Black holding tank will not drain

[herk7769]

mmmm

Sound too good to be true?

I will order some and let you know my experience with it.

[Danielflading]

I think I will give this stuff a try also, wne out to dump it again today and the same as yesterday. Only about 1 gallon or so came out. I am going to keep trying the fill and dump method also.

[herk7769]

Originally Posted by Danielflading

I think I will give this stuff a try also, wne out to dump it again today and the same as yesterday. Only about 1 gallon or so came out. I am going to keep trying the fill and dump method also.

Does the tank indicate full and yet only a gallon drains out?

Try putting a measured amount into the toilet. Say five or ten of gallons of water; then dump into a blue boy or at least something where you can measure with is coming out.

Can you see liquid when you look into the toilet? I mean all the way up to the floor gasket?

I can't believe you are putting all that water in and almost nothing coming out. They only hold 30-40 gallons. Maybe the sensors are showing you that its full but its really empty (or only a few gallons in it).

[Iggy]

LOU,
You may be right.

"I can't believe you are putting all that water in and almost nothing coming out. They only hold 30-40 gallons. Maybe the sensors are showing you that its full but its really empty (or only a few gallons in it)."

[Danielflading]

Thank you for the replies, I also can not believe that is all that is coming out. I poured water in today before I went to dump and I can clearly see the tank has plenty of contents in it. The fluid is close to the top but there must be a layer of "sludge" because it will not drain. I have put in a total of about 10 gallons of water and chemical to break it treat the contents. I did however today get blue water out that the chemical has colored. I think the tank has quite a bit of build up in it. I may have to give in and take it in for a tank cleaning, do RV repair places do this type of work? My wife would like a new potty installed also, is this a big job to replace the potty is it a DIY repair? I have reaplced them in a residence but never in a TT.

[herk7769]

I am thinking you may have a sensor problem.

Here is what the manufacturer says about trouble shooting the sensors.

http://www.kibenterprises.com/manuals/m21vw.pdf

http://www.kibenterprises.com/troubleshoot/m_panel.pdf

There are other panels on their web site. I included the ones for my M21 display and sensor array.

[herk7769]

Originally Posted by Danielflading

Thank you for the replies, I also can not believe that is all that is coming out. I poured water in today before I went to dump and I can clearly see the tank has plenty of contents in it. The fluid is close to the top but there must be a layer of "sludge" because it will not drain. I have put in a total of about 10 gallons of water and chemical to break it treat the contents. I did however today get blue water out that the chemical has colored. I think the tank has quite a bit of build up in it. I may have to give in and take it in for a tank cleaning, do RV repair places do this type of work? My wife would like a new potty installed also, is this a big job to replace the potty is it a DIY repair? I have replaced them in a residence but never in a TT.

I am sorry to say that if you can see liquid and sludge at the toilet hole, you have a tough problem for sure. Sounds like the previous owner put away the camper with a full black tank and it dried out in there. Now there is potentially 3 inches or so of solid waste blocking the valve. When you open the valve there may only be a fraction of an inch of space from the top of the solid mass to the top of the valve opening.

A tank replacement may be your only option if you want to get going quickly. If you have time to let it sit and "cook" with the RV Digester in the tank for a few weeks.

[Iggy]

I still think you should hook up to the sewer and open the valve and take a water hose with a power head and drop it down into the tank via the toilet and let it rip.

I would delinitely have someone to insure that the water doesn't over flow out the toilet.

The pressure nozzle will do exactly what a shop would do anyway.

OR

Have you thought about flushing it from the outside back into the tank?
They have a cover that fits over the outside and you can attache the hose from the outside and pump water into the tank.

Just another thought.

[herk7769]

John,

If what I think is happening really is the problem, the blast and pray method could become very messy. I think giving the digester a chance is a safe next step.

If that is not in the cards, dropping the belly and getting at the valve itself and looking is the only option IMHO.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by herk7769

John,

If what I think is happening really is the problem, the blast and pray method could become very messy. I think giving the digester a chance is a safe next step.

If that is not in the cards, dropping the belly and getting at the valve itself and looking is the only option IMHO.

Won't be the first time I'm FULL of it.