ground from when we wash the cars and MH. The dog takes care of any food waste on plates before they're washed. By the time she's finished they're sparkling!

Incredibly, the use of sea toilets (i.e. dumping black waste overboard) is permitted on the Great Ouse, the Medway, and on the tributaries of the Great Ouse and the river Nene as well!

 

[Jonno1103]

Currently on a CL in Norfolk,checked with owner it’s ok to put it in hedge. Best place for it,especially during drought.

All the boats down there put in into the various rivers and no one bats an eyelid, all the canal boats do the same. Not to mention the diesel and other chemicals which end up in the water in and around the marinas & boatyards.

 

[Binky]

Oh No - I've opened a can of worms! This from my darling niece:

Thanks for sharing this with me. It's really interesting. I am setting up a research project on the River Lea in London at the moment and the first step has been to ask local residents what they think the problems are. The biggest one seems to be houseboat owners telling me that they don't know what to do with their grey water and have no choice but to put it into the river, and they are worried about what damage it might be causing. I'm going to look into starting a research project into the effects of grey water because no-one has ever really quantified it, we just know that it does have an impact. Have to get funding first though!

I'm so glad that people are aware of it and talking about it. Their comments make perfect sense to me. Phosphates are essentially a natural fertiliser, but we also mine them and add them to things like detergents (because they break up grease) and artificial agricultural fertilisers (because they make stuff grow faster). So, when you throw grey water on blackberries or grass, you are basically throwing a load of fertiliser onto them. The problem is that farmers often over-use fertilisers. If the phosphates aren't used by plants or crops then they get washed into rivers when it rains. They then fertilise the algae in the rivers. The algae grow and block light from getting into the river, meaning that plants underneath can't photosynthesise. Then the algae die, and the bacteria that break them down consume a LOT of oxygen, meaning there is no oxygen for animals living in the water (e.g. insects and fish). Mined phosphate is an expensive and non-renewable resource, so I can understand why farmers might be keen on a bit of free fertiliser from grey water!

If you throw grey water into a drain that is connected directly to the river, you remove the chance that the plants might consume the phosphates before it gets into the water. If it goes to sewage then the treatment works will remove the phosphate (in theory!).

Phosphate is the main problem, but it's also worth remembering that grey water might contain other things that aren't consumed by plants e.g. microplastics (left behind when you wash lycra or polyester) and traces of heavy metals (found in make up and cosmetics). We don't really know much about the impacts of these things.

Do you think that people would be interested in sending samples of their grey water to a lab for analysis to find out exactly what they are putting out into the environment and in what quantities?

 

[Mike n Vikki]

Into any nearby hedge or ditch . Never had a problem.

Hedge is okay if that's what the site asks but never into ditches please !

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[poppycamper]

Hedge is okay if that's what the site asks but never into ditches please !

Info please... why not ditches.. it only soapy water at the most.??

 

[Stealaway]

Incredibly, the use of sea toilets (i.e. dumping black waste overboard) is permitted on the Great Ouse, the Medway, and on the tributaries of the Great Ouse and the river Nene as well!

And as far as I'm aware throughout the whole of France waterways. All the hire boat's have the simple sea toilets.
In the UK you should not empty grey tanks into the drains, because it can often go directly into the water course without any refining. It should only be discharged into sewage drains just like in France and Germany .
At least on grass it has a chance to be filtered by the soil and can be said to be doing some good.

 

[dazandandrea]

 

[poppycamper]

You really need to get to bed earlier if sleeping before lunchtime..

 

[dazandandrea]

Im just wondering how long a thread can run with the same thing being said over and over and over again .
Btw i was up at 4.30 am

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[Johnthebike50]

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article Grey Water. How to deal with Motorhome Waste Water.

Are there any reasons why any road side drain with a grating could not be used? they must be able to accept all sorts of contaminants from the public highway! So a bit of grey water shouldn't be a problem IMHO

 

[Old Gibber]

Nobody mentions using common sense. If, like many people you put bleach etc into the tank or there is any risk of your waste coming into contact with people or tents, even animals, drain it safely away.

That's because common sense is such a rare quality.

 

[busby]

If we are on a rally or 5 van sites we wash up outside in a bucket and dispose of around the edge of the field. always remove any food from the plates etc with kitchen towel first.

If there is bits of food in it mice and other mammals will soon dispose of it.BUSBY.

 

[busby]

I have a total 7M of hose and can direct it well away from the pitch, the policy for which I confirm with the CL owner upon arrival. At the moment it could be argued you are helping create a firebreak.

I use a bucket,,Simple.BUSBY.

 

[busby]

And as far as I'm aware throughout the whole of France waterways. All the hire boat's have the simple sea toilets.
In the UK you should not empty grey tanks into the drains, because it can often go directly into the water course without any refining. It should only be discharged into sewage drains just like in France and Germany .
At least on grass it has a chance to be filtered by the soil and can be said to be doing some good.

But The Water Boards pump raw sewage into rivers in UK. can't see a bit of grey water being a problem..BUSBY.

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