Dirty water in toilet bowl after sitting

[TheMohns]

I parked my trailer in storage last week and just went to check on it today. The black tank was about 1/3 full when I parked it and I left the toilet bowl filled a few inches up with clean water. When I checked it today, the bowl was filled with dirty sewer water. How could it get from the black tank up into the bowl?

[portscanner]

Phantom Pooper

-or-

I have had some mold/alge grow in mine. It might be that.

[2gypsies1]

The first thing I thought of was also the 'iron' theory. I don't think you have another problem. Go camping!

[Beverley_Ken]

Another vote for the fresh? water supply. High iron content. Our town water supply is very hard. Our house toilet has to be scrubbed every 2 days because of the iron content, most days when brushing your teeth, you can see the brown colour in the tap water. The basement toilet, very seldom used looks gross after a couple of weeks. I would rather use campground water than our town water.

Ken

[TheMohns]

No real stink when I lifted the lid. I didn't dump the black tank last week because I was at a place without a place to dump. I knew I would be using the trailer again this week so I thought it would be ok.

I am going to go with the mineral thing and quit worrying about it.

Thanks for the help.

[coolmom42]

Itching2go wrote:
I had the same thing happen to me just a few weeks ago. The water in the bowl was clear when we parked it, but brown when I checked on it a few weeks later. No smell, though, thank goodness. Never saw that happen before. I recalled that we hadn't cleaned the toilet after the last trip, so scrubbed it out with a chlorine cleaner and went on my way. Problem hasn't occurred since, so I'm thinking that there was some leftover bacteria that bloomed over the few weeks after we got back. Might be what's happening with yours, too.

Also a possibility.

[coolmom42]

Lynnmor wrote:
I would be checking your water source. If you used water from your fresh water tank, then it needs sanitized. If you were hooked to a hydrant, that water is suspect. As mentioned above, iron in the water will cause brown stains and support iron bacteria.

Yep.

[DutchmenSport]

mike-s wrote:
Possible that some of the fresh water you got had iron in it? That will turn yellow/brown over time when exposed to air.

This is probably what's really going on. To test the theory, get a clean glass of water from your faucet and let it sit for a few hours. If it turns reddish-brown, or even dark gray, it's the minerals in the fresh water reacting when exposed to air. It's a simple test, and then you'll know.

FYI, if it does turn color after sitting, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your water. If you have these minerals in your water, count your blessings. You can quit taking One-a-day vitamins as the water contains the same minerals.

[Itching2go]

I had the same thing happen to me just a few weeks ago. The water in the bowl was clear when we parked it, but brown when I checked on it a few weeks later. No smell, though, thank goodness. Never saw that happen before. I recalled that we hadn't cleaned the toilet after the last trip, so scrubbed it out with a chlorine cleaner and went on my way. Problem hasn't occurred since, so I'm thinking that there was some leftover bacteria that bloomed over the few weeks after we got back. Might be what's happening with yours, too.

[ksg5000]

Never heard of anything like that .. water don't flow uphill whether it's black or whatever. Smell should quickly tell you whether your really dealing with black water or just discoloration.

[Lynnmor]

I would be checking your water source. If you used water from your fresh water tank, then it needs sanitized. If you were hooked to a hydrant, that water is suspect. As mentioned above, iron in the water will cause brown stains and support iron bacteria.

[korbe]

I would first question why you would put your rig in storage with about a third of the black tank full of, well, black tank stuff. Second, I can not see how any of that black tank contents could make it into the bowl. If in fact the toilet bowl was full of, well, black tank stuff, then I would guess that someone took a dump and didn't flush it. :B what a nice thought. :B

[mike-s]

Possible that some of the fresh water you got had iron in it? That will turn yellow/brown over time when exposed to air.

[TheMohns]

I am not sure about the black tank vent. Would this be from the roof? Could water have come in through the vent and into the toilet? We did have quite a bit of rain while it has been sitting.

[TheMohns]

Lid was left down. It was not full, not even half full. I am pretty sure it was sewer water in the bowl. The battery disconnect was turned to off and the water pump was not left on. And sorry for the topic.