another black tank question

[cfsoistman]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Our tanks look like the attached photo.

The smaller inlet on the top of the tank is the vent.
The larger one on the top of the tank is the inlet from the toilet.

The sensors are on the larger face next to the dump valve outlet.

The tank with the white hose (turbo flush) is the black tank. The one on the left is the gray water tank.

Hope that helps.

Blue Eyes : 3" ABS Drain on the black tank. It sure looks like that tank is close to 5" so the possibilty of the pipe being too far inside the tank is eliminated. You stated that you measured down until you reached the bottom of the tank and then pulled up to the pipe 5" so the vent is not clogged. The odor isn't present when you remove the cap. Does it look like the pipe gets closed off once the cap is put back in place? If you're at the trailer try it without the cap for a day or two. You may need to trim the pipe on the roof or replace the cap with a Cyclone type cap. It may help the situation.



herk7769 thanks for the picture. It really helps to see what type of tank we're talking about.

[Herk7769]

Well, I am still not sure what type tank we are talking about!

This is a long thread and we still don't know the model number or type of vehicle.

The discussion started out fairly generic, but now we are getting pretty specific (as well as MODEL specific).

There is another thread here somewhere that goes into the flushing process in far more detail than we have attempted here.

If the tank will not DRAIN completely; there is more than a poo problem. If you look at replacement tanks they ALL have sloped bottoms to the low point drain. Either the camper is not level or something is BLOCKING the drain valve preventing it from emptying (or opening) completely.
Could someone have dropped a small towel or pad into the bowl?

This is a MUCH different issue than the tank INDICATING it is "not empty". Blueeyes stated she sees WATER in the tank after she dumps empty. This seems to indicate her hopper is straight plumbed into the tank.

FYI - My down pipe from the hopper has 2 45 bends in it and I can't see inside the tank from the hopper valve.

If it is an indicator problem I will post the troubleshooting links for that system. However, since it "smells" I tend to think this is a blockage issue.

Fishing around with a coat hanger made into a "hook" might be in order.

[W_A_Watson_II]

When you pulled the tape out of the vent was the end dirty like it had been in a black tank?

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by W_A_Watson_II

When you pulled the tape out of the vent was the end dirty like it had been in a black tank?

Another good point. There is more than one vent.

[blue eyes]

I am sorry that I forgot to post the model its an 8296SS and I did contact the manufacture in the beginning regarding the tank not emptying completely and he told me to use something in the tank that was an enzyme base.(rv trine) He said that it isnt a problem if the tank doesnt empty out completely.
When we pulled the tape out of the vent, it had water on it. If there is more than one vent, are they joined together before they come out of the roof, cause this is the only vent that is over the bathroom.
We have an electric fan on the vent pipe so the cap being to close and closing things off isnt an issue.
We bought this trailer used and there isnt much info about it left by the previous owner..I will call FR and find out what the specks are on the tank, if the vent pipe is a straight shot to the black tank and ask again why it never completely drains.Maybe a different tech,,,maybe a difference answer..
We have tried different leveling methods as suggested, the trailer is level, someone told us to lean it to the outlet side a bit, but when we do that, the doors dont close properly.
thank all of you for your help I will keep all your posted if and when I get the situation resolved,,
Also, thank you herk 7769 for the photos, it makes things alot easier when you can see it..

[blue eyes]

if I get messing around in there with any instrument, I am afraid that I will get something stuck and then really have a mess...

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by blue eyes

if I get messing around in there with any instrument, I am afraid that I will get something stuck and then really have a mess...

I understand totally.

The photo was of a 5th wheel under construction and indicates that my tanks slope from front to rear even though the sewer outlet is on the driver's side of the camper. Tilting the camper to either side will guarrantee the tank will not drain empty since water will be trapped at the low point corner.

[Hemlox]

I would get a tank sprayer that you stick down the toilet and spray the walls of the tank. You may have some "stuff" stuck to a wall that is not flushing out. Walmart and any RV Dealer have them, they are less than $10. It's worth a try.

[RhoZeta]

Originally Posted by herk7769

I understand totally.

The photo was of a 5th wheel under construction and indicates that my tanks slope from front to rear even though the sewer outlet is on the driver's side of the camper. Tilting the camper to either side will guarrantee the tank will not drain empty since water will be trapped at the low point corner.

Lou, do you have any more pics of the chassis at that point in the build? It almost looks as if the bottom of the tank has a slight V shape in it, which would help facilitate the waste draining to the rear low collection point, and if this were true there should never be anything left in the tank after a proper dump. (no pun intended)l
And if there is not a shallow V there really should be!!

[hoffkm]

When I was a kid my parents had this exact same problem on the new Foxfire that they purchased for our seasonsal site. After replacing all the traps and a number of other things the dealer discovered that the vent pipe was not connected to the tank and had come off inside the wall. This could be your problem since you are not smelling the stench coming from the vent. I would try dumping some water down the vent and verify that it comes out the tank.

[Herk7769]

More photos of tanks:

0910091059a pictures from travel photos on webshots

Galley Tank

0910091059 pictures from travel photos on webshots

End shot Gray and Black tanks without shutoffs,

0910091217 pictures from travel photos on webshots

Galley tank with shutoff installed

Black Tank 1 pictures from travel photos on webshots
Black tank with heater pad and good shot of sensors

[es335]

Dumb question....I am having similar problems with smell in my permanently parked 2011 392 QBBS Lodge. After reading this and some other strings I can see a number of "errors" on my part. My question is relative to the cap on the vent pipes. My caps will not "pull " off. The appear to have a glob of silicone on each side of the top of the cap? Would this silicone be covering a screw? How do you get the cap off????

[BigDTx]

Originally Posted by es335

Dumb question....I am having similar problems with smell in my permanently parked 2011 392 QBBS Lodge. After reading this and some other strings I can see a number of "errors" on my part. My question is relative to the cap on the vent pipes. My caps will not "pull " off. The appear to have a glob of silicone on each side of the top of the cap? Would this silicone be covering a screw? How do you get the cap off????

there is a screw under the silicone.

use this:

[LadyWindrider]

He means use that in the tank, not to find the screw holding the vent cap.

[jackhartjr]

If I read this right you said that when you opened up the smell in the bathroom was bad. Does this mean you had not been in the camper for a week or two or three? If that is the case...then it is simple, as the poster back a couple of pages said...the P-Trap dried out on the bathroom sink...therefore allowing the odors in. (Remember, most Forest River products have the bathroom sink going into the black tank.)
Is this the only time you have smelled the odor...or is it a recurring thing?
As to the tank itself, they all drain to the bottom as they are either V-Shaped or if two tanks are side by side they both go down into a V-Shape.
The reason you only have 5 inches from the bottom of the tank to the bottom of the vent is because of the V-Shape, the tank is higher toward the outside walls.
If I read the post correctly, is does not drain out all of the capacity. If that is the case then the are probably solids that did not get out of the tank and have simply built up over time. I am only getting 21 to 22 gallons out of my 30 gallon tank. I am going to try the RV-Digest It the post above recommended next weekend...will post the results in another thread.
Jack

[rockin'ray]

Just a suggestion here as I have had issues duming tanks at the odd campground where the ground seems to have a slope away from the dump station resulting in the tanks not completely draining. I just recently bought a HydroFlush which is a clear 45 degree elbow with a hose connector on it. You connect it to the drain on your tank, then connect your dump hose to that and a water hose as well. after it stops draining you turn on the hose which shoots water to the back of the tank. When you turn the water off you can see the waste coming back out. I was absolutely amazed how much crap (literally) came out. After quite a few flushes I had nice clean water coming out.

[blue eyes]

Jack
please let me know what happens when you use the rv digest, I have also purchase this product and will try it in the tank when we return to our site this weekend,
I was not aware that the sink sometimes is plumbed into the black tank, would like to know for sure if that is the case.. As far as the smell goes, we get the smell very strongly when we open up after being gone for a week, however, we continue to get it when flushing also. The first thing that I do when I open up, is to run alot of water through the lines before I do anything, due to smelly water at our campsite,,so if the traps were dry, would I still have the smell? I run the water before I ever flush?
I am wondering about the pipe possibly being disconnected as suggested by hoffkm, being there is no smell coming from the vent.
One thing we know for sure,,,the tank is not emptying out completely, I have the wand that goes into the tank that spins around and have no success, I will try the hydro flush also suggested,
when we measured the water in the tank after being pumped, there was still a few inches remaining, I dont know how many gallons that would actually be, however, I fill it must be quite a bit. The trailer was a year old when we purchased it, and the problem must have been there from the previous owners. It is just so frustrating,,I worry about the winter, we do pour alot of antifreeze into the tank because of the lack of drainage,
keep the suggestions coming, I will try it all..
guess my question still is,,,should this tank drain completely,,,have read previous threads that folks have called FR and were told that some models just dont drain out 100%...

[revrnd]

Originally Posted by rockin'ray

Just a suggestion here as I have had issues duming tanks at the odd campground where the ground seems to have a slope away from the dump station resulting in the tanks not completely draining.

I've been wondering about this suggestion for a couple of days:

Wouldn't it help in a case like this to use a leveling board under the wheels opposite the tank outlets? This could empty reduce the amount of liquid below the outlet?

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by revrnd

Wouldn't it help in a case like this to use a leveling board under the wheels opposite the tank outlets? This could empty reduce the amount of liquid below the outlet?

That is exactly what I do, especially when winterizing or if I am not going to be using the camper for awhile.

My black tank has the drain coming out in the middle of the back of the tank, and my gray tank drain comes out of the curbside front. I will block the rear tires of my TV to raise the trailer tongue so my black tank drains completely, and then block the trailer tires (more on the street side) to dump my gray tank. This seems to be the only way to completely drain both tanks. Done on level ground, I still have an inch or so of water in my black tank after draining, which is normally not a problem between camping trips.

[BigDTx]

Originally Posted by Danielflading

there is a screw under the silicone.

use this:

correct, use the digest it in the tank!

The vent cover has screw under the glob of sealant, you will need to remove the screw to get the cover off.