How to flush the black tank

[Dirt Sifter]

Mr. Dan, thanks! I've been RVing for several years with different rigs and was wondering what kind of outfit OP bought. Wow.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by 2rad4u

Can't do that at a busy dump station though. Unless, of course, you want to fistfight the next guy in line, lol.

I agree that the black tank flush does a great job letting it run with the valve open. I will do that after my normal procedure IF I have time and no one is waiting.

With people waiting - dump, close valve, fill for a few minutes, dump, repeat and go.




I also let the tank flush run for a minute or two AFTER I've closed the valve for the last time to add water to the black tank. Then I drop in my black tank chemicals and I'm ready for the next trip!

of course you can't block the line to dump . but I stay 99% of the time in full hook up sites so it's an easy method . i do believe it gets cleaner by letting it do it's thing with valve open

[spock123]

My outside shower hose is never used for showers so it stays hooked up to the black water flush. When I get ready to flush out the black water tank I just turn on the cold water side. If we are not using the hot water I flush out the tank with hot water. It works for me

[fella10]

one thing that should not be overlooked when deciding how to clean your black tank, is the location of where FR has mounted your flush unit, ... on our Micro Lite 25KS, and I suspect most campers off the FR assembly line, it is mounted into the tank sitting just above the drain hole, ... mounting it there is a shorter run for them, thus, cheaper to do, ... with the water spray coming from the same direction that the flow is trying to go to leave the tank, it's easy to see how that setup has problems if spraying with the drain valve open and draining, ... the spray will interfere, not stop, but interfere with the flow trying to get to the drain hole, ... the better location for the tank flush unit would be the opposite side of the tank, over there the water spray would actually help push the flow towards the drain hole, ... from my experimenting, what works best for us is: close tank drain valve, spray, stop spray, open valve and drain, repeat until satisfied with results, ... when you know where the flush unit is mounted, you can decide the best way to use it to get the results you want, ...

[lcv800]

Originally Posted by spock123

My outside shower hose is never used for showers so it stays hooked up to the black water flush. When I get ready to flush out the black water tank I just turn on the cold water side. If we are not using the hot water I flush out the tank with hot water. It works for me

Good idea. Never thought about it.
Rusty

[UT_Grandpa]

This is the first rig we have had that had an outside black water flush. We have always dealt with the water wand and putting the hose through a window to get to the toilet.

Regarding ice in the black tank. Watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6acEmqvcw

My wife and I did the black tank washer thing and timed how long it took to get to 1/3, 2/3, full indication and looking down the hole. For us after we dump the Black (we never use the site dump connection without doing a couple of laps around the campground), close the dump valve and then time the flush water going in. For us we are really comfortable with 2 minutes per flush. The tank is 35 gallons in capacity and there isn't a garden hose on earth that can deliver 17 gallons per minute.

Using a clear dump elbow tells us when we are done. If we are boondocking, obviously we dump when we get off the mountain and it is nice and homogenized by the roads travelled.

[footz1941]

Originally Posted by lcv800

Tank flush is a sprayer that does a so-so job of rinsing residual debris from your black tank. Recommended procedure is to open black tank valve, then hook up hose to flush hook up and run fresh water while black tank valve is open. Many, myself included, drain my black tank the, close the valve and then hook up the flusher and partially fill black tank, then when a build up of clean water is in the tank, open black valve so you get a water surge to clean out left over debris. Repeat as needed. Inherent risk here is that if you get distacted (easily done), you get a poo fountain coming out of your exhaust stack or toilet. Thousands of posts where this has happened. Wand works very well but a hassle and can get messy. I've used the rinser for years with the above method without a problem.
Rusty

Like you I close the dump valve and let the rinser run 10 minutes, then open it to get the surge of water. I set the alarm on my phone so I do not get distracted and forget. Only do this when hooked to a sewer or if the dump station is not crowded

[coney]

Originally Posted by UT_Grandpa

This is the first rig we have had that had an outside black water flush. We have always dealt with the water wand and putting the hose through a window to get to the toilet.

Regarding ice in the black tank. Watch this video:

My wife and I did the black tank washer thing and timed how long it took to get to 1/3, 2/3, full indication and looking down the hole. For us after we dump the Black (we never use the site dump connection without doing a couple of laps around the campground), close the dump valve and then time the flush water going in. For us we are really comfortable with 2 minutes per flush. The tank is 35 gallons in capacity and there isn't a garden hose on earth that can deliver 17 gallons per minute.

Using a clear dump elbow tells us when we are done. If we are boondocking, obviously we dump when we get off the mountain and it is nice and homogenized by the roads travelled.

That video is bogus. I filled my black tank half way with water and ice, and that got my sensors working without any issues at all. the guy is the video used only ice without any water, how could he expect the ice to clean the walls of his tank simulator. Remember what they say, beleive half of what you see and nothing about what you read

[5picker]

Originally Posted by coney

That video is bogus. I filled my black tank half way with water and ice, and that got my sensors working without any issues at all. the guy is the video used only ice without any water, how could he expect the ice to clean the walls of his tank simulator. Remember what they say, beleive half of what you see and nothing about what you read

Should we apply that way of thinking to your advice too?

[drradcliffe]

Originally Posted by spock123

My outside shower hose is never used for showers so it stays hooked up to the black water flush. When I get ready to flush out the black water tank I just turn on the cold water side. If we are not using the hot water I flush out the tank with hot water. It works for me

This sounds amazingly easy and makes a lot of sense! Thanks!

[5picker]

Originally Posted by spock123

My outside shower hose is never used for showers so it stays hooked up to the black water flush. When I get ready to flush out the black water tank I just turn on the cold water side. If we are not using the hot water I flush out the tank with hot water. It works for me

Originally Posted by drradcliffe

This sounds amazingly easy and makes a lot of sense! Thanks!

The only down side I've experienced using the outside shower hose is the faucet controls can sometimes reduce the flow of water going through them.

For the black tank flush to work the best, full flow and full pressure is needed. Sometimes that is not achievable using the outside shower.

I put a set of full flow, garden hose shut-offs on my low point drains.
I'll often connect the black flush to the hot low point drain and use the remaining hot water in the water heater to flush the black tank.

[wannabeowner]

We've only had our Mini Lite 2304KS for a year and have been lucky enough to have never been rushed at a dump station, so far. That's been good for us newbies learning how to do all of this. We were able to dump the tank and use the blank tank flush to fill it again and get a good clean out - or so we thought.

After reading some other posts on here about the Flush King, we decided to buy one. On our next trip, we did our usual tank cleaning and it looked great. Then, just to check it out, we hooked up the Flush King and were surprised to discover there was still some cleaning needed!

So, we highly recommend the Flush King. The black tank flush on our camper, while certainly a help, doesn't do the job nearly as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQFC07m18yQ

[coney]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Should we apply that way of thinking to your advice too?

Advice ?? What advice ? I didn't give any advice. I only stated what worked for me.
You really should learn how to read before you criticize

[5picker]

Originally Posted by coney

Advice ?? What advice ? I didn't give any advice. I only stated what worked for me.
You really should learn how to read before you criticize

LOL! Thanks for the laugh!
No advice? You advised us the video was bogus.
Maybe I can read!

[spock123]

Originally Posted by 5picker

The only down side I've experienced using the outside shower hose is the faucet controls can sometimes reduce the flow of water going through them.



For the black tank flush to work the best, full flow and full pressure is needed. Sometimes that is not achievable using the outside shower.



I put a set of full flow, garden hose shut-offs on my low point drains.

I'll often connect the black flush to the hot low point drain and use the remaining hot water in the water heater to flush the black tank.

It works for me and has worked right many years plus sometimes I use hot water to soften everything up. How water works better than cold water but I only use that when I’m breaking camp or I have nothing to do and DW not using hot water

[Trucking69x]

Originally Posted by 2rad4u

If your dumb enough to pull a dump valve without hooking up the hoses first, RV'ing may not be for you...

Get a anti siphon connector ( back flush connector) for your hose to connect to black tank flush to your water source to stop in case of back pressure. Don’t want poop water in your fresh water. .

[HappyCamper1962]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I put a set of full flow, garden hose shut-offs on my low point drains. 'll often connect the black flush to the hot low point drain and use the remaining hot water in the water heater to flush the black tank.

Clever idea!!

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Trucking69x

Get a anti siphon connector ( back flush connector) for your hose to connect to black tank flush to your water source to stop in case of back pressure. Don’t want poop water in your fresh water. .

Most/all modern RVs come from the factory with a vacuum breaker/anti-reversing valve installed. There's no need to buy additional anti-siphon gear.
Owners who remove the factory anti-reversing valve need to install a check valve in its place.

[coney]

Originally Posted by 5picker

LOL! Thanks for the laugh!
No advice? You advised us the video was bogus.
Maybe I can read!

I think that was my opinion, not my advise. I did not advise you to believe the video or not. You can form any opinion you want.

now let's stop this silliness and go have a beer

[5picker]

[emoji482][emoji482]