Black water tank completely full and won't drain. Help pls.

[Timothyd1207]

2006 heartland bighorn

Our black water tank is completely full, and I cannot get it to drain. We just had a baby and were gone 6 days. I had already been so busy with work I hadn't drained it like I should have. We've been back a few days but the last 3 I've spent attempting to empty it. I've tried rv septic chemicals, using a plunger, and a not so great auger from tractor supply. Nothing is working. It's a cable system, and I have not been able to notice 100% if the valve is actually opening or not. I've been flushing from the sewer hose port and have had little by little come out. I read on a different post here about drilling a hole opposite the gate valve stem to open manually so I gave it a shot. I drilled the hole and have been using 3/16" tig wire to try and hammer the slide open but I'm not feeling it at all. When the gate rod is out all the way the wire goes in easily but if I try to close it with it still in it hits on it or is in a bind. When the rod is closed all the way I can still tap the wire in with some resistance but the rod doesn't budge. Idk if I'm maybe not hitting the slide with the wire but the hole is centered up perfectly with the body of the valve. Within the 1st 2 days or so I came home to my wife saying the toilet clogged up. I turned off the water and was able to use a plunger to fix it. Next day same thing but she also said the toilet would be sending up air bubbles when flushing. The next day on though the plunger had not helped and I've been at a loss. Any insight, help, or ideas would be greatly greatly appreciated. Maybe I'm just missing the gate when I'm tapping in the wire? I had tried an auger from the hose connection also, but it's about 34in from the hose connection to the valve with 1 lateral 90 and 1 vertical. I couldn't manipulate the coil that the auger was made of enough to get it to the valve. Thanks in advance to everyone.

[Executive45]

DFord wrote:
There's no indication the OP is interested anymore.

unsubscribing now.

Maybe he's "fixed" it and he's still in the shower.

[DFord]

There's no indication the OP is interested anymore.

unsubscribing now.

[bertschb]

ACZL wrote:
bertschb,

In theory what you're saying makes perfect sense. BUT if the valve isn't opened, then this device won't work.

I agree, that's why I said this in my post- "If the gate valves on your RV are working properly..."

[Veebyes]

If push comes to shove, & this is what it is, a snake might be the answer.

[Westenthal]

I had a clogged black water tank also in a coach we had a few years ago. It was caused by the previous owner having a couple broken tiles replaced. The idiots that did the tile replacement cleaned there tools off that had grout on them in the bathroom stool using the spray wand. Over time all that grout hardened and settled at the neck of the black water drain valve. I removed the “y” fitting that holds the gray and black valves and nothing came out until I used a stick to loosen up the clog then oh boy what a mess. I tried using the sewer drain hose to catch most of the “stuff” but I was wearing more than I was able to control. Needless to say it was a good thing I didn’t know who installed the new tile. Might just mention that during this entire episode my wife was watching from a reasonable distance and couldn’t control her laughter.

[ACZL]

bertschb,

In theory what you're saying makes perfect sense. BUT if the valve isn't opened, then this device won't work. OP has to figure out (which it sounds like he did) that the valve isn't opening. If it isn't, think Cuminsv12 solution maybe best option. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a clue as to how you'd get valve open w/ full tank. I for one certainly wouldn't want to find out the hard way.

[Cummins12V98]

That sure would do the job.

[bertschb]

We've had our black tank plugged several times. The fix is super easy. You don't need to call anybody. You don't need to disassemble anything. As mentioned in a previous post, just install this device:

Flush valve

You simply attach this to the drain pipe on your RV, close the gate valve on this device, open your black tank valve (keep gray tank valve CLOSED), attach hose and turn the hose water on.

This will push water back up into your black tank and unplug the pipe. It takes a little while for the water to fill the drain pipe and get back up into the black tank. Maybe 1 minute or so. After one minute, shut the water off and open the gate on the flush valve. If the black tank doesn't start emptying, run more water through the hose.

It sounds way more complicated than it is but it's super simple and gentle on the plumbing. You are just pushing water back up against the solids that are plugging the pipe at the tank. If the gate valves on your RV are working properly, the device is 100% guaranteed to work. I keep one attached to my RV all the time just in case I get a blockage. As an added benefit, it prevents fluid from leaking out when you remove the sewer cap.

[Veebyes]

When you get it sorted out you need to go to a marine store & buy a sign to put behind the toilet that says "Don't put anything in the toilet unless it has been eaten first".

Also, never let the tank get full again. There comes a point where you have no wiggle room to use a pressure wand or do anything without overflowing. Not a good situation to be in.

[jdc1]

Do you have any REALLY good buddies that are tall, with long arms.....?

[Executive45]

Nothing like a frazzled new dad with a plugged up toilet. First off, welcome to the forum. Next, think about what you've got. A simple plugged up toilet. Augers, hammers, chisels etc. are NOT going to 'fix' it. Accept the fact that it's going to be a messy and stinky job. Get some gloves and some old clothes, send the wife and kid to the store or to her mom's. They don't need to see or hear what you're doing. You'll most likely need to have some bleach solution nearby for cleanup.

The ONLY way you're going to be able to fix it is by disassembling the gate valve. Start with the cabling system and remove that. Simple to do. Next, there are four screws that hold the gate valve together. When you remove those screws the slide will be exposed. Most likely the rod has broken or come unscrewed. Either way you can then manually move everything out of the way to allow the tanks' contents to spill out. If there is a diaper or some other item in there you should be able to clear that out as well. If there was some foreign item causing the blockage then you should be able to reassemble the gate valve and you'll be good to go. That is, unless you've damaged it with the hammer etc. Reassemble in the reverse order. Once everything is back in order, you'll have to give the tank a really good cleaning. From what you've posted, it sounds like most of the liquid waste has been drained so a lot of what's left is going to be solids. Hot water will be your friend, and lots of it will be necessary to clean it out correctly. Never use chemicals in an RV toilet. Lots of water is all that's necessary. Stuff like Rid-X is not for RV toilets..waste isn't in there long enough for it to do it's thing. I would attempt to fix this asap as the longer the solid waste sits there, the more difficult it's going to be to remove. A wet diaper is easier to move than one that's molded to the tank and dried there. Best of luck...you might want to have a friend videotape the 'event' and post it on youtube.....Dennis

[opnspaces]

A few suggestions in this thread.
Link

[Cummins12V98]

Sounds to me like you have TP and "STUFF" settled around the discharge portion of the tank and has compressed causing the clog. The cap with shutoff valve/hose connection and blasting it is a good idea but the mess you may end up with may not be what you bargained for.

So if you don't like that thought call a Portable Sani-Can Company like United Site Services and ask what they charge to come out and vac your RV tank waste tank. I used to pay $55 for the service.

Once you have gotten this resolved get rid of the cable valve and replace with the standard "T" handle valve.

[Bill_Satellite]

A tank flusher that allows you to keep the sewer hose connect might take a shot at the clog. Something like this.
https://www.campingworld.com/rv-hydro-flush-45-degree-14496.html