Black Tank Help ASAP Please! - RV-Dreams Community Forum

TxYellowRose · RV-Dreams Family Member

Black Tank Help ASAP Please!

lmcallis · RV-Dreams Family Member

There's two things you could try....but first a question. Are you sure the black tank is 2/3 full. I'm asking because black tank sensors can get covered with stuff and give a reading even when the tank is empty. But assuming it is 2/3 full then you can do number 1 or number 2.

Number 1 is to use use the back flush connection in the control panel to spray water into your black tank, as you suggested. Try that for 30 seconds, and if you don't see water coming out into your sewer hose (assuming you have one of those clear elbow connectors so you can see stuff coming out) then keep doing it for another couple of minutes. You're trying to put more water in the tank to push out what's stuck. My tank will plug up and this extra liquid helps gets things moving again. I always start the back flush before I start to dump and let it run during the entire dump process.

Now if number 1 didn't do anything but fill your black tank fuller, then time to move to number 2. Camping world sells a clear elbow combined with a valve and back flush called Flush King and the Catalog Item # 20522

You can use this to flush water back up the pipe and back into your black tank. You'll want to have the black tank valve open (and the gray tank valves closed), and the valve on the elbow closed when you do that. That will push water back up the pipe to help dislodge whatever is stuck.

If you're still stuck, there's always number 3 which is a wet dry vac and lots of duck tape to seal the hose to the sewer line to suck it out, but that's just messy.

Good luck.

Lance

Roz · RV-Dreams Family Member

Betty,

Hopefully by now your problem has flushed itself. And right now this is no laughing matter.

However, Lance, your suggestions brought more than a smile to my face in referring them as Number One and Number Two. Reminds me of the slogan for a local septic pump out service, "We are number one in the Number Two Business."

As for sugestion number three, if there is a honey wagon service available, it would have more suction than a wet/dry vac. Oh, then the mess would be theirs and not Betty's.

A thought to keep in mind, Betty, "This, too, in time shall pass." Oh, some of the joys assoiciated with RVing!!!

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

You might have some "material" stuck in the seal on the valve. When you open/close the valve there is a disc that slides into a groove to seal the tank. Kinda hard to explain, but if there is "material" laying in the tube when you close the valve it will wedge that material into the groove. Eventually you will find the valve is hard to open or close. I would recommend that you clean it. I just removed the 4 bolts and cleaned with soap and water. Some people tilt there rig so the driver side is higher than the passenger side to keep any remaining "material" in the tank while they remove the valve.

As mentioned earlier I also run the tank flush as soon as I open the drain valve and keep it running after the tank empties for a couple minutes before I close the valve. So far I have not had anything get stuck in groove on the valve.