SOLVED!! R Pod 171 Shower Wont Drain!

Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic

   Hey forum this is my first post so Hello!

I am having this strange issue with my new to me camper. Its a 2020 R pod 171 so fairly new. I have moved into it full time so I am working thru all the kinks the previous owner never acknowledged. 

The current issue is the wet bath shower drain will only drain when the gray water tank valve is open to sewer. If its open I could shower for forever. If the gray tank drain valve is closed it backs up in a few minutes.

Upon further investigation the kitchen sink is on its own piping to the gray water tank and it can drain fine with the gray water drain closed. This means the sink is not having issues with venting or a vacuum lock. Now for the shower I am trying to locate how the shower drain gets vented to the atmosphere to allow for draining when drain system is closed. I climbed on the roof and checked for a roof vent but only found one for the black water tank. It was also free of blockage.

Does anyone know how the shower drain is vented to allow for draining? I need to find the vent and clear it of debris or something. Thank you!

Edited by zachthecamper - Today at 10:43am

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
zachthecamper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 10 Aug 2025 Location: Austin TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote zachthecamper Report Post Quote Reply Topic: SOLVED!! R Pod 171 Shower Wont Drain! Posted: 12 Aug 2025 at 12:14pm
	Hey forum this is my first post so Hello! I am having this strange issue with my new to me camper. Its a 2020 R pod 171 so fairly new. I have moved into it full time so I am working thru all the kinks the previous owner never acknowledged. The current issue is the wet bath shower drain will only drain when the gray water tank valve is open to sewer. If its open I could shower for forever. If the gray tank drain valve is closed it backs up in a few minutes. Upon further investigation the kitchen sink is on its own piping to the gray water tank and it can drain fine with the gray water drain closed. This means the sink is not having issues with venting or a vacuum lock. Now for the shower I am trying to locate how the shower drain gets vented to the atmosphere to allow for draining when drain system is closed. I climbed on the roof and checked for a roof vent but only found one for the black water tank. It was also free of blockage. Does anyone know how the shower drain is vented to allow for draining? I need to find the vent and clear it of debris or something. Thank you! Edited by zachthecamper - Today at 10:43am

JR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 31 Aug 2018 Location: Manistee, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 387	Post Options Post Reply Quote JR Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 14 Aug 2025 at 9:56am
	Welcome to the forum and you are on the right track. I am not sure of the floor plan of your 171. I have a 2019 179 and the sink drain line is connected into the shower drain line on the passenger side of the trailer. Then the drain is piped to the other side of the trailer through the flooring. On the driver's side of the trailer the kitchen sink is connected to the one "common" drain line to the gray water tank, which has no venting. All drains have a P-traps to hold back the sewer gasses. Depending on how your drain lines are connected (you didn't mention if the bathroom sink has a problem draining also) you may just have a partial obstruction in the problem drain line. The obstruction could be as simple as being in the shower's p-trap. Be careful when trying to dislodge any obstruction because the drain line joints will not tolerate a lot of pressure, it's all plastic piping. This is just my understaning and I hope it helps you.
	Jay 179/2019

Yardlad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 08 Jul 2021 Location: Arizona Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote Yardlad Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 19 Aug 2025 at 8:15pm
	Hey Zachthecamper, That sounds frustrating AF. What is the status of the grey water tank, when the valve is closed? I assume empty. What happens if you plunge it? Can you hear it moving anywhere through the system? Drain scopes are less expensive than they used to be.. I dunno.. Good luck man!
	Husband, father, musician

zachthecamper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 10 Aug 2025 Location: Austin TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote zachthecamper Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 22 Aug 2025 at 3:00pm
	Hey guys thanks for the input! I have just been showering with the valve open but tonight I am going to try plunging it softly and see. From what I saw under the shower thru the wall vent was the bathroom sink gets plumbed into the shower drain with a Y and then fed back to the gray tank on the passenger side. Then the kitchen sink on the driver side has its own pipe to the gray tank as well. The driver and passenger side do not come to one pipe into the gray tank. Edited by zachthecamper - Today at 10:46am

zachthecamper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 10 Aug 2025 Location: Austin TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote zachthecamper Report Post Quote Reply Posted: Today at 10:29am
	SOLVED!!!! Hey thread, and anyone finding this in the future with the same problem— After lots of videos, talking to other campers, and reading old threads, I finally solved my draining issue. It turned out to be a vapor lock caused by a failed Air Admittance Valve (AAV). I located the AAV under the kitchen sink (see picture). The valve was stuck closed, so it wouldn’t allow the shower or kitchen sink to drain unless the gray dump valve was open. Once I removed the bad vent, everything drained super fast. I ordered a direct replacement for cheap (~$15): 👉 Amazon Link They’re also stocked at Home Depot / Lowe’s. For the 171, the AAV size is 1 ½ inches. These valves do fail occasionally and need replacement. Worth noting: on the 171 there is only one AAV valve (under the kitchen sink), even though there are two pipe branches to the gray tank (driver side = kitchen sink, passenger side = bathroom sink & shower). Easy fix once you know what to look for: Open the cabinet under the kitchen sink Find the vertical PVC pipe next to the P-trap with the AAV on top Unscrew it by hand Replace with the new one (hand-tight, with a little Teflon tape) Pictures are also at this location: https://postimg.cc/gallery/tCPY29d Edited by zachthecamper - Today at 3:57pm

JR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 31 Aug 2018 Location: Manistee, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 387	Post Options Post Reply Quote JR Report Post Quote Reply Posted: Today at 12:22pm
	Glad you found it and were able to get it fixed. Thanks for sharing with everyone. That's something you don't come across very often. Now enjoy your shower!!
	Jay 179/2019

poohbill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 Aug 2019 Location: Idaho Online Status: Offline Posts: 111	Post Options Post Reply Quote poohbill Report Post Quote Reply Posted: Today at 3:25pm
	Huh. I don’t know if our ten year old Gastropod even has one. Thanks.
	2016 179 Gastropod 2017 Ridgeline