water in black tank

[tinner12002]

New to rv camping, but would like to know what everyone does to start using their black water tank...1st time out tank wouldn't drain as it plugged up due to water draining off and leaving solids in tank. I was told to add water first, if that's the case how much should I use...tank about 40 gals.

[CloudDriver]

We mostly dry camp and as such we are very conservative in water usage. We use minimal water in the toilet. We can go 5-6 days and sometimes 7 days on our 33 gallon fresh water tank before needing to dump waste and refill fresh water. We never add any amount of water to the black tank to start it off. IMO that is an urban legend. In 10 years of RVing we have never had an issue with the black tank not draining.

As already mentioned - never leave the black tank valve open when at a full hookup site.

[phenrichs]

If it won't drain it is plugged and as rscraig mentioned a back flush adapter is the best way to start. Fill the tank at least half way so it can maybe soften up the blockage. I never leave my black tank dry, EVER. There is always at least 5 gallons of water in there. I don't even drain it dry in the winter. I will drain and rinse thoroughly. Then before putting it away for the winter I add a gallon or two with plenty of RV antifreeze to prevent freezing. It gets cold in SD in winter.

Oh and we use angel soft TP. If you are not sure do the quart jar test on your paper.

[rscraig]

Are you using RV-type toilet tissue that is made to dissolve easily?

Does your unit have a black tank flusher built in? If so, use it each time you empty the tank and that should solve your clogging problems.

If you dont have a built in tank flusher, you should invest in a Flush King. This allows you to "back flush" the tank and makes it easier to clean thoroughly.

[JC2]

After setting up at our destination, we fill the toilet bowl 2-3 times then flush to make sure water has filled the plumbing lines to the toilet sink/shower in the rv and to make sure there is water in the black tank. This is assuming you're starting out with an empty tank; if not disregard the 2-3 times fill step. When doing #1, we make sure the bowl is 1/2 full of water especially to ensure the tissue that is used by the ladies) is flushed into the tank. #2 requires the bowl be 3/4's full for proper content disposal. Most manual rv toilets that I've seen will only let enough water in after flushing to usually fill 1/5 to "maybe" 1/4 of the bowl. We simply lift or pull the foot pedal or lever and make sure it is 1/4. If your rig doesn't have a blank tank cleaning valve, it would be a very good thing to add. They are mounted on the outside of the black tank about 8-12 inches from the top. They should be used regularly to clean the tank insides especially if you dump before the tank is 1/2 full. Just remember that water is your friend when using the holding tanks.:B

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/no-fuss-flush/3495

[Dutch_12078]

If you're at a full hookup campsite, do NOT leave the black tank valve open. Leave it closed until the tank is at least half full, if not three quarters, to avoid the solids build up you experienced. Also, use plenty of water when flushing.

[WyoTraveler]

My previous TT had a black tank that was deep & not very wide. I got along not using a lot of water. My MH has a very wide & shallow black tank. I have to use a lot of water to start the tank out & when I flush. I carry a homemade wand that connects to a hose in case of clogs. The more water the less problems. We have a 40 gallon tank & 2 of us. We dump about every days.

[Robert78121]

Some people use as much as 5 gallons of water to start, but I usually start with a couple of gallons. I think the important thing is to use lots of water as you use the toilet. It never hurts to end with a full bowl of water after the last flush. Also, I let it get close to full before emptying the tank. If I have to empty early, I put several gallons of water into the tank before doing so.