Toilet will not drain

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by BillyBass

Glad you got it fix. But if you went up in from the outside you should had got to the clog .Happy camping and be safe

Getting a snake up into the black tank inlet and the elbow leading into it via the drain valves is impossible. Think about it...

[Bama Rambler]

Glad to hear that it's all cleared up now.

Do you know if the clog was softened by the water or if it was something solid?
I ask because if it was something solid AND it didn't exit the black tank you may see that spider again!

It could possibly clog the dump port/valve on the black tank. Hopefully not, but it's something to think about.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by HESN22

Hello all ... first of all, want to say thank you to all who responded ... giving sage advice and pointers

Good news ... problem has been fixed ... Yay!

Tech was here ... black tank was empty as I stated ... blockage was in 3rd length of pipe just before it connects to black tank ... pipe goes down from toilet, then 45 degree connector ... another length of pipe and then another 45 degree angle connecting to pipe that opens up into black tank. Guess when friend was snaking the pipe, only went to end of 2nd length, that is why blockage was not seen ... tech says it's an unusual manufactuer's set up ...

To remove blockage, tech filled black tank with water, allowed it to sit for a bit to "soften" blockage ... emptied tank ... then put snake down toilet again til it once again hit blockage ... manipulated snake and it caught on something, dislodged blockage (miraculously - lady luck) and whoosh ... away it went into black tank. Tech said luck was definitely shining down today ... ... a fix could have been a lot more complicated and a lot messier ...

Tech also stated that the most effective way, when flushing toilet, is to ... a. Step on pedal lightly until toilet bowl almost fills with water, then step down on pedal allowing toilet to open ... tis the force of the larger amount of water going down the pipe that will assist in alleviating a chance of a blockage. Tech also stated that only RV toilet paper or 1 ply be used.

And that folks is the end of the "Toilet will not drain" saga.

Thanks again ... stay safe ... stay healthy ...

����*♀️

Not sure how 'unusual' that set-up is?

My last two 5th wheels have that same set up and so does my brothers SOB. (some other brand)
Seen plenty of them in basements of R/Vs at shows too. Neither of us have had any issues with this set-up but we both have followed what the tech said and that is flush with plenty of water.

My next concern... will whatever was lodged in the down pipe from the toilet, get stuck or block the black tank dump port piping or opening?

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

Glad to hear that it's all cleared up now.

Do you know if the clog was softened by the water or if it was something solid?
I ask because if it was something solid AND it didn't exit the black tank you may see that spider again!

It could possibly clog the dump port/valve on the black tank. Hopefully not, but it's something to think about.

Something else to keep in mind with their setup is letting the black tank actually get full before draining it. With how inaccurate the sensors are it's hard to know when it's full and should be drained.

But back to my point, if their black tank is allowed to become full before draining then that will cause solids to settle in the horizontal pipe. This is bad for 2 reasons.

1 - Those solids can impede drainage and lead to a build-up and eventual blockage again.

2 - If that pipe is full or a large amount of water is flushed down the toilet after draining then that can lead to a "log jam" (I'm not sure if pun is intended here or not. ) in that elbow, either with toilet paper or other "solids" forming a solid mass as they rush towards the elbow and then blocks the pipe because it can't make the turn.

If I were the OP I would make sure the tank is emptied around 3/4 of a tank if possible, or at least ensure the tank doesn't actually become full before draining.

[Tapex]

Originally Posted by HESN22

Hello all ... first of all, want to say thank you to all who responded ... giving sage advice and pointers

Good news ... problem has been fixed ... Yay!

Tech was here ... black tank was empty as I stated ... blockage was in 3rd length of pipe just before it connects to black tank ... pipe goes down from toilet, then 45 degree connector ... another length of pipe and then another 45 degree angle connecting to pipe that opens up into black tank. Guess when friend was snaking the pipe, only went to end of 2nd length, that is why blockage was not seen ... tech says it's an unusual manufactuer's set up ...

To remove blockage, tech filled black tank with water, allowed it to sit for a bit to "soften" blockage ... emptied tank ... then put snake down toilet again til it once again hit blockage ... manipulated snake and it caught on something, dislodged blockage (miraculously - lady luck) and whoosh ... away it went into black tank. Tech said luck was definitely shining down today ... ... a fix could have been a lot more complicated and a lot messier ...

Tech also stated that the most effective way, when flushing toilet, is to ... a. Step on pedal lightly until toilet bowl almost fills with water, then step down on pedal allowing toilet to open ... tis the force of the larger amount of water going down the pipe that will assist in alleviating a chance of a blockage. Tech also stated that only RV toilet paper or 1 ply be used.

And that folks is the end of the "Toilet will not drain" saga.

Thanks again ... stay safe ... stay healthy ...

[emoji847][emoji137]*[emoji3601]

Thank you for the remedy report! Happy camping!

[BillyBass]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Getting a snake up into the black tank inlet and the elbow leading into it via the drain valves is impossible. Think about it...

I got you

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by DieselDrax

Something else to keep in mind with their setup is letting the black tank actually get full before draining it. With how inaccurate the sensors are it's hard to know when it's full and should be drained.

But back to my point, if their black tank is allowed to become full before draining then that will cause solids to settle in the horizontal pipe. This is bad for 2 reasons.

1 - Those solids can impede drainage and lead to a build-up and eventual blockage again.

2 - If that pipe is full or a large amount of water is flushed down the toilet after draining then that can lead to a "log jam" (I'm not sure if pun is intended here or not. ) in that elbow, either with toilet paper or other "solids" forming a solid mass as they rush towards the elbow and then blocks the pipe because it can't make the turn.

If I were the OP I would make sure the tank is emptied around 3/4 of a tank if possible, or at least ensure the tank doesn't actually become full before draining.

I doubt if there's a horizontal pipe. If the 1st turn is 45° and the 2nd turn is 45° to straight down into the black tank, the intervening pipe runs at a 45° angle down. This is the way it is on my 5th wheel.

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

I doubt if there's a horizontal pipe. If the 1st turn is 45° and the 2nd turn is 45° to straight down into the black tank, the intervening pipe runs at a 45° angle down. This is the way it is on my 5th wheel.

Depends on the distance from the toilet to the tank, but I said horizontal more as a way to reference the pipe I was talking about. I doubt it's truly horizontal/flat as that's just not how drain pipes are installed, but the consequence of allowing the tank to fill and back up into the drain pipe is still valid. Without knowing WHAT caused their blockage all we can do is guess what it was or what caused it. Bottom line, don't let the tank fill completely and back up into the drain pipe. The pipe needs to be able to drain completely and freely into the tank.

[Shadow Stalker]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop. I learned a lot.

[Stevemal]

Thanks for the result, the suspense was killin' me!

[Rick the Rocket]

The local RotoRooter man tells me "he knows his poop", guess that tech does too.

[MR.M]

Many 5th wheels have toilets piped in with 45's and some length pipe going from the upper floor toilet to tank . don't see lots of straight shots when the toilet is 3 ft above tank .

[HVACGuy]

Thanks for sticking with us to the end, it's always nice to hear the conclusion.

Through owning our RV we have also learned that it is best to fill the bowl all the way with solids, and try to reiterate that to guests. Even though there's a diagram on our toilet I have still found that some people don't get it.
It's hard to get guests to follow the directions perfectly. If only they were involved with clearing a pyramid, maybe they would get it lol

Again, thanks for keeping us in the loop all the way through, glad it was resolved.

Happy Camping!

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by HVACGuy

... Through owning our RV we have also learned that it is best to fill the bowl all the way with solids, ...

That requires a lot of dietary fiber.

[Scrapper]

Quote:
Originally Posted by HVACGuy
... Through owning our RV we have also learned that it is best to fill the bowl all the way with solids, ...

Originally Posted by chriscowles

That requires a lot of dietary fiber.

I wonder how HVACGuy empties the tank when it's full of solids. In my experience solids do not move very well unless you have an auger or conveyor belt.

[HVACGuy]

Originally Posted by HVACGuy

Thanks for sticking with us to the end, it's always nice to hear the conclusion.

Through owning our RV we have also learned that it is best to fill the bowl all the way when depositing solids, and try to reiterate that to guests. Even though there's a diagram on our toilet I have still found that some people don't get it.
It's hard to get guests to follow the directions perfectly. If only they were involved with clearing a pyramid, maybe they would get it lol

Again, thanks for keeping us in the loop all the way through, glad it was resolved.

Happy Camping!

Originally Posted by chriscowles

That requires a lot of dietary fiber.

That's all I eat, nothing but fiber.

Originally Posted by Scrapper

Quote:
Originally Posted by HVACGuy
... Through owning our RV we have also learned that it is best to fill the bowl all the way with solids, ...




I wonder how HVACGuy empties the tank when it's full of solids. In my experience solids do not move very well unless you have an auger or conveyor belt.

Its a whole process, I don't want to get into now.




I didn't catch that, and it certainly didn't slip by you guys. I changed it to what I meant in my quote of myself.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by HVACGuy

... I didn't catch that, and it certainly didn't slip by you guys. I changed it to what I meant in my quote of myself.

It was fine while it lasted.