Bailey Advance slow to drain gray

[Mike001]

Hi folks, as the title says.

People I know have recently purchased a Bailey Advance motor home.
They have owned it for around 4 months now. Not sure if new or s/hand.
They are saying that the gray waste takes forever to drain. Not good when at a dump site.

Is this a common thing or more than likely an issue somewhere?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Edit: It's pre-loved.

 

[MR BLO]

Unfortunately it’s common. Bailey use a rather small bore pipe which can be frustrating for owners and the queue behind.

 

[Hedgewitch]

MR BLO - I had a Bailey caravan once with exactly the same problem. The drain was so slow that it could be half an hour before a sink full of water had cleared.

And if the previous owners were careless when washing up, and let small bits of food go down the plughole, then there could be something blocking the pipe which makes an existing problem even worse.
I would be inclined to bung bottle of a waste-unblocker solution into the system and see if that helps. Your friends might have to do this more than once.

 

[dunnah01]

Amazing how much gloop one of these can disturb when shoved up your grey pipe !!

The Home Fusion Company 3M Metal Sink & Drain Waste Clearer/Unblocker https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UNGS08K?tag=mhf04-21

 

[Lenny HB]

MR BLO -
I would be inclined to bung bottle of a waste-unblocker solution into the system and see if that helps. Your friends might have to do this more than once.

Be very careful it you do that, a lot of the products are caustic they heat up and soften the plastic pipes distorting & wrecking them.

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[Jenka]

Bailey are not very advanced in their product design ! Still caravan mindset.

 

[Lenny HB]

Bailey are not very advanced in their product design ! Still caravan mindset.

So true, I suppose their target market is ex tuggers.

 

[Hedgewitch]

Be very careful it you do that, a lot of the products are caustic they heat up and soften the plastic pipes distorting & wrecking them.

You're absolutely right - I was thinking of something fairly gentle. I use Mr Muscle unblocker gel at home, plastic pipes, no problems [yet!]

 

[GeoffnDee]

If the drain tap is the plastic grey one that is often fitted there may be a plastic outlet baffel inside it , which , if is removed, can sometimes improve the flow of the waste water.

 

[Vic]

Solved this in my 740SE. Took courage. Cut a 50mm hole in the bottom of the waste tank directly under the internal inspection cover. Fitted a pond gate valve, slide type, and extended the handle. Waste water emptied 30 secs. Also fitted a standard fresh water filler, but thats another story.

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[Ninjabob]

Solved this in my 740SE. Took courage. Cut a 50mm hole in the bottom of the waste tank directly under the internal inspection cover. Fitted a pond gate valve, slide type, and extended the handle. Waste water emptied 30 secs. Also fitted a standard fresh water filler, but thats another story.

Often thought of doing that modification for when a fast dump.is called for !!! do you have piccy of the finished project?

 

[Ninjabob]

So true, I suppose their target market is ex tuggers.

Must be a lot of ex tuggers - they've been making Motorhomes for the last 13 years

 

[Ninjabob]

Might be worth the poster checking there is not any swarf blocking the tank outlet at the tank end of the waste pipe - that has been a cause in the past on some Baileys. Unscrew the waste pipe at the tank end and take a look.

 

[David and Sally]

Friends with an Eldiss had the same. Small bore pipe and even smaller tap at the end. Painfully slow.
They got a plumber to put in a much larger pipe set.

 

[Lenny HB]

Must be a lot of ex tuggers - they've been making Motorhomes for the last 13 years

About time they found out how to do it then.

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[TheBig1]

The outlet pipe is the main issue closely followed by a lack of a vent off the tank. In that case the water flowing out causes a pressure lock in the tank as no air coming in to replace it.

My advice is upgrade to a large smooth bore drain and fit a vent at the top of the tank

 

[Ingwe]

Must be a lot of ex tuggers - they've been making Motorhomes for the last 13 years

Never been a tugger and perfectly happy with our 2012 Approach. It is slow to drain, though nothing like 30 mins for a sink. Whole tank (100 litres) takes about 20 minutes. Have thought about fitting a wider bore pipe and tap but it’s not a priority.

 

[Lenny HB]

Whole tank (100 litres) takes about 20 minutes. Have thought about fitting a wider bore pipe and tap but it’s not a priority.

That is ridiculous, our Hymer only takes a 2 or 3 minutes to dump 130Lt.

 

[Ingwe]

That is ridiculous, our Hymer only takes a 2 or 3 minutes to dump 130Lt.

Lucky you! How then do you irritate the waiting German behemoth van waiting behind you?

 

[Vic]

Often thought of doing that modification for when a fast dump.is called for !!! do you have piccy of the finished project?

Somewhere, but there really is nothing to see. Just a black square stuck to the bottom of the tank. If you have a look at the valve it will become clear. By fitting it directly under the inspection cap, you can get your hand in with a spanner when doing up the four stainless steel bolts and nyloc nuts.

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[Nirvanauk]

What works for me is 2 feet of 3 core flexi wire and stick it up the drain hole to clear the blockage.

 

[Vic]

From my expierence of Bailey, its not a blockage problem, but a design problem
Tiny diameter corrigated pipe mated to a baffled cheap plastic tap.

 

[Lenny HB]

Lucky you! How then do you irritate the waiting German behemoth van waiting behind you?

That's easy turn off the electric dump valve and drive off. Surprising how much water is still in the pipe as I found out with the irate German shouting at me.

 

[Miggs]

Change the tap, it fixed my Bailey when I had one.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

This issue isn't confined to Bailey vehicles. It's a "feature" on many vans that have the pathetic sized 28mm grey tap with a bit of pipe back to the tank somewhere under the vehicle.

Fortunately I can only hold 60 litres of grey waste (which often stinks far more than the toilet cassette, especially as there don't seem to be any decent traps between basin / sink / shower and the tank), so draining time is usually around 20 minutes. Usually carry both the unblocking hose thing to stick back up the pipe with the tap removed (top tip do make sure that tap mounted fully after removal or it will go missing somewhere on the M5 near Bristol), and regular use of a tank cleaner such as Fenwicks.

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[Mike001]

Thanks for all the feedback. I shall pass on the info.

 

[Ninjabob]

About time they found out how to do it then.

At least we don't have to drive down to Germany to get it fixed

 

[Lenny HB]

At least we don't have to drive down to Germany to get it fixed

Hymer's have a pan European warranty you can take them to any dealer in Europe.

Try getting a Bailey fixed if you are on holiday in France/Spain /Gernany/Greece etc.

 

[Ninjabob]

Why do I read here of Morelo owners (not exactly the cheap end of the market) having to drive to Germany to get things fixed.
One thing I have learned from reading the pages or this Forum is that no manufacturer is incapable of producing a real lemon when the planets align no matter what country they hail from.

 

[Lenny HB]

Why do I read here of Morelo owners (not exactly the cheap end of the market) having to drive to Germany to get things fixed.
One thing I have learned from reading the pages or this Forum is that no manufacturer is incapable of producing a real lemon when the planets align no matter what country they hail from.

Because there is only dealer in the UK and owners prefer to take them to the factory to get them sorted. Most owners bought them in Germany.

Although I could get my Hymer fixed in the UK prefer to take it to my Belgium dealer. None of this silly waiting for months a quick call and book it in for next week.

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