While working on a different black tank issue, I decided to finally add a black tank flush system. My hope is that it will keep my sensors clean and accurate. It seems like most times when I dump my black waste tank the 1/3rd and 2/3rd sensors have been staying "on" and that forces me to get out the hose and wand, run it all through the window, down the toilet, etc to get it clean (what a pain). Hopefully this works...I picked the Tornado tank flush system. You can find it here or on amazon...https://www.campingworld.com/tornado-permanent-tank-rinser-with-remote-connection-28091.htmlIn order to drill the hole in the rear of the tank (so it is blasting water towards the drain), I needed to remove the rear outer tire and the forward flap.There is a template that comes with the system so it makes it easy to know exactly where to put all the holes.Apply lots of silicon and fasten the unit to the tank...I added an elbow to reduce hose strain.I ran the hose to the drain valve area (seemed like a good place), ziptied it up and out of the way, and cut the hose to length.Here's a modification I made to the Tornado system that should help me and hopefully others can take advantage. I noticed that the spray pattern was not ideal for my tank and sensor setup. The head of the device that is inserted into the black waste tank spins so it sprays water pretty good. Here is what it looked like out of the box...I felt like it might not hit my sensors as much as I want to get them clean. So I took the smallest drill bit I have and added two more holes in just the right spot so that the water will hit the area it was missing. I tested it all (uninstalled) on my driveway and it created the pattern I was looking for. Here is what it looks like: Total time to install was probably about an hour with much of that involving jacking up the RV, placing jacks (for safety) and removing the outer dually tire.I'll let the silicon dry and then test it out.If this works as I hope it does, it will be so nice keeping my tank clean after dumping and more importantly my sensors clean without ever having to bring a hose through the window and wand down the toilet again.Happy Camping!ChrisUpdate: I was doing another black tank project and accidentally broke the outside connection of the Tornado Flush. So I bought a new one. When I used the same silicon sealant it started having a small leak at the sealant connection. I tried a couple times (with water thankfully) and it kept leaking just a little. So I removed it, cleaned off the surfaces, and used Sikaflex-291 after some research. Here is the link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089SDNLF6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1Marine grade. Made for "below water line" connections. Zero leaks and I feel great it will stay that way. Good luck!

Nice job. However, (there is ALWAYS a however), I am not sure I would want the weight of the brass fitting always attached to the plastic Tornado bouncing up and down on rough roads. I am afraid that over time, the plastic will fatigue and break. I would personally prefer using the plastic hose with a large loop permanently zip tied into it to perform the same function.

Nice job. While I beleive tank rinser do help. Nothing seems to work as well as a Flush King. Internal OEM tank sensors are not the best idea from the start.Tank sensors overall are in place to give to give novice RV'ers peace of mind that their RV is not going to overflow with poo.However the tank sensors realy are not necessary, the tank will give you audible and visual signs when it is full without sensors.After RV'ing a few years you learn to observe the tank is getting full warning signs.I instaled a tank rinser on my first RV, but since then I have come to realize they are not necessary

I hope you have better success with your Tornado than I did. After about a year the bearings seized and would no longer turn. You could hear it getting worse and worse over time and then finally would no longer turn at all.

I guess I for one just quit worrying about how full the tank is.

rhagfo wrote:I guess I for one just quit worrying about how full the tank is.Ditto. 25+ years of RVing, have never come close to filling the black tank.

Tornado flush added to black waste tank... | Good Sam Community

time2roll
Nomad
Jul 24, 2022
SJ-Chris wrote:
Here's a modification I made to the Tornado system that should help me and hopefully others can take advantage. I noticed that the spray pattern was not ideal for my tank and sensor setup. The head of the device that is inserted into the black waste tank spins so it sprays water pretty good. Here is what it looked like out of the box...

I did similar with my Quickie Flush and it works perfectly.

Good to see Tornado now has brass fittings as I had two with plastic that broke.
Dusty_R
Explorer
Jul 24, 2022
I unhooked the probs and installed electronic sensors, they give % instead of thirds, and are accurate.
JoeH
Explorer III
Jul 24, 2022
SJ-Chris wrote:
Quick update: I've used my Tornado flush a few times now at the end of camping trips. Here's what I noticed... I have a 6" clear connector on my waste hose so I can see what is flushing through. I start by dumping the black tank. Yuck...Yes you can see all the wonderful contents zooming through the waste hose into the dumping station. Then it stops when the black tank is empty. Then, I turn on the Tornado flush on full blast (with the black waste valve still open). Immediately I can see coming out through the waste line MORE gross waste and toilet paper/etc for about 30-60 seconds. Then it seems to run fairly clear water. If I run it for a minute or two and then turn it off, and then I go and check my black tank sensor, it shows empty (instead of 1/3 or 2/3 full). Mission accomplished! One time when nobody was behind me, I gave the tank an extra flush by closing the black waste valve and turning on the Tornado flush to fill the tank halfway. Note: If you do this, you BETTER NOT get distracted and walk away as your black tank will fill up and overflow your toilet inside your RV if left too long. When I opened the black waste valve, there was a little more waste that came out but not too much.

Once I close my black waste valve and I'm done, I use my Tornado flush for 20 seconds to put a little water into my black tank to keep things happy in there for the next usage.

Happy flushing all!
Chris

I put one of those on my first motorhome back in the mid-90's. Worked great and took care of the level indicator issue. My current MH, came with a similar flush attachment from the factory.
jjrbus
Explorer
Jul 15, 2022
I use the C-Level system. Most, not all RV toilets are directly over tank. Shut off water, push down foot pedal and shine flashlight in hole and you will C the level! Guaranteed 100% accurate.

I have all the resources to make my system functional or add external sensors and I would not spend my time doing it.
SJ-Chris
Explorer II
Jul 08, 2022
Quick update: I've used my Tornado flush a few times now at the end of camping trips. Here's what I noticed... I have a 6" clear connector on my waste hose so I can see what is flushing through. I start by dumping the black tank. Yuck...Yes you can see all the wonderful contents zooming through the waste hose into the dumping station. Then it stops when the black tank is empty. Then, I turn on the Tornado flush on full blast (with the black waste valve still open). Immediately I can see coming out through the waste line MORE gross waste and toilet paper/etc for about 30-60 seconds. Then it seems to run fairly clear water. If I run it for a minute or two and then turn it off, and then I go and check my black tank sensor, it shows empty (instead of 1/3 or 2/3 full). Mission accomplished! One time when nobody was behind me, I gave the tank an extra flush by closing the black waste valve and turning on the Tornado flush to fill the tank halfway. Note: If you do this, you BETTER NOT get distracted and walk away as your black tank will fill up and overflow your toilet inside your RV if left too long. When I opened the black waste valve, there was a little more waste that came out but not too much.

Once I close my black waste valve and I'm done, I use my Tornado flush for 20 seconds to put a little water into my black tank to keep things happy in there for the next usage.

Happy flushing all!
Chris
SJ-Chris
Explorer II
Feb 21, 2022
I'm the kind of person who wants EVERYTHING on my RV to work 100% how it is supposed to. For example, it annoys me if a single light bulb is out interior or exterior. So when I dump my tanks at the end of a trip, I like them to read empty on my control panel. I sometimes let family/etc use my RVs also, so it is important to me to have everything working (especially for those not as familiar with RVs). Seems like most of the time when I dump my waste tank, the sensors say it is still 1/3rd or 2/3rds full when it is in fact empty. A QUICK flush fixes that.

If I'm camping in my RV for an extended period which results in multiple dumpings, I don't bother to flush the tank to get the sensors clean during my vacation. It is only on the last dumping when I am putting the RV away that I want the sensors to read "Empty" so that at least I know the next time I take it out (or someone else does) that it starts at empty.

And as mentioned....if that's what I'm planning on doing at the dumping station on my last dumping of a vacation, be glad that I have an exterior flush now that I can easily hook up the hose to the Tornado for 2 minutes instead of spending 10 minutes getting out the hose+wand, putting it through a window and through the RV, back and forth, etc. You should be THANKING me for this upgrade....LOL! It's all good....

Happy dumping,
Chris
drsteve
Explorer
Feb 20, 2022
The only tank sensor that I pay attention to is the fresh water tank. When it's close to empty, the other two are getting close to full.

My TT has a black tank flush. I never use it, because if I did, I'd have to remember to winterize it.

I see far too many people taking way too long in the dump line, because they think their tank has to be squeaky clean. Those who want to do that should get a FHU site, IMHO.

Funny how we got by without these things for decades, and we never knew we had a problem.
SJ-Chris
Explorer II
Feb 16, 2022
trucker11 wrote:
Thats a first class install by the OP, but I still don't understand the need.

As mentioned, most times when I dump my black tanks the 1/3rd full (and sometimes 2/3rd full) sensor remains on. The surefire way for me to fix it is to get out my extra hose, get out the spray wand and connect it, open the rear window and screen, feed everything through the rear bedroom (hoping not to get water/dirt/etc on the bed/floor/etc, put the wand down the toilet, go outside to turn on the water, come back in the RV and spray the interior of the black waste tank for a minute or two, turn off the water, check the sensors and do it some more if they aren't cleared, then carefully place the dripping wand into a garbage bag, then carry everything back through the rear bedroom and out the window, then close up the window and screen, then go back outside and remove the hose and wand, drain the water from them, put them back into their bag/container and then put them away.

OR, now I can simply connect the water hose to my Tornado tank flush and do everything from the outside in 1/3 the time with zero mess. That's my motivation. The added benefit is that undeniably my black waste tank interior will be cleaner with less residue and matter remaining after I do a flush. This method will even be FASTER while at the public dump station than the hose+wand solution. These are all positives.

Happy dumping!
Chris
Bobbo
Explorer II
Feb 16, 2022
trucker11 wrote:
Thats a first class install by the OP, but I still don't understand the need. We have had a TT or 5er since the late 80's of different flavors and up until the early 2010's had not seen many if any of these gimmicks installed from the factory. Now its apparently a must have. The current 2018 Rockwood has it OEM, I've never used it. Now days it's like your a 2nd class RV'er if you don't have a tank flush. The only benefit I have seen is they increase the wait at the dump station by a factor of 2 or 3 times. But then again if you must have a squeaky clean black tank.

Never having used one, you haven't seen the benefits. Of course the only benefit you have seen is the increased wait time at the dump.

I added one to my first RV. My current Airstream came with one from the factory. I have a clear section that I put between the tank and the stinky slinky so I can see what is coming out. It is amazing how much more "stuff" I see come out while using the rinser after the dump finished. I don't care if the black tank is "squeaky clean," but I do want all of the solids out of the tank, not sitting in there petrifying.

I will say, however, that I only use the rinser if my site has its own dump station, or at home. I never use it when using the communal dump stations.
trucker11
Explorer
Feb 16, 2022
Thats a first class install by the OP, but I still don't understand the need. We have had a TT or 5er since the late 80's of different flavors and up until the early 2010's had not seen many if any of these gimmicks installed from the factory. Now its apparently a must have. The current 2018 Rockwood has it OEM, I've never used it. Now days it's like your a 2nd class RV'er if you don't have a tank flush. The only benefit I have seen is they increase the wait at the dump station by a factor of 2 or 3 times. But then again if you must have a squeaky clean black tank.

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Tornado flush added to black waste tank...

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