Our first week

[New to RV life]

We are new to full time RV life and we are quickly learning the do’s and don’ts in our new rig. We would appreciate any advice on a couple of issues we are experiencing:

1. The toilet is constantly getting clogged and almost seems like it could be a vapor lock.
(The toilet clogs in the neck when the tank is empty)

I have checked the vent for any blockage and cannot find anything wrong with it.

2. Woke up this morning to no flow at the kitchen sink on the hot side though we have hot water in the bathroom sink and shower.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I hope this is the right place to post these questions.

[kenandterry]

I see this is you first post, so welcome to RV-ing?

It helps everyone if you post your specific information of your rig in your signature so people with like units can help. See my signature.

Are you stationary and full timing? Do NOT leave grey and black tank valves open to the drain line. Water, water, water is your friend to help FLUSH the tanks.


Are your problems new?
How long have you had the rig?
Have you changed any valve positions lately?
Is this a new or used unit?

Lots of people here to help?

[New to RV life]

Hi Ken and Terry,

Thanks for your response.

Our rig is a 2020 Arctic Wolf 3550 suite.

Yes, we are stationary and staying full time while we finish the construction of our new home. We will be in the rv for the next few months.


Yes our problems are new. The no flow of hot water at the kitchen sink started this morning. We have had hot water there since we have set it up.

The toilet issue started a few days after we moved into the camper.( We've had it setup up for a few weeks before moving into it and didn't have any issues)

We have owned the unit for a couple of months now. We purchased it used. We were told the previous owners only used it about 4 times and with the near perfect condition inside I would guess that to be pretty accurate.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[BehindBars]

The no hot water at the kitchen sink could be a plugged screen where the water line enters the faucet. The screen, if there is one, is subject to plugging from contaminants in the water and plumbing, particularly on the hot side.

As was already mentioned, do not leave the black water tank valve open all the time. You need liquids in the tank to aid in waste breakdown. The more water there is in the black tank, the better it will be. Empty the tank periodically and reclose the valve.

[New to RV life]

Thanks.

I will check the screen on the faucet.

We have been keeping the valves closed on the tanks. When the tank showed to be 2/3 full I emptied them and then closed the valves. The toilet began to clog almost right away after that. Leading me to think of a vapor lock. The only way I have had any success clearing this has been with a plunger very slowly.

[Skip12]

Curious if you added or changed water filter? Sometimes they release some of the activated carbon that can clog up the system. They recommend running some water through it before connecting.

Are you sure the tank was 2/3rds full before emptying? The gauges are notoriously false. Maybe you accidentally build a poop pyramid by emptying too soon too often. I don't dump the black tank until it burps.

Good luck.

[Flycc1]

hi! Welcome

We are full timers - in our 2nd year. Occasionally we would have a clog in our toilet, and we were given a very long bamboo skewer to wiggle around in the neck of the toilet to help the paper along.

Recently we moved to a much colder climate, and our water pressure is not as good, so our water to "waste" ratio has decreased. I find that the paper does not flush as easily with less water flow. Occasionally, i will get 1/2 a gallon to a gallon of water and fill up the bowl, then slowly open the valve so it does not bubble up. Using the skewer - i help the paper down the drain. That helps for a couple days, but it is a problem.

Good Luck!! I hope you like it.

[New to RV life]

No we haven’t changed anything recently. We woke up this morning to no water at the kitchen sink. I’ve checked everything I can find and cannot figure out what the problem is. It seems that the cartridge is sealed inside the faucet and cannot be removed. which could be the problem.

I guess it’s definitely possible the tank wasn’t 2/3 full.

How would I know when the tank “burps”?

[DougW]

Originally Posted by New to RV life

No we haven’t changed anything recently. We woke up this morning to no water at the kitchen sink. I’ve checked everything I can find and cannot figure out what the problem is. It seems that the cartridge is sealed inside the faucet and cannot be removed. which could be the problem.

I guess it’s definitely possible the tank wasn’t 2/3 full.

How would I know when the tank “burps”?

You will know when the tank burps because it will blow a bubble in the toilet when you flush.

We will have the clogging problem in our MH if we don’t use lots of water. The tanks are wide and not deep at all so it takes a lot of liquid to get the solids to float away from the drop tube under the toilet. When ours get a clog I pour a bucket of water down to get the solids to flow away from the drop tube. Also you want to put about 3 or 4 gallons of water in thank after you dump it to help the solids to break down so they can flow harmlessly around in the tank. I use camper’s friend for tank treatment which seems to help break down the solids and keep things working smoothly.

[New to RV life]

Appreciate the advice.

[NMWildcat]

Most clogging problems I've seen that newer RV folks have is caused by using too much paper and not enough water. Just saying.
The kitchen faucet not working first thing in the morning after working previously? My first thought is that particular line froze, or the aerator on the nozzle is clogged with manufacturing debris.
Of course you could also have mechanical problems. The first thing I do with a new RV is replace the OEM faucets with good residential ones from any hardware store.

[New to RV life]

I can happily report that the black tank issue is solved. Fingers crossed for now.

You were correct NMWildcat. Those lines running to the kitchen sink are frozen. So much for this being and Arctic package with heated underbelly. (2” vent stubbed out under furnace to heat the whole bottom area with nothing more than heavy duty plastic to seal
It up) All of the other lines except for the kitchen sink are in a climate controlled area under the bathroom.

They ran the water lines with all of the wiring, etc. along side the C channel frame on the outside edge.

I have since ran a heated cable with those water lines and separated them from the wiring. Unfortunately there is no way that heated cable will be able to thaw out the lines, but we can at least be prepared for next time. We are just going to have to wait until our temps get above freezing in about a week to see if we have any damage to those lines.

[NMWildcat]

Glad you got it figured out. Hopefully it will warm up soon and all will be well.
My current RV is plumbed exactly the same way. Every water line is run through a heated cubby EXCEPT for the lines that go to the low point drains and kitchen faucet. Mine run outside the cubby and under the stairs, then back up into the kitchen sink. They always froze when nothing else did. So I peeled back the cover and used tubular insulation on each pipe, then wrapped everything in more insulation, filled the area with expandjng foam, then resealed the bottom. So far we haven't had anymore freezing problems. But if at hookups I will let the kitchen sink drip on really cold nights just to be sure. And when boondocking I will run the faucet occasionally through the night when I'm awake anyway. Sleep is wasted on the young

[New to RV life]

I definitely plan on taking similar steps once the weather warms up a little bit. If I’d have known, I would have let it drip or added the heat cable before it froze, but I guess that is how we learn about the inner workings of our rigs.
Sleep is overrated!!��