Black Tank Issue

[murals4you]

I have been having a terrible time with our Black Tank for a year or so! When we are camping for a couple of days first when you press the pedal down to flush it has a blup & then it goes down and then every time you flush it gergels for a few minutes. After another day or so the waste is visible and I have to use my hose that is made to clear clogs. It buys me another couple days is all. I know it sounds like a Venting problem so I put a water hose down the Black Tank Vent on the roof a couple of feet, opened the dump valve with a clear piece on my dump hose and then turned the water on. Yep, it came out thru the hose, so to me that meant the vent was clear, right? So I figured it would be good now. Went camping last weekend & it was the same!

OK, smart guys, what is going on?

Bob

[rjsurfer]

There are better ways to spend your time than trying to keep the poorly designed level indicators working properly. Trust me a year from now you will give up trying.

And it's not just the black tank, eventually the grey tanks will start reporting false levels also.

Just listen for the burping when you flush then you will be close to full.

Ron W.

[murals4you]

OK, finally going camping again in a couple of days! I have got the RV Digest it now & I am not afraid to use it! I am going to try some of the other suggestions as well & will report back after the weekend!

Thanks guys,

[sandyhillbill]

kennethwooster wrote:
I went through this a couple of years ago. Ive always used a lot of water but still had the problem. Checked vent and other things. Dealer gave me a jug of rv digest it. It will eat the pyramid in about 24 hours. I had the problem again and read the bottle and it said do not let it freeze! Got a new bottle and problem went away. We are in Colorado for the summer and all is working well. I follow the instructions but most of the time I double the dosage but i doubt if that is necessary. Most rv dealers are now selling this product, but my last purchase was a gallon jug for a very good price.

I have used this product--Unique RV Digest It- It really works as advertised--turns all solids to liquid in 24 hours--buy mine at farm and ranch store--they also have a web site.

[murals4you]

I will have to come up with something that is long enough to go all the down to the potential problem it sounds like. That may be the best start & then go from there. It seems like the twirly wand is long enough but maybe not! I would get a flexible branch of some sort from my neighbor but I am scarred to death of her!

Something else I think!

I still wonder how a couple of bags of ice with water can go down the toilet!

[snowshe]

The gurgling sound indicates to me that the pipe from the toilet to the tank has a buildup of solids in it preventing further fluids/solids from moving down into the tank. When this happened to us I thought the pipe went straight into the the tank as in pull trailers and that the vent tube was blocked. HOWEVER 5th wheel units have 2 45* fittings (one at the toilet and one at the tank) so there is a 2-3' section of 4" pcv pipe at a 45* angle that catches the solids and restricts their movement down to the tank.

Don't tell anyone in Yellowstone NP that I needed to cut a 5' willow switch to push the solids down into the tank when they built up in our unit. Since then we use alot of water to flush. The same condition arose in a cousins motorhome last year and back-flushing did not help until we went for another willow switch. ( which cured the problem.) The flexible wand flusher thing (Walmart) is handy to have but doesn't seem to move the solids down as well the flexible willow.

[Cummins12V98]

larry barnhart wrote:
Just for a story about this subject. Carriage couple had this problem with the black tank so when she was gone for her haircut the guy's ran a hose down the roof vent. good thing she was gone because the vent pipe was not glued in a joint and water poured on the bed. Without somebody inside this could have been a bad ending.
chevman

On our Mobile Suites there is only one plumbing vent, both the black and grey vent together.

There are two "Dummy vents" that each have Satellite and Internet cabling under them.

I can see how this could be an ugly mess!

[larry_barnhart]

Just for a story about this subject. Carriage couple had this problem with the black tank so when she was gone for her haircut the guy's ran a hose down the roof vent. good thing she was gone because the vent pipe was not glued in a joint and water poured on the bed. Without somebody inside this could have been a bad ending.
chevman

[Cummins12V98]

Artemus Gordon wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Could be a poop pyramid right at the bottom of toilet dump line
OR
could be the vent line is too long (sticks to far down into tank).

Remember.....waste tanks are long, wide but not really very deep.

I am trying to get "poop pyramid" out of my head!!!:S

Is that a game show???????

[Cummins12V98]

murals4you wrote:
I have been having a terrible time with our Black Tank for a year or so! When we are camping for a couple of days first when you press the pedal down to flush it has a blup & then it goes down and then every time you flush it gergels for a few minutes. After another day or so the waste is visible and I have to use my hose that is made to clear clogs. It buys me another couple days is all. I know it sounds like a Venting problem so I put a water hose down the Black Tank Vent on the roof a couple of feet, opened the dump valve with a clear piece on my dump hose and then turned the water on. Yep, it came out thru the hose, so to me that meant the vent was clear, right? So I figured it would be good now. Went camping last weekend & it was the same!

OK, smart guys, what is going on?

Bob

Let me guess. you bought this RV used and the person before probably had it setup for an extended amount of time with the black tank running freely and the "Poop Pyramid happened" and now you have a treat to deal with?

[murals4you]

I have run the wand with the whirly bird a few times also. I also always let things build up before I dump the black. It sure seems like if 2 bags of ice goes down the pipe then everything else should also. I will try the laundry detergent idea & everything else that I haven't done that was suggested.

[kennethwooster]

I went through this a couple of years ago. Ive always used a lot of water but still had the problem. Checked vent and other things. Dealer gave me a jug of rv digest it. It will eat the pyramid in about 24 hours. I had the problem again and read the bottle and it said do not let it freeze! Got a new bottle and problem went away. We are in Colorado for the summer and all is working well. I follow the instructions but most of the time I double the dosage but i doubt if that is necessary. Most rv dealers are now selling this product, but my last purchase was a gallon jug for a very good price.

[sljkansas]

Put a cup of laundry detergent down the stool, and add about a 1/2 tank of water. Take the trailer for a drive so the soapy water can work it's magic. Go dump the tank, then add soap and water and let it sit far a day or two. Go dump again and refill tank with water at the dump station. once full dump it. You said you have the clear coupler on you hose, so you should see cleaner water flowing. Then add 5-10 gallons of water with soap in tank and take it home. ALWAYS put water in the black tank after dumping.

We use the about about 1 cup of the cheapest powder soap we can buy in the tank after each dump.

Also never leave you valve open when you have sewer hookup, the solids will stay in you tank and the liquids will flow out. when dumping make sure you tank is at least 3/4 full before dumping, you need the water to get the whoosh factor to help push every think out. Been there done that with, don't want to do it again.

[Carolina_Cruise]

Get some Happy camper tank treatment extreme clean. Follow directions. Then use the regular tank treatment with every dump. If the pile is really bad it may take twice. It works well. Look up "Happy camper tank treatment" online.

[Dave_H_M]

poop pyramids ar no challenge. Search thazt issue and read until you loose your appetite. :R

Just go to Walley World and get the flexible wand with the whirly bird on the end and blast that pyramid.