Black Tank Question

[GoPackGo]

Newbie here. I pick up my new 5th wheel in about a week so it's time to get serious about a few things.

Within a few months, I will be going fulltime.

Seems like black tanks can be 'challenging' to keep clean, especially the monitors in them. Here's my question:

What about dumping the black tank as normal at the end of a stay in a campground, but then filling the black tank 1/3 or 1/2 full of clean water, and driving to the next campground with it partially full, allowing the water to splash around and hopefully loosening up anything that refused to leave at the previous campground ? Then do a dump just after hooking up at the new campground.

Does that make any sense ?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

[Beaker]

Does that make any sense ?

Nothing makes any sense to those monitors.

[relaxin]

stro1965 wrote:
I was reading my KZ owners manual and it recommends adding a jug of Drano or Liquid Plumber to the black tank to break up solids. Anyone ever try it?

Not yet, but I imagine if you had a "concrete" poop pyramid that would not leave,,, those having an acid content would do the job to break em down,,,, but for the cost and the fact you would need possibly more than one container,,,, a few buckets of hot water and some laundry soap does an amazing job combined with a rough or long road.

[kennethwooster]

After several years of wondering how black tank was doing i developed a pyramid in a 1 month old trailer. Dealer gave me a jug of unique digest it. It has enzymes which multiply as time goes. It atr the pyramid in about 24 hours. We had a problem one other time because i let my bottle freeze. Bought a new bottle and all was fine. When i drain I no longer see paper or chunks. Its all dissolved.

[stro1965]

I was reading my KZ owners manual and it recommends adding a jug of Drano or Liquid Plumber to the black tank to break up solids. Anyone ever try it?

[ronand]

Newbie: Great idea! I fill my tank about 1/3 full after each empty and add Tide detergent to black and grey water tanks. The movement of your unit as you drive down the road will act just like that of a washing machine. I cannot think of a better way of cleaning your tanks.
Dave

[Monaco_Montclai]

If u know bout the splashing, add a bag of ice will not harm anything, I do it all the time, and now it's all happy-camping

[Vulcaneer]

HappyKayakers wrote:
Forget the black tank gauge. When you flush the toilet and it burps, then it's time to dump and you have enough water in the tank to dump.

That is the best black tank gage...right there. Leave the gray tank open all the time. Except when dumping the black tank. Be sure to close gray when you dump black.

[N-Trouble]

I have found a few bags of ice when the tank is about 1/2 full works best and cleaning the sensors and knocking down the turd teepee that starts to build up over time. Take it down some twisty roads and you've got pooh soup when it time to empty. I do the ice thing 1-2 times a year. Other than that I just dump after each trip, add chemicals and refill about 1/4-1/3 full. Never want to leave the black tank dry...

[skipnchar]

I"d just not dump it if it's not full. It's NEVER a good idea to dump a partially filled tank and in those rare occasions when you feel you MUST dump it, fill it with fresh water first THEN dump it. You need LOTS of liquid in the tank to flush solids across the tank to the drain. Leaving those solids inside will eventually cause a clog and/or odors. As for problems in cleaning sensors, I've use the same mothod for some 40 years of RVing. I just dump (quickly) a couplel of 5 gallon buckets of water through the toilet after dumping and it haven't failed me yet.

[wanderingbob]

If you are gonna be living full time why worry about getting the tank spotless each time , what diff does it make . In my mind the only time it needs to be reasonably clean is if you are going to park it for a long while . My sister cleans and scrubs her tank until it is clean , meanwhile her husband is telling her to hurry up as he has to dump .
Do not sweat the small stuff , worry about the things that you can control like the economy or Congress !

[relaxin]

GoPackGo wrote:
Newbie here. I pick up my new 5th wheel in about a week so it's time to get serious about a few things.

Within a few months, I will be going fulltime.

Seems like black tanks can be 'challenging' to keep clean, especially the monitors in them. Here's my question:

What about dumping the black tank as normal at the end of a stay in a campground, but then filling the black tank 1/3 or 1/2 full of clean water, and driving to the next campground with it partially full, allowing the water to splash around and hopefully loosening up anything that refused to leave at the previous campground ? Then do a dump just after hooking up at the new campground.

Does that make any sense ?

Thanks in advance,

Tim

If ever I got poop on my hands I would not go and grab an ice cube to clean them, that said, it works for some, but I don't use that method.
water cleans things best when it is warm to hot, and laundry soap will dissolve or loosen most any dirt, so when I want to do a tank cleaning, I dump or it is has been dumped and I put in a cup or 2 of liquid tide and 10 to 12 gallons of hot water then go for a drive, 1 to or 3 hours later and however many miles, and the water is actually still warm on the shorter trips, and dump and rinse, the rinse comes out clean with some soap, has not failed me yet and the HE liquid soap I use is septic friendly (as I have a septic system at home) I never have issues with my sensors.

Ice up here costs 4 bucks a bag, the laundry soap is maybe 10 cents for a cup

[TexasShadow]

we don't monitor our tank levels very close anymore. after several years of use, we know about how much water we use and how full the gray and black tanks are in a given number of days and depending on how many showers we take.
but it won't take you long to figure that out and you won't worry about it so much anymore.

[HappyKayakers]

Forget the black tank gauge. When you flush the toilet and it burps, then it's time to dump and you have enough water in the tank to dump.

[Cummins12V98]

I am in a habit of dumping the black tank every week. If I were to leave today I would drain my tank and when the flow stops I turn on the flush and close the valve for 5 minutes then let it drain for 5 minutes with the valve open and still flushing then close the valve and leave the flush on for one minute then turn off the flush then add chemicals thru the toilet. Drive to the next destination and leave as is for one week and repeat. Many years of doing this and tank has never given any problems.

I leave the grey tank always open until the afternoon before I move I then close the valve and when setup at new park I drain the grey.

I never look at my tank gauges.