Hepvo waterless trap cleaning

[Albertaslim]

My shower is draining very slowly. The culprit seems to be hair and assorted shower crud building up in or just before the Hepvo trap.

I have been told that it is a bad idea to use a plunger on a waterless trap so I am looking for any suggestions to get things flowing.

[Bama Rambler]

The safest way to go about it is to remove the trap and inspect it. I know that's a pain, but it's safe.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Albertaslim

My shower is draining very slowly. The culprit seems to be hair and assorted shower crud building up in or just before the Hepvo trap.

I have been told that it is a bad idea to use a plunger on a waterless trap so I am looking for any suggestions to get things flowing.

From their site:

Cleaning

No routine or seasonal maintenance is required for the HepvO sanitary waste valve, however, should you blow-out your drainage lines do not exceed 80-100 psi.

HepvO is resistant to standard caustic-based drain cleaners. It is also resistant to acid-based cleaners with concentrations up to 10%. When flushing with higher concentrations of acid based cleaner, the valve must be removed before the operation.

If mechanical drain cleaning devices are to be used it is necessary to first remove HepvO from the waste system. This provides a useful access point for servicing downstream pipework.

It is good practice to rinse the HepvO valve with clean water after any maintenance procedure.

Blockages

If a pipe blockage occurs downstream of HepvO we recommend temporarily removing the HepvO valve before rodding the pipeline. If the HepvO is rodded there is the possibility that damage to the internal components will occur.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

The safest way to go about it is to remove the trap and inspect it. I know that's a pain, but it's safe.

That would be a serious pain for me because I'd have to remove a toilet, a heating duct, and find someone who could reach under the shower and remove it by feel. And reinstall it.

Ray

[Rich5117]

How far away from your shower drain is the HepvO valve? Ours is less than a foot. I'm asking because we experienced the same issue last winter. We used a small IPhone snake camera and found the valve to be completely clean. As it turned out a mud dauber built a nest on the vent cap and was pretty much blocking that roof vent. Best we could figure not allowing air to escape was preventing the valve from functioning correctly removed the nest all was good.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Albertaslim

My shower is draining very slowly. The culprit seems to be hair and assorted shower crud building up in or just before the Hepvo trap.

I have been told that it is a bad idea to use a plunger on a waterless trap so I am looking for any suggestions to get things flowing.

It seems to me that a Drain King would be a safe way to clean the drain. A REAL Drain King (not ab imitation "bladder" device) screws onto the end of your hose. You insert it into the pipe and it balloons up to form a seal. Then the valve on the end opens and it forces water into the sealed pipe. If you use this in conjunction with the 40 psi regulator all of us RVers are supposed to have, you will never exceed 40 psi on the drain.

Maybe this size is better.

I'm pretty sure that the valve on the end of the Drain King will release at less than 40 psi. If it doesn't, there simply won't be any water flow. In that case, don't use the 40 psi regulator. Use your gauge to make sure the water pressure is below 80 or so.

[Albertaslim]

My bathroom sink and washing machine are draining okay so I think I can rule out a vent stack blockage.

Unfortunately I can't use a Drain King because the configuration of the shower drain will not allow for a proper seal.

I am going to try a mild chemical and if that doesn't work I will pull the trap and either clean or replace it. Accessing the trap is a major pain.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Albertaslim

My bathroom sink and washing machine are draining okay so I think I can rule out a vent stack blockage.

Unfortunately I can't use a Drain King because the configuration of the shower drain will not allow for a proper seal.

I am going to try a mild chemical and if that doesn't work I will pull the trap and either clean or replace it. Accessing the trap is a major pain.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

How about a regular, old-fashioned plunger? Just find one with a cup wide enough to span the shower drain.

There are several 6-inch ones at Lowe's.

[NXR]

Good thought . Put some water in the shower base and only plunge down to avoid sucking the membrane backwards. Or maybe compressed air.

Ray

[markb422]

What NXR wrote is correct. Plunge down only and let it up very slowly to keep the membrane from inverting, or turning inside out. Our MH has waterless traps on all drains except the shower. For a while I wondered why not on the shower but figured hair was the reason.

[Albertaslim]

I was in the process of dumping some drain cleaner into the drain when I noticed what I thought was a small strand of hair. I snagged it with a pair of tweezers and gave it tug.

I won't get into details but suffice to say what I removed was a couple of inches of hair, soap and other crud I couldn't identify.

The drain is working very well now.

I guess the name of the game now is preventative maintenance.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

[NXR]

I bought a white rubber drain strainer from Walmart. It covers the drain and has a raised center with a bunch of holes to let water through but not hair or crud. I know the womenfolk use it because I constantly need to remind them to please clean out the shower when they’re done.

Ray