Black Tank Question

We have our new to us (2007) Glendale Titanium 5th wheel & I have a question about how to deal with a "part full" black tank.  Have a two day trip planned close to home & before heading out we would like to empty our partially full black tank at a nearby dump station before heading out. I wanted to ask if it is ok to use the black tank rinse fitting to fill the tank most of the way with water, as I have read numerous times that it should be near full before emptying it out, or is the rinse fitting strictly for rinsing only? We have been using the black tank minimally & it is only about 1/3 full.

metalman55 said:

We have our new to us (2007) Glendale Titanium 5th wheel & I have a question about how to deal with a "part full" black tank.  Have a two day trip planned close to home & before heading out we would like to empty our partially full black tank at a nearby dump station before heading out. I wanted to ask if it is ok to use the black tank rinse fitting to fill the tank most of the way with water, as I have read numerous times that it should be near full before emptying it out, or is the rinse fitting strictly for rinsing only? We have been using the black tank minimally & it is only about 1/3 full.

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Absolutely, I would let it fill to about 1/2 or so then dump and refill about the same using the tank flush. Do you have a section of clear plastic in your drain line? Camco makes several, I have a clear 45 degree this lets you see if you are geting the tank clean.
http://www.camco.net/category/rv/sanitation/sewer-fittings/page/2/?post_type=product
Bill

Yes I do have a clear 45 elbow to moniter.  Thanks

Sure - fill the tank to at least half using either the rinser or the toilet flush itself. Whatever works easiest.

I've never felt the need to inspect what flows out of the tank while dumping, but if that makes your day, enjoy it!

But.... don't leave it un-monitored.... It may fill faster than you think!!! Don't even ask how I know this....

Twice, I've seen folks over fill their black tanks before dumping. One of the poor guys had it overflow and flood his bath room. You should have heard the commotion that caused from his wife.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Sure - fill the tank to at least half using either the rinser or the toilet flush itself. Whatever works easiest.

I've never felt the need to inspect what flows out of the tank while dumping, but if that makes your day, enjoy it!

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It  is about knowing that you have everything flushed out of the black tank and the water is clear or just guessing.
Bill

We were away last weekend and when I dumped the black tank, something just didn't look right in the clear elbow. Without being gross, too much liquid and not enough solids. A quick look down the toilet showed that that the tank wasn't empty, even though nothing else was coming out the drain: there was a clog somewhere.

A few minutes flushing the tank paid off, which was obvious by watching the clear elbow. Even though we started with water in the empty tank and I filled it halfway with fresh water before dumping, the black tank didn't drain properly. Knowing what it normally looks like, and recognizing that something was amiss, probably saved me from a larger headache down the road.

I ran some water in the black tank by just stepping on the pedal & flushing a few times, when the level indicator showed 2/3 full I pulled the valve, followed by about a 5 gallon tank flush until all looked clear for a while.  I am learning!  Thanks for the comments to help a beginner!

metalman55 said:

I ran some water in the black tank by just stepping on the pedal & flushing a few times, when the level indicator showed 2/3 full I pulled the valve, followed by about a 5 gallon tank flush until all looked clear for a while.  I am learning!  Thanks for the comments to help a beginner!

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We all had a learning curve. Any questions just ask.
Bill

Seen in WildeBill308's singnature line:
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
-Mark Twain-

I tried to take our cat in the shower with me. My wife wishes she had photos of her peeling the cat off me.

Oldgator73 said:

Seen in WildeBill308's singnature line:
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
-Mark Twain-

I tried to take our cat in the shower with me. My wife wishes she had photos of her peeling the cat off me.

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So do we!!! So now you have an appreciation for that statement you might not have had before trying that. ;D )
Bill

Oldgator73 said:

Seen in WildeBill308's singnature line:
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
-Mark Twain-

I tried to take our cat in the shower with me. My wife wishes she had photos of her peeling the cat off me.

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LOL!

If you have an inside flush wand, it is easy to see how much you are filling the tank, but the outside kind, like I have and a lot of new RVs have are dangerous because you can only guess how full it is.  MUCH safer to add water by flushing as you did. 

Another thing you can do is just fill the tank halfway, and then do some driving maneuvers on the way to the dump station.  (I have had a couple of TP clogs when I had company who were overusing the paper and under-using water.  My fault for not fully explaining.  This was partially due to a couple of little girls who liked toilet paper.)  Need to drive at least a couple of miles, preferably on a deserted road where you won't be observed.  I have a motorhome and did some fast stops and swerve maneuvers.  I wanted it to really slosh around, but I may have looked like a drunk driver, hence the need for a deserted road. 

Anyway, it worked.  And I did not use any ice cubes.

If you are using a factory installed Black Tank Flush system, be sure that you have someone inside of the coach constantly checking the tank monitor to ensure you fill the tank, but not over fill it.
We normally stop the flush / fill when the Red Light starts to flash.
Your tank gauge is a great tool.