Cleaning Black Tank - RV-Dreams Community Forum

RVKevi · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cleaning Black Tank

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

And another question - how often do you need to do that? Is it every time you move the rig?

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

A bag or two of ice cubes just before you start moving. The shaking around of the cubes help to break everything up.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dumb question - is that before or after you dump the tank and if before, how far in advance?

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

cherylbrv wrote:
Dumb question - is that before or after you dump the tank and if before, how far in advance?

It's before dumping the tank........You want the cubes to be suspended in the liquid so they slosh around in the tank. I would think the best would be about 1/2 full with liquid.......Not right full. Then drive a little more aggressive than a putt-putt.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

So, then, if you're either hooked up to sewer or you're planning on dumping the tank before leaving the campground (assuming they have the facilities), then this step isn't necessary. It's only before you leave the CG and plan to dump at a later time. Is that correct?

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

Empty your tanks the day before you leave. Then just before you pull out, dump the ice cubes down the toilet and drive to your next site. Don't worry about dumping when you get there, just hook up and use as you normally do. The ice cubes will have melted while you were traveling, adding to that base of fluid in your tank.

We've been fulltiming 8 years, never worry about 'cleaning' the black tank. Just make sure you don't empty until almost full so you get a good flow of fluid out that take any recent additions with it. If having trouble and hooked up to sewer, refill with water after dumping until almost full and drain again - - usually that takes care of it. Key is to use lots of water. If FHU dump a dishpan full of dishwater down every few days - that will also help.

Barb

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cheryl,

The DRV you are looking at is a 2008 model. While I don't remember for sure, it should have a black tank flush system. That should allow you to do most of the cleaning that you do when you dump. While most of our "living" has been in one place for three years, I have a drain system that includes a clear plastic adapter so that I can see what is flowing through the sewer line. After I dump the black tank, I then use the black tank flush system and let it run for about 5 to 7 minutes. Then I follow up with two "close and open" flushes where I close the valve and allow the tank to flush for about 2 1/2 minutes followed by emptying for 2 1/2 minutes. With the Scotts toilet paper that we use, it all appears to go out with the initial dumping because in my two "close and open" flushes, I've not seen paper flowing through the sewer line.

In the picture below, you can see a hose inlet towards the right that has "San-T-Flush" labeled above it. That is the inlet for the black tank flush. While you can't read the full label, the inlet with the white hose is the city water inlet.

Terry

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

I prefer not to mess with ice. After dumping, I fill the tank 1/2 - 2/3 full with fresh water, poor a cap full of Calgon water softener down the toilet and then pour 1 cup of dish soap in the toilet and flush it into the tank, but leave the soap residue in the toilet. then while travelling to the next location, the mixture in the tank will clean the walls and dump valves. The soap in the toilet will help dissolve any residue around the toilet dump valve (flapper). The soap will also lubricate the valves and make them allot easier to slide. You can dump this mix as soon as you get to the next destination or leave it until the tank is completely full, either way it seems to make all the valves work allot smoother and without leaks. It also seems to keep the tank sensors a "little" more responsive.

CqCasting · RV-Dreams Community Member

How often do you need to flush the black tank? Every time you empty, once a week?

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you cleaned your black tank weekly you would be....unusually...tidy.