Black water tank cleaning

[rbpru]

After a month on the road we are finally home for a bit, till the weather warms up.

We dumped our black and gray water tanks and I purchased a toilet wand to spray the black water tank.

I was wondering if it would be worth the effort to rinse out the black tank and add bleach, since it is most likely going to set for a few months.

I still have issues with the guage always showing 2/3 full, and thought splashing some bleach water around might help.

[wmoses]

jmcgsd wrote:
I would never again purchase an RV without a SanTFlush installed. We had our first one on our last Lance TC. When we went looking for a TT it was on top of the list. They do a great job in keeping the black tank clean and sensors working. I believe they can be installed after market.

Yes they can. I got a kit when I got he previous HTT but then realised that access would be a PITA. Agree that this is a "must have" for those of us who believe that sensors could and should work properly. I know about waiting until the grey backs up and looking down the toilet hole approaches but I prefer not to do that unless it is a last resort. I also have had good results with Horst Miracle Probes which I installed on th previous trailer.

[popeyemth]

Keeping water in the toilet bowl is all you need to do to prevent odors.
That makes a seal between the camper and the tank,just like your bathroom at home.
Good Luck, Mike

[rbpru]

OK I will show my lack of knowledge. That is a SanTFlauh system?

Also, my objective for bleaching the black tank was to keep the odor down between uses.

[jmcgsd]

I would never again purchase an RV without a SanTFlush installed. We had our first one on our last Lance TC. When we went looking for a TT it was on top of the list. They do a great job in keeping the black tank clean and sensors working. I believe they can be installed after market.

[wmoses]

My RV came with a black tank flush and it appeares to work well since my sensors work fine (so far).

[REMFISH]

Hook up TT and dump a couple bags of ice into tank thru toilet. Drive around town to allow the ice to slosh around. Believe it or not, it works. I installed a flush kit that sprays inside tank while dumping. Once the tank is empty, I leave the water on and let it spray until the drain water runs relatively clear. Never have issues with sensors doing this.

[_tiredTeacher]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Why are you worrying about sanitizing a waste tank?

Really.

[rbpru]

Well once again the forum has been a great help.

I would not have know that bleach could attack the valve seals or a dry tank can lead to hard solid deposits.

It shows you are never to old to ask questions.

Thanks folks

[spike99]

.

When we towed our TT, I simply dumped both tanks at CG site. Within black tank, I put 2 x bags of ice and 1 gallon of water down its toilet bowl hole. Then, I towed TT home - which was often 3+ hours tow home. As we drove down the bumpy road, the ice would move around and clean its inner tank sides. When we got home, I simply emptied the blank tank (into our septic system).

This worked great - without using expensive / dangerous chemicals or fancy washing wands - that sometimes have spray back.

[mlts22]

The best way I've seen to clean a black tank was an European rig which had a 8-12 inch disk that unscrewed from the top and was watertight. Then, one could go at the interior of the black tank with a scraper and a wet/dry vac, then once cleaned, bleach water run through, the tank rinsed again.

Of course, that isn't really possible with US rigs, so I like tossing a few bags of ice down the commode, go for a drive, do a dump/rinse, add a gallon or two of water, some fabric softener or hand dish soap, and call it done.

[ScottG]

I would not leave bleach in it because of the damage it may do to the rubber seal at the dump valve.

[westend]

I use Febreeze softener. It's cheap and smells wonderful. It's a surfactant just like soap or Calgon. Use with plenty of water.

[wanderingbob]

Downtheroad has it correct , you ain't storing food in it . My sister scrubs her tanks over and over and over , all the while her husband is pacing back and forth waiting for her to get done so he can take a dump , if I am allowed to say that !

[skipnchar]

Fill it with water for certain but bleach won't do anything to help anything other than to dry out seals. The main thing when a trailer will be unused for a period of time is to NEVER allow the black tank to dry out. Regardless of how well you clean the tank there are ALWAYS remaining solids which will turn to stone if allowed to dry and over time can form a clog.
Good luck / Skip