Another black tank question

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If folks have an odor coming from the toilet caused by the stuff in the black tank, then it is time to find out why the seals and roof vent are not doing their job.  The stuff in the black tank stinks, but should not enter the living area.  One exception is if your vent fans are running and you don't have a goodly amount of windows open, the vent fans will pull the smell in from the black tank when the toilet is flushed. 

As far a chemicals, when the majority of fulltime RV'ers report: that they don't use chemicals and don't have an odor problem, I am well convinced that they just what confirm what I experience, "You don't NEED to add chemicals". 

But hey, if someone believes they must use the chemicals, then that is their decision.  Go for it. 

However if someone has always used chemicals, then stop using the chemicals for a few weeks and see if it works.  It may save you a few dollars, as well as the need to go buy, or order online, the stuff.  Just one less thing you need to do. 
 
Our 03 rv did not come with a tank flush, so I installed an after market. Before I installed it I hooked it up to a garden hose to see how it sprayed, not impressed. The spray holes were only about an 1/8'. I took a drill and enlarged them to get a harder spray. It has worked great on my unit. The bigger holes means I can actually hear it spraying around inside the tank. As the others do I use a clear adapter and close the drain for a minute and then reopen about 3 times until it runs clear. I was amazed about what I cleaned out the first few times I used it.
 
I've never really paid any attention to how well the tank is flushing.  I dump when its mostly full, use the black tank flush to put a few gallons of water back in the tank, then start using the tank.  I think that as long as there is liquid in the tank, all is well and we'll never worry about any residual solids.  Some of our older trailers did not have a built in flush, so we added three or four toilet bowls of clear water to the tank before we started using it. 
 
At a recent rally I attended, there was a seminar on tank maintenance put on by a guy whose business was pressure washing the inside of holding tanks and hot water tanks.  He said the cleanest tanks are in RV's where either no chemicals are used, other than perhaps a deodorant (he said you really don't need the deodorant but it doesn't cause any problems), and also where the GEO method is used.  (Calgon water softener and Dawn dish soap).  He also said the tanks with the most gunk stuck on the inside are the RV's where the commercial tank chemicals are used.  Also, he said it is best to empty the tanks when they are at least 2/3 full, and it is best to travel with about 1/3 volume to slosh around and break up the crud.  So, since then, I use just water when parked, and may occasionally put in a little Calgon and Dawn with the water when traveling. 
 
chindog said:
At a recent rally I attended, there was a seminar on tank maintenance put on by a guy whose business was pressure washing the inside of holding tanks and hot water tanks.  He said the cleanest tanks are in RV's where either no chemicals are used, other than perhaps a deodorant (he said you really don't need the deodorant but it doesn't cause any problems), and also where the GEO method is used.  (Calgon water softener and Dawn dish soap).  He also said the tanks with the most gunk stuck on the inside are the RV's where the commercial tank chemicals are used.  Also, he said it is best to empty the tanks when they are at least 2/3 full, and it is best to travel with about 1/3 volume to slosh around and break up the crud.  So, since then, I use just water when parked, and may occasionally put in a little Calgon and Dawn with the water when traveling.
Click to expand...

:)) :))
 
On our last camping trip, we had the disaster of our black water tank wouldn?t drain. On the way home, my better half bought a huge bag of ice and a huge bottle of Dawn dish detergent and she dumped it down the toilet on the way home. I personally question if the ice did any good, but we got home and left the toy hauler parked in the barn for a few weeks til we were ready to winterize it. We found a local place to dump finally, and it emptied just great, plus for the first time ever since we bought it used, all the sensors showed empty. I think initially what we did wrong was to empty the black water tank and leave it empty til we camped again. We won?t make that mistake again. Also, the suggestions of filling and flushing the black water tank several times surely weren?t made by people who have had a bunch of campers sitting behind them at a dump station. Maybe with full hookups you can do that, but that?s not always an option when camping. I try to be respectful of the people behind me and not turn my problems into a bad experience for them exiting a campground.
 
There's a difference between adding a few gallons to the tank and dumping it again, and spending 20 minutes flushing the tank while there's a line waiting behind you.

I try to work efficiently at the dump station, but don't let a line rush me into doing something that will cause me problems down the road. Dump, flush, get out of the way!
 
I would argue that if folks are lined up you shouldn't even do the flush.  Dump and move on.

I'm not even so sure that flushing is all that great of an idea unless you're going to do it thoroughly.  I've done a bit of experimentation in the driveway with one of those clear fittings. 
I dump the tank, then refill it all the way with clear water.
dump again
repeat.
What I have observed is that the first dump is never "clear"....some stuff will come out during the second dump, but not a lot and mostly not till the end.  Most of teh second dump is clear-ish
almost nothing during 3rd and later dumps, except till the end.
....it's the last little dribble of the last gallon or two that brings with it the sediment from the bottom of the tank.

I can repeat almost exactly the same affect after the first dump, but just leaving the valve open and running a bit of water into the tank, a few flushes or running the lav sink)....the slow trickle brings out more sediment.  Even after several repeated dumps more will come.
The problem though is that it's SLOW...and I theorize that I'm more likely to have paper and solids get carried into the discharge pipe, possible hang in the valve, etc...

Based on my unscientific observations...I figure
it's better just to do the initial dump, which brings most of the stuff out.  Leave the rest of it be....
pull away from the dump station to let the next person have a turn
then flush a few bowls of water to "prime" the tank.  The residual will mix in with the next batch just fine....
 
blw2 said:
I would argue that if folks are lined up you shouldn't even do the flush.  Dump and move on.

I'm not even so sure that flushing is all that great of an idea unless you're going to do it thoroughly.  I've done a bit of experimentation in the driveway with one of those clear fittings. 
I dump the tank, then refill it all the way with clear water.
dump again
repeat.
What I have observed is that the first dump is never "clear"....some stuff will come out during the second dump, but not a lot and mostly not till the end.  Most of teh second dump is clear-ish
almost nothing during 3rd and later dumps, except till the end.
....it's the last little dribble of the last gallon or two that brings with it the sediment from the bottom of the tank.

I can repeat almost exactly the same affect after the first dump, but just leaving the valve open and running a bit of water into the tank, a few flushes or running the lav sink)....the slow trickle brings out more sediment.  Even after several repeated dumps more will come.
The problem though is that it's SLOW...and I theorize that I'm more likely to have paper and solids get carried into the discharge pipe, possible hang in the valve, etc...

Based on my unscientific observations...I figure
it's better just to do the initial dump, which brings most of the stuff out.  Leave the rest of it be....
pull away from the dump station to let the next person have a turn
then flush a few bowls of water to "prime" the tank.  The residual will mix in with the next batch just fine....
Click to expand...

:)) :))
 
3 things:


Any unit we have owned has had a direct vertical connection between the toilet and the black tank.  Therefore, Turn off the water, hold the toilet flush open, and with a flashlight you can quickly determine how full the tank is.


We boondock a lot, and water management is important. Grey tanks usually fill first, so we do dishes in a plastic basin, then pour it down the toilet. Extra water and dish soap keep the black tank flowing, and grey tanks will then accept more showering.


We also never put toilet paper down the toilet, but rather in a covered trash can beside the toilet. Wet excrement stinks, but dry does not. Never had an odor issue from this. Toilet paper can be an issue, however, in thickening the contents of the black tank.


Frank.
 
Any unit we have owned has had a direct vertical connection between the toilet and the black tank.
Click to expand...

I'm on my second rig that has an angle from the toilet to the tank, making that determination impossible -- one had a macerator, and the other a pump to move the effluent. So they're not all straight through.
 
My current RV and the one previous had the pipe go down to a 45 then down to another 45 then into the tank.
 
Rene T said:
My current RV and the one previous had the pipe go own to a 45 then down to another 45 then into the tank.
Click to expand...

Larry N. said:
I'm on my second rig that has an angle from the toilet to the tank, making that determination impossible -- one had a macerator, and the other a pump to move the effluent. So they're not all straight through.
Click to expand...

X3. None of the 5 Rigs I've owned have had a straight drop to the black tank.

A dose of Dawn Dish Soap.. a good slosh, between destinations... or letting the tank fill to at least 3/4 full.. then Dump & Rinse.. Yer Good To Go (no pun intended...well maybe ? )

Joe 
 
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