Probably a very dumb question... re: flushing the black tank

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

My black tank flush goes in right above the black tank drain, so it doesn't do much in the way of a "flush."

So I've never bothered to use it.

Most are normally on the opposite side.

[jkoenig24]

Some people are anal about their black tank

As a courtesy, do NOT hold up the line of people waiting to dump their tanks. When your tanks are ~ 75% or more full, dump them and pull away from the dump station. For those folks who feel the need to blast their black tank super clean, they should pay for a full hook up site where they can leisurely attend to their plumbing / sanitation needs and desires. I simply use an enzyme product in BOTH black & grey tanks. In the 6+ years I've owned my coach, I've never had a problem.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by dodgemark

But why go to the dump station when you can do all that right on your site? See so many people lined up at station when it’s time to go. I’ve asked people who are in line and they all pretty much say same thing.... “ that’s what everyone does when it’s time to leave”. I don’t get it, but I guess if they don’t mind waiting for a while in line, it’s none of my business. Lol

You've evidently not stayed in campgrounds with less that full hookups.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

You've evidently not stayed in campgrounds with less that full hookups.

x2. Many (dare I say "most"?) state parks don't have sewer hookups.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dodgemark

But why go to the dump station when you can do all that right on your site? See so many people lined up at station when it’s time to go. I’ve asked people who are in line and they all pretty much say same thing.... “ that’s what everyone does when it’s time to leave”. I don’t get it, but I guess if they don’t mind waiting for a while in line, it’s none of my business. Lol

You must stay in private RV parks, not public campgrounds. Out on the West Coast, only a fraction of public campground campsites have sewer hookups.
For example, at California State Parks campgrounds, less than 1% of them have any hookups at all, let alone sewer hookups. Most of those are W/E only.

[frozen]

For a good laugh and to learn about the ice cube treatment, search in You Tube for “do ice cubes in RV black tank really work?”.

[moose074]

Originally Posted by frozen

For a good laugh and to learn about the ice cube treatment, search in You Tube for “do ice cubes in RV black tank really work?”.

Yes I read a thread on this forum and someone shared a link to a guy that “test” all the products and methods. His toilet paper test had charming extra soft and easiest to break down and drove his ranger around with ice in a clear tank.

[Madmike]

So heres my question that works well for tow behind trailers . What about us parked on a permanent site people. Do we do the same lots of water . And use the anti odor stuff?

[Joe V]

Our main campground owner has a "honey dipper" and cleans our tanks 3 times a week and his machine uses suction. I add a few gallons of water after each clean out and one half gallon White vinegar to the tank. When going home I drain the tank and use the flush out hose. I shove the hose into the tank until the water runs clear. I then will add at least 5 gallon of water to the tank so it can slosh around in the tank on the way home. Good test for smell is turn off your water, shut the door, open the ceiling vent and open the flush valve on the tank.This will pull air straight out of the toilet out of the ceiling vent. I have never had a problem with smell. Just the way that works for me.

[Adrian Gordon]

Originally Posted by nomad297

You can if you have a portable holding tank.

I understand the use of a portable holding tank for someone who is going to have a trailer parked for awhile at a site without a sewer hookup.

In the context of going to the dump station before leaving the park all that accomplishes is moving waste from a black tank that needs to be emptied at the dump station to a portable tank that needs to be emptied. What difference does it make?

[boondocking]

Originally Posted by Madmike

So heres my question that works well for tow behind trailers . What about us parked on a permanent site people. Do we do the same lots of water . And use the anti odor stuff?

Yes, do the same as a mobile unit. Lots of water, drain only when full, use "anti-odor stuff" if you want.

[okiecowboy]

I like to flush mine whenever I can. Tank flush is easy to use, works well, and only takes 4 or five extra minutes. I never know when my trailer is going to be in storage for a month or two, and don’t want the solids setting up.

[dodgemark]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

You've evidently not stayed in campgrounds with less that full hookups.

No I’ve stayed in quite a few without sewer, I will walk around the nite before we leave and look for an empty site with sewer. I will back in and do my cleaning there

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by dodgemark

No I’ve stayed in quite a few without sewer, I will walk around the nite before we leave and look for an empty site with sewer. I will back in and do my cleaning there

Popcorn time.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by babock

I kinda laugh at people who think it has to be spotless. The bag of ice people crack me up the most....well maybe the people that never poop in their toilet.

The one that got me, one of the bloggers had a company pressure wash their black tank. They dumped and flushed their tank until the water ran clear then did the pressure wash. "Look how brown the water is".


I guess if you have money to burn...

[SLU2]

I've given up trying to get the level sensors to work properly. Since we are stationary, don't get the swooshing around while driving. We have used the sprayer wand and the tank flush. Sometimes is works until the first couple of flushes and says 3/4 to Full soon after. Don't have the odors often but know its time to dump when we do. Basically we can see down the hole when its nearly full.

[emm-dee]

I use a calendar in place of the level sensors. Fresh tank, five days; gray tank, four days; black tank, eight days. Has worked flawlessly for a long time.

[Madmike]

My trailer is made with two blk tanks. So we are on blocks not much movement , so we do this main bathroom 1 and 2 back bathroom 1 only. We still have the sensors showing 1/3 full after we pull the lever. I was told without a large slope in the run to the sewer hook up. You may not empty your tank all the way. I think it is the poor design of the. Tanks with no follow.

[Hclarkx]

Originally Posted by itat

You can’t think of the black tank as a septic tank, it’s a holding tank. You dump it relying on gravity, not pump/suck out the contents.

Agree, and half the time the pavement at the dump station slopes away from the drain ensuring a few gallons of sludge don't come out even with the sprayer. My last stop before home always seems to be like this.

Thankfully this stuff is relatively cheap (per dump) and works really well.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[A2pfunk]

Thanks for all the replies, folks! If I wasn't clear in the original post, we are more or less weeknd warriors. While The Wife has summers off, I do not. The Kids are 11 and 8. So most of our trips are 3-4 nights in state park campgrounds with no water/sewer hookup. Each summer we also do a "Big Trip' for about two weeks or more. We live in Michigan and past big trips included a long route through the Carolinas and Georgia to Disney World, a trip around all five Great Lakes, and a trip to Grand Canyon/Bryce/Zion/New Mexico/Colorado (not in that order).

So we don't stay in any one place for more than 3-4 nights, typically. Perhaps that is my advantage. I know we are never going to fill our black tank. We rarely ever even come close to using all of our fresh water. We have never had any odor problem except (in the last year or two) when traveling on the road, when there is a bit of an odor. As many others have said I know the sensors are never going to be accurate so I don't worry too much about them.

My camper also has no built-in black tank flush. I guess that is why I don't get the obsession some have with trying to clean it. I'm never going to drink from it. It is made to hold poop. How clean do I need it to be???