Well, I've had the RV for two years and thought I had the tanks down pat. Nope. Twice since we moved it (parked long-term here) I've left the black tank valve open for 2-3 days. Now, when I dump it, I just get pretty clear water and some TP. No poop. I figure there is a nice hardened layer by now. I searched this forum and, while there are many mentions of the dreaded poo pyramid, I couldn't find any details on what to do if the tank is still draining. We are hooked up to sewer now so I can use strong chemicals if that's needed. What do folks recommend?
Bless me, I left the black tank valve open twice... need help with the pyramid
- Thread starter dwdanby
- Start date
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CharlesinGA
Well-known member
Probiotics such as Unique in a partially full tank and allowed to sit as long as possible MAY help break it up.
Unique Tank Cleaner Liquid for RV and Boat Black Holding Tanks 32 oz. - Unclogs Holding Tanks, Breaks Through Pyramid Plugs - 41H-1
Charles
Unique Tank Cleaner Liquid for RV and Boat Black Holding Tanks 32 oz. - Unclogs Holding Tanks, Breaks Through Pyramid Plugs - 41H-1
Charles
JayArr
Well-known member
Yep, Charles is right about filling the tank, nothing softens poo like a tank of water.
A drive down a bumpy dirt road a week later could also help.
Don't be in too much of a rush, if you break the pyramid free from the tank floor but don't break it up further it will just clog your exit pipe and create a worse problem.
A drive down a bumpy dirt road a week later could also help.
Don't be in too much of a rush, if you break the pyramid free from the tank floor but don't break it up further it will just clog your exit pipe and create a worse problem.
Boat Bum
Well-known member
Do the black water tanks just use gravity to drain or is it pumped somehow?
In mine (2004) it's just gravity.
Mark_K5LXP
Well-known member
There's also the notion of a "tank wand" that you can go in through the toilet and give the tank a jet spray. Would require being located at a dump station and have a bit of time to spend, would depend on how big a hurry you are to resolve this. I find it surprising this would be an issue after just a few days, unless you had a soccer team using your bathroom. My bet is there's nothing there.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Kirk
Well-known member
If your toilet drops directly into the black tank the I suggest that you use one of the RV Tank Cleaning Wands that are available from Amazon. It may take a little work but you can break up the pile and then fill the tank with water and flush it out. I use one of them with our black tank since our current RV doesn't have a tank flush system. If you also get a Johnny Chock to hold the valve open then just turn off the water supply to the toilet and you can use the tool quite easily.
JayArr
Well-known member
Just don't look straight down into the toilet when you're "blasting" without putting a pair of goggles on first. Because... you know... blowback spray!
uchu
Well-known member
A couple of bags of ice down the toilet and go for a ride.
My concern is that, when I dump the tank now, I only get water and a little paper, no poop. I'm thinking that all the poop and most of the paper must have hardened.
Kirk
Well-known member
Does your toilet drop directly into the black tank? If it does you should be able to hold the flush valve open and see into it with a bright light. It may not be pretty but at least you would know what is there. If you are moving the RV at all I suggest that you try filling the tank about half full of water and then add a good dose of laundry detergent before you travel with it. Once you get where you are going, empty the tank as soon as you stop.
If you use one of the wands made for the purpose it will direct the water at a 90° angle and so you should have very little if any back spray unless you have a very large pile at the opening. Worst case you could also use something to prod the area below the flush valve to see just what is there. This does sound like a Johnny Chock would really help to figure out what you have.
Hfx_Cdn
Well-known member
All the above is good advice. I used a wand every month or so when we were stationary in Florida for 4 to 5 months, and always used lots of water when using the toilet. When we were on the move, we would occasionally use the half full method, often dumping ice into the tank. But, the secret as stated, use a lot of water when flushing.
Ed
Ed
Ray-IN
Well-known member
That has been proven to be a waste of time and money buying ice. There are utube videos of using ice, none were successful.
Soaps like Dawn and others are successful if allowed to sit in the tank for several days, then agitate before dumping.
Kirk
Well-known member
Any new discoveries? Have you tried any of the suggestions? Can you see into the tank?
I put a whole bottle of Unique tank cleaner in there, and ordered the Thetford tank blaster. We're going to dump again today. Unfortunately the in-tank sprayer is clogged; wondering if that is because I left the valve open and some poop sat on it. We're parked long-term and have no way to drive down the road to agitate. Also unfortunately we can't see into the tank. We're going to keep soaking it in water and various treatments and hope for the best! Thanks so much for following up with me, I appreciate it.
LarsMac
Well-known member
Yes, that is exactly what probably happened. the various posts above offering ideas of stuff to put into the tank and fill it halfway with water are all good suggestions.
When that happened to my Sister-in-Law, she dumped a gallon of bleach and a couple pints of Dawn dish soap down the thing, filled it about half-way with water, and after a week, took it for a drive. (To be clear, close the drain first.)
Rob&Deryl
Well-known member
How often are you dumping?
