2011 jayco featherlite. I was reading the owners manual for the 2013 model as I have not picked up my camper yet. im real new and dumb so far with all these terms. I understand that the black water holding tank is from the toilet. heres my question, the book says that when hooked up to hookups at campground that I keep the holding tank release closed until its 3/4 full and then release it.. im confused.. how does the black water hookup work? I understand if im at a site without hookups then all the toilet stuff goes into the holding tank and when I leave, or when its full then I drive to the dumping station and hook it up to dump it.. .but im confused on when im using full hookups. when im using hookups does that mean I bypass the holding tank? or does the toilet still flush into the holding tank and then from the holding tank out to the sewer system? and if this is the case why does book say to keep it closed till 3/4 then open it? if that's the case it seems like even during full hookup site I still have to fill up holding tank then release it? I was under the impression that the point of a full hookup site was that so when I flush the toilet it leaves the camper right then and there and doesn't go to holding tank... im confused..LOL

If you keep the tank open all the time,******will build up in the drain line. Letting the tank fill a bit first, puts some good volume into the line to keep it clean.

To avoid issues of the dreaded pyrimid in your tank, yes keep the black tank valve closed until 3/4 full. What this does is allow the paper to partially desolve and keeps the tp from forming a pyrimid at the entrance of the drop from the toilet. You do not want that to happen. Dont ask me how I know. Keeping the valve closed allows all that is flushed to float and not harden. Then you can dump it at 3/4 full and it will drain without issues.

so, at a full hookup site, I let the holding tank fill up, and then I just dump it? and then let it fill up again? im going memorial day weekend for 3 nights.. they want $9.00 more per night for a black water hookup.. probably better off just saving the cash and just dumping before I leave. there are bathrooms right next to the campsite that im in..clean ones. now, also, gray water, does that get dumped into black water too, or do campgrounds have gray water dumpstations also? thank you

Many people keep it closed until there is a bit in there, then open it so it doesn't get paper and gunk stuck on the bottom. We have left ours open and use a bunch of water to flush and have never had a problem. Always open the black tank first, let it drain and then open the gray water to flush out all the gunk from the black tank. We flush the black first, close it and fill with lots of water. Meanwhile we empty the gray, close it and run water in the sinks. Then we open the black once again and close it, then the gray and close it. We fill some water in both tanks, treat the black tank and rinse the hose and are on our way, fresh and clean!

As others have mentioned, you want to leave the black tank valve closed until it is 3/4 or so full and then dump it. That give you enough liquid to create a swirling action to take the solids with it when you dump. Rather like a bathtub drain. The advantage of having full hook-ups is so you can dump right at your site at your convenience AND so you can leave the GREY tank valve open all the time. That way, you can take longer showers and use plenty water while washing dishes, etc. Normally when you are dry camping (no hook-ups) you will fill up the GREY tank days before you will ever fill the black tank.

newbie questions on black water tank and campgrounds

yankeeslover
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
makes a lot of sense... so when I leave campground, its ok to have water left in both tanks during travel? and also, when im dumping, do dump stations have water hookup while im dumping so that I can flush it? or do I have to fill up the water holding tank first? thanks again
crimmps49
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
all good tips... so when I get to campground, regardless if I have a sewer site or not, is there a chemical that I add to both the black water and gray water tank? how is this chemical added? and do you re-add this said chemical everytime I flush the tank? also, when I leave, and I do like crimps says and flush and dump both lines, do I add more chemical to the black water holding tank when I get home and park the camper? im assuming that when I get home the tank will be fully empty, do I still keep some water in that tank while its sitting for a few weeks? and now the dumb question of the year, how does one dump a black water tank when not at campground? im talking end of year before winter when im cleaning everything, how do I clean out the black water tank at home?

Leave both tanks closed if only 3 days and not too many using toilet.
Yes, use a treatment which the place you buy it from should have ready for you. Dump on the way out. Close valves and flush toilet several times to add water and treatment and you are good to go for the next time. At the end of the year plan your last trip and dump there since you need to dispose of these liquids at a dump station. Our State Parks charge $3 for a dump, so we always fill with lots of water, and dump completely and leave them empty and then winterize since we are in WI.
2chiefsRus
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
yankeeslover wrote:
all good tips... so when I get to campground, regardless if I have a sewer site or not, is there a chemical that I add to both the black water and gray water tank? how is this chemical added? and do you re-add this said chemical everytime I flush the tank? also, when I leave, and I do like crimps says and flush and dump both lines, do I add more chemical to the black water holding tank when I get home and park the camper? im assuming that when I get home the tank will be fully empty, do I still keep some water in that tank while its sitting for a few weeks? and now the dumb question of the year, how does one dump a black water tank when not at campground? im talking end of year before winter when im cleaning everything, how do I clean out the black water tank at home?

We like to use www.5starhappycamper.com in our black tank. You don't necessarily have to use anything. We full-time so there is always something in our tanks. As to how/where you dump at the end of the year, if you have a sewer cleanout at home that you can reach, you could use that or you can go to a nearby campground. We like to always keep a little water in our black tank to keep the seals from drying out. If you winterize you can add some of the pink RV Antifreeze - NOT REGULAR ANTIFREEZE.
HappyKayakers
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
yankeeslover wrote:
so, at a full hookup site, I let the holding tank fill up, and then I just dump it? and then let it fill up again? im going memorial day weekend for 3 nights.. they want $9.00 more per night for a black water hookup.. probably better off just saving the cash and just dumping before I leave. there are bathrooms right next to the campsite that im in..clean ones. now, also, gray water, does that get dumped into black water too, or do campgrounds have gray water dumpstations also? thank you

I've never seen a campground or RV park with separate sewer lines for black and gray, either at the sites or at the dump station.

For only a 3 night stay I would either use the facilities in the RV a lot or not at all. Very doubtful that you could fill up the black tank in that time but even if you just use it a few times then you need to add enough water to flush it out well when you dump.
yankeeslover
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
all good tips... so when I get to campground, regardless if I have a sewer site or not, is there a chemical that I add to both the black water and gray water tank? how is this chemical added? and do you re-add this said chemical everytime I flush the tank? also, when I leave, and I do like crimps says and flush and dump both lines, do I add more chemical to the black water holding tank when I get home and park the camper? im assuming that when I get home the tank will be fully empty, do I still keep some water in that tank while its sitting for a few weeks? and now the dumb question of the year, how does one dump a black water tank when not at campground? im talking end of year before winter when im cleaning everything, how do I clean out the black water tank at home?
the_bear_II
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
It can be confusing.

The toilet stuff always goes into the black holding tank. There is no way to bypass it. If you leave the valve open the liquids will escape the tank and leave the solids behind. Eventually the solids will build up and you will end up with a major clog.

By leaving valve closed until you are 3/4 full you'll have enough liquid in the tank to wash everything out when you open the valve.

Once the black tank is emptied,It's a good practice to fill the toilet with water several times and flush while the black tank valve is still open this will help clean out any residue and flush out the sewer hose. Or use a holding tank cleaning wand available at RV supply stores.

Also once you close the valve fill and flush the toilet a couple of times so you have some water in the tank to start with to help breakup the solids. The goal is to have lots of liquid vs. solids when you open the valve.
korbe
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
For me and my wife on a 3-day stay, we would not need or want a sewer hookup. We would dump when we leave.

Around here, black and gray water are treated the same as far as dump stations are concerned.

We also dump the black first, and follow with the gray to help rinse the drain line.
crimmps49
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
You could just use your bathroom when necessary and make use of the campground facilities and dump on the way out. If there is a charge to dump as well, why not enjoy your own bathroom? There is only one waste dump---all goes into that same line.
2chiefsRus
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
As others have mentioned, you want to leave the black tank valve closed until it is 3/4 or so full and then dump it. That give you enough liquid to create a swirling action to take the solids with it when you dump. Rather like a bathtub drain. The advantage of having full hook-ups is so you can dump right at your site at your convenience AND so you can leave the GREY tank valve open all the time. That way, you can take longer showers and use plenty water while washing dishes, etc. Normally when you are dry camping (no hook-ups) you will fill up the GREY tank days before you will ever fill the black tank.
crimmps49
Explorer
Apr 23, 2013
Many people keep it closed until there is a bit in there, then open it so it doesn't get paper and gunk stuck on the bottom. We have left ours open and use a bunch of water to flush and have never had a problem. Always open the black tank first, let it drain and then open the gray water to flush out all the gunk from the black tank. We flush the black first, close it and fill with lots of water. Meanwhile we empty the gray, close it and run water in the sinks. Then we open the black once again and close it, then the gray and close it. We fill some water in both tanks, treat the black tank and rinse the hose and are on our way, fresh and clean!

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