Dump stations and black tank back flush... nervous

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by montelovers

Good afternoon.

We typically book FHU lots but we are heading out on our last camping trip of the year and the lot we will be on is not a FHU.. just water and electricity.
I diligently do the 'empty black tank, back flush, empty it again.. repeat until as clear as possible' and end with the grey tank dump. This has kept my tanks in great conditions.
But, I'm just curious as to what I 'should' do at this dump station (last trip of the year and winterizing it when we get home).
Is it 'ok' to do some black tank backflushing or is it considered a 'no-no' etiquette wise? I understand that if I'm alone in line and seem to have time, I should be ok.. but... if there's a line... should I skip the black tank backflush and leave the rest of the contents be until the spring? Just worried about the 'crappy' consequence if I do skip it.
Just asking here.. don't want to start a war :-)

and thank you for your opinions.. I know they may vary..

Hook up your flush hose , open BT valve leave open while flushing , dump other tanks . stall for 5 or 10 mins then shut it down . you will find the tank gets cleaner by not refilling but by allowing the tank flush to do it's job .

[bedubya]

Originally Posted by SetauketJeff

Great if you live in the South. For Northerners, not so good. We have to keep water out of our tanks with only a bit of antifreeze in them for the cold months.

The only antifreeze in my gray & black tanks, over the winter, is the little bit that wound up there when sucking it through the lines. They don't need any extra "pink stuff" as the little bit of water left in them has plenty of room to expand without any risk of cracking them.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by MR.M

Hook up your flush hose , open BT valve leave open while flushing , dump other tanks . stall for 5 or 10 mins then shut it down . you will find the tank gets cleaner by not refilling but by allowing the tank flush to do it's job .

Depends on your tank and your flush nozzles. I can flush mine for an hour, then backfill and enough solids come out that it doesn't appear my black flush works at all. I've always meant to remedy that by installing better ones in appropriate places, but it just hasn't been that big a concern for me yet.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by Gmar60

If you aren’t going to eat out of the tank, “flushing until it runs clear” is a waste of time, yours and ours. It is a waste holding tank. Weather permitting, just put plenty of water in tank after dumping and add your favorite treatment.

I think the OP mentioned "winterizing"

[SetauketJeff]

Originally Posted by bedubya

The only antifreeze in my gray & black tanks, over the winter, is the little bit that wound up there when sucking it through the lines. They don't need any extra "pink stuff" as the little bit of water left in them has plenty of room to expand without any risk of cracking them.

Depending upon where and how your drains are connected (on all tanks), you want to be sure that there is enough antifreeze in there to dilute any residual water to the point where it won't freeze. I was advised that 1/2 gallon in each should be used after blowing, draining and sucking some antifreeze through your pump. Just imagine if some water froze just before your grey or black tank drain Valves, same for your fresh water dump. You could ruin the valve and the tube running to it.


The RV non-toxic, non-staining pink antifreeze runs $2.58 a gal at Walmart. What's an extra $5 for safety?

[rlocicero]

If you are going to drain and flush your tank, you should find an empty FHS to do it. If everyone did that, it would take forever to get through the line. Fill both grey and black tanks fully before you leave your site and drain at the dump station. That should be good enough. If that is not good enough for wou find an alternative later or just use the public poop facility.

[wjrdmr]

Many Love's Travel Stops have dump stations. They have an app that advises which do. They charged me $10 to dump and flush last fall. No worries about tying up the dump station.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by wjrdmr

Many Love's Travel Stops have dump stations. They have an app that advises which do. They charged me $10 to dump and flush last fall. No worries about tying up the dump station.

Most truck stops have dump stations. They can have waiting lines also

[not2yzsr]

Originally Posted by montelovers

Good afternoon.

We typically book FHU lots but we are heading out on our last camping trip of the year and the lot we will be on is not a FHU.. just water and electricity.
I diligently do the 'empty black tank, back flush, empty it again.. repeat until as clear as possible' and end with the grey tank dump. This has kept my tanks in great conditions.
But, I'm just curious as to what I 'should' do at this dump station (last trip of the year and winterizing it when we get home).
Is it 'ok' to do some black tank backflushing or is it considered a 'no-no' etiquette wise? I understand that if I'm alone in line and seem to have time, I should be ok.. but... if there's a line... should I skip the black tank backflush and leave the rest of the contents be until the spring? Just worried about the 'crappy' consequence if I do skip it.
Just asking here.. don't want to start a war :-)

and thank you for your opinions.. I know they may vary..

I definitely would not wait for spring for your final cleaning. I try to leave the campground during a slow time ( I find usually 10 AM to 1 PM) If a line forms, we all understand. Those that don't TOO BAD. Take care of your rig because nobody else will pay for the repairs or have to do the clean up

[ChuckinVa]

Originally Posted by bigred123

I built one of these and flush till my heart content at home before winter. just run to toilet or if you have a inlet to your septic

Is there a link to how you built this?
Thanks

[justpassinthru]

Originally Posted by montelovers

Good afternoon.

We typically book FHU lots but we are heading out on our last camping trip of the year and the lot we will be on is not a FHU.. just water and electricity.
I diligently do the 'empty black tank, back flush, empty it again.. repeat until as clear as possible' and end with the grey tank dump. This has kept my tanks in great conditions.
But, I'm just curious as to what I 'should' do at this dump station (last trip of the year and winterizing it when we get home).
Is it 'ok' to do some black tank backflushing or is it considered a 'no-no' etiquette wise? I understand that if I'm alone in line and seem to have time, I should be ok.. but... if there's a line... should I skip the black tank backflush and leave the rest of the contents be until the spring? Just worried about the 'crappy' consequence if I do skip it.
Just asking here.. don't want to start a war :-)

and thank you for your opinions.. I know they may vary..

Hi I had the same thing going on a few years ago like yourself, and my solution was going to any local KOA and they charge $15 to use their dump station, you don’t need to be a member nor have a reservation with them, this is common charges and it worked for me. Hope this helps

[boydn1]

I’d try not to cause too big of a backup but, I’m going to flush

[Comanchecreek]

Whatever you do, don't leave water or anything closely related in your holding tank over the winter unless you want to pull the bottom off of your trailer to patch, or replace your holding tanks. They will probably crack at the valve which usually is the lowest point. My first 5th wheel had not been maintained by the previous owners, and I had the bottom out 3 times to patch all three tanks. It was a b----------tch. I am very careful with my rig now. (Bought new). I flush, and drain, and use one gallon of pink split between each tank just to be sure. $2.58 is worth it for insurance. Take the time and effort to find a place you can flush it. You'll be a happy camper when it's 12 degrees outside.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by SetauketJeff

Depending upon where and how your drains are connected (on all tanks), you want to be sure that there is enough antifreeze in there to dilute any residual water to the point where it won't freeze. I was advised that 1/2 gallon in each should be used after blowing, draining and sucking some antifreeze through your pump. Just imagine if some water froze just before your grey or black tank drain Valves, same for your fresh water dump. You could ruin the valve and the tube running to it.


The RV non-toxic, non-staining pink antifreeze runs $2.58 a gal at Walmart. What's an extra $5 for safety?

I just leave the tote attached all winter--especially since we sometimes use the trailer after it's been winterized. We use refilled bottles of water. We have the occasional "I need to wash my hands/brush my teeth moments." and it all ends up in the tote. (And of course the dehumidifier is on, in the shower 24/7/365, running into the tote.)

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by montelovers

Good afternoon.

But, I'm just curious as to what I 'should' do at this dump station (last trip of the year and winterizing it when we get home).
Is it 'ok' to do some black tank backflushing or is it considered a 'no-no' etiquette wise? I understand that if I'm alone in line and seem to have time, I should be ok.. but... if there's a line... should I skip the black tank backflush and leave the rest of the contents be until the spring? Just worried about the 'crappy' consequence if I do skip it.
Just asking here.. don't want to start a war :-)

and thank you for your opinions.. I know they may vary..

Depends: do you intend to camp there again (often)?

[montelovers]

Thanks everyone. All great ideas/suggestions/thoughts.
When we leave the campground, I just want to have the tanks as clean as possible. It's not our first time dealing with the end of season up here in Ontario Canada. When we do get home, I will be winterizing the trailer with antifreeze as usual and get some dumped in the tanks too.
I was just curious about the dumping station bit.. not the full winterizing aspect. Just concerned about dumping the black tank and then trying to back flush before leaving for home :-)

[SetauketJeff]

Originally Posted by montelovers

Thanks everyone. All great ideas/suggestions/thoughts.
When we leave the campground, I just want to have the tanks as clean as possible. It's not our first time dealing with the end of season up here in Ontario Canada. When we do get home, I will be winterizing the trailer with antifreeze as usual and get some dumped in the tanks too.
I was just curious about the dumping station bit.. not the full winterizing aspect. Just concerned about dumping the black tank and then trying to back flush before leaving for home :-)

I'm relatively new here. Looks like you had a simple question, wherein we (the forum) went off on all kinds of tangents. Creating a "POOP" storm of comments. Is that the norm here?


Thanks for responding and putting an end to this.

[eye95]

Originally Posted by D W

In my neck of the woods it is not uncommon for lines to form at the dump stations with people "flushing" at the end of camping season (late August), in order to put their rigs away for the winter. It's a given, and for the most part folks understand because they're in the same situation. As long as you're tending to the task on-hand everyone is civil. You can actually have some interesting conversations with folks in line while you wait. Just have a cup of coffee and relax.

Yep. Tending to the task at hand. I won’t lollygag, but if I take longer than the guy behind me thinks I should, tough. It’s not his camper, and he should have gotten up earlier this morning.

[Marc G]

We live on the west coast and are always in a drought. I flush the black tank with as little water as possible, use the deadly blue power and a gallon of water and haven't had an issue in over 30 years of dumping.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by SetauketJeff

I'm relatively new here. Looks like you had a simple question, wherein we (the forum) went off on all kinds of tangents. Creating a "POOP" storm of comments. Is that the norm here?


Thanks for responding and putting an end to this.

Yep... kind of.

With that said, this is by far one of the most informative R/V sites I visit and there are LOTS of knowledgeable folks willing to give their time and participate but sometimes you have to wade a little to get to the other side.