Black tank help!!!

[Thatelcaminoguy]

Hello I am a total newbie to the rv world... Like a newbie I really screwed up and did about every wrong thing in the book. I'm not an rv guy just living in my boss's trailer recently. Havent had any of the dissolving chemicals and accidentally left my black tank open by mistake... Low and behold it is clogged to high heaven and stinks like it too and now my tank is completely full to make matters even worse. Please help!!!




❚ Did you miss the FTS "Announcement : READ BEFORE POSTING HERE"?

Forum Technical Support (FTS) is reserved for questions related to the use of the Open Roads Forum sites,
member profile and photo testing, and for reporting account issues. Please avoid using FTS for RV related
questions. Instead, select the Sub-Forum which corresponds to the subject of your topic.

Thank-you!


Moved from FORUM TECHNICAL SUPPORT

[PastorCharlie]

Fill five gallon bucket with HOT water and pour down stool with valve open. Pour as fast as it will allow and repeat with several buckets of HOT water.

HOT WATER will break down solids faster and the force of the large volume will help.

[doxiemom11]

When you do get this taken care of - no chemical are necessary. This is a holding tank, not a sewer system. All you need to do is keep the valve closed and use generous amounts of water if solids are present when you flush. We have been full-time for 7 years and have never used chemicals and have never had a problem. There is no odor when water is used either as long as the seal is good on the toilet and you put a small amount of water in toilet after you flush.

[myredracer]

If you don't have the valve closed and haven't put in 3-5 gal. of water before using the toilet (after each dump), liquid will flow out right away while the solids stay there and builds up the RV-ers infamous "pyramid of poop". The pyramid can still form sometimes even if you have the valve closed and don't add the 3-5 gal. before use and use adequate water each time you flush. RV holding tanks aren't very deep and it doesn't take long for a pyramid to build up .

A back-flush elbow that connects to the outside sewer outlet may or may not work depending on the shape of the particular tank and where the outlet pipe is connected on the tank. An in-tank wand may work as an alternative and they don't cost much. If the toilet drops straight down into the tank, you could try breaking up the pyramid with a stick.

If you can get a rubber hose, cut the hose leaving about about 8' or so of it. Connect that to another hose, push it into the tank through the toilet and turn the water on full (valve open). Repeat as many times as you think are necessary to make an effect and each time, pull the hose out and try and point it in another direction. Not sure where you are parked, but you can also poke the hose up the outlet pipe but need to be prepared for some "stuff" to come out onto the ground. We had a badly plugged tank in the beginning and the CG host gave us a piece of rubber hose left by another camper and showed us how to use it. We still have that piece of hose laying on the ground at home but ever since we learned to use adequate water, have not needed it again.

You can use Liquid Drano along with some water. It won't harm plastic or metal - our KZ owner's manual says to use it. We use it once or twice a year to clean the tank sensors off. You would normally drive around for a while to make the liquid slosh around and if stationary may need to repeat the process a few times. I have sometimes wondered if an orbital sander (without sandpaper of course) held under a tank would help disperse the solids. Some do that with a home workshop size of sandblasting pot to prevent the media from clogging.

Some insist you must use an RV chemical before each use of the tank and some insist you need nothing. Chemicals will never be in a tank long enough to break down anything and I don't believe in them. Always fill the tank to near full before dumping and also do a good flushing after each dump. Sometimes filling the tank up again once or twice will help to get remaining stuff to move out.

[mobeewan]

Make sure when using the tank rinsing wand to start with the rinser valve off gradually increasing the flow. Do not turn the valve to full flow right away and do not bring it completely out of the tank while spraying. You'll be looking down trying to watch and guide the rinser and getting a spray mixture of water and poo right in the face and eyes not to mention that same mist getting all over the bathroom.

[Lwiddis]

Does your boss know the...situation?

[MarkTwain]

I would check with a "Rotor Rutter" sewer business and get their opinion.

[coolmom42]

Some good advice.... but most important, don't drop the flashlight while you are looking in it.

[DutchmenSport]

It depends upon how much time you have to work with the tank now. If time is no factor, fill it with water and let it soak with a bottle of drain opener enzyme eaters. Even Rid-X, if given enough time, will break down the mess. But it takes time for this work work, and then lots of flushing, and maybe even repeat treatments with an enzyme eater.

Click here.

Any one of these will work (if given time).

If time is not an option, then some of the suggestions above are probably your best choices.

You can also open the outside valve and shove a garden hose up the pipes, turn the water on and try to break the "stuff" up. It's a dirty job.... for sure.

Another option is to shove a garden hose down the toilet. But one of these is much easier:

Click here.

You attach a garden hose to this then put it down the toilet, turn on the valve and let it spray, moving it around. Make sure the outside valve is open as things begin to break up, you want it to flush out.

One more thing, simply look inside the toilet and push the peddle open and look down the hole. Make sure nothing is clogged in the neck of the toilet. If you can't see the tank below "stuff" if clogged up there (like gobs of toilet paper), simply use a stick and push it on down.

Good luck!

[ksg5000]

If the toilet actually full you should call the owner and get him/her to come over and help fix - you don't want to have it overflow by trying to fix by yourself.

[Trackrig]

You need some action in there to get things loosened up so they'll dump. Put a lot of liquid in there, but don't fill it so that there's room for it to sloch around and then go for a drive. Don't go out on the high way, you want something in town with a lot of starting and stopping,a lot of corners and maybe some speed bumps.

You need to get things in there mixed up and loosened up with a lot of liquid mixed in for it to flow out of the drain.

Bill

[rockhillmanor]

Thatelcaminoguy wrote:
Hello I am a total newbie to the rv world... Like a newbie I really screwed up and did about every wrong thing in the book. I'm not an rv guy just living in my boss's trailer recently. Havent had any of the dissolving chemicals and accidentally left my black tank open by mistake... Low and behold it is clogged to high heaven and stinks like it too and now my tank is completely full to make matters even worse. Please help!!!

I doubt that just your solids with the tank open has 'filled' the tank.

First shut your water off at the pedestal. Then step on the foot pedal of the toilet and shine a flash light down it.

Unless it is filled to the top which I doubt it will be all you need is to get water in there and flush it out.

Are you hooked up to a sewer connection?

1. If you know if the bathroom sink dumps into the black it as simple as closing the black tank valve and running the water in the sink until the black tank fills up. Takes all of a few minutes. Then dump tank.

2. If you don't know that it dumps into the black. Then just take a hose and bring into RV and hold toilet flush pedal down and run hose water down the toilet until the tank fills. and then dump.

Fill the tank up and dump and keep repeating the process until clear. Should take but one or two times filling up the black tank, maybe three if you've been using the toilet for a long period of time with it open.

In both instance if you hold the pedal down on the toilet you can see when the black tank is getting full. A flashlight pointed down the toilet opening helps you to see better where the level of water is in tank.

[newman_fulltime]

If a tt turn the water off open the toilet get a stick or something like that and break up the poo pyramid.and the rinse the tank out

[stickdog]

Best bet get a flush king to try the cheap way. It should help to get things moving again. Then when you have space to fill the tank with water and get the mass softed which may take some time. If you have a straight drop from the potty to the tank you may be able to break up the mass with broom handle to aid in flushing. If you do this make sure that what you use is not sharp you wouldn't want to poke a hole in the bottom of the tank. I'm sure there will be a number of replies with other suggentions of how to drain the tank. Just remember the stink came from inside you.