Residual water in black water tank

Never thought to measure the amount, best guess is 2-3 gallons which is about a minute of holding the foot pedal down on the toilet after dumping and flushing out of tank.

I flush my black tank very well (I have a method to my own madness). But after done flushing, I add a gallon or so through the toilet (foot pedal). If your tanks are cleaned out, all you need is a little bit of water in the tank, enough to drain down to the knife valve in our outlet, to keep it from drying out. That's all you need. In the winter, RV anti-freeze to keep it wet.

I leave about a gallon of fresh water in there at the most. I only have about a 25 gallon tank and I don't want to use up all that extra space by adding more then that. I leave a little in there because it seems to keep my dump valves lubricated and then they slide open and closed easier.

Steve 911 wrote:
Newbe question I'm sure has been answered before. What is the rule of thumb of how much water to put in the black water tank after you finish dumping the tank?
And what is the way most people add the water? ie; hose, bucket etc.
Thanks for any response.
Steve

Two different situations: Are you actively using the camper after dumping? or storing it for awhile before the next trip?

If I am actively using our camper, after dumping I'll fill and flush the toilet a couple times while adding some toilet deodorizer (usually the green stuff from Walmart). So this would be 2 or 3 gallons of water.

If I am storing the camper... when we get home, I rinse out the tanks by filling and draining them (I am able to do this where I park it - this is assuming I have already "dumped" the tanks at the campground dumpsite). Then I fill the black tank while adding maybe a quart of chlorine bleach - or less, don't need all that much. I let the tank sit for about an hour, then drain it out. I'll fill the tank maybe 1/4 full and drain one last time. I have found that if I store the TT for an extended period without using it, it sometimes will smell inside if the black tank isn't "bleached".

It is just a guestimate but about a gsllon or two goes in after dumping to slosh around as we merrily drive down the road.

Just add enough to slosh around and mix the chemicals after dumping, maybe a gallon or two. Or add more if you want.

BTPO1 wrote:
I add about a half gallon to a gallon of water to mine after dumping. I do that by holding down the foot pedal partially and fill the bowl. When the bowl is almost full I then dump the bowl into the black tank.

Exactly this, one or two bowls of water. Why do people have to make this complicated?

Our camping is usually a four or five night stretch once a month and over the years I've developed a system for my black tank that works well for me.

Unless I'm winterizing between trips; after I finish dumping the tank I pour/run about ten gallons of water into my thirty gallon tank along with a healthy squirt or three of dish soap. Then I make thee trip home, and within a week or two I tow the trailer to the house where I have a cleanout station setup (can't park the trailer at home "city ordnance") and finish flushing the tank. You'd be really surprised what a little soap and water sloshing around in the tank will dislodge...

I add 5 gallons and thetford blue .Want to prevent anything from drying out and getting hard in there.Along with having tank sprayer built in, gauges are still working and never have problems using or dumping system.

After dumping and flushing the tank, I always add about five gallons water (via the tank flush). I find that if I keep the black tank wet between trips, I hardly ever experience strong tank odors. I don't use chemicals or deodorants.