I mentioned this in other posts that I have been living in my camper since June 4th with no opportunity to dump since may 31st or maybe as long as the 27th. With one exception I have been the only person pooping in my camper. I have been "P"ing in a plastic jug to save space and dumping the contents in the back yard. My black tank is listed a 40 gallons. The electronic monitor light has been red for a few days (indicating a full tank. When I look into the toilet opening I can visually verify that the poop level is a few inches from the toilet valve. I haven't been pooping that much and am having problems believing one person can fill up a 40 gallon tank in a short time.Since the vehicle hasn't been moved the entire time it is possible that there is a big pyramid of poop in the center and if the RV is moved around it would move the contents around and lower the level of poop. It is also possible I didn't do a full dump the last time I emptied. Do dry campers that park in one location have this happen to them?Once I am on the road and moving and bouncing around the poop level may settle down enough to where I will not need to worry about dumping.EDIT I left my home in SC in early May the 6th or 13th so I have been liven in it since then but I have been able to dump at all the places I was staying at till I camped in a Camping world parking lot in Hanover PA. For this particular discussion I am just concerned with the time between my last dump and now.

You should be dumping water down with that poop....as part of the flushing.I'd guess that you do have a piramid, but it's not the end of the world. Get a bag of ice...dump it down there, and then drive on a nice bumpy/winding road, before you go and try to dump it. Adding some Calgon to the tank may help too!As long as you have at least half a tank of liquid, you should be fine.....and don't forget to add about 10-15 gallons of water, after you have dumped it.Don't trust the level sensors....:)Finally, what goes in, comes back out......so, depending on how much you eat, will dictate how quickly that 40-gallons gets filled up:BYou may want to see about getting that tank dumped more often...look around your area, and see if there is a CG that will allow you to come in and dump (usually for a fee).Your edit notes that you have been parking at a CW....I'm pretty sure that they won't be to happy with you pouring you pee out on their grass

The biggest thing preventing a "poop pile" is using lots of water when flushing, and ensuring plenty of water in the tank. The water used when flushing #1 helps keep things floating in the tank preventing #2 from piling up. By only using the tank for more "important" things you didn't put enough water into the tank and now have pile instead of a slurry (sorry sounds gross but the best I could to to explain what happened) Fill the tank with water and drive around a while then find a dump station, hopefully things will break up and go down the drain.

silvercorvette wrote:Since the vehicle hasn't been moved the entire time it is possible that there is a big pyramid of poop in the center Pyramids are the result of not using enough water over a long period of time, and leaving the drain open all the time. They're not caused by sitting still.silvercorvette wrote: Do dry campers that park in one location have this happen to them?No. It's usually 'wet' campers who leave the black drain open 24/7.

Well Silver, The "Black Pyramid" is a well known issue and is the direct result of not using enough water in the flush. If there is enough in the black tank, solids will simply roll off. Your tank level gage may just be jammed on the solids.Now, what you have to do is plan to go to some where that you can dump, go get a bag of ice, fill the tank with as full as you dare water or what all, get unhooked (if required), then dump in the ice and drive to the dump the long way. Rinse the tank at least once while you are at the dump. Matt

I planned on leaving NY a few days ago but was delayed, I ways trying to make the black tank last by not adding any other liquid other than the water I need to flush. These are unusual conditions and normallyI would not spent 3 weeks or more between dumps. I have to stop off at Camping World in PA to get my A/C fixed then I will make at least 2 dump stops. I won't do anything to the tank before the first dump but I will probably try the ice cube thing after my first dump.

Do I have a pyramid made of poop? A question for dry campers

PapPappy
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
You should be dumping water down with that poop....as part of the flushing.
I'd guess that you do have a piramid, but it's not the end of the world. Get a bag of ice...dump it down there, and then drive on a nice bumpy/winding road, before you go and try to dump it. Adding some Calgon to the tank may help too!

As long as you have at least half a tank of liquid, you should be fine.....and don't forget to add about 10-15 gallons of water, after you have dumped it.

Don't trust the level sensors....:)

Finally, what goes in, comes back out......so, depending on how much you eat, will dictate how quickly that 40-gallons gets filled up:B

You may want to see about getting that tank dumped more often...look around your area, and see if there is a CG that will allow you to come in and dump (usually for a fee).
Your edit notes that you have been parking at a CW....I'm pretty sure that they won't be to happy with you pouring you pee out on their grass
daveshan
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
The biggest thing preventing a "poop pile" is using lots of water when flushing, and ensuring plenty of water in the tank. The water used when flushing #1 helps keep things floating in the tank preventing #2 from piling up.

By only using the tank for more "important" things you didn't put enough water into the tank and now have pile instead of a slurry (sorry sounds gross but the best I could to to explain what happened)

Fill the tank with water and drive around a while then find a dump station, hopefully things will break up and go down the drain.
2oldman
Explorer II
Jun 20, 2013
silvercorvette wrote:
Since the vehicle hasn't been moved the entire time it is possible that there is a big pyramid of poop in the center
Pyramids are the result of not using enough water over a long period of time, and leaving the drain open all the time. They're not caused by sitting still.
silvercorvette wrote:
Do dry campers that park in one location have this happen to them?
No. It's usually 'wet' campers who leave the black drain open 24/7.
Matt_Colie
Explorer II
Jun 20, 2013
Well Silver,

The "Black Pyramid" is a well known issue and is the direct result of not using enough water in the flush. If there is enough in the black tank, solids will simply roll off.

Your tank level gage may just be jammed on the solids.

Now, what you have to do is plan to go to some where that you can dump, go get a bag of ice, fill the tank with as full as you dare water or what all, get unhooked (if required), then dump in the ice and drive to the dump the long way.

Rinse the tank at least once while you are at the dump.

Matt
silvercorvette
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
I planned on leaving NY a few days ago but was delayed, I ways trying to make the black tank last by not adding any other liquid other than the water I need to flush. These are unusual conditions and normallyI would not spent 3 weeks or more between dumps. I have to stop off at Camping World in PA to get my A/C fixed then I will make at least 2 dump stops. I won't do anything to the tank before the first dump but I will probably try the ice cube thing after my first dump.
M_GO_BLUE1
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
WATER, WATER, WATER
silvercorvette
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
After reading all the replies it is now obvious that I made a mistake in trying to avoid adding too much water to my black tank. I think that on my first stop at a CG with a dump station I will stay hooked up, dump my tank, then fill the tank with fresh water then take it for a short ride then dump the tank again.

I was so afraid to fill up the black with water I wound up creating a problem

==========================================
EDIT

In the past when I was never more than 2 or 3 days between dumps I never worried about adding too much water, it seems that my concern about filling the black tank with too much water is what caused the problem
RAS43
Explorer III
Jun 20, 2013
Just retruned from our annual 2 week dry camp fishing trip. We have never had any pyramid issues in 15 years of doing this trip. We use enough water to flush but over the 2 weeks we never have filled the tank. Just before heading to the dump station I dump a 5 gallon bucket of water down the toilet. That and the trip to the station mixes up the tank contents well and it all flushes out fine.
Clay_L
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
We have a 30 gallon black tank and use a fair amount of water when we flush. We fill it in about 10 days. That works out to 3 gallons added per day. For one person that would be 1.5 gallons per day.

That indicates that you should be able to go about 26 days with your 40 gallon tank before you have to dump (40/1.5 = 26.6). Of course the number can vary because your usage might not be the same as ours.
hitchup
Explorer
Jun 20, 2013
Ours is also a 40gal. With me home 24/7 and the other working outside the home during the week, we only flush every 2 wks. Unless the smell is too strong in the hot hot summer.

DH can shine a flashlight down the hole and estimate how soon he needs to flush.