# Newbie- Black Tank Questions



## CAMike (Aug 8, 2011)

Hi there. I recently upgraded from out tent trailer to a 2005 25 RSS and am confused about tank clean out procedures. Having never had to deal with this before, I was looking for some advice. I have read many of the posts, but have a few questions.

I am currently camping and the tanks were empty when we left. It will be a short trip so the tanks will not even be close to full. Questions...

1. Should I empty the tanks every time I go out or simply monitor the levels?
2. If I dump a black tank that is less than 1/3 full should I fill it up with water part way before dumping to promote better "flow"?
3. I have read about folks putting a hose down the toilet or using one of the special tools to "rinse" the tank. I'm guessing this is a procedure done at home? How would you do this at a campground dumpsite?
4. I've read about Calgon. Can it sit in the tanks for several weeks (until our next trip).

Sorry about the simplistic questions, it just all seems a bit intimidating and I don't want to be the "Bathroom Nazi" with my kids and make them use the campsite restrooms for #2!!!


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

1 - Yes it should be dumped.
2 - Full is best even if you are just adding water before you dump.
3 - You can do it at the dump site but you do not want to hold up traffic. It is not needed every time but is a good thing to do once and a while. Find a local dump facility that you can take your trailer to when it is not busy.
4 - Yes

Just finished 2 weeks of dry camping with myself, DW and teen aged DD and we still had room.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

You do NOT want to leave "stuff" in a black tank to stew for several weeks! Every time you step on the pedal to flush, you'll be greeted with a noxious cloud of fumes that will knock your socks off. We just experienced this with a 1/2 full tank that didn't get dumped as we left the trailer at our campground and came back a week later. It was awful, and we were at a partial hookup spot, so we had to wait until the next day to get it dumped.


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## funbikerchick (Jun 6, 2011)

As others have said, you definitely want to dump each time out - both grey and black water tanks. My 2011 250RS had a black water tank flushing system built in and I can't believe the stuff that comes out after we have already finished dumping. I believe there are relatively inexpensive that will allow the same flushing process. If you can't find, or don't want, one of these, I would get one of those wands that come with a hose which you attach to your bathroom sink. You stick the wand down the toilet and it washes the sides of the tank. The one drawback to this system is that you need to be sure you still have water in the tank and you need to be able to get into the bathroom. I generally pack my camper in such a way that the bathroom door is inaccessible during travel.

Tena


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## CAMike (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. So, here is what happened this weekend. When I got ready to leave I went ahead and attempted to get the black tank 2/3 full in preparation for dumping on the way out of the campground. No matter how much water I put in, the gauge would not come off of empty. I figured the last thing I wanted to do would be to overflow the tank (not sure if this is possible, assume you would see the level rise through the toilet?), so I stopped after flushing lots of water down the toilet. When I stopped at the dump site on the way out plenty of water flowed through the hose. It was roughly equivalent to my grey water tank which read 2/3 full. After everything drained I added some chemical and a few gallons of water to the black tank for the ride home. Upon arriving home my curiosity was killing me so I measured out roughly 20 gallons of clean water and poured it down the toilet. After pouring the water I checked the gauge and it still read empty! Obviously there is a problem with the gauge.

Since I purchased the trailer used from a dealer, my first call tomorrow will be to them and ask them to fix the problem. Technically, they don't have to since I signed off on the due bill before leaving the lot. Assuming they are not willing to attempt to fix the issue, are there any suggestions on what my first course of action should be?

Other than this "glitch" the camping trip was great and the upgrade from the tent trailer made camping a completely different experience from the previous trips. My boys felt like they were on a Ritz Carlton on wheels!!!


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## russ&katie (May 8, 2010)

I know I wont be the first to point out that the sensors are "pretty crappy"







and should not be totally relied on. Mine said full for a year and a half. This last trip out I dumped 2 bags of ice down toilet for ride home and let that clean the sides. After dumping, sensors finally read correctly at empty.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I would not worry too much about the black tank level gauges. You can see where you are at with every flush.

If they offer to fix it for free then you are golden, if they ask for money just say no. The issues is likely to be a broken wire and you will need to drop the belly to get at the wiring. This will take the shop several hours and the level indicator is not wort that much.


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

X2 w/Camper Andy about the worth of the sensors in the black tank. They often get covered with tp and thus read incorrectly. A peek down the hatch now and then when flushing will show you how close the tank contents level is to the pipe from the toilet. Real close is a warning of imminent "full".

For cleaning, the ice trick works well and is cheap. I also have the wand that I insert down past the toilet flapper valve, and then turn on the water and let it spray like mad for a few minutes. Both actually work.

Farther down the road of "how do I get things clean" is a turbo flush system that allows you to run water (high pressure city water works best) backwards up into the tank and flush it out. The turbo flushers usually have clear plastic connectors and pipes so you can see when the draining liquid changes to clear. They are not particularily expensive and many OBers swear by them.

IMHO, what works best for me is dump everything (black and gray) at the final campground dump area/station, add 3 - 4 gallons of water and ice if I haven't done that this year. Then when I get home, I use the house water and the sprayer and clean the tank carefully. I then dump the tank at the local State Park campground on the way to my storage parking area. You need to work the sequences so you end up with little water in the black tank; don't leave sewage in it for any extended time, of course.

After that final dump, I put ~3 - 4 gallons of fresh water into the black tank and add my "black tank juice." Then on the final drive home the Thetford will mix nicely with the fresh water. I also use liquid Calgon, which makes the sides of the tank slippery and encourages stuff to not stick. I put the Thetford and Calgon in at the same time at the final dump station before home.

There are many brands; I happen to use the Thetford Blue juice and it works fine for me. What I learned from this site when I first bought my TT in 2009 is to not let the black tank sit empty over a period of time--any tp left inside will solidify, and if it's on your sensors, they probably will never get better. Even over winter, you should get that Thetford into the some newly added fresh water in the tank (never over-winter with any sewage in the tank, of course).


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