A Winterizing Question

[Art_Davis]

Is it better to drain the blackwater tank completely, or should I leave some water in it and add some pink stuff. If the latter, how much of each?

[Art_Davis]

skipnchar wrote:
General wisdom is to NEVER allow the black tank to remain completely empty. Regardless of how well you flush the tank there are always some solids remaining and if left dry these turn to "stone" making them nearly impossible to remove. They can accumulate over time and cause problems down the road. Probably don't need any pink stuff (but it won't hurt) as long as there is plenty of room expansion when it freezes.

Good luck / Skip

Thanks Skip. I think your posting pretty well sums up the others' advice as well. And tgat is what I have been doing, more or less by instinct. But I was beginning to wonder---particularly about the feeling that there woukd be no problem as long as the ice had room to expand.

Thanks to all who responded.

[skipnchar]

General wisdom is to NEVER allow the black tank to remain completely empty. Regardless of how well you flush the tank there are always some solids remaining and if left dry these turn to "stone" making them nearly impossible to remove. They can accumulate over time and cause problems down the road. Probably don't need any pink stuff (but it won't hurt) as long as there is plenty of room expansion when it freezes.

Good luck / Skip

[bob2j8]

This is what I did last weekend. I completely flushed and drained the black tank. Then I added 2 gallons of pink stuff to the tank. I figure that this way the valve is protected, and the bottom of the tank is still wet to keep any remnants from drying out and hardening in the tank. Cost me an extra $6 for my peace of mind. I'm sure that there are a lot of different ways to do it, but this is what I have come up with to ensure the best result when I de-winterize in the spring.

[Dakzuki]

Wiscampsin wrote:
I drain our black tank as much as I can. I pour a couple cups of antifreeze down the toilet and leave a couple inches if antifreeze in the bowl too.

X2. You want pink stuff around the valves to keep them from freezing.

[Wiscampsin]

I drain our black tank as much as I can. I pour a couple cups of antifreeze down the toilet and leave a couple inches if antifreeze in the bowl too.