You do not need electricity to dump the tanks... it's gravity-based.
Here's a step-by-step process for dumping the tanks...once you get the grey water tank useable...until then, skip the grey water part.
(1) Allow your black water holding tank to fill to about 3/4 full or better ...do not fill so overflowing, obviously. If you need to add plain water to it get a good amount of liquid in the tank, that's OK. The more volume in the tank, the better the flush will be.
(2) Connect your drain hose (sometimes referred to here as a "slinky hose") to the large opening downstream from the grey and black valves ... and connect the other end to your sewer connection. Make sure all your connections are good and tight BEFORE you pull any valves.
(3) Pull the black water valve first. Let it drain and close it. If you'd like to do this process several times by filling the balk tank again with plain water to make sure everything is out ... or use Perry's suggestion for getting rid of anything left behind by the previous owner. If it had solids in it that were allowed to dry, you may have to work at loosening the stuff up. I would avoid really harsh solvents and chemicals for cleaning because you could damage seals.
(3) Generally, you want to wait to drain the grey water holding tank until you are finished with the black tank... In normal usage, this will clean out the slinky hose somewhat ... you can also rinse the slinky out with a hose. (Do not use your fresh water hose for this, though.) There is usually a rinsing hose available at dump stations. (If you are flushing the black tank until you get a clear out-flow ... then you don't need to "save" the grey tank for purposes of cleaning out the slinky.)
(4) When everything is drained to your satisfaction, close all valves and removed the slinky and replace the cover to the main drain. (This is when you can use the dump station hose to rinse out the slinky before disconnecting it from the sewer.)
(5) Stow your slinky, and away you go to your next destination.
If you want to use chemicals in your black water tank, that's fine. Lot's of folks do not. Because we live in a warm climate, I usually add a drop-in packet after dumping the black tanks and flush in a gallon or 2 of water to dissolve the chemicals. Chemicals will not kill odors completely but they help and they also help break down toilet paper and solids more quickly, which is a good thing.
I also add chemicals to the grey tank about every 3rd dump or so... via all the sinks and the shower...it freshens the traps and pipes and helps with oily build-up in the grey tank. Believe it or not, grey water can get pretty rank ... the longer it sits the more bacteria ...and odor ... develops. Keep your traps filled so grey water fumes don't come back into the rig.
Happy trails!
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TB & Greg and Abbey Schnauzer
AirForums #21900
PastPrez, 4CU/WBCCI
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