Black Tank valve failure scenarios

path1 wrote:
I'll chip in to a blank tank story...I've had 2 "black tank experiences I'd like to forget.

One story might be helpful to you...if you ever pull the handle to the dump and the handle and rod came offs in your hand. Don't go nuts, I know what a surprise. You won't believe what goes thru your head, thinking how are you going to remove the valve to fix it with a mess in it. Without being able to dump first.

Ok, if this ever happens to you... here is what we did and it worked out great. We drove on home to think about it and the next day stopped by Lowes and picked up a replacement broom stick (round stick) and a long lag screw. Cut off the head of lag screw. Drilled a hole in end of the broom handle and then glued in lag screw, and let dry.

Next day, just screw the freshly glued lag screw into the plastic valve (where pull rod used to be) and pull... Voila! valve now opened.

Of course you might want to be a dump site when using your new "valve" tool.

The other story I can't tell the whole thing but. Deals with a broken black tank plumbing that got broken when boarding a ferry, the state was tearing up the road to replace the ramp to ferry, lots of asphalt chunks, one chunk flipped up and broke our pipe to the valve. 2 van loads of boy scouts coming home from a salmon fishing all talking about who caught the biggest and most etc noticed "stuff" leaking out of broken pipe when we're about 1/2 way across river and it became a spectacle for about 20 boy scouts on the ferry, "hey look guys, check this out" they have to get out of the vans and inspect, by this time the ferry worker was already hosing off the mess overboard into the river. Ferry worker tells the scouts to get out of his way several times, scouts are really interested in what comes out of a black tank (maybe future RV'ers) and the mess get hosed overboard. Ferry worker gets mad, he's told them to move back several times. Boy scouts just have to get a closer look. Ferry worker also knows they have been on a fishing trip. As he's hosing off the mess ferry worker asks them "how do you think the salmon get so big"? Scouts all stare at him with this look of astonishment. Turns out the Boy Scouts went fishing the first day of camping trip and they've been eating their fish about every meal ever since.

OH the look, priceless

By the way wife decided that this would be a good time to read, she would read the newspaper and very, very close to her face. As in world hide me.

The other thing was the ferry worker guy said this was the second time today that an RV had its drain pipe broken by asphalt chunks from the road construction.

Another by the way...it still didn't make wife feel any better.