new member with problems

[mxsounds]

Hello everybody,
My user name is mxsounds and I am a retired Motion Picture editor. I purchased a 1984 31' Excella trailer and living on a piece of land in Oregon.
My black water waste tank is 3/4 full and when I pulled dump valve to empty nothing came out. Can anybody tell me what is wrong? Is valve screwed up or can opening just be plugged and if so how do I unplug?

Thanks,
mxsounds

[overlander63]

Welcome to the forums. The area at the valve can be blocked with solids. You may be able to loosen the solids by opening the valve, and spraying hard with a water hose. Be aware that if you succeed in breaking the dam, you will have a lot of "stuff" quickly flowing out.

[InsideOut]

Sounds to me like you have a plug...either that or the handle pulled off and the valve was not opened at all. Did any "water" come out at all when you opened the valve? If so, and the solids remained it's a plug and you just need to dislodge it - carefully!

If nothing at all came out and the handle moves very easily, not at all or it doesn't go back all the way, my guess is the valve is broken or jammed.

Regardless, there is no easy solution - especially with a 3/4 full tank

One thing we have found is that if we use "normal" toilet paper it will clog up easier than if we use the thin single-ply or RV toilet paper which breaks-up and dissolves better between dumps. Not as luxurious but certainly better than dealing with a "plug" or "cone".

Sorry I can't be of more reassuring assistance...but welcome to the forums!

Shari

[Ganglin]

Did you contribute to the fullness so your sure something is in there. If your going by an indicator panel it's most likely wrong.

[Airhog1]

Take your hand and run it up....OK just kidding...

It does sound like you have something blocking your drain valve...could be some tissue or other foreign matter...there are lots of threads about this same problem...I would use your search tab and see what you can find...

G

[Airhog1]

Here's a link...

G

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f444...ank-31189.html

[Boondocker]

I would pour a bunch of septic tank enzyme in there. It wont hurt anything, it may solve the problem, and it will let you put off dealing with what will probally turn out to be a crapy situation

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by mxsounds

Hello everybody,
My user name is mxsounds and I am a retired Motion Picture editor. I purchased a 1984 31' Excella trailer and living on a piece of land in Oregon.
My black water waste tank is 3/4 full and when I pulled dump valve to empty nothing came out. Can anybody tell me what is wrong? Is valve screwed up or can opening just be plugged and if so how do I unplug?

Thanks,
mxsounds

As noted earlier, how are you determining that it's 3/4 full? Are you going by a gauge or have you looked down into the toilet with a flash light? Obviously if you are using the eyeball technique and visually see the liquid, the folks here have already addressed the clog situation. I'm also assuming the valve is functional.

Once you address this situation, remember to always try to dump the tank when it has ample liquid in it. Don't ever leave it open constantly since that will allow solids to build up within the tank.

Jack

[TBRich]

It sounds like a blockage, and this is a very nasty problem... But others have had it and have dealt with it in a number of ways...follow the links provided above and you'll find several options to try...and what others have done to resolve it.

It's unclear if you've been doing this, but it's really important to not let the black water drain valve remain open all the time...let the holding tank fill up before you dump it... If it's left open, there's not enough water in each flush to wash the solids out the drain, and the potential for solid waste build-up happens as the liquid drains out and the solids stay behind. If you let it fill before you dump it, the force of a full tank draining will get rid of most of the solids when it drains. Rinsing a couple of times after dumping is a good idea, too...

Good luck with it...
TB

[Boondocker]

Another possibility, if you are mobile, is to put a bag of ice into the black tank via the toilet. Drive around until the ice has melted. The ice being solid will help break up solids and then melt. Just watch out for the 'black ice'.