Newbies- black tank question

[JNKS2010]

We just bought a TT.... We will camp weekends mostly. Here's the question- we get a site that has sewer, while we are parked, do we leave our tank open, empty it often, or wait until a certain point to empty it?

[BubbaChris]

One last comment about leaving not leaving the gray tank valve open - helps cut down on any smell working its way back into your RV.

Also last summer there was a very sad story of the last RV on the line getting filled with sewage because there was a blockage further along and they had their valve open.

[Mr_Mark1]

Also, most hoses that you attached to your gray and black tanks are made of a thin plastic. Hitting or sliding them across concrete will cause the metal slinky part to break through causing a leak.

That's why I use the slinky support as to keep the hose off of the ground and not risk scraping it on the concrete or any other surface.

Good luck,
MM.

[JNKS2010]

Good info! Thanks everyone!

[pf32450]

All of that said above I might also recommend a clear sewer connector to see how well the tanks are emptying especially the black tank.

[Lynn0527]

Never leave your black tank open, it stinks and the campers around you will be able to smell it.

[C-Bears]

tenbear wrote:

JNKS2010 wrote:
When the sewer hose is attached to fhe sewer when we are parked, what is the use of the hose holder thing? Just to keep it off the ground? Is that needed?

I have never used a hose holder thing. I know a lot of people use them. It may make it easier to empty the hose. I'll be interested to see other responses.

Gravity my friend, gravity. Just like the plumbing in a house, it all runs downhill. We have been to a couple of CG's that the sewer inlet for the CG is even with our FW discharge pipe. If I catch it in time we don't set up in a site like that.

[sonny_drake]

..and if the indicator still show more than empty when you're done with dumping, use a tornado wand on the end of the hose to scrub the dried up solids off the sides, refill tank and dump it all

[2gypsies1]

We have been in areas where there was a law to keep the sewer hose off the ground.

[navegator]

Sewers work best when there is a 2% gradient, the slinky will help drain the hose a bit better, specially on long runs that way you will not have a nasty surprise when you unhook the hose and there is enough goodies left to crate a hazardous materials response, seen a few of those.

Always empty black first, grey last.

B before G

navegator

[mgirardo]

The slinky gets the hose off the ground, but it also allows for a gradual slope to the site's sewer hookup. I almost always use my slinky when we are camping with sewer hookup. Once it is in place, it works. No messing with the hose to make sure it's not backing up.

-Michael

[Dennis_M_M]

OP may be talking about this support, sometimes called a "slinky."

I use it when I am parked and hooked up for over a week, otherwise I just lift the hose by hand to drain it after dumping.

When the slinky is in place I leave the gray tanks open, black tank closed. When black tank gets to 1/2 full I close the gray tanks so they fill as well and dump them all when the black tank is full. Dump the black tank first, let it drain, then use the gray tanks to flush out the hose.

One other tip, our kitchen gray tank is small and fills quickly. When we are traveling and only hooking up every few days to dump, we use a dish pan for washing dishes and dump it in the toilet to balance out the tanks.

[FrankShore]

The State of Oregon requires hose lifters if I'm not mistaken

[tenbear]

JNKS2010 wrote:
When the sewer hose is attached to fhe sewer when we are parked, what is the use of the hose holder thing? Just to keep it off the ground? Is that needed?

I have never used a hose holder thing. I know a lot of people use them. It may make it easier to empty the hose. I'll be interested to see other responses.

[JNKS2010]

When the sewer hose is attached to fhe sewer when we are parked, what is the use of the hose holder thing? Just to keep it off the ground? Is that needed?