Dometic toilet issue

[ckcardwell]

Hello all, my 2013 27FB Flying Cloud seems to have developed a problem with the toilet. The issue is that when you step on the flush lever there seems to be a back pressure that causes a bubble of air to come up from the throat of the toilet. Has anyone had this problem and does anyone have a solution? Thanks in advance for any help.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by ckcardwell

Hello all, my 2013 27FB Flying Cloud seems to have developed a problem with the toilet. The issue is that when you step on the flush lever there seems to be a back pressure that causes a bubble of air to come up from the throat of the toilet. Has anyone had this problem and does anyone have a solution? Thanks in advance for any help.

Is this tank full? Or almost

[RLS]

sounds like the air vent for the black tank is blocked

[ckcardwell]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Is this tank full? Or almost

The tank is not full. We are full time living in the A/S and I am constantly emptying the tanks. Another poster replied stating that the air vent to the black might be clogged. Sounds logical to me. Thanks for the reply

[ckcardwell]

Originally Posted by RLS

sounds like the air vent for the black tank is blocked

Thank you. That sounds like a distinct possibility. Access through the roof? Clear it with a plumbing snake? I have a top snake here at my job that should do the trick. I am guessing that the vent covers come off with relative ease. I am wondering what may have gotten in there to clog the vent stack. Thanks again

[AtomicNo13]

Shoot the hose down the roof vent. If youre stationary, your tank might be full of paper and other material and your tank isnt as big as it once was. Typically youll get a very nasty burp from the toilet as you near critical mass!

[n2916s]

Is it safe to assume that you only dumped the black tank when it was near full? Do you have and use the tank flush? It sounds like the tank hasn't fully emptied for some time and it is full of debris.

[ckcardwell]

Hello n2916s, I think what you have said along with another response makes a lot of sense in that the tank is not emptying completely. I use a macerator pump to empty my tanks and we do not move the trailer very often. From what I gather, moving the trailer with some water and other debris in the tank would help mix things up and make it easier to fully empty. I only dump the black when the gray is near full and haven’t paid that much attention to the level of the black tank. What is the “tank flush” that you have referenced? Would it be best to only dump the black tank when it is almost full? Thank you very much for your input

[polarlyse]

The tank flush is an internal sprayer in the black tank. Trailers differ so I can't say just where your attachment is but on my 2001 its down low in a compartment near where my city water attachment is located. Some of the newer ones are located above or below where your hose hooks up. During the dump process you hook up a water hose and let it run, usually with the black tank valve open and dump hose still attached. It sprays water into the tank to help facilitate an efficient dump. It was an option when my trailer was built, I think. My former Airstream, an '85, did not have one.

And yes, the greater the volume in the black tank the more efficient the dump.
You say you are stationary a lot of the time. I hope you leave the black tank dump valve closed to allow volume to build up then dump it with greater volume rather than leave the valve open to allow low volume flow.

[DKB_SATX]

Re: tank flush: If you have a built-in tank flush, there'll be another garden-hose-sized connector on the side of your trailer somewhere near the regular city water connection labeled "Sewer Flusher" or something like that, with a note that you should only use that inlet when the sewer valve is open. It runs water to a sprayer inside the black tank to help clean it out when you dump, I try to use this regularly when I'm at a full-hookup site because it's usually not convenient when using a dump station unless there's no one waiting.

In my old trailer I used a flush wand that went down the toilet. I only used that a couple of times a year because I had to run a water hose in the door of the trailer, etc. but it seemed to be effective. That's not an option in my current trailer because it has a macerator toilet, but it should work for yours if you don't have the built-in flush system. I don't know what year that became standard.

[blkmagikca]

Sounds like you're building the "pyramid from hell". It's a fine line to properly maintain your waste system - not enough water with the flush builds the pyramid, too much water runs down your fresh water tank faster and requires dumping more often. I've had guys like the RV Proctologist (in Quartzsite) power clean the waste system, and it's amazing what really gets cleaned out.

Although I have not as yet done so, my plan is to install a Nature's Head and couple the black and gray tanks into a single gray (urine into the gray). This to be done next month.

[ckcardwell]

Thanks to all that have replied. All replies were pertinent to my problem. The basic bottom line is that I have been dumping the black tank too often without using the flush cleaning attachment. I spent some time with it tonight by using my macerator pump and a garden hose directly into the throat of the Dometic. By turning the water supply off to the toilet I was able to see when the water got to a decent level and then I turned the macerator pump on. I also used the flush system. As I understand it, the system has little nozzles that spray the walls like in a dishwasher. From now on I will let the black tank fill to a higher level before I dump, and when I dump I will use the cleaning system. Also, I will travel with the black tank 1/2 or more full to facilitate agitation of the contents and may be prone to dump once I arrive at a camp site. Once again, thank you everyone!