Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-13-2015, 12:01 PM   #1
Member
 
karlrmac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 65
Black Tank Flush

Hello all! I was wondering if it's safe to us my fresh water hose to plug up to the little hose adapter on the TT to spray the inside and wash out the black tank? Any chance of dirty black water stuff getting back on the fresh water hose?
Thanks
Karl
karlrmac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2015, 05:01 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Ohio North Coast
Posts: 569
I don't know if there is a back flow device in the black flush or not. Do not risk it!! Buy another hose (regular garden hose) for the black flush and don't store it with your white drinking water hoses. Better safe than sorry!

Bob
__________________
2013 Ford F250 SD 6.7L
2014 Wildwood Heritage Glen 282RK
Certified Rumble Strip Tester
retiredcamper47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2015, 05:35 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Gaylord, MI
Posts: 161
Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredcamper47 View Post
I don't know if there is a back flow device in the black flush or not. Do not risk it!! Buy another hose (regular garden hose) for the black flush and don't store it with your white drinking water hoses. Better safe than sorry!

Bob

X2
biznsa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2015, 05:41 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
mjones12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Lexington, NC
Posts: 2,621
Quote:
Originally Posted by biznsa View Post
X2
Not only do I use a dedicated black hose for flushing, as a further precaution I use a brass back flow preventer on the fresh water faucet while flushing. And when finished I spray the faucet and everything else with a sanitizing solution.
__________________
2018 Coachmen Apex 249 RBS
2010 Silverado LT 5.3 V8


The world is a great book, of which those who never stir from home
read only a page. - St. Augustine
mjones12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2015, 09:04 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Gaylord, MI
Posts: 161
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjones12 View Post
Not only do I use a dedicated black hose for flushing, as a further precaution I use a brass back flow preventer on the fresh water faucet while flushing. And when finished I spray the faucet and everything else with a sanitizing solution.

What purpose does that serve? The black tank is completely isolated from the fresh water. I don't know how one could even contaminate the fresh water while flushing. Just my thoughts.
biznsa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2015, 07:51 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
mjones12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Lexington, NC
Posts: 2,621
So, Bubbles and Biznsa, do you use your freshwater hose to flush the black tank...or would that be ignorant?
__________________
2018 Coachmen Apex 249 RBS
2010 Silverado LT 5.3 V8


The world is a great book, of which those who never stir from home
read only a page. - St. Augustine
mjones12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2015, 08:04 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Orlando
Posts: 778
I carry two hoses, a cheap white one (I call it the kinkmaster) and a good quality 35' blue one from Walmart. Something about hooking up my drinking water hose to the black tank fitting just doesn't appeal to me.
Brewhedd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2015, 08:32 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
bubbles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,645
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjones12 View Post
So, Bubbles and Biznsa, do you use your freshwater hose to flush the black tank...or would that be ignorant?
Wasn't refering to the use of a seperate hose just your hookup and post usage. The cleanout plumbing is routed from the input to a backflow preventer that is elevated 3 to 5 feet above your black tank and then down to the black tank. The black tank is vented and therefore no backflow can occur (blackflow preventer probably not needed but installed per some code). The only residual water that can flow back through the input hose is the fresh water within the hose and plumbing from the input side of the backflow preventer. Your use of a backflow preventer is thusly redundent and disenfectant spraying is? Additionally, though it sounds bad the use of any fresh water hose to also cleanout the black tank will not cause any issues. These comments are of course predicated upon a FR factory installed black tank cleanout and functioning as designed. I'm done.
bubbles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2015, 06:52 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Warsaw,NC
Posts: 7,184
I use my outside shower and hook it up to the black flush, that way I can flush out the black tank with hot water, works for me


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums
spock123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2015, 07:27 AM   #10
Old Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 48
I'm amazed that some folks even use the same water spigot for both hoses.
I bet if you looked inside you will find your toilet is hooked up to the fresh water line.
Cool Canuck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2015, 08:32 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 652
I have a brass hose adapter with a ball valve. The key is the process. So, when I'm breaking camp, and after the tanks have been drained, I turn the water off, then unhook the fresh water hose from the trailer, and connect it to the adapter with its ball valve closed. Then, I open the hose bib and pressure the water hose, THEN I open the ball valve to begin the black tank cleaning with an open drain valve. I let this run for 3-5 minutes.
Then close the ball valve, close the hose bib, then remove the water hose. Yes it's still pressured. I break the hose connection at the campsite hose bib first to drop the pressure.
One of the campgrounds we frequent does not have sewer hookups. They have dump stations. These dump stations have a dedicated overhead fresh water hose that can be pulled down for flushing the black tanks. (I wear gloves) You have to be careful with water usage at this campground, but otherwise it's a fantastic place. They do have clean bathhouses, and although it's a little more of a pain, I really don't mind. It's just a short bike ride away to a hot shower, and saves a lot of grey tank capacity. Sorry for getting off topic...
__________________
2016 Ford F-350 Lariat CC, 4x4 SRW. B&W turnover with extender. 2015 CC Silverback 29RE, fitted with Reese Goose Box. Amateur Extra Class K5TS, 2016 nights camped 16
Davidg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2015, 09:24 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
bubbles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,645
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cool Canuck View Post
I'm amazed that some folks even use the same water spigot for both hoses.
I bet if you looked inside you will find your toilet is hooked up to the fresh water line.
Yes it is, for flushing, just like at your home. Black tank cleanout is a dedicated, self contained plumbing network and is not interconnected with the fresh water system in any manner.
bubbles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2015, 09:02 PM   #13
Old Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 48
Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbles View Post
Yes it is, for flushing, just like at your home. Black tank cleanout is a dedicated, self contained plumbing network and is not interconnected with the fresh water system in any manner.
Look down at the other end of the hose you use for flushing. What is it connected to? The same water spigot your fresh water hose is hooked up too? Sorry, I just think some folks get way too anal about some of this stuff. Modern codes have put anti siphon devices on all water lines connecting to sewer. You couldn't suck black water up from you tank flush if you tried.
Cool Canuck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2015, 09:16 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright
Posts: 970
I use a "Y" connector and a dedicated black hose for clean out. Our new SolAire has the dedicated tank cleaning port (that's a switch) and I use a dedicated hose. It is the same hose I used with my "Magic Wand" for cleaning out the black-water tank.
elchilero53 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
black, black tank, black tank flush, tank

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:44 AM.