Dump Or Travel with Less Than Half Full Tanks?

[Rounder44]

Howdy,

Up till now every long trip I took the past 2 months I was able to time 75%+ black and gray tanks.

Leaving for a 250 mile trip tomorrow and both are only ~1/3 to 1/2 full. I was practicing boondocking and seeing how long my semi- conservative use would get me

Should I dump or with the sloshing around be a good thing? Have to use a dump station, otherwise I'd fill and flush.

Thanks,

Rounder44

[azflycaster]

I would make the decision based on what the next stop is. If you are headed out and unsure what the next stop will have, I would dump. A year ago we upgraded from vintage to a newer Airstream with tanks that have much more capacity. In many ways I am still thinking vintage which means; never pass a dump station without making a deposit.

[DaveP]

Rounder44,

If you do this on a regular basis, you don't have to travel with a 75% filled tank to keep everything broken up (and easily flushed). Towing with two or three gallons of water is all you need sloshing around in your black tank to keep it working properly.

[Daquenzer]

Most dump stations have water hoses. I would take a 5 gallon bucket (I always carry one) and fill the tanks (black and grey) and then dump. That’s what I do at full hook up campsites. I just don’t like driving with the extra weight. I don’t see the harm in driving with it either. Just a matter of extra weight. I also agree with the last post. We normally always drive with some water in the tanks.

[garry]

I never know what my next adventure will be when leaving a CG so I always dump and add a few gallons just in case.

Having said that on holiday week-end I may dump night before if I know there will be a crowd at the DS or depending on next day stop just go for it and dump there.

No rules just do what you think the best option is at the time.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Rounder44

Should I dump or with the sloshing around be a good thing? Have to use a dump station, otherwise I'd fill and flush.

As Hans Solo said, we follow standard Imperial procedure and always dump our trash, gray tank, and black tank before jumping into hyperspace.

Most all dump stations have a non-potable water source. We often use dump stations at interstate highway rest areas, FlyingJ and other truck stops, or at state parks.

On the final leg of a long trip home, we will dump the back tank and put in 10 lbs of ice to churn around and help clean it out. We then make the last dump before parking.

73/gus

[Photobum]

Throw a bag of ice down the toilet. The existing fluids and ice will clean the walls of the dark tank.

[wulfraat]

I always try to run with a full tank of fresh water and dump / empty grey and black water tanks.

On my 30’ grey and black tanks are behind the axels. I don’t like the reduced tongue weight when they are full.

[demijac]

Don't know the size of your gray and black water tanks so this answer might not work for you.

We full-time eight months per year, are generally on the move, and boondock at least two days per week to save money. Our general rule of thumb with normal usage is two days on the gray tank and up to one week on the black tank. So for us, the main concern is managing the gray water tank. We always make sure it is empty when we leave an RV Park or campsite because you never know if plans will change and we like knowing we can get by for two days of boondocking or primitive campsites with the gray tank if we need to.

Even though we can get by a week with the black water tank, we like to empty it twice a week. We used to do once per week but were experiencing frequent problems with the tank rinser getting jammed up. Ever since we switched to the twice per week schedule, it's been working like a champ. And I guess the added bonus is that we're carrying less weight around as well.

In summary, we don't worry too much about weight; it's more about fitting tank management to our travel rhythm.

Hope this helps!

[GammaDog]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

I always try to run with a full tank of fresh water and dump / empty grey and black water tanks.

On my 30’ grey and black tanks are behind the axels. I don’t like the reduced tongue weight when they are full.

Ditto... except our grey and black tanks are in front of the axles and I don't like the extra tongue weight.

[mikeoxlong]

Throw in a tide pod or similar product to help launder your tanks...

[JCWDCW]

I think the OP was questioning whether it is bad to have the tanks sloshing around from a travel and stability point iof view, not whether it is good to slosh to clean tanks.
I have run 300 miles with 1/3 to 1/2 tanks simply because there was no available dump. My tanks are in font of the wheels and therefore add weight to the hitch. The only issue I find is poorer gas mileage especially if it is hilly. If the travel is going to be a lot of Rock and Roll, I would dump. otherwise it is a chance to see how it works out without much downside except for running a bit heavy.

JCW

[johndorst]

Originally Posted by Photobum

Throw a bag of ice down the toilet. The existing fluids and ice will clean the walls of the dark tank.

Check out this YouTube video about this concept. Pretty funny and enlightening about this practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6acEmqvcw

[turk123]

After picking up our new 30 Classic, we were dumping after every camping stay. Put a few gallons in the black tank and move on. What I found after two months of this is the black tank sensors stopped working properly. It would show 50% and then jump to 80%.

At our next opportunity, I dumped the black and ran the tank spinner and filled to half way and dumped again. I have a clear section on the sewer hose and I saw a lot more clumping and white toilet paper than usual. I kept going and filled and flushed a few more times. Sensors still not working.

After some research, I found a recipe here (bad use of word) to use a capful liquid laundry detergent and a capful of Calgon water softener in the black tank instead of the Aqua-Chem I've been using. We also stopped dumping every chance we got. We let the tank fill up and slosh around when traveling.

The results were better than we expected. The sensors came back after a week of using this concoction and we no longer had any trace of chemical smell. We used this method for the rest of our trip (three more months) and never had a problem with sensors or buildup.

Benifits:

No more chemical and chemical smell.

No more buildup.

Lower cost and no storage fears.

Happy black tank.

I might add, some people add a little Clorox to the tank also. We have not done this and have wonderful results all around.

I believe dumping too often does not allow the sides to get cleaned properly with sloshing water. It also allows for buildup under the toilet.

As for towing with extra weight. Owning a Classic we were told to fill the fresh water tank when traveling. I had noticed a slight sway with the trailer and after adding 450lb. of fresh water, the sway was better. Surprisingly we went from 11 MPG to 12 MPG average.

[Photobum]

Please add water to your tank and then drive around the block...most of of us p in our black tanks also. Your simulation is not reflective of real life.

[Jaxon]

Ice really doesn’t work (as shown on the video). What we’ve done is empty both black then grey before leaving our site/campground then add a couple- three gallons to the black tank. I also drop in one of those dishwasher tabs to the black tank (& sometimes, grey tank), that have the “spot-free rinse” additive. When we get to our new site, I’ll flush the black tank again to rinse out the soap and what was cleaned... I don’t do this every time, maybe once a month. This has kept sensors working and the black/grey tank clean.

I always travel with an empty grey tank and mostly empty black tank - don’t like carrying around the weight...

[Fallman]

I use something of the right height to stick in the peddle linkage to keep it open on the toilet. Then either my shore water will fill or my batteries will fill from my potable tank. No need for a bucket going in and out the door.

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by johndorst

Check out this YouTube video about this concept. Pretty funny and enlightening about this practice.

Nice guy but not quite scientific!

Bed of a truck does not have the same motion of a trailer especially single axle. One hour does not = 3-5 hours of agitation.
Round ice cubes do not = larger angular ice cubes.

My tanks always have at least 2 gallons of water so not getting baked in the sun.

I'm not saying ice cubes do totally clean out the tanks; just this guys video is flawed.

The only definitive answer would have to be an objectionable real life video, before and after, which no one wants to see that.

I can say that I generally flush the tank each time. Every couple weeks 2-3 times till I see more clear water. When using ice along with a stiff dose of Calgon, Dawn, Happy Camper and bleach my second and third flushes had more solids knocked loose in clearer water than same without ice....

8lbs of ice cost $2. If I think of it when hitting the road I'll insert crow bar in my wallet and pry out a couple bucks because just maybe....

R44

[MontyV]

we empty holding tanks whenever we can. nothing worse than a full tank when you need to use one. we keep water tank full for stability when traveling.