MartinaB wrote:
We have bought our first travel trailer. There are 3 of us, we don't plan on using the shower or going poo in the toilet. We will camp every 3 weeks or so for 2 nights. I am guessing we will not fill up the black water tank. Should we add water by flushing the toilet then empty the tank? Or wait until it is full (could be a month or more later) and then dump.
Also after dumping the tank should we have a gallon of water sitting in the trailer to put back into the tank so it is never empty? It has a 28 gallon tank.
Thank you
Hi Martina,
We know you are new to this and coming here for help.
Odds are high your black tank and the gray tank, may not be made to be towed with a lot of water in those tanks down the highway. Going slow in the campground and to the dump station is OK even if full. But going down the road and hitting a hard bump with a 1/2 or 3/4 full black or gray tanks may cause damage. If you want to tow with full gray or black tanks, call your TT manufacture and confirm they are built to be towed at highway speeds. Many are not, including the fresh water tank.
Here are some basics and do not know what your black tank process is.
You should start the campout with enough water in the black tank to fill approx 1/4 to 1/2" of water in the bottom. With the water pump off, push the pedal to open the valve and look down the hole with a flash light. For the first time, figure out how many gallons you put in to get that depth of water? 1 gallon, 2 gallons etc. This is what we nickname, black tank starter water. Next time when starting camp, put in your X gallons as you know the volume and start using the toilet. The water in the bottom helps things float when they drop in. Either toilet paper or solid waste. If you do not do this, things can pile up real quick at the dump hole and never spread around and lead to clogging.
Going poo, this is something some times new camper folks have a hard time getting use to. It can be overcome and then becomes an easy part of camping. Here are a few tips to help.
Before going no. 2, lift the pedal or how your toilet works to add extra water to the bowl. Some toilets you lift up on the foot valve to add water and push down to dump. Add about 3 inches or more in the bowl. Take 2 sheets of toilet paper in length and create an X pattern on top of the water. The paper will float on top of the water. Go potty like normal. When flushing the paper will let the solids slide right down in one shot and the extra water helps greatly.
You should adopt a good tank treatment program. This is an education in itself... I myself use bacteria and enzymes with a product called Happy Camper. It helps break down the waste and eliminate the order. It does not try and preserve the waste like the formaldehyde type products do. I use it in both the black and gray tanks. I have found, the Happy Camper treatment actually works better when there is solid waste in the tank to help it work on something to break down. If there is only liquid waste which is often sterile to start with, there is not enough bacteria to start the break down process of even the toilet paper.
At the end of the campout, we transfer what water we have left in the fresh tank into the toilet and put as much water in as we have until full. If on full hook up, fill the black tank through the toilet. Then go to the dump station and dump at the end of each campout. The key is to keep the tanks clean and flushed between campouts. Tank sprayers which can squirt water in the tank when dumping is a good upgrade if your camper does not them and they create a very good and easy way to flush the tanks. If you do not have tank sprayers, adding 5 gallons of extra water to the tank once it was dumped the first time, helps flush out the tank more. And the sure fire way, you can use a water cleaning wand with a garden hose inside the camper and flush out the tank while at the dump site. Just make sure there is an all metal shutoff valve on the end of the hose before putting the tank cleaning wand on. (Ask me how I know this....)
Keeping waste in the tank when not camping on purpose all the time, I myself would not recommend that. If there is a drain valve weep, which can happen, all the liquid will leave and you have a solid mess to deal with. And there is the weight issue towing the camper with water in those tanks that can upset the weight and balance of the camper when towing at high way speeds. That upset in camper weight balance may create trailer sway pending going down the highway depending where your tanks are located on the camper. If the tanks are behind the axles, they unload the camper tongue weight and that can create a big unbalanced situation.
If the tanks are cleaned out well during dumping and flushed at the end of each campout, there is no need to add any water back to the tank between campouts if you have a good tank treatment process. Just add the starter water on the black tank when you get to camp the next time.
You should dump the gray tank too. Leaving it full or part full of water and soap will create issues over time. While you may not be showering, washing hands and dishes adds soap to the gray tank that creates tank scum and it gets worse over time not being flushed out.
Hope this helps and ask for clarification if not understood.
John
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10 RA, 21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR, upgraded 2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver. Hitched with a 1,700# Reese HP WD, HP Dual Cam to a 2004 Sunline Solaris T310R travel trailer.
