Good Black flush "trick" or bad idea?
When dumping my tanks, I've got a new "trick". I drain the black water first and let the hose and tank empty out. Then I leave the black valve open, hold the sewer hose up (above the level of the tank...
Forum Discussion
Interesting reading here. I can only vouch from my own experiences.
1). (IF) any black water get's into the gray tank, what will it hurt? Both tanks get dumped over and over and over. Besides, the gray almost always has soap from the shower in it.
2). I have a black tank flusher and have used it. I have also found out that, even after using the black tank flusher, IF doing a back flush last, it still pulls more out that the flusher did not. There's something about that backward pressure of water flow that somehow dislodges more "stuff". The black tank flusher may finally be draining clear, but do the back flush next, and more brown comes out. This has been my experience, yours may be different.
3). Back flush works anywhere, any time, provided you have enough water in your gray tank. I do not have to depend upon using additional water, or hook the hose up to a spigot, and definitely, I am not wasting water attempting to flush with the black tank flusher connected to a hose because the grey tank already has used water in it. Think of it this way, you are re-purposing the grey water. That's conserving water and clean your tank at the same time.
4). Rules of engagement: One, drain the black tank until it stops running. When it stops, then begin the back flush. Two, back flush the grey water into the black tank by leaving the grey valve open for only a few seconds. You want the water level in the gray tank to always be more than in the black tank. This prevents any black from coming into the grey tank (as little as that may be since I've already dumped the black. This is where some people stop. But the back-flush WILL pull more out.
5). After back flushing the 3rd time, close off the black tank and then finish draining the grey. Here again, this is determined by how much grey water you have to start with. Sometimes, there is only enough grey to back flush one time, sometimes only twice. But even one back flush will pull out a surprising amount more.
6). Use a clear section of drain pipe with your 3rd valve so you can actually see whats going on. If you can see it, you'll see why the back flush works so well, even over the built in black tank flusher.
7). If you don't have a 3rd valve, the "lift the hose" method is a good alternative. It will work. You just can't see what's going on. But it will work.
8). When done, add a couple gallons of fresh water to both black and grey tanks and add Dawn and/or Calgon and your tanks will always be clean. When I look down the toilet hole after dumping my tanks, I always see the bottom of the tank and the rivets on the bottom through the hole.
1). (IF) any black water get's into the gray tank, what will it hurt? Both tanks get dumped over and over and over. Besides, the gray almost always has soap from the shower in it.
2). I have a black tank flusher and have used it. I have also found out that, even after using the black tank flusher, IF doing a back flush last, it still pulls more out that the flusher did not. There's something about that backward pressure of water flow that somehow dislodges more "stuff". The black tank flusher may finally be draining clear, but do the back flush next, and more brown comes out. This has been my experience, yours may be different.
3). Back flush works anywhere, any time, provided you have enough water in your gray tank. I do not have to depend upon using additional water, or hook the hose up to a spigot, and definitely, I am not wasting water attempting to flush with the black tank flusher connected to a hose because the grey tank already has used water in it. Think of it this way, you are re-purposing the grey water. That's conserving water and clean your tank at the same time.
4). Rules of engagement: One, drain the black tank until it stops running. When it stops, then begin the back flush. Two, back flush the grey water into the black tank by leaving the grey valve open for only a few seconds. You want the water level in the gray tank to always be more than in the black tank. This prevents any black from coming into the grey tank (as little as that may be since I've already dumped the black. This is where some people stop. But the back-flush WILL pull more out.
5). After back flushing the 3rd time, close off the black tank and then finish draining the grey. Here again, this is determined by how much grey water you have to start with. Sometimes, there is only enough grey to back flush one time, sometimes only twice. But even one back flush will pull out a surprising amount more.
6). Use a clear section of drain pipe with your 3rd valve so you can actually see whats going on. If you can see it, you'll see why the back flush works so well, even over the built in black tank flusher.
7). If you don't have a 3rd valve, the "lift the hose" method is a good alternative. It will work. You just can't see what's going on. But it will work.
8). When done, add a couple gallons of fresh water to both black and grey tanks and add Dawn and/or Calgon and your tanks will always be clean. When I look down the toilet hole after dumping my tanks, I always see the bottom of the tank and the rivets on the bottom through the hole.
