Flush King vs. internal spray system

[polarlyse]

We have decided to sell our '85 AS and purchase a much newer model from a friend. This past March I purchased a flush king reverse flush valve. It worked very nicely. We had not been getting proper flushing of the black tank and the bathroom often had that " Bathroom smell". One series of flushes with the flush king and finally being able to get a much better flush and no more smell in the bathroom. And it's been sitting now for 3 months. So I was duly impressed with the effectiveness of the flush king and would highly recommend it.

Now to my question, the new AS we are purchasing has the internal spray flush system. The friend we are buying it from says it works nicely and feels that he always has gotten a complete flush. Should I keep the flush king or leave it to the on board flush system to do a thorough job ???? I will include it with our outgoing AS as a gift to the new owner if so.

Thanks all, See ya on the road sometime

[nvestysly]

I've not use Flush King or any other aftermarket flushing system. Our '92 has a built-in flush and I think it works well.

Lucius

[PhilipKS]

I'm not convinced my internal flush does more than fill the tank with water. I would keep the flush king and pass advice to the new owners, not equipment.

[Bruce B]

I am pretty careful about flushing our tank after we are done using our trailer. I use both the built in tank flush and the macerator "fill" (kind of like the flush king for filling the tank). The only difference I can see is the rate it fill the tank. The built in is much slower. Both work well. I only use the macerator when we are at home and need to empty the tank. I don't think you need both......
Bruce

[Pahaska]

I have had good results from the built-in flush. I use a short piece of hose to connect the flush inlet to the outside faucet on my Classic. When I am ready to hook up, I dump the black, start the flush, and let it run all the while I hook up. If I look down the toilet after flushing, I see a clean, white tank bottom. Most of the time, I don't even use chemicals and I never have odor.

Can't ask for more.

[Kamiak]

I'm not familiar with the "flush King" per se, but if it is like the external I attachment that I use, "hydro-flush", I would keep it handy, even if armed with the internal flush system. I thought that I was pretty fastidious about flushing my black water tanks, and I was very familiar with the sound of the water rushing into the tank from the internal system. Over the years, the sound began to changing, from a clearly audible blast to the tank wall to barely audible hum, as if through a crimped hose. I opened the external connections of the system, but saw no kinks, so the problem lies somewhere internally. Now when I connect the system, there's absolutely no sound of running water. In other words, there's a life expectancy to the internal flushing system, and once it fails, I'm not sure what can be reasonably done to restore it. Even when it was working well, I had experiences where after several days of camping with full hookups the solids formed a plug at the drain pipe, and allowed no evacuation, even with the valve open, and despite following good sanitation practices, i.e, I kept the black drain closed until I needed to dump. The internal flush provided no relief from these blockages. I had to hook up and drive around. Now, I keep the hydro flush, probably similar to the flush king, to blast the plug out of the way when that happens,which is rarely, but it is the only solution if it does.

[Ag&Au]

I believe that most newer trailers are plumbed as ours is. Both gray and black water tank drains have 2 ninety degree bends before arriving at the outlet. Therefore any system attached to the outlet is basically just going to be filling the tank. No jet of water is going to survive those two bends with much force left. Supposedly the built in system sprays the walls of the tank. I have no idea how effectively it does that however. I guess not very.

My experience is that both type systems work equally well at flushing the tanks, but the built in one is significantly slower.

I have a SewerSolution. When traveling I use it to back flush the tank. When I get home, I use the built in system after the SewerSolution, because I think it may clean the Walls better, and I have the time to wait for it.

Ken

P.S. The best thing to do, if you want to make the job difficult, is to let the tank stand for a significant (week or two or more) amount of time with just a small amount of waste in it. Then try both methods, and let us know how it turns out.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Very good results with the on-board flush system on city water....not so much with the water pump.
It helps a lot being able to dump'n'flush on the pad.

A 1/4 cup of Dawn AFTER every 3rd or 4th flush helps also.

DO NOT add the Dawn and then flush......

Bob

[polarlyse]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm leaning towards keeping it. I have read some threads of the internal systems loosing efficiency or failing eventually. So rather than needing to purchase another one I will just keep mine as a backup. I gather, as mentioned, that it is merely a way to fill the storage tank and then simply allow the
increased volume to flush the tank. Seemed to work nicely for me. '

Thanks all,

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Very good results with the on-board flush system on city water....not so much with the water pump.
It helps a lot being able to dump'n'flush on the pad.

A 1/4 cup of Dawn AFTER every 3rd or 4th flush helps also.

DO NOT add the Dawn and then flush......

Bob

Bob,


How long have you been using Dawn, and I guess you have no seal problems, right?

I understand that Dawn is a degreaser.

I mean, Thetford makes a lube to put in the tanks to help lube the seals, so do you use some of that after using the Dawn?

[Friday]

Originally Posted by polarlyse

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm leaning towards keeping it. I have read some threads of the internal systems loosing efficiency or failing eventually. So rather than needing to purchase another one I will just keep mine as a backup. I gather, as mentioned, that it is merely a way to fill the storage tank and then simply allow the
increased volume to flush the tank. Seemed to work nicely for me. '

Thanks all,

If the internal system isn't used regularly, it will likely plug up. Then, when you hook up to pressure, it will blow the vacuum check valve and leak water into your under-pan. So, even if you don't use it as your primary flush system, it would be good to keep the water going through it to keep it functional.

[polarlyse]

I get that Friday. Use it loose it. Hmmmmmm sounds familiar.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Bluto

Bob,


How long have you been using Dawn, and I guess you have no seal problems, right?

I understand that Dawn is a degreaser.

I mean, Thetford makes a lube to put in the tanks to help lube the seals, so do you use some of that after using the Dawn?

Bluto,

Used it the first time about 4 years ago. Couldn't flush/dump on the pad back then, and I needed to get the black tank clean, used the "geo method". It worked really well, haven't mixed the concoction since, but do still add the Dawn every now and then. I just substituted the Dawn for the laundry soap. SFSG.


I have been known to use olive oil when winterizing and to clean flapper valve at Spring get ready......
Werked great to soften up the toilet seal on our 63 Safari too, just poured it in and let it sit for a couple daze.

Bob

[Aage]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

A 1/4 cup of Dawn AFTER every 3rd or 4th flush helps also.

DO NOT add the Dawn and then flush......

Bob

Robert,

What is the Dawn for, to clean it? Do you use one of those packets that supposedly help the microbes "do their thing", whatever that means?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Aage

Robert,

What is the Dawn for, to clean it? Do you use one of those packets that supposedly help the microbes "do their thing", whatever that means?

Helps get the "skid" marks out.

Yep... use the regular liquid "green" AquaChem after every dump/flush.

Bob

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Bluto,

Used it the first time about 4 years ago. Couldn't flush/dump on the pad back then, and I needed to get the black tank clean, used the "geo method". It worked really well, haven't mixed the concoction since, but do still add the Dawn every now and then. I just substituted the Dawn for the laundry soap. SFSG.


I have been known to use olive oil when winterizing and to clean flapper valve at Spring get ready......
Werked great to soften up the toilet seal on our 63 Safari too, just poured it in and let it sit for a couple daze.

Bob

Sounds like a couple of good ideas worth trying. I'll bet it does wonders in the gray tank too.

Hmm, I like Olive Oyl.

[TBRich]

We use the internal flush system, but I'd keep the Flush King for future use if you need it ... I agree that the internal system lacks robustness and when used as simply a rinse device doesn't do the trick ... but it is handy for filling the tank while doing your dumping routine. This allows you to get maximum water volume in the black tank to carry out solids when you open the valve. When we are on our last dump session before heading home I dump the black water, then the grey (I don't bother doing the "big rinse" if we are simply moving to another campground where we will be using the holding tanks)... if there is no line at the dump station and if the dump station is set up to do it, I use the internal flush, closing the valve and monitoring the amount of water building up in the black tank. I use a clear elbow between the dump valve and the 3" slinky hose. I fill the black tank up and let 'er rip a couple of times. When the water from the black tank runs clear through the clear elbow without any solids or toilet paper, it's done. Gross, I know, but at least I know I have a clean tank. It's amazing how much more "stuff" comes out after the initial draining. Just be careful not to let the black tank overflow or you will have "a worser problem" than a dirty tank.

[Kamiak]

Since my internal flush system is now kaput, unless I can somehow breathe new life into it, I'm dependent upon my Hydroflush (Flush King-type product). I recently tried a device I've had sitting around for years, something I think many people have, one of those simple wand devices that go down the throat of the toilet to blast the residue from the sides. It's a simple device, essentially about a 30" length of 3/4" PVC pipe with a hose connector on one end, and a cap on the other end, with a hole drilled into the side of the cap to provide a spray jet. I added an inline ball valve, and a quick disconnect fitting. For whatever reason, mine sat in a cupboard for years, and I finally used it the other day. It filled the tank very quickly, allowing quick, multiple flushes, but the bottom of my toilet throat has a deflector to distribute the waste, rather than deposit it straight at the bottom. Frankly, it seems to me that it simply relocates the inevitable mound, but in any event it's there. It closes the throat enough that I was afraid to insert the wand fully into the tank, since I was concerned that the lip of the PVC cap would catch on the edge of the diverter, and I wouldn't be able to extract it. Then I'd have a serious problem, so I didn't insert it all the way. I'm thinking of making another out of 1/2" PVC, in the hopes that it would slide nicely past the diverter in both direction. If that works, it would provide a powerful jet of water that I could rotate around to clean the tank. What to do with the dirty wand? I'm thinking a slightly larger piece of PVC pipe, say 1 1/2", capped, would serve as a holster, as well as a sanitizing chamber where I could pour in a little bleach and water and let it soak.

The next time I get an extended stay, hot weather, full hookups, I'll try to fill my tank completely for a day or two of good soaking with one of those mystic enzyme products, then blast it from both directions to hopefullly dislodge some of the more recalcitrant residue. Who knows? Maybe that will rejuvenate my internal flush system, unless some inline part has failed?

In any event, even with a functioning internal flush, keep the Hydroflush/Flush King product handy for those days when you open the valve and nothing happens, resisting the urge to peer into the discharge pipe to see what's going on.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Kamiak

---------------------------

Frankly, it seems to me that it simply relocates the inevitable mound, but in any event it's there.
-------------------------------

.

If you always make sure to put a few inches of water in the holding tank before you use it after a tank flush, you should not have the mound problem.

Yes, it diminishes the amount of waste the tank can hold, but black tank capacity is usually not the limiting factor in length of stay.

Ken