water in black tank

5th wheel is a 2006 model and I plugged it up...well my girlfriend did, RIGHT! Just kidding. The RV repair guy said the tank isn't very deep so it must be wide and long.

Thanks everyone for all the great input...sounds like using plenty of water will be my best friend.

As you have read, there are a lot of different methods of having a toilet that works right. The common thing to all is water. Whether you add it at the start, after you dump, or some at the start and more with each use, you need lots of water. When you dump, if the tank is not 2/3 full, add water. Then after you dump add water. And yes, keep the black tank drain closed unless dumping.

A tank rinser is a good idea. I use a Tornado, others like the Quickie Flush. The Flush King probably works well but uses a lot of water and time. Off course you can always put a hose in the toilet and wash it out, but that can get messy.

Here's a few tips that might help:
1) As others have said, start by putting in several gallons of water before you leave the house on your trip.
2) Put in a cupful of Calgon water softener to slosh around in that water as you drive. The Calgon makes the inside of the tank slick, and keeps solids from adhering.
3) Use LOTS of water per flush, and keep the dump valve closed.
4) When the tank is almost full, pull your dump valve. The large amount of water, coupled with the WEIGHT of that water, will push the solids out very quickly.
5) Put several gallons of fresh water back into the now-empty tank, along with another cup of Calgon.
6) Just before you leave for home, put a 5 or 10 pound bag of ice into the tank via the toilet bowl, with a bit more water. As you drive home, the ice will slosh around and scrub the tank interior clean. When you get home and dump your tanks, you'll be surprised at how much debris was still in there after you dumped before leaving the park. Get a 6" clear plastic extension to add to your sewer connection so that you can actually SEE what is flowing.
I do this every trip and have not had an issue now for YEARS. It works for me.

when I dump I use the black tank flusher when it looks like it's clean enough I close the valve then shut off the black flush so there is two or three gallons of water in the to slosh around.

Wait until tank is almost full before dumping. High fluid level helps carry solids out.

After dumping.....rinse/flush tank (toilet wand, flush system, buckets down toilet etc.)

Then fill toilet bowl and flush......this helps keep bottom of tank wet so that anything left behind doesn't dry out. Dried out stuff can cause clogging, pileups & stink.

Use whatever toilet paper that you like. Dump line to toilet is 3" and drain line from tank is 3"..........blockage is caused by not using enough water.

Another vote for a Flush King....you will be able to see when the tank runs clear water after you flush out :) Very easy to use!

CloudDriver wrote:
We mostly dry camp and as such we are very conservative in water usage. We use minimal water in the toilet. We can go 5-6 days and sometimes 7 days on our 33 gallon fresh water tank before needing to dump waste and refill fresh water. We never add any amount of water to the black tank to start it off. IMO that is an urban legend. In 10 years of RVing we have never had an issue with the black tank not draining.

As already mentioned - never leave the black tank valve open when at a full hookup site.

We almost always dry camp and water conservation is important to us so we pretty much follow this method as well. However, I do have a cleanout at home and I can rinse to my hearts content and I'm sure that helps.

Also, I've been under the RV for the last several days making repairs and I have a shallow, wide and long tank ... it is not a deep tank (8" at most).

If you START with a couple of gallons (NOT just before using it but as soon as you dump the tank). The MAIN way you prevent clogs as you experienced previously though has little to do with how much water you begin with but more about how much water you USE when flushing. Even if you start with five gallons you still need to use plenty of water when flushing. Skimping on water is a sure path to clogs. EVER leaving the black tank completely empty (in storage or in use) is another way to create odors and clogs. Keep water in it 100% of the time.

Monaco Montclair wrote:
Even sitting still you can put some ice in the bowl, and shake the trailer a bit,

Now that would make for great campground entertainment :h

If you take the time to use Ridex in your black tank with some water and allow to sit for several days, it will start to help digest the solids in your tank. Of course try the wand thru the toilet first, that would be the easiest and should work.