I'm a stupid noob, enjoy a laugh :)

[Wowens79]

Not a total noob, but a noob to black water. We'd had a popup for 9 years, and upgraded to a TT. I'd read up on dump procedures etc, and was determined to keep the tanks clean and fresh.

On the PDI, they showed my the 2 valves to dump, and said one was grey, and one was black, I wondered why are there 3 stickers (grey,black,grey), but didn't ask. I dumped what I thought was the black tank, then the grey tank, and put my hose on the black water flush. Couple of minutes later water starts coming off the roof. I shut off the water and ran inside, thinking the toilet was over flowing. It wasn't, until I hit the foot valve and started the unmentioned feature of a toilet fountain.

I went crawling under the camper looking for another valve or drain, or anything to get the water out. I finally found black tank valve. It came through the frame, and was hidden by the skirting. They 2 grey valves came under the frame and under the skirting.

I got everything drained, and the DW did a super sanitize clean inside, and all is good.

I was pretty peeved at myself for being so stupid, and not checking things more. After a bit of stewing on my stupidness, I realized that if the worst I did was overflow the toilet, it would be OK.

We had always laughed at the dump station scene in RV, and now I have lived it. Luckily I instituted the no poop in the camper policy so it wasn't as bad as it could be.

Thanks for all the info on this forum, I've learned alot. Hopefully one day I'll have the knowledge to contribute some knowledge. Hopefully y'all can atleast get a good laugh for now.

[DDC]

Originally Posted by Wowens79

Not a total noob, but a noob to black water. We'd had a popup for 9 years, and upgraded to a TT. I'd read up on dump procedures etc, and was determined to keep the tanks clean and fresh.

On the PDI, they showed my the 2 valves to dump, and said one was grey, and one was black, I wondered why are there 3 stickers (grey,black,grey), but didn't ask. I dumped what I thought was the black tank, then the grey tank, and put my hose on the black water flush. Couple of minutes later water starts coming off the roof. I shut off the water and ran inside, thinking the toilet was over flowing. It wasn't, until I hit the foot valve and started the unmentioned feature of a toilet fountain.

I went crawling under the camper looking for another valve or drain, or anything to get the water out. I finally found black tank valve. It came through the frame, and was hidden by the skirting. They 2 grey valves came under the frame and under the skirting.

I got everything drained, and the DW did a super sanitize clean inside, and all is good.

I was pretty peeved at myself for being so stupid, and not checking things more. After a bit of stewing on my stupidness, I realized that if the worst I did was overflow the toilet, it would be OK.

We had always laughed at the dump station scene in RV, and now I have lived it. Luckily I instituted the no poop in the camper policy so it wasn't as bad as it could be.

Thanks for all the info on this forum, I've learned alot. Hopefully one day I'll have the knowledge to contribute some knowledge. Hopefully y'all can atleast get a good laugh for now.

I was just smiling until you said you hit the foot pedal :rollback::rollback: sorry but I just couldn't help it, glad you got out of this unscathed other than your pride.
:roll eyes:

[WFD]

Bet you won't make that mistake again!

[trudinator]

Our toilet is used for all "deposits." It's made for that. My DH knows enough not to require me to take a hike at all hours of the day. He's smart that way. LOL

[whj77372]

My 2015 Wildcat has a sticker that states not to flush the black tank without the
black tank open.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by whj77372

My 2015 Wildcat has a sticker that states not to flush the black tank without the
black tank open.

So does my 2015 Wildcat but now I own the sticker and the valve so I do what I think best. I understand their point but I open it a while then close it a while to let the tank fill a little then open it again - and so on to get a better flush. Now I DO have to be careful not to let those boys from the site across the street distract me with questions about my Andersen Ultimate hitch or I'll find out why Wildcat applies that sticker!!

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Wowens79

Not a total noob, but a noob to black water. We'd had a popup for 9 years, and upgraded to a TT. I'd read up on dump procedures etc, and was determined to keep the tanks clean and fresh.

On the PDI, they showed my the 2 valves to dump, and said one was grey, and one was black, I wondered why are there 3 stickers (grey,black,grey), but didn't ask. I dumped what I thought was the black tank, then the grey tank, and put my hose on the black water flush. Couple of minutes later water starts coming off the roof. I shut off the water and ran inside, thinking the toilet was over flowing. It wasn't, until I hit the foot valve and started the unmentioned feature of a toilet fountain.

I went crawling under the camper looking for another valve or drain, or anything to get the water out. I finally found black tank valve. It came through the frame, and was hidden by the skirting. They 2 grey valves came under the frame and under the skirting.

I got everything drained, and the DW did a super sanitize clean inside, and all is good.

I was pretty peeved at myself for being so stupid, and not checking things more. After a bit of stewing on my stupidness, I realized that if the worst I did was overflow the toilet, it would be OK.

We had always laughed at the dump station scene in RV, and now I have lived it. Luckily I instituted the no poop in the camper policy so it wasn't as bad as it could be.

Thanks for all the info on this forum, I've learned alot. Hopefully one day I'll have the knowledge to contribute some knowledge. Hopefully y'all can atleast get a good laugh for now.

You already did contribute.....by reminding us all NOT to do what you did.

BTW, your PDI tech was remiss in not telling you about the third valve. Apparently he doesn't know his products very well. He should have put water in ALL the tanks and pulled the levers to make sure they worked & drained. Missing something like that & causing you to go through your mess is inexcusable in my book!

[jk510]

One thing that I did was purchase a clear plastic section for my hose. I have a straight piece but they also have 90 and 45 degree elbows as well. With that in place there is no doubt which tank you're draining. It also helps to see when you've flushed the black tank enough.

[rattleNsmoke]

I just had to.....
https://youtu.be/uHgRmR024BE?t=92

[Wowens79]

Thanks for laughing with me, it wasn't funny at the time, but looking back it really wasn't to bad of a mess up.

We had a great weekend in the new camper. After 9 years in the popup we were amazed at the ease of setup. With power jacks, awning and slide, we were set up in 15 min. It was awesome, and not having to popup to unload was awesome. Had a great time in the popup, but it was time to upgrade.

Can't wait to head to St George Island in a couple of weeks.

[Skyliner]

I'm not a noob but had a blackwater mess last camping trip in our "new" 09 Wildcat. Turns out the black water valve wasn't completely closed. When I popped the cap, I made a big mess and had to cancel going out to dinner that night after dropping off the camper.

[texasbuckeye]

We all could write a book about the dumb things we did over the years . . . and sell it to each other ! ! It ain't stupid if you don't know what to do . . . and remember you can't fix stupid ! ! ! Another "learning" moment. Happy Camping ! !

[flymhi]

Thanks for sharing. Always better to see someone else do "that thing" before we do it ourselves...

[mdstudey]

Originally Posted by trudinator

Our toilet is used for all "deposits." It's made for that. My DH knows enough not to require me to take a hike at all hours of the day. He's smart that way. LOL

X2, if I did not need to use a toilet at night we would not own a TT. He won't use it if a toilet is available. Plus we camp a lot where there are just Honey Pot's and with little to no immune system, not safe for me.

[Grampa Jim]

These posts gave me some good chuckles,,,thanks, everybody. I myself have a clear joint on the outlet to see how "things" are moving along. I drain the black. Shut it off. Turn on my flusher,,,,,time it,,,,,mine takes 4 1/2 minutes to the point of "SHUT IT OFF OR IT'S GONNA HIT THE FAN!!! I shut it off,,,,open the black,,,,,,turn the flusher on with the valve open until it's clear. Works well for me.

[daybreak]

Originally Posted by trudinator

Our toilet is used for all "deposits." It's made for that. My DH knows enough not to require me to take a hike at all hours of the day. He's smart that way. LOL

Same, big part of the reason why we have a TT and not a PU. Plus with a 4 year old, you don't always have time to run to the facilities.

[mike.t]

BBQ some steaks and big ol' tataoes. Have couple of drinks sitting around the fire. Go inside for the evening and wake up around 2 AM with a serious urge to poop. Get dressed grab a flash light and go find a toilet. I would rather use my own (I know who sit's on it) To each his own though.

[Springerdad]

Thanks for being brave enough to share your story. We ALL have had our moments! I'm always leary of taking the cap off myself, I always check the valves to (hopefully) make sure they are closed.

[phillyg]

Aw, you haven't really lived until you get a black tank bath.

[BandJCarm]

If what I read here makes you a Noob, then I'm a card carrying, registered, total, and complete dumba&&........

And poop washes off. Proctologists and gastroenterologists (and I) are all still alive! LOL