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Old 11-05-2012, 09:22 PM   #1
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Black Tank Flush Question

I have just purchase a 08 Surveyor 282 and it does not have a black tank flush and I KNOW from personal experience this is a must in some form or another. I prefer the one that is into the side of the tank over the wand or one that hooks up to the sewer drain. The question I have is has any one put one of these in? The caper I have has the "sealed" underside. The corrugated plastic. Is it something I can put in with a decent amount of mechanical knowledge or is it worth the pain to have a RV shop put it in. The last camper I have I purchased the flusher for about $25 and the shopped charged me $50.

$50 bucks isn't a whole bunch but if it is easy enough I would love to save it.
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Old 11-05-2012, 09:27 PM   #2
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Dropping the belly covering takes about 30 minutes "no wind;" it could take a LOT longer in a stiff breeze.

I have a Tornado I will be putting in my gray tank as soon as I get a "warmer" less windy day.
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Old 11-05-2012, 11:32 PM   #3
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http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...nser-1678.html
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Old 01-16-2013, 07:36 PM   #4
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Why a gray tank flush?

Hey Lou.....I am new here and my 2013 Rockwood Roo 233S should be delivered to my dealer this coming week. I have been reading all of the posts around this site to try and refresh my memory, it has been more than 25 years since I last did anything with a tow trailer.....LOTS of things have changed! My new rig comes equiped with a black tank flush system, but noticed you are planning to install a gray tank system....are these tanks cleanliness/odor issues a bother??
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Old 01-16-2013, 07:42 PM   #5
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it helps to keep up on it.
without flushing black tank odors will start to occur as well as solids will accumulate and then youll have a problem .


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Old 01-16-2013, 07:47 PM   #6
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I got one of these for flushing the tanks - Untitled Document. It works pretty well and can flush both grey and black tanks. Takes a little time to fill and flush, but seemed to clear them out pretty well. I also got an extra "black" hose for connecting to it that is stored with all the tank stuff.
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Old 01-16-2013, 07:54 PM   #7
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My rig has two black tanks, the front one came with a factory flush system, and I had a tornado flush system installed in the back tank. They make rinsing the black tank a breeze, help keep your tank level indicators clean and working properly, and help to eliminate unwanted odors. However, as good as they are, after I've flushed for a couple of minutes, I usually close the dump valve and let the tank fill about 2/3 full and then dump again. (Caution: make sure to closely watch the tank level when doing this, if not you will end up with water in places you don't want it.)

My gray and galley tanks don't have tornado flushers, but we do re-fill and rinse them after dumping, and keep them treated. The gray tanks will really stink the camper up more so than the black tanks if they aren't kept up properly. Most people do a good job maintaining their black tanks, but don't do anything special with their gray tanks and can't figure out why the trailer stinks.
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Old 01-16-2013, 08:18 PM   #8
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TURBS, Greg & Mike...THANKS for sharing! I hadn't ever thought about dirty water odors coming from the gray tank but it does make sense!

Mike..you mentioned "treating" the gray tank, what do you use to do so?
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Old 01-16-2013, 09:42 PM   #9
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Yep, I totally agree with Mike.

AND

There is no way to clean them like the black tank. The black tank has a straight drop from the toilet so you can do things like adding ICE and driving around to scrub the walls of deposits that won't come off, or a turboflusher to push out solids from the inside.

No such animal for the gray tank. Worse yet there is a trap in every access point so it is darn near impossible to get a flush wand down there to wash down the walls or the probes if they get really gooped up.

Adding the gray tank turboflush now allows me to give the tanks a good flushing out when I winterize or have probe issues (not so much now that I put Horst probes in my tanks).

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ion-16089.html
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Old 01-16-2013, 09:46 PM   #10
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The Tornado flusher is a very easy install and worth every penny. I wouldn't be without one.
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Old 01-16-2013, 09:47 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ebemis View Post
Mike..you mentioned "treating" the gray tank, what do you use to do so?
We've been using this stuff on our last 3 campers and never had any odor problems from our grey tanks. Camco Gray Water Odor Control: Automotive : Walmart.com
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Old 01-16-2013, 10:15 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ebemis View Post
TURBS, Greg & Mike...THANKS for sharing! I hadn't ever thought about dirty water odors coming from the gray tank but it does make sense!

Mike..you mentioned "treating" the gray tank, what do you use to do so?
They make specific products for the gray tank, however you can also use the same product you are using in your black tank in your gray tank.

What I usually do is put the product into the 1/3 full gray tank at the end of the camping trip. That way it will have at least a week or two to dissolve all of the solids that may have built up in the gray tank.
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Old 01-16-2013, 10:55 PM   #13
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I installed the Camco Quickie Flush last summer and it was well worth it. No more odors from the black tank. I chose the quickie flush over the Tornado because I was concerned about plastic moving parts over several years of freezing and had read some other forums about people having problems with them not spinning after few years. However, several on this forum have had great luck with the Tornado so it really comes down to personal choice.. It took us about a 1/2 hour to install the Quickie Flush. I do not have an enclosed underbelly.

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-40123-Qu.../dp/B000EDOSME
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Old 01-16-2013, 11:14 PM   #14
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I have a Tornado I will be putting in my gray tank as soon as I get a "warmer" less windy day.
I didn't know what a "Tornado" was so I did a little research. Perhaps there are more than one maker out there? The Camco one seems to have some pretty bad reviews on Amazon: Camco 40126 RV Tornado Rotary Tank Rinser with Hose : Amazon.com : Automotive

I'd hate to see someone punch one of these into their tank only to have it fail like some of the reviewers stated...
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Old 01-16-2013, 11:30 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by danno2u View Post
I didn't know what a "Tornado" was so I did a little research. Perhaps there are more than one maker out there? The Camco one seems to have some pretty bad reviews on Amazon: Camco 40126 RV Tornado Rotary Tank Rinser with Hose : Amazon.com : Automotive

I'd hate to see someone punch one of these into their tank only to have it fail like some of the reviewers stated...
That's the one I installed. I will let you know how long it lasts.
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Old 01-16-2013, 11:33 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pwrboatfan View Post
I installed the Camco Quickie Flush last summer and it was well worth it. No more odors from the black tank. I chose the quickie flush over the Tornado because I was concerned about plastic moving parts over several years of freezing and had read some other forums about people having problems with them not spinning after few years. However, several on this forum have had great luck with the Tornado so it really comes down to personal choice.. It took us about a 1/2 hour to install the Quickie Flush. I do not have an enclosed underbelly.

Camco 40123 RV Quickie Flush with Back Flow Preventer : Amazon.com : Automotive
I winterize my flusher with RV antifreeze and will be adding the gray one next year when I do it again in the fall.
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Old 01-17-2013, 12:01 AM   #17
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I winterize my flusher with RV antifreeze and will be adding the gray one next year when I do it again in the fall.
I blew mine out with the same valve I used for the camper. It worked great! I agree, no matter which one you install, they have to be winterized. When I was talking about the freezing cycles I was thinking about the plastic moving parts breaking down, at least that is what I read on some other forums that people were having issues with.
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Old 01-19-2013, 10:23 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by ebemis View Post
TURBS, Greg & Mike...THANKS for sharing! I hadn't ever thought about dirty water odors coming from the gray tank but it does make sense!

Mike..you mentioned "treating" the gray tank, what do you use to do so?

I'm sorry. Late getting back to you. We buy the liquid sewer treatment for the black tanks in six packs. We usually split a bottle between the gray tank and the galley tank. Never had any problem with odors. I haven't checked the price on the gray water sanitizer, but if it's cheaper than what we use for the sewer, maybe I should.
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Old 01-19-2013, 10:27 PM   #19
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I winterize my flusher with RV antifreeze and will be adding the gray one next year when I do it again in the fall.

Herk, I guess I'm a dunce but I have never winterized my tank flushers. Of course, our winters aren't typically as harsh here as they are where you're at, but we do see two or three 10 to 12 degree nights during the winter. Luckily, I've never had one give me any problems after the winter. We have a couple of nights forecast in the teens this coming week, so I might ought to pump a little antifreeze through them for good measure.
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Old 01-19-2013, 10:43 PM   #20
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the factory installed black tank flush doesn't self drain? mine makes a vertical loop. looks like the top may have a vacuum breaker as well as a check valve. haven't really checked it.
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