Black Tank Problems

[dvitale300]

Hi,

On the road boon docking right now. Emptied black tank before leaving. Indicator is working correctly, but there appears to be a large clump of paper visible when you look down into the toilet. Since we're on the road - is there anything I can do? Would pouring some boiling water into the toilet help? We're inside of an even and don't have dumpling facilities. Thanks

[ItsyRV]

The issue is that while trying to conserve water and conserve space in your black tank, you are creating the mound due to a lack of water. Gravity alone is not going to get the paper into the tank if their isn't sufficient water to propel and lubricate the waste as it tries to slide down the chute. This is not waste jumping up from the tank, it's waste that never made it down.

So, the solution is to poke the mess with a stick and get it into the tank; or pull the mess out and discard it, or pour a bucket of water down the chute with sufficient volume to dislodge the mess and send it into the black tank where it belongs. Once you have the immediate issue resolved, prevent it by not being so stingy with the water you use to flush.

As a side note, if you're too conservative with the waste water, you run the possibility that when you are emptying the tank, you may be leaving behind some waste mountains that are not being flushed out due to a lack of water.

[CincyGus]

After I dump the black tank, I put water in the black by holding down the foot flush until the black tank reads 1/3 full.

This accomplishes a couple things.

One, I never have dry anything in my tank. Paper or solids always have water working on them to break them down.
Two, I have never had a pyramid of paper or poop in my tank.
Three, my tank meters have never gone to the stuck on an incorrect reading situation that is common to some because TP got hung up on an sensor inside the tank and is conducting electricity through it.

My old TT had 30 gallon gray and black tanks and I never filled the black unless I was camping for over 10 days (3 of us camping usually, occasionally 4). Gray alway filled first and I would use a tote to dump it and the black would last generally until we left. I think one time I had to dump some black into it, top off with gray water and go dump give us a couple days worth of room on a 14 day camping trip.

So my point is, be generous with the water, Don't be afraid of starting off with a few inches or more to make sure everything gets broken down good. Then you can just fill the bowl to a normal level, do your business and flush without worrying about anything.

Lastly, if you put water in after dumping, it sloshes around on the way home and works on anything that is stubbornly sticking to the bottom or sides of your tank.

[drsteve]

As others have mentioned, lots of water is the key to preventing this from happening.

[Hannibal]

We used to use as little water as we could when flushing. Then once while camping with full hookups, we tested to see how long it would take to fill the tank using a lot if water. We easily made a week with plenty 9f room to spare. Lots of water is the answer.

[AFHauler]

dvitale300 wrote:
Hi,

On the road boon docking right now. Emptied black tank before leaving. Indicator is working correctly, but there appears to be a large clump of paper visible when you look down into the toilet. Since we're on the road - is there anything I can do? Would pouring some boiling water into the toilet help? We're inside of an even and don't have dumpling facilities. Thanks

Over the years we have had this problem several times - not often, but enough to be familiar with it. We keep a metal clothes hanger in the closet for this purpose. It has been straightened out somewhat and we use it to 'knock down' the pile, then add some more water. It is easy to clean the hanger with some bathroom cleaner and a paper towel, then put it back in it's plastic bag and the closet for next time. Just one of the things we have to do when enjoying the life.

[richclover]

rrupert wrote:
Perhaps the cause of your paper pyramid is from not allowing the tank to fill to sufficient depth before dumping. As said above, lots of water is good. Maybe a change in the type of TP should be considered as well.

Had the same problem with single ply standard TP.

NO further problems using RV/Marine dissolving TP, readily available at Wally World, etc.

Lots of water...

[mobeewan]

Yep about all you can do is use a broom handle, about an inch thick stick from the woods near by, a tank rinsing wand, a piece of PVC or your awning pull down rod to push it away from the opening and towards the deeper end of the tank. Once you get enough water in the tank it will soften up and bouncong along on the way home will help to finish breaking it up and dissolving it. If you don't have one you might get a hydroflush to back flush when dumping. If you have a straight shot into the black tank they work great. Rarely do I need the use the rinse wand.

[IB853347201]

Add some tank deodorizer to the water like Thetford. I would add a double treatment. It will go a long way on breaking down solids quickly..

[garyemunson]

You are at the point where the only thing that will probably work is the broom handle trick. Having a bucket of bleach water next to the toilet will help quell the nastiness you are going to encounter. When leaving a #2, it's always good to fill the bowl with water 2X afterward and let those 2 slugs of water hit the pile to disperse it. Now that you have the pile my money is on it being pretty hard and immobile requiring a "mechanical" solution. Happy poking!

[Boon_Docker]

badsix wrote:

jerryjay11 wrote:
Do like I had to do and use an old broom handle and knock it down, slosh it away from the poop hole.

do this ^^^ then keep using it until your ready to leave. then fill with water and head to the nearest dump station and dump.
Jay D.

Best advice.
I have done that a couple times when needed.

[2Rad4U]

Metal clothes hanger

[camperdave]

dvitale300 wrote:
Hi,

On the road boon docking right now. Emptied black tank before leaving. Indicator is working correctly, but there appears to be a large clump of paper visible when you look down into the toilet. Since we're on the road - is there anything I can do? Would pouring some boiling water into the toilet help? We're inside of an even and don't have dumpling facilities. Thanks

Is it causing a problem? Since you are boondocking I wouldn't do anything. Adding ice or hot water will just fill your tank up quicker. Once you're at a full hookup site or dump station, do some flushing/cleaning.

[rrupert]

Perhaps the cause of your paper pyramid is from not allowing the tank to fill to sufficient depth before dumping. As said above, lots of water is good. Maybe a change in the type of TP should be considered as well.

[badsix]

jerryjay11 wrote:
Do like I had to do and use an old broom handle and knock it down, slosh it away from the poop hole.

do this ^^^ then keep using it until your ready to leave. then fill with water and head to the nearest dump station and dump.
Jay D.