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I think I'v got to the bottom of this with the help of some AutoTrail expertise. First, this is a known problem but there isn't/wasn't a recall as such, presumably because it is not safety related. However, AutoTrail service agents should know about the problem, and fix, via the AutoTrail dealer service bulletin process.
I'v now had my slow draining and shower tray 'fix's' applied which were not exactly successful. The first thing I did when I got the van back was fill the sink and basin, pull the plugs and watch the shower tray fill up! However, I have done a lot more testing and have found some interesting points which lead me to believe this van has a fundamental design problem causing the slow draining and as a consequence, the shower tray backfill.
First, I have checked that the dealer did in fact shorten the excess pipe inside the waste tank, and drill out the two breather holes in the tank per AutoTrail service bulletins. I also know that there is no blockage in the pipe that takes the waste water from the kitchen sink right through to the waste tank.
The problem, in my opinion, is compounded by a combination of the small bore pipework used on the waste side and the non existant drop in the waste pipe which runs from the rear of the van into the waste tank. That waste pipe is effectively horizontal, it being secured to the underside of the floor of the van.
Now, if I fill the sink quite full with water and pull the plug, the water drains (slowly) but it drains. (Because of the small bore waste pipe, it can't get through the waste pipe quick enough so it backfills into the shower tray but thats a side issue). Assume that this was greasy washing up water that coated the sink with grease. Now I need to fill the sink with a more miserly amount of water to swill the sink around but when I do that, that water just sits there. Visually, it looks like that water isn't going to go anywhere but after a minute or two, it eventually does, leaving behind the original greasy sink.
So, the key to this seems to be the amount of water in the sink. A big sink full will very slowly drain. A small sink full will sit there for an eternity even though there is no physical blockage or air lock.
I can only conclude that a large volume eventually creates a slow syphon effect but the small volume doesn't create enough gravitational pressure to get past the 'U' bend immediately under the sink or to create enough of a flow to create the syphon that the large volume does. In an ideal world I guess gravity and adequate venting alone should do the trick.
What really worries me is that I'm beginning to think that without larger bore pipework and a half decent drop into the waste pipe this van will always have this problem.
Your thoughts greatly appreciated.
David
The following members of MHF thanked duetto96 for this posting
We have similar problem on our new Cheyenne, large volume of water in either kitchen or bathroom goes down fairly well but small amount can sit there forever. We were told by our dealer that Autotrail knew there was a design fault with last years vans but it has been fixed for this years but it obviously hasn't. We have used a plunger but will be careful now in case we crack the basin.
I think we will have to get our dealer to sort it out because its so frustrating.
Jan
______________________________________________________________ To travel hopefully is sometimes better than to arrive.
The following members of MHF thanked baldybazza for this posting
Hi David, did you try the squashed up dishwash cloth/ plunger? This has a forcing effect and suction.I found it worked a treat in the old van It is a fault all makers get and the only way to avoid it would be to higher the shower tray which is not ideal The one way valve slows your dranage even more,Try the small plunger, I think you will be suprised and will find it more able to live with .
terry
______________________________________________________________ When buying Remember, nothing can be said that cannot be written
The following members of MHF thanked maddie for this posting
Hi David, did you try the squashed up dishwash cloth/ plunger? This has a forcing effect and suction.I found it worked a treat in the old van It is a fault all makers get and the only way to avoid it would be to higher the shower tray which is not ideal The one way valve slows your dranage even more,Try the small plunger, I think you will be suprised and will find it more able to live with .
terry
Hi Maddie,
The problem with the backfill into the shower tray is a secondary problem (IMO) and symptomatic of sink water not being able to drain through the waste pipe quick enough. There is no blockage as such, just small bore drainage pipe, a dependency on the volume of water being emptied and a bad design.
I do have a small plunger and I can and have used it to some effect. I just can't get away from the feeling that a van that cost practically £40k shouldn't need such actions to perform such a basic function every time you pull the plug. I just think the plumbing is flawed and it really takes the edge of enjoying the van when you are constantly left with a dirty sink and/or basin that you can't swill around.
It isn't just my van either. I think a lot of people either use plungers or put up with the problem, or in the case of the person who owned the van before me, didn't even use the sink.
David
The following members of MHF thanked duetto96 for this posting
I have just done some 'scientific' experiments with fixed quantities of water (using readily available plastic milk bottles) and how quick various volumes of water takes to drain. It confirms my previous thoughts and that of other contributors.
First, I filled our standard domestic sink with 6.75 litres of water (12 pints) just to check what is 'normal' and acceptable in a typical household setting. It took just on 10 seconds to empty our household sink from the time the plug was pulled out.
Now I filled the Tracker sink with the same volume for comparison purposes. (This equates to 3 inches depth in the middle of the sink). It took 41 seconds to empty. Four times as long as the domestic sink. If this was greasy washing up water it would leave a tide mark that needed further swilling around.
Next I used 1 litre of water to 'swill' the sink around. Just pulling the plug on 1 litre took between 78 seconds and 101 seconds to empty. This is barely a half an inch of water!
Finally, I agitated, swirled and plunged (using my palm) 1 litre of water and the best I achieved was 54 seconds to empty the sink. 54 seconds to empty just 1 litre and just 41 seconds to empty nearly 7 times as much! The equivalent in our domestic sink takes less that 2 seconds to drain.
There is a fundamental design problem with this van and I'm locked in a stalemate between dealer and manufacturer regarding who should fix it and from my own perspective, what is acceptable given that we all know most vans do not have domestic plumbing.
If there is anyone out there who could perform similar tests on their own van to help me determine what is normal and acceptable I would be so grateful.
David
The following members of MHF thanked duetto96 for this posting
Our dealer has drilled a further vent hole in the top of our waste tank and it seems to have made quite a difference to the speed of draining, although we have only tested it on our driveway (level) and not on a campsite/wildcamp spot (usually not level).So at present it looks acceptable but watch this space.
Barrie
______________________________________________________________ To travel hopefully is sometimes better than to arrive.
The following members of MHF thanked baldybazza for this posting
We recently sent our new cheyenne back to the dealer for a modification, they installed a separate supply for the shower, however it take still takes over 10 minutes to empty a full sink, the dealer says it a problem with autotrails, it the best hey can do ?.
We taken to carrying a waste master and leaving the waste tank open, what is the point of having a onboard tank ?
The following members of MHF thanked Melvin for this posting
We must be reasonably lucky then. This is our 2nd Cheyenne 660. No problems on the 2004 model.
Our 57 plate 2008 model Cheyenne 660 seems to drain ok at the kitchen sink. not noticed any water going into the shower tray but then we have a couple of buckets etc in the shower area and a mat but haven't noticed any wetness when removing items for a shower.
I did notice the toilet sink is a little slower (at times) to drain but only slightly.
Our main issue is when filling the freshwater tank that we lose some of its contents when driving off (reported in another post) we have a temporary bung in the freshwater overflow pipe. This seems to be effective and we are careful not to over fill.
The dealer is supposed to be doing work on this come monday but I am a bit unsure about the modification as other members have reported the freshwater tank collapsing after this modification! Will discuss this with the dealer on monday.
The following members of MHF thanked zulurita for this posting
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It is a fault all makers get and the only way to avoid it would be to higher the shower tray which is not ideal 
The one way valve slows your dranage even more,Try the small plunger, I think you will be suprised and will find it more able to live with .
