First time owner-Black water tank clogged....help!

[Joeydrunk]

Hello all,I just got a 1990 5th wheel trailer, first time ever experience with one. Just moved into a trailer park a month ago and when I did I left both my valves open thinking that everything would drain and I wouldn't have to bother emptying the tank not think king that the black water tank would release the liquid waste and hold the solid waste. This morning I noticed it was nearing the top. I poured some rv tank treatment in it and let it sit for a few hours and then i decided to shake the trailer to see if I could dislodge anything. All i did was silslodge The liquid. At this point I closed the black water tank valve, added some more water and tank additive and it's been sitting for about an hour. What should I do. Thank you very much in advance for any help and I apologize for my stupidity in these matters!

[justafordguy]

Glad the Digest-It did the trick. Sounds like good stuff. I just ordered some to keep in my rig just in case.

[Joeydrunk]

So I got it unclooged. I poured a quart of digest-it ($40) (the bottle is a gallon) into tank with 2 gallons of hotwater.closed tank first. Let it sit 24 hrs per directions and then stirred it through toilet. Directions said to drain tank but it still looked a little thick so I added some more water and dI gest it and let it sit a few more hours and then emptied tank. Closed tank, filled with water and emptied. I didn't that twice and then shut tank valve and added a gallon of hot water and added 4 Oz of digest it per directions. Good to go. I think it would have worked without adding the second dose after the first 24 hours. Oh, after I added the second dose and letting it sit I filled with water so it would drain better. Thanksallot for everybody's input.

[Pipeman]

Joeydrunk, pour a whole bottle in there & let it sit as long as possible. I use it all the time now. It's a couple of ounces for 40 gallon tanks if I remember correctly. If you don't have to use the toilet for a few days let it sit & see what happens.

[Hvyhauler]

dave17352 wrote:
wow that first video was graphic!!!

X2... Whew!!! What a mess. The Tank Tool RX did the job. I'm going to make one out of spare hose parts and add it to my sewer supply stock just in case.

[Joeydrunk]

tvman44 wrote:
Personally I would close the black tank valve & add a good healthy dose of Rix-x and let it sit 24 hours then add some more water and drain. Repeat this a couple of times till tank drains well. After that I would use with the tank valve closed and and add a dose of Rid-x after every empting for a few cycles to eat up all the solid matter in ther. After that only open the black tank to dump.

Should I add water with the digest it or pour it directly on the solid waste

[Joeydrunk]

Pipeman wrote:
Unique RV Digest-it. It says pour a large bottle of it in there and within 24 hours it will eat the pile. I use it regularly in my black tank. I've had the mound twice when water is not used enough. Water is your friend. It's not fun trying to get rid of the mound and the advice to wear a face mask if using a wand is to be well taken. Good luck. You aren't the first and you won't be the last.

That's what I got was the digest it. So do u think if it's totally full of solI'd waste a gallon for 24 hrs will do the trick. Should I use a broom handle as well, should I add as much water as possible also? What about after it clears, should I save some to use weekly

[Joeydrunk]

2112 wrote:
JoeyDrunk - Let's try something. Want to be our guinea pig?

You say you're not there often. Can you go 3 or 4 days without dumping the black tank? A week?
Dump the tank, pour a generous amount Rid-X into the tank and leave it in there as long as you can before dumping and repeat. Use the tank as normal as you do this. Let's see if it dissolves your mound over time. Give it 3 weeks to see if it starts to clear things up.

No mess, no cramming a broom handle down the hole risking the chance of punching a hole in your tank, no endless hours of spraying a wand. Just pour and forget it.

Come back and let us know if this solved your problem.

On Edit: Rid-X works better in warm water. Are you in a location where it gets up to at least 60 degrees during the day?

Hey there, was kinda confused on ur directions. First u said to dump tank-but can't do that cuz it's clooged, then u said to pour ridx in and let sit then dump and repeat then see if that clears over time but wouldn't the first dump after its been sitting clear it. If it didon't I couldn't use as normal because it's totally full right now. But yeah, I have to take care of it this weekend, bought some ridx gonna let that sit for 24 hrs and use a broom handle if need be.

[pyoung47]

On my fifth wheel, the pipe makes a 45 just as it leaves the toilet -- a broom stick isn't going to work. If the wand is flexible, it would. Probably as easy as anything would be to just stick a hose down in there and keep moving it around. I'm not sure if Rid-X would be effective or not. Usually, this is just a complete waste of money in a normal septic system, since the human body produces plenty of bugs which will work to dissolve the waste.

I would be cautions about the use of one of the rubber bladder mechanisms, since they produce quite a bit of pressure. My dad has made a small fortune with those but be careful. Repairing the drain pipes on a RV is much more of a PITA than a regular house. Would I try one -- probably, but be forewarned.

Water and patience would likely be the best solution.

[Pipeman]

Unique RV Digest-it. It says pour a large bottle of it in there and within 24 hours it will eat the pile. I use it regularly in my black tank. I've had the mound twice when water is not used enough. Water is your friend. It's not fun trying to get rid of the mound and the advice to wear a face mask if using a wand is to be well taken. Good luck. You aren't the first and you won't be the last.

[2112]

JoeyDrunk - Let's try something. Want to be our guinea pig?

You say you're not there often. Can you go 3 or 4 days without dumping the black tank? A week?
Dump the tank, pour a generous amount Rid-X into the tank and leave it in there as long as you can before dumping and repeat. Use the tank as normal as you do this. Let's see if it dissolves your mound over time. Give it 3 weeks to see if it starts to clear things up.

No mess, no cramming a broom handle down the hole risking the chance of punching a hole in your tank, no endless hours of spraying a wand. Just pour and forget it.

Come back and let us know if this solved your problem.

On Edit: Rid-X works better in warm water. Are you in a location where it gets up to at least 60 degrees during the day?

[2112]

Commerce wrote:
Get a bag of ice at a convenience store and put it in the tank through the toilet and ride around letting it move in there back and forth and eventually it will melt but after it has shaken up the clog.

FitRV has pretty much busted this myth.

[Commerce]

Get a bag of ice at a convenience store and put it in the tank through the toilet and ride around letting it move in there back and forth and eventually it will melt but after it has shaken up the clog.

[huntram]

We have the drain tornado from Harbor Freight. Hook it to the garden hose and it will break up any problems in the pipes or tank!

[alboy]

You have to wonder if there are other issues at play here,eg tank blockage from mfg etc.We have travelled thousands of miles rv ing ,50000 plus on the current 5er, never an issue,no chemicals, no issues on any of our rigs.