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Tuco · 01-12-2016, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrjkq

Does that just shoot water up into the tank with enough pressure to break up a blockage?

It will shoot water into the tank with the valve open or back fill with the valve closed. In this case with the valve closed burp water into the tank to break the clog then drain. Once the system flows, back fill the tank for a minute or two then drain (valve closed). Repeat till the water flows clear and there are no chunks or paper. You can always use the milk shake maker to get a good clean (once the clog is gone). I use this on every flush to get as much of the solids out by shooting the water into the tank with the valve open. Let it run for a few minutes then shut the water flow off and let it drain. Rinse and repeat till the water runs out clear. Once a year I pull out the wand to clean the tank. This second method is a maintenance item and should be used once you are on top of the current problem. YMMV...

GL

Foiled Again · 01-12-2016, 04:38 PM

ARE you SURE that the tank gate hasn't pulled loose from the handle?

The gate is plastic and it is absolutely inevitable that it will eventually fatigue and break. You pull the handle in and out and nothing happens - and you cannot screw it back in. If the gate doesn't move, none of the treatments recommended above will work. If the handle goes in and out with zero resistance - you're screwed. If - WHEN this happens to my rig my very first step will be to call a pumping service and have the tank drained and rinsed repeatedly - through the toilet (or the hole in the floor after I pull the toilet up (and gag several times). If there's any room in the tank a quart of Lysol or Pinesol will go in there too. After that I'll tackle the replacement of the gate.

Let me go look for a good thread I remember on how to do this (gag) job. I pay for a lot of nasty repairs, but this is so nasty I don't think I could bring myself to ask someone else to do it. OTOH, paying the poor slob an extra $100 might just overcome my scruples.

HAH - found the thread in time to edit. Very good pictures of the repair process included: (NO sh** literally!) The man found a way to do the repair without pre-pumping the tank OR losing any "fluids" on the ground. A must read!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f444...lve-84229.html

Paula

bradleyoder · 01-12-2016, 06:49 PM

Does that flusher potentially send water up the vent stack/pipe?

n2916s · 01-12-2016, 07:25 PM

Well, if you ran it for 50 plus gallons...

I think the idea is to cycle water in, yuck out...

Mike

bradleyoder · 01-12-2016, 08:43 PM

10-4. I just snaked from the outlet and we're back in business!! (Right after I order the flusher thing and a tank sprayer!).

So, we live in this thing, have hay bales shoved around the perimeter to limit wind and try and heat the crawl space with light bulbs so pipes don't freeze. I have giant ratchet straps holding the bales on, so each time I have to fiddle with the utilities, I have to partly dismantle all of that. Meaning, I really don't want to leave the gate closed until it's full and have to disassemble our insulation to open it...if we use plenty of water now, do I really need to let it fill and empty it?

Tuco · 01-12-2016, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyoder

10-4. I just snaked from the outlet and we're back in business!! (Right after I order the flusher thing and a tank sprayer!).

So, we live in this thing, have hay bales shoved around the perimeter to limit wind and try and heat the crawl space with light bulbs so pipes don't freeze. I have giant ratchet straps holding the bales on, so each time I have to fiddle with the utilities, I have to partly dismantle all of that. Meaning, I really don't want to leave the gate closed until it's full and have to disassemble our insulation to open it...if we use plenty of water now, do I really need to let it fill and empty it?

If you let the water drain then the solids will build up in the tank. Try and make the dump process easier to do. With your older trailer you will need an adapter to go from Thetford to Valterra.

Thetford to Valterra Adapter

We always keep a spare one of these. you will also need a Valterra slinky kit. Others here can let you know which type of slinky hose is best for cold weather. We found out the hard way that the Camco slinky's plastic shatters in sub zero weather (but I still like it).

**DKB_SATX** · 01-12-2016, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyoder

10-4. I just snaked from the outlet and we're back in business!! (Right after I order the flusher thing and a tank sprayer!).

So, we live in this thing, have hay bales shoved around the perimeter to limit wind and try and heat the crawl space with light bulbs so pipes don't freeze. I have giant ratchet straps holding the bales on, so each time I have to fiddle with the utilities, I have to partly dismantle all of that. Meaning, I really don't want to leave the gate closed until it's full and have to disassemble our insulation to open it...if we use plenty of water now, do I really need to let it fill and empty it?

If you don't learn from history you're doomed to repeat it.

If you can get one of those tank-cleanout wands and use it every couple of days you might put it off for a while, but it's a function of how these tanks are designed. They're supposed to have liquid retained in them for the solids to soften and break down and to have a big rush of liquid to carry it all away. Not that much water flows out of the flush valve fast enough to wash it all away every flush. Maybe modify the bale near the flush valve handles and have a chunk that's easy to remove/open (styrofoam or something, with a brick or two to keep it in place between dumps?)

With the flush-king thing you just ordered, you might be able to get all that set up with a water hose running out of the bales so you could at least flush the tank from that end without having to undo all the bales, just connect up that hose when you want to flush the tank perhaps?

TG Twinkie · 01-12-2016, 10:55 PM

You need to keep the black water dump valve closed until the tank is at least 3/4 full.
The sewer system in a house is totally different than in an RV. There is no holding tank. The household toilet has a trap built in. That's how the water stays in the bowl.
The RV toilet is nothing more than a very fancy outhouse. There is no piping between the toilet and the holding tank. Therefore nothing to plug in that area.
The solids in the tank are most likely your problem. If the dump valve operates correctly. Then the solids have built up enough to block the tank outlet.
If it were me I would call the "honey wagon" and have them pump the tank. It will take several cycles of them pumping then flushing then pumping again. Most holding tanks are not very deep which is a drawback in trying to pump them out.
It may be some trouble to remove the hay bales to dump periodically. But it most certainly will be easier than what you are going thru now.
By the way. IMHO Hay bales are a bad idea. They make great homes for rodents and are a fire hazard.

**Kevin245** · 01-13-2016, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradleyoder

10-4. I just snaked from the outlet and we're back in business!! (Right after I order the flusher thing and a tank sprayer!).

So, we live in this thing, have hay bales shoved around the perimeter to limit wind and try and heat the crawl space with light bulbs so pipes don't freeze. I have giant ratchet straps holding the bales on, so each time I have to fiddle with the utilities, I have to partly dismantle all of that. Meaning, I really don't want to leave the gate closed until it's full and have to disassemble our insulation to open it...if we use plenty of water now, do I really need to let it fill and empty it?

In order for tank solids and TP to soften and breakdown RV black tanks need lots of water so things do not dry out. A high water to solids ratio along with a full tank also promotes effective waste discharge when you dump the black tank.

If you carry on as you are now you will likely deal with this issue again. I would find a work-around solution such as having an access port you can pull open to gain access to the dump handle, or perhaps there is a way you can add an extension to the handle and have it protrude through the bales so the process is not as laborious.

bradleyoder · 01-13-2016, 08:00 AM

10-4, all. Understood. Yes hay bales are not ideal. Cattle also eat it. If we need to go another winter before we build our house, I'll probably use two inch Dow board insulation. I like the extension handle idea.