Black Tank Question

GoPackGo wrote:
Newbie here. I pick up my new 5th wheel in about a week so it's time to get serious about a few things.

Within a few months, I will be going fulltime.

Seems like black tanks can be 'challenging' to keep clean, especially the monitors in them. Here's my question:

What about dumping the black tank as normal at the end of a stay in a campground, but then filling the black tank 1/3 or 1/2 full of clean water, and driving to the next campground with it partially full, allowing the water to splash around and hopefully loosening up anything that refused to leave at the previous campground ? Then do a dump just after hooking up at the new campground.

Does that make any sense ?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

If ever I got poop on my hands I would not go and grab an ice cube to clean them, that said, it works for some, but I don't use that method.
water cleans things best when it is warm to hot, and laundry soap will dissolve or loosen most any dirt, so when I want to do a tank cleaning, I dump or it is has been dumped and I put in a cup or 2 of liquid tide and 10 to 12 gallons of hot water then go for a drive, 1 to or 3 hours later and however many miles, and the water is actually still warm on the shorter trips, and dump and rinse, the rinse comes out clean with some soap, has not failed me yet and the HE liquid soap I use is septic friendly (as I have a septic system at home) I never have issues with my sensors.

Ice up here costs 4 bucks a bag, the laundry soap is maybe 10 cents for a cup

we don't monitor our tank levels very close anymore. after several years of use, we know about how much water we use and how full the gray and black tanks are in a given number of days and depending on how many showers we take.
but it won't take you long to figure that out and you won't worry about it so much anymore.

Forget the black tank gauge. When you flush the toilet and it burps, then it's time to dump and you have enough water in the tank to dump.

I am in a habit of dumping the black tank every week. If I were to leave today I would drain my tank and when the flow stops I turn on the flush and close the valve for 5 minutes then let it drain for 5 minutes with the valve open and still flushing then close the valve and leave the flush on for one minute then turn off the flush then add chemicals thru the toilet. Drive to the next destination and leave as is for one week and repeat. Many years of doing this and tank has never given any problems.

I leave the grey tank always open until the afternoon before I move I then close the valve and when setup at new park I drain the grey.

I never look at my tank gauges.

Try the Geo Method and don't worry about the sensors. You'll soon learn to judge the level of your black tank and know when it needs dumped.
Enjoy your travels.

If you are going from one FHU campground to antoher - then leave the tank as is....drop a bag of ice cubes into the black tank - go to next campground and dump.

We found that the ice cube trick knocks off some of the debris hanging on the probes and walls......then use a good black tank rinser. Your new TT may already have one!

what might be easier is to just wait until the next campground then dump first thing.
No matter what you do the sensors will read incorrectly as some point in your travels.
Many of us just learn to live with it and go X number of days before dumping. Sometimes your nose tells you when to dump.

GoPackGo wrote:
Newbie here. I pick up my new 5th wheel in about a week so it's time to get serious about a few things.

Within a few months, I will be going fulltime.

Seems like black tanks can be 'challenging' to keep clean, especially the monitors in them. Here's my question:

What about dumping the black tank as normal at the end of a stay in a campground, but then filling the black tank 1/3 or 1/2 full of clean water, and driving to the next campground with it partially full, allowing the water to splash around and hopefully loosening up anything that refused to leave at the previous campground ? Then do a dump just after hooking up at the new campground.

Does that make any sense ?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

Don't agonize or over think this too much. Understand your concern about the level monitors, they are with the possible exception of See Level monitors,prone to inaccurate readings and complete failures. If you want to try to stay ahead of the game with your new rig, read about the "GEO Method" HERE.

It's a popular tank maintenance procedure, though I do not use chlorine bleach in any tank except to sanitize the fresh water tank/lines. Bleach in a black tank dumped into a dump station that is not on a sewer system is not good for the little bacteria critters that reduce the poop, etc. to whatever they reduce it to...........