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Old 03-04-2018, 05:38 PM   #21
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I dunno just how your rig is plumbed but if it is anything like mine in my Cardinal 5ver, there is a pretty long plastic pipe from the toilet to the tank and I have had mine plugged up.

Cause was probably, as someone else suggested, poop and/or toilet paper buildup at the tank end of the pipe due to insufficient liquid in the tank.

Cure, after backflushing the tank did not fix it was indeed a plunger.... a good one... had to work it up and down a bit to draw the blockage back up a bit before it cleared.

A plumber's snake might also work, but did not in my case.

Jerry
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Old 03-04-2018, 05:52 PM   #22
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Don't forget to use single ply toilet paper made for RV's and septic systems. Every little bit helps.
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Old 03-04-2018, 08:00 PM   #23
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What about bucket flushing ( you know a bucket of water ) it’s sort of a pian but may help things along
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Old 03-04-2018, 09:05 PM   #24
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Other potential sources of your troubles:

Assembly errors:
  1. Screws penetrating the drain pipe from the toilet to the black tank. A too-long or misplaced screw will snag tissue and it MIGHT create the problem.
  2. If the installer didn't cut the toilet-to-tank pipe to the right length, it may be penetrating the tank too far and encroaching on the space for waste to move about. (I experienced this in my home with a cast iron pipe penetrating a septic tank about 12" too far. The extra pipe enabled tissue to jettison out the end of the pipe and attach itself to a concrete baffle in the tank. Pretty soon a tissue bridge built up and blocked the end of the pipe.)

You should be able to turn off your pump or shore water supply, relieve the pressure in the lines at the kitchen or bathroom sink, and then take a peek. Most toilets have "shutter" flush mechanisms, so operate the flush lever/pedal while peering down the toilet/drain line with a flashlight. You may spot the problem.
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Old 03-05-2018, 02:19 PM   #25
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I may tear my hair out!!! I'm out of town working. Hubby called this morning to say that now even the ball in the bottom of the bowl won't open to flush water!!!! He was supposed to be using the RV park facilities...grrrr. Not getting anywhere trying to find a repair person. Our trusted go-to guy is traveling. What a poopy problem.
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Old 03-05-2018, 02:30 PM   #26
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I have removed clogs on a 5ver with the goofy drain pipe with a Flush King. You may be able to push your clog the opposite direction. You tell quite easily when the pressure is building in the system and release the gate valve and reapply the water pressure multiple times if necessary. They work
Flush King RV Holding Tank Flush Valve - YouTube
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Old 03-05-2018, 04:20 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by jeff64 View Post
I have removed clogs on a 5ver with the goofy drain pipe with a Flush King. You may be able to push your clog the opposite direction. You tell quite easily when the pressure is building in the system and release the gate valve and reapply the water pressure multiple times if necessary. They work
Flush King RV Holding Tank Flush Valve - YouTube
If the tank vent pipe is clear pressure won't build other than the weight of the water you've put into the tank and if you run the water long enough the contents of the holding tank will start to run off the roof.

If the pipe from toilet to tank is blocked the best solution is to use a toilet snake which can cost as little as $5 at Walmart. These will clean the first 3' of pipe out which may well be enough.

Once you can get a little to flow out of the toilet bowl, mix up a bucket of warm water and some dish soap. Pour it into the bowl and keep repeating until a bucket or two have been poured into the tank. The soapy solution will often speed the dissolving process of the solids that have piled up at the bottom of the pipe. Drain tank once the toilet starts to flush better, close valve, and repeat. Tank chemicals will work too but Dawn dish soap also does a great job for a lot less money.

This process is a lot easier if you can take the unit for a drive with a partially filled tank with soap or tank chemical in it. Drive down the road and step on the brakes regularly to get the tank sloshing. Next time you drain the tank "stuff" from a couple years ago will come out.

For those new to the holding tank world, if you go to empty a full holding tank (as indicated by the gauge) and it doesn't seem like it took long enough to empty, you may have a solid layer of poo built up on the bottom of the tank. Keep the valve closed while in a campsite, opening only to empty when full. Always travel with SOME water in the black tank (doesn't hurt to have some in the gray tank too with some freshening chemical) so the normal sloshing while driving keeps everything from settling into a hard layer.

BTW, I earned my "Merit Badge" with a toilet like this in a MH I rented about 20 years ago. A Class C that had the "Throne" mounted over the back of a wheel well and a pipe running back to the tank with a couple 45's and 90's. I ended up clearing the clog with a couple coat hangers spliced together, half a bottle of dish soap, and several gallons of water. Apparently the rental company's lot persons thought it was just fine to hook up hose, pull valve, then go have a cigarette or two while the tank drained. Never bothered to flush with water during the process.
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Old 03-05-2018, 07:44 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by MargiLou View Post
I may tear my hair out!!! I'm out of town working. Hubby called this morning to say that now even the ball in the bottom of the bowl won't open to flush water!!!! He was supposed to be using the RV park facilities...grrrr. Not getting anywhere trying to find a repair person. Our trusted go-to guy is traveling. What a poopy problem.
I hope he didn't use a plunger on it . Sometimes people will try that and it can be helpful IF you make sure the flush valve is open when you plunge ! If its closed then bad things happen to the valve and/or the rubber gasket seal. It also can dismount the gasket even if the valve is open .
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Old 03-05-2018, 07:50 PM   #29
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Good advice from many responses. Yes, use lots of water every time you "poo" and flush. If your black holding tank is not equipped with a flushing device, then it would be a good idea to purchase a "flushing wand" that can be fastened to a fresh water hose, then lowered into the black tank with the toilet flushing valve opened. We have used this technique on previous TT's, but lately all of our RV's have come equipped with a flushing device. We also travel from site to site with about 8-10 gallons of fresh water in the black tank just so the water can surge and splash around inside to loosen up waste paper and solid waste. At our next stop, we hookup all utilities, including the flushing device, and dump from the black tank for a few minutes. Then we close all drain tank valves until we are ready to depart.
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Old 03-10-2018, 11:56 AM   #30
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Sometimes we ask for help, but fail to post the outcome. It may just help another RVer to know how my dilemma was solved.
I plunged until the toilet drained into the tank. Then I added 3 gallons of HOT water with laundry powder and Calgon water softener. We avoided using the toilet for about 4 hours, plus moved to a different park, which gave the tank some sloshing power. After that it has been flushing properly. After emptying the tank an hour ago, I added 5 gallons of hot water, detergent and softener. I have also poured some softener down the kitchen sink drain.
Thank you to all who responded with helpful suggestions!!!
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Old 03-10-2018, 12:02 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by MargiLou View Post
Sometimes we ask for help, but fail to post the outcome. It may just help another RVer to know how my dilemma was solved.
I plunged until the toilet drained into the tank. Then I added 3 gallons of HOT water with laundry powder and Calgon water softener. We avoided using the toilet for about 4 hours, plus moved to a different park, which gave the tank some sloshing power. After that it has been flushing properly. After emptying the tank an hour ago, I added 5 gallons of hot water, detergent and softener. I have also poured some softener down the kitchen sink drain.
Thank you to all who responded with helpful suggestions!!!
Now you know how to prevent this problem too

Glad it's solved.
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Old 03-11-2018, 12:50 AM   #32
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Kudos to you MargiLou, for reporting your success. You are so right that folks like us who request help rarely report the results. I shall try to do so in the future. This is a great Forum.
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