Shower tray not draining - Advice needed

Thanks. I will try that.

We have decided to just go away for one night so we can manage without using the shower in the van.

The caravan mechanic is booked for next Monday, so if I haven’t fixed it by then I’m sure it will be an easy job for him. I’m just sorry I’m really not good at DIY.
I’d try Fernox LS-X which you can get at any plumbers store or Screwfix, it’s a special silicone in a small tube to use where PTFE tape used to be used and can be used on sink bowls when adding pipe work
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I have a simular problem, where my shower will not drain unless I open the grey water dump valve on the side of the mh. Started to happen yesterday. I think it must be air somewhere? Anyone any thoughts? Sink in bathroom drains ok, but sink in kitchen has the same issue. Have just tried drain unblocked, but no change.
 
Turned out to be breather pipe for the grey water tank. So a quick trip under and heard the air escape and now all draining well
Just encountered the exact same grey water problem. Was your breather pipe blocked? How could you tell? How did you clear it? Thanks!
 
One of the main causes of problems with our shower drains is the distinctly different way in which most of use these showers compared with those at home.

At home, many of us will stand for quite a long time soaking up quite large quantities of hot water whereas in our vans, a lot of us will use a wet all over, turn off, soap up and rinse off water saving method which is just as an effective way of washing our bodies however it results in far more concentrated levels of soap/shower-gel/conditioner/hair/skin/dirt in the drain pipe and this tends to gunge up both the pipe and grey tank up quite quickly.

For this reason in my van, we use the magical Mister Muscle at the end of every week away in all the drain pipes of the our 'Millie' and it works!

Phil
 
Just encountered the exact same grey water problem. Was your breather pipe blocked? How could you tell? How did you clear it? Thanks!
A blocked breather will typically make EVERY drain stop/slow down simultaneously, also they'll drain properly as soon as you open up the tank drain valve. Our MH doesn't have a 'breather pipe', just a hole in the very top of the tank.
 
One of the main causes of problems with our shower drains is the distinctly different way in which most of use these showers compared with those at home.

At home, many of us will stand for quite a long time soaking up quite large quantities of hot water whereas in our vans, a lot of us will use a wet all over, turn off, soap up and rinse off water saving method which is just as an effective way of washing our bodies however it results in far more concentrated levels of soap/shower-gel/conditioner/hair/skin/dirt in the drain pipe and this tends to gunge up both the pipe and grey tank up quite quickly.

For this reason in my van, we use the magical Mister Muscle at the end of every week away in all the drain pipes of the our 'Millie' and it works!

Phil
Spot on, the way we use MH showers is usually very different to what we do at home due to having to be economical with water. The waste pipework doesn't typically have a trap like we have at home and R4dent posted but very often the waste pipework doesn't always fall gently to the tank for many reasons. Often a flexible pipe is used and that goes up hill at some point, you can be parked on a slope and this caused a back fall, also poor build quality too. These 'unintentional' traps collect soap deposits which dry out and go solid. If you've got a plug on the tray then leaving that in while showering and letting the water build up then letting the lot go at the end will help, an occasional power flush with the filler hose isn't a bad idea.
One last thing, avoid using an industrial alternative to Mr muscle (dambuster et al) they are extremely powerful and frankly dangerous without eye protection, their actions when burning away trapped hair etc can generate enough heat to actually melt the plastic pipes, I've witnessed it!
 
While on the topic of drains has anyone found a plug that actually fits the sink , I bought drain cover to catch bits going down the plug hole looked good but the problem is it !!!.FLOATS !!!
 
I bought a new one when I refitted the sink a few weeks ago, it CANNOT float off.

I did need to buy a couple of adaptors for mine as it is an odd size being a swift, but the staff there are really good and very helpful, it will help if you measure the ID & OD of the pipe where it fits on.

 
Shower tray not draining . Sounds familiar.
Mine did exactly the same. Probably hair blocking the drain hole .
Sorted mine this morning. Combination of cheap drain cleaner, probably Lidl and a garden hose.
Pour the drain cleaner down plug ‘ole, leave for a few minutes, or like me, till I got bored waiting. Then give the said plug ‘ole a blast directly from the hose. Worked a treat.

For your amusement only. Please don’t take the above as advice. What I do in the privacy of my camper is between me and my conscience 🫣
 
I have been getting our Motorhome ready for a very brief second trip out since lockdown. The last time we used it was for a few days last August. While cleaning the shower tray this afternoon I found it isn’t draining.

I have tried a flexible brush which is like a tiny brush on the end of a wire about 5 feet long and although I can get it down the pipe it still doesn’t drain away.

If it was in the house I would try a plunger, bleach, Mr Muscle drain cleaner or a combination of all three. but I don’t know if these methods could damage the plumbing in the Motorhome? Can anyone offer any advice please? I’m not the best with DIY and I’m worried I could make the problem much worse if I try the wrong thing.
If there is at least some draining taking place, enough to pour some liquid down, i'd try cheap as chips washing soda and very hot water. Can u position the van to aid draing maybe....
 
I have back filled the gray tank through the drain until the water starts to fill the shower tray forcing gunge into the shower tray
Don't run greasy stuff down the kitchen sink, think about ur grey tank when in use, keep it cleaner by being more careful i spose.
 
I have used Mr Muscle in the past without any problems besides the following.

One piece of advice. Do not leave beyond the stated length of time before flushing. Leave it too long and the plastic tray can discolour. This happened to me ...

A plunger is fine too but don't apply too much force. Shower trays can crack.
We used a strong dtain cleaner in a house fitted with a petspex typee bath - ruined the expensive bath. Washing soda much safer.
 

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