Tornado flush added to black waste tank...

[SJ-Chris]

While working on a different black tank issue, I decided to finally add a black tank flush system. My hope is that it will keep my sensors clean and accurate. It seems like most times when I dump my black waste tank the 1/3rd and 2/3rd sensors have been staying "on" and that forces me to get out the hose and wand, run it all through the window, down the toilet, etc to get it clean (what a pain). Hopefully this works...

I picked the Tornado tank flush system. You can find it here or on amazon...

https://www.campingworld.com/tornado-permanent-tank-rinser-with-remote-connection-28091.html

In order to drill the hole in the rear of the tank (so it is blasting water towards the drain), I needed to remove the rear outer tire and the forward flap.



There is a template that comes with the system so it makes it easy to know exactly where to put all the holes.

Apply lots of silicon and fasten the unit to the tank...



I added an elbow to reduce hose strain.



I ran the hose to the drain valve area (seemed like a good place), ziptied it up and out of the way, and cut the hose to length.



Here's a modification I made to the Tornado system that should help me and hopefully others can take advantage. I noticed that the spray pattern was not ideal for my tank and sensor setup. The head of the device that is inserted into the black waste tank spins so it sprays water pretty good. Here is what it looked like out of the box...



I felt like it might not hit my sensors as much as I want to get them clean. So I took the smallest drill bit I have and added two more holes in just the right spot so that the water will hit the area it was missing. I tested it all (uninstalled) on my driveway and it created the pattern I was looking for. Here is what it looks like:



Total time to install was probably about an hour with much of that involving jacking up the RV, placing jacks (for safety) and removing the outer dually tire.

I'll let the silicon dry and then test it out.

If this works as I hope it does, it will be so nice keeping my tank clean after dumping and more importantly my sensors clean without ever having to bring a hose through the window and wand down the toilet again.

Happy Camping!
Chris

Update: I was doing another black tank project and accidentally broke the outside connection of the Tornado Flush. So I bought a new one. When I used the same silicon sealant it started having a small leak at the sealant connection. I tried a couple times (with water thankfully) and it kept leaking just a little. So I removed it, cleaned off the surfaces, and used Sikaflex-291 after some research. Here is the link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089SDNLF6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Marine grade. Made for "below water line" connections. Zero leaks and I feel great it will stay that way. Good luck!

[time2roll]

SJ-Chris wrote:
Here's a modification I made to the Tornado system that should help me and hopefully others can take advantage. I noticed that the spray pattern was not ideal for my tank and sensor setup. The head of the device that is inserted into the black waste tank spins so it sprays water pretty good. Here is what it looked like out of the box...

I did similar with my Quickie Flush and it works perfectly.

Good to see Tornado now has brass fittings as I had two with plastic that broke.

[Dusty_R]

I unhooked the probs and installed electronic sensors, they give % instead of thirds, and are accurate.

[JoeH]

SJ-Chris wrote:
Quick update: I've used my Tornado flush a few times now at the end of camping trips. Here's what I noticed... I have a 6" clear connector on my waste hose so I can see what is flushing through. I start by dumping the black tank. Yuck...Yes you can see all the wonderful contents zooming through the waste hose into the dumping station. Then it stops when the black tank is empty. Then, I turn on the Tornado flush on full blast (with the black waste valve still open). Immediately I can see coming out through the waste line MORE gross waste and toilet paper/etc for about 30-60 seconds. Then it seems to run fairly clear water. If I run it for a minute or two and then turn it off, and then I go and check my black tank sensor, it shows empty (instead of 1/3 or 2/3 full). Mission accomplished! One time when nobody was behind me, I gave the tank an extra flush by closing the black waste valve and turning on the Tornado flush to fill the tank halfway. Note: If you do this, you BETTER NOT get distracted and walk away as your black tank will fill up and overflow your toilet inside your RV if left too long. When I opened the black waste valve, there was a little more waste that came out but not too much.

Once I close my black waste valve and I'm done, I use my Tornado flush for 20 seconds to put a little water into my black tank to keep things happy in there for the next usage.

Happy flushing all!
Chris

I put one of those on my first motorhome back in the mid-90's. Worked great and took care of the level indicator issue. My current MH, came with a similar flush attachment from the factory.

[jjrbus]

I use the C-Level system. Most, not all RV toilets are directly over tank. Shut off water, push down foot pedal and shine flashlight in hole and you will C the level! Guaranteed 100% accurate.

I have all the resources to make my system functional or add external sensors and I would not spend my time doing it.

[SJ-Chris]

Quick update: I've used my Tornado flush a few times now at the end of camping trips. Here's what I noticed... I have a 6" clear connector on my waste hose so I can see what is flushing through. I start by dumping the black tank. Yuck...Yes you can see all the wonderful contents zooming through the waste hose into the dumping station. Then it stops when the black tank is empty. Then, I turn on the Tornado flush on full blast (with the black waste valve still open). Immediately I can see coming out through the waste line MORE gross waste and toilet paper/etc for about 30-60 seconds. Then it seems to run fairly clear water. If I run it for a minute or two and then turn it off, and then I go and check my black tank sensor, it shows empty (instead of 1/3 or 2/3 full). Mission accomplished! One time when nobody was behind me, I gave the tank an extra flush by closing the black waste valve and turning on the Tornado flush to fill the tank halfway. Note: If you do this, you BETTER NOT get distracted and walk away as your black tank will fill up and overflow your toilet inside your RV if left too long. When I opened the black waste valve, there was a little more waste that came out but not too much.

Once I close my black waste valve and I'm done, I use my Tornado flush for 20 seconds to put a little water into my black tank to keep things happy in there for the next usage.

Happy flushing all!
Chris

[SJ-Chris]

I'm the kind of person who wants EVERYTHING on my RV to work 100% how it is supposed to. For example, it annoys me if a single light bulb is out interior or exterior. So when I dump my tanks at the end of a trip, I like them to read empty on my control panel. I sometimes let family/etc use my RVs also, so it is important to me to have everything working (especially for those not as familiar with RVs). Seems like most of the time when I dump my waste tank, the sensors say it is still 1/3rd or 2/3rds full when it is in fact empty. A QUICK flush fixes that.

If I'm camping in my RV for an extended period which results in multiple dumpings, I don't bother to flush the tank to get the sensors clean during my vacation. It is only on the last dumping when I am putting the RV away that I want the sensors to read "Empty" so that at least I know the next time I take it out (or someone else does) that it starts at empty.

And as mentioned....if that's what I'm planning on doing at the dumping station on my last dumping of a vacation, be glad that I have an exterior flush now that I can easily hook up the hose to the Tornado for 2 minutes instead of spending 10 minutes getting out the hose+wand, putting it through a window and through the RV, back and forth, etc. You should be THANKING me for this upgrade....LOL! It's all good....

Happy dumping,
Chris

[drsteve]

The only tank sensor that I pay attention to is the fresh water tank. When it's close to empty, the other two are getting close to full.

My TT has a black tank flush. I never use it, because if I did, I'd have to remember to winterize it.

I see far too many people taking way too long in the dump line, because they think their tank has to be squeaky clean. Those who want to do that should get a FHU site, IMHO.

Funny how we got by without these things for decades, and we never knew we had a problem.

[SJ-Chris]

trucker11 wrote:
Thats a first class install by the OP, but I still don't understand the need.

As mentioned, most times when I dump my black tanks the 1/3rd full (and sometimes 2/3rd full) sensor remains on. The surefire way for me to fix it is to get out my extra hose, get out the spray wand and connect it, open the rear window and screen, feed everything through the rear bedroom (hoping not to get water/dirt/etc on the bed/floor/etc, put the wand down the toilet, go outside to turn on the water, come back in the RV and spray the interior of the black waste tank for a minute or two, turn off the water, check the sensors and do it some more if they aren't cleared, then carefully place the dripping wand into a garbage bag, then carry everything back through the rear bedroom and out the window, then close up the window and screen, then go back outside and remove the hose and wand, drain the water from them, put them back into their bag/container and then put them away.

OR, now I can simply connect the water hose to my Tornado tank flush and do everything from the outside in 1/3 the time with zero mess. That's my motivation. The added benefit is that undeniably my black waste tank interior will be cleaner with less residue and matter remaining after I do a flush. This method will even be FASTER while at the public dump station than the hose+wand solution. These are all positives.

Happy dumping!
Chris

[Bobbo]

trucker11 wrote:
Thats a first class install by the OP, but I still don't understand the need. We have had a TT or 5er since the late 80's of different flavors and up until the early 2010's had not seen many if any of these gimmicks installed from the factory. Now its apparently a must have. The current 2018 Rockwood has it OEM, I've never used it. Now days it's like your a 2nd class RV'er if you don't have a tank flush. The only benefit I have seen is they increase the wait at the dump station by a factor of 2 or 3 times. But then again if you must have a squeaky clean black tank.

Never having used one, you haven't seen the benefits. Of course the only benefit you have seen is the increased wait time at the dump.

I added one to my first RV. My current Airstream came with one from the factory. I have a clear section that I put between the tank and the stinky slinky so I can see what is coming out. It is amazing how much more "stuff" I see come out while using the rinser after the dump finished. I don't care if the black tank is "squeaky clean," but I do want all of the solids out of the tank, not sitting in there petrifying.

I will say, however, that I only use the rinser if my site has its own dump station, or at home. I never use it when using the communal dump stations.

[trucker11]

Thats a first class install by the OP, but I still don't understand the need. We have had a TT or 5er since the late 80's of different flavors and up until the early 2010's had not seen many if any of these gimmicks installed from the factory. Now its apparently a must have. The current 2018 Rockwood has it OEM, I've never used it. Now days it's like your a 2nd class RV'er if you don't have a tank flush. The only benefit I have seen is they increase the wait at the dump station by a factor of 2 or 3 times. But then again if you must have a squeaky clean black tank.

[SJ-Chris]

JoeH wrote:
I installed a Tornado on a motorhome we had back in the early 90's. It worked well and was still operational when we sold it 8 years later.

Nice to hear (that it kept working) Joe. Thanks!
Afterall, it IS designed to be in the black tank with all the contents, so I'm hopeful that I'll get a few years out of it.

[JoeH]

I installed a Tornado on a motorhome we had back in the early 90's. It worked well and was still operational when we sold it 8 years later.

[SJ-Chris]

time2roll wrote:
Good to see the brass connector. Two of mine were plastic and broke 😉
Also the clear vinyl tube with hose clamp was problematic.

Quickie Flush has held up very well as it had a brass fitting at the time. Connected with actual pipe fittings and Pex. No issues.

I also customized the spray pattern and the sensors work perfectly.

Nice! I have nothing against the Quickie Flush IF it could be mounted on the opposite wall from my sensors (which cannot in my RVs). I do recognize that moving parts most certainly can be problematic after that part swimming in the contents of the black tank. Then again, it does spin/spray pretty violently so hopefully that helps to keep the Tornado clean and debris free also. We'll see.

[SJ-Chris]

I'll be curious to see how long it lasts (the Tornado spinning). I've seen some here mention theirs stopped working. But I also see on Amazon over 700 reviews at 4.5 stars out of 5 (for whatever that's worth). And...it only costs ~$33 so replacing it every couple of years wouldn't be a big deal and keeps the hose and wand from going through a window and through the RV. I'll keep you posted.

For those who don't need/like/care about tank sensors, to each their own. I think most people want to see/know the status of their tanks, especially if they have kids or guests or renters, etc (otherwise you don't always know how much is in there).

Here is a great video comparison of various flush systems you can buy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfTd0Slt_cU
It shows pretty clearly that things like the Flush King are basically good for just refilling your black tank with water and doing another flush (which is useful...but it doesn't "spray" the interior of the tank and won't get it nearly as clean as a working Tornado).

As stated, my primary motivation for adding this is to hopefully be able to keep my tank sensors clean and reading accurately without having to bring a hose+wand into the RV which is a pain and messy. I should be able to report back in a few months after several trips to give an update.

Happy Camping!
Chris