I'm sure this post will provide some laughs. I drained our grey and black water tanks to our TT last season, then winterized with approved anti-freeze for the winter. Before we departed on our first RV trip, I made sure both the grey and black water release valves were not seized up, buy pulling open, lubricating with teflon spray, then closing both valves. Fast forward to our first RV camping trip of the season. At the campground setup (yes both grey and black valves were still closed) - when I went to remove the cover to the TT waste pipe, it was very hard to turn and remove. I figured it was the arthritis in my hands that made it difficult - but WAIT FOR IT - when the cover finally came off, I got a full force jet stream of urine, and feces in the face - full blast. Yep, I had a nice clean up job of the ground, then took a shower.F.Y.I. our TT has cleaning jets for the black water tank, which I always use for 20 minutes before leaving the campground.So I have since learned that even though the black and grey indicator level LED's show empty - there can still be substantial residue left in the tanks.But I don't understand how such a forceful jet stream of waste can blast out when both grey and black water valves are turned off. Why did I have this unpleasant start to our camping trip?

That's a pretty chitty situation.

traildog wrote:That's a pretty chitty situation.Reminds of the guy who thought all he had to do was get his drain pipe over the concrete at the dumping station and pull the valves.What a mess that made...........

"Why did I have this unpleasant start to our camping trip?"Because you had clean clothes, and 10-12 days to wonder WHEN it would happen again. :)Some would say "Murphy's Law" But Murphy was an optimist, things are actually much more dire. :R

You're grey and/or black tank valve seals maybe be bad allowing any residual liquid in the tank to fill between the valves and the cap. As the weather has gotten hotter the contents in the pipe may have become pressurized due to the warmer temperatures. The seals may have worked enough to hold the contents in the pipe keeping them from seeping back into the tanks. The pressure gave the contents a little extra help coming out when the cap was removed. Organic break down of the contents in the pipe may also have produced gas adding to the pressure in the pipe.Either way it was like popping the cap off a champagne bottle or a soda bottle when you took the cap off. You might replace the 3" cap with one that has a garden hose cap. That way in the future you could loosen the garden hose cap first cap to see if it starts dripping before you remove the 3" cap itself.

You need to learn to ignore the black & grey tank level indicators.But, I guess you just did. :)

Black Water Accident | Good Sam Community

Campinfan
Explorer III
Sep 04, 2020
I have clear plastic elbows on mine so I can see any residuals. seems many of us have a "shower of shame" story.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Sep 04, 2020
5 tank flushes?? Lol
GlanvilleNed
Explorer
Sep 04, 2020
A piquant situation. By the way, I just found out that fines for those caught draining water when or where they shouldn't be can vary, with LA County issuing fines up to $1,000. The warning from the official game followed complaints from residents that RV users were illegally dumping water. This is not the first time that authorities have received complaints about wastewater discharge by RV users. Well, in 2015, residents near San Diego said an illegal dump caused a foul stench in the community. Actually, it's a big fine. Last year, I needed the help of a car accident attorney los Angeles, and I took my $ 500 for a scratched car. This is less than I would pay for the repair!
Seon
Explorer II
Aug 12, 2020
A little late reply but that's a Pisser of an event.
jpmyers
Explorer
Aug 01, 2020
Kellem, yep, that's what happened. And it's the over use of paper that necessitates having to flush more frequently than I'd like. I can't imagine how bad it would be if we didn't use "the right paper."

As they say, "choose your battles wisely, and don't walk away from the BWT flush!
ken56
Explorer
Aug 01, 2020
If you have a wife like mine who uses copious amounts of paper then using the tank flush many times is a necessity. We have had the use a little less paper talk but I don't want to die on that mountain. I also use a tank wand to flush even after I have used the built in tank flush and things run clear and guess what, a whole bunch more solids come out. I only do that a couple times a season and when I am putting it up for the season. A clean tank doesn't stink so for me its not about the dreaded poop pyramid or a squeaky clean tank, it's about stink control.
kellem
Explorer
Aug 01, 2020
jpmyers wrote:
Well I've got a good one. I was flushing my BWT. I normally stay with it and will close the black water valve for no more than 3 minutes for the tank flush to do it's thing. However, on the 5th flush, I got to "multi-taking." The next thing I know, water is pouring down the sides of my RV. I can't imagine how bad this would have been had it occurred during the 1st flush! This rig is less than a month old. From what I can tell, nothing penetrated into the walls as the crevice seals seen to have done their job.

Trying to get my head around this and sorry but had to laugh.
You saying you filled the black water tank above capacity and it ran out the roof vent and down the sides of trailer ?
Say it isn't so.
jpmyers
Explorer
Aug 01, 2020
Well I've got a good one. I was flushing my BWT. I normally stay with it and will close the black water valve for no more than 3 minutes for the tank flush to do it's thing. However, on the 5th flush, I got to "multi-taking." The next thing I know, water is pouring down the sides of my RV. I can't imagine how bad this would have been had it occurred during the 1st flush! This rig is less than a month old. From what I can tell, nothing penetrated into the walls as the crevice seals seen to have done their job.
Mickeyfan0805
Explorer
Jul 06, 2020
pmlevine wrote:

Well, there is a waste drain at each campsite, so no, I am not making other folks wait while I try to jet rinse the black tank. This model TT came equipped with a built-in jet rinse for the black tank. There is a separate, dedicated hose port on the TT specifically for the jet rinse. I only use the jet rinse after first draining the black tank, then the grey tank. The jet rinse is done with only the black valve open, and is the last thing I do before leaving the campsite.
So I also don’t understand why BurpMan does not like the idea of hooking up a hose from the campsite water supply to the separate jet rinse port on the TT.

I do the same thing. Empty tanks...flush black tank using the rinse port...close valve and let run for a minute to put a few gallons of fresh water into the tank so it doesn't run dry. Simple and certainly no risk to the water system of the campground.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jul 05, 2020
If you store the trailer in a garage, it sure is nice to have all the stuff out of the tank.

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