Full hookup question

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by 7Gentex

So, who really built the pyramids?

someone with an open black tank dump valve?

[Dave&Kathie]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

I'd keep the black tank valve closed until you leave, For a weeks stay, you're not likely to fill it. Before you leave, close the valve to your grey tank for a day or 2. Take a shower. Upon leaving, open the black tank valve first, drain, and then open your grey tank valve, which will flush the hose with cleaner water. Then flush the hose with water, if available.
Same procedure at a dump station. Black tank first, the grey tank flushes the hose after black tank evacuation. Then flush the hose with water, if available.

We do the same as this. Black tank closed, grey tank open until a day or two before we go then we close it so we'll have 'rinsing water' for the black tank.


Kathie

[HarleyD]

When we dump our black tanks, our next dish washing session we dump both the dish wash water and the rinse water in the black tank from the 2 collapsible basins we use to wash dishes. This provides us with a couple of gallons of soapy water to start the next black tank filling. This helps too with our most common problem of having the grey tanks fill up, a couple of gallons less in the grey tank that went in the black tank.
If we see the grey tank filling we again dump the couple of gallons from the dish washing in the black tank again.
Solves 2 issues.

[kiekhaefer]

The black tank is simply a holding tank. Over the short term (a few weeks), no breakdown of your waste is going to occur. The chemicals that claim to do this might work - but over a much longer time horizon, and there's absolutely no need to use them. If you get odor either your toilet valve is leaking or your stack is plugged.

The reason you let the black tank build up has nothing to do with breaking down the waste. Instead it has everything to do with building up enough liquid head (pressure) to force all the waste out of the drain. I always let mine build up to at least 2/3 full, adding fresh water through the black tank rinse or directly from the toilet if needed. I also try to do a black tank flush (filling with fresh water to at least 2/3 level and dumping again) every dump. Never had a problem in 5 years of RVing.

[Parker]

As a couple of previous posts have mentioned, leaving the gray valve open means having a continuous connection to sewer gases. Since there is no trap between your tank and the stinky slinky, the entire sewer system vents through the vent on top of your Escape. That can result in "where IS that smell coming from?" The inside may or may not be protected by the traps in the drain line to the tanks.

[gshadel795]

Happy Camper is the best. No smell

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by gshadel795

Happy Camper is the best. No smell

Odorlos is the best. No smell

[dlakeman]

If you leave the grey tank valve constantly open there's a strong chance you'll get sewer smell back into your trailer through the shower drain hole and sink.

[jontom]

I think the main reason to keep the black tank closed is that it is in effect your only trap. If left open every time you flush the smell from the sewer line comes directly into your camper.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by jontom

I think the main reason to keep the black tank closed is that it is in effect your only trap. If left open every time you flush the smell from the sewer line comes directly into your camper.

There's no trap, but the only things connected to the black tank should be an outside vent and a toilet with flush valve... so there there should be no path for smell into the camper except while flushing the toilet. But don't leave the dump valve open anyway.

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

There's no trap, but the only things connected to the black tank should be an outside vent and a toilet with flush valve... so there there should be no path for smell into the camper except while flushing the toilet. But don't leave the dump valve open anyway.

Believe that is basically what he just said................??


The toilet valve is "in effect" the trap in this instance.


"Bottom" line


Keep the black valve closed unless "dumping" the tank.

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by dlakeman

If you leave the grey tank valve constantly open there's a strong chance you'll get sewer smell back into your trailer through the shower drain hole and sink.

Agreed

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by 7Gentex

Believe that is basically what he just said................??

No, not at all. The post to which I was responding said that the outside dump valve was the only "trap", missing the toilet flush valve.

[jontom]

arguing semantics.. I said essentially only trap and stick by it. commode offers no trap as would be normal in your home. Therefore a valve that would be closed would then essentially serve same purpose. geez

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by jontom

... I said essentially only trap and stick by it. commode offers no trap as would be normal in your home. Therefore a valve that would be closed would then essentially serve same purpose.

There's no trap at all in the black waste system; the toilet doesn't have one, and neither does the dump plumbing. Valves do block sewer gases; the dump valve is not the only one, and the toilet flush valve is the other one.

Keep the dump valve closed anyway.