Black water tank cleaning

[Michael.Chadwick]

We are closing in on that time of year to winterize and store our 5.0 in Maine. I winterize it myself, but wonder what people do to give the black water tank its ultimate cleaning? We use happy camper, dump in ice cubes to roll around in there etc. Is that enough to drain and throw in a little antifreeze? Thanks in advance………Michael “Faux Chateau”

[Fox hunt]

I stay away from the black tank- treat, empty, add water, flush a bit, etc... and try to stay away from it. no Oder so far- so it seems ok. Some do seem to do some flushing out might be good for it?

[gbaglo]

If I clean the black tank, somebody always comes along and uses it. Waste of time, I figure.

I use Odorlos tank treatment during camping season and dump RV antifreeze in it for the winter.

[Fox hunt]

i agree. i use Odorlos and dump some antifreeze when i winterize.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by Michael.Chadwick

We are closing in on that time of year to winterize and store our 5.0 in Maine. I winterize it myself, but wonder what people do to give the black water tank its ultimate cleaning? We use happy camper, dump in ice cubes to roll around in there etc. Is that enough to drain and throw in a little antifreeze? Thanks in advance………Michael “Faux Chateau”

Once every 4 or 5 uses I use a hose and flushing wand and get a lot of stuff out of the tank. I usually do this at home and dump into a bucket that I take inside to the toilet. Works for me and keeps the level probes working....sort of.

[Eddys]

Does anyone use a back flushing valve item such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...KIKX0DER&th=1?
There are a couple of other similar products too. We are on our second E19 and have never used one, but just wonder whether we are getting our current 2015 E19 tanks clean enough with ordinary hose rinsing at each dump and ice after a long trip.

We use the orange stuff throughout the trip and it seems to do a good job. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...DKIKX0DER&th=1

[fudge_brownie]

Myth Busters did a show on using ice cubes. It does it work. And that was my favorite.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by fudge_brownie

Myth Busters did a show on using ice cubes. It does it work. And that was my favorite.

Suggest you see this and explain how ice is doing anything.
https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/do-...k-really-work/

[elongest]

I use the Johnny chock and hose with a Camco Wand. Both are available from Amazon. Some people drill extra holes in the end of the wand to change direction of the water jets.

[salmo7000]

I was one of those people who had thought cleaning a black tank is a waste of time. I never put TP in mine, I use plenty of liquid, and I treat with Odorlos. Just to prove I was right, I decided to check things out after my last trip. I had just dumped the tank and rinsed it at the dump station by running 5+ gallons of water through it. Once at home, I opened the flush valve and peered into the tank with a bright flashlight. To my surprise and dismay, I did indeed see some residue in the tank, after being sure there would be none.

I got a garden hose and sprayed it with high pressure, as much as I could reach. I emptied the contents into a 5 gallon bucket and flushed it down the toilet in my house. I repeated this process 4 times, then inspected the situation again. While I did dislodge some material, I wasn’t able to get it all.

I don’t think there is anywhere near enough residue to create a problem, but I also don’t want to let it get to the point where it might. So I just ordered a Camco wand and watched some videos. I think periodically getting the tank clean is probably worth doing. I really thought mine wouldn’t need it, but it kind of does!

This video is worth watching: https://rvtroop.com/how-to-flush-and...-rv-black-tank

At the end they describe several techniques in the event your RV doesn’t have a flush mechanism, which our Escapes do not, including the ice cube method, plus some others.

[Jimbo21]

Originally Posted by Michael.Chadwick

We are closing in on that time of year to winterize and store our 5.0 in Maine. I winterize it myself, but wonder what people do to give the black water tank its ultimate cleaning? We use happy camper, dump in ice cubes to roll around in there etc. Is that enough to drain and throw in a little antifreeze? Thanks in advance………Michael “Faux Chateau”

To get the tanks pristine clean is a pretty straightforward 3-step process. When doing a huge search to find the best possible method or methods I discovered this YouTube procedure from a guy that explains everything very thoroughly and the reasons for everything. He talks about various different methods and then summarizes by explaining the best way to clean the tanks so that they are super clean.

https://youtu.be/wUWGlm2gQfE

[yeungfeng]

Originally Posted by Jimbo21

To get the tanks pristine clean is a pretty straightforward 3-step process. When doing a huge search to find the best possible method or methods I discovered this YouTube procedure from a guy that explains everything very thoroughly and the reasons for everything. He talks about various different methods and then summarizes by explaining the best way to clean the tanks so that they are super clean.

https://youtu.be/wUWGlm2gQfE

A big thanks to Jimbo for the link. I have had problems with the sensors with both the grey and black water tanks since we purchases our E19. My method of avoiding an overflowing black tank was to keep track of how much fresh water was used. No issues but still annoying. So I tried the technique described in TR Bowling's youtube and it seems to have worked. Black sensor shows empty now. It took two times of soaking with the borax and dawn mixture and an extra flush with fresh water, but it worked, or so it seems. I'll be using his maintenance suggestions from now on.

[MrLynn]

After emptying the black tank I start afresh with a gallon of water and about 3 ounces of Valterra Odorlos®. This seems to keep down odors. Have never added anything to the grey tank—maybe I should.

We have never had a sewer connection at a campsite, so if we need to dump, we do so on the way out. At home we have a holding tank (with pumps to get sewage up to the city lines on the road), so we can dump into the tank, and then can flush out the black tank with a hose. Seems to work OK,

The Odorlos bottle says "Composed mostly of nitrates." I've no idea how it's supposed to work, but apparently it does.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

After emptying the black tank I start afresh with a gallon of water and about 3 ounces of Valterra Odorlos®. This seems to keep down odors. Have never added anything to the grey tank—maybe I should.

We have never had a sewer connection at a campsite, so if we need to dump, we do so on the way out. At home we have a holding tank (with pumps to get sewage up to the city lines on the road), so we can dump into the tank, and then can flush out the black tank with a hose. Seems to work OK,

We use two gallons after emptying, and drain our dish wash water in the black tank, yet have never filled the black tank. We also use about 3 ounces of Odorlos and, like you, have good results.

Except when we travel winters, June or September/October, our camper sits in a seasonal campsite from April to November hooked to the sewer. We dump the tanks in the seasonal site perhaps once a season. Every so often the mobile RV guy shows up to open someone’s black tank because they leave the valve open all summer, instead of dumping it once a week/month/etc.

However, now I’m supposed to put Odorless in our grey tank? Since we dump our dish wash water in the black tank we don’t seem to have a problem.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Iowa Dave]

I don’t think dumping a chemical in the grey tank is absolutely necessary but it does make things smell a lot better when you dump. I didn’t do it for a few years and at the suggestion of my wife I started and I can tell the difference. When we dump after camping for a few days we usually pump the fresh water into both tanks for dilution and flushing.

Before winter, I set the trailer at a fairly steep angle on the driveway out here in the country and flush it extensively with fresh water. Works for me and my situation.

On my black tank flusher wand, I drilled several extra holes to get horizontal, 45 degree angle and a vertical stream(s). Nine holes in all. All the same size as the originals.
Iowa Dave