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Topic ClosedBlack tank dumping? - Event Date: 23 Sep 2018

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mpraphael View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: Black tank dumping?
    Posted: 23 Sep 2018 at 7:30am
Our owners manual for our 178 recommends not dumping our black tank until 3/4 full. We’re new...is this standard practice or can we dump with any amount?
Megan and Peter
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2018 at 8:12am
When you dump you want to really dump.  The rush of stuff out of a mostly full tank has the momentum to carry more with it than if you dumped a total of, say, 4 gallons.  So, yes, the fuller the better.

Of course you can dump anytime though.  If you do dump only a few gallons there a few things you can do to mitigate the potential problems.  Before you dump, run as much plain water down the toilet as you have the patience for.  Or, after you dump, fill the tank with water and dump it again.  If you have the black tank washout thingy, hook that up and run it for a while after you dump.  These are all options.  Some people can get real fastidious about rinsing their tank.  One idea is to keep the sensors clean -- the ones that work the lights that tell you how full your tank is.  Those never work anyway, so don't worry about trying to make them work.

Other tips: use a dose of chemical in the tank right after every dump.  Always use more water when flushing than you think necessary.  Dilution is the solution.  Don't overdue it, especially when dry camping.

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new Pod.  This is the place to come for RPod questions.

TT
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2018 at 9:06am
For impatient few of us - they make a thing called a Johnny Chock. Which inserts in your toilet and keeps the flush valve open. Put it in and water from tank or city source will fill your black tank to where you want to be when dumping. I have put some water in the fresh water tank before leaving the site, and when I get to dump station, I insert Johnny and turn on water pump, toilet flushes while dumping. Best to remove Johnny and shut WP off when departing.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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mpraphael View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Sep 2018 at 6:34pm
Thank you!!
Megan and Peter
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 3:07pm
what is the best way to unclog a black tank ? when I dump my tank still has waste in it you can see it from looking down the toilet . when I run the tankflush nothing but water comes out. I have been camping many years with all kinds of RVs never had this problem
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 4:03pm
I never use the black tank without a chemical element. End of the season, I fill the black tank with about a cup of Dawn. Let it set and drain with backflush ON. Toilet tissue is an issue on the sensors. Looking down thru toiler base it appears clean. Hope that helps.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 4:10pm
Good advise given. Use that wash port (with drain open please) and fully flush the tank. Weird it's on the other side of the trailer and a PITA to hookup and use, yet it's there just for this reason.

Now I come from the darker side of life and don't poop in our toilet. No poop, no paper, no jam-ups. 'We' utilize our toilet like a composting toilet and Wag-Bag poop when required. We started this system years back and continue to this day. It's funny how simple it can be vs. spending $1k for a composting toilet that has it's own issues/system/usage. 

For cleaning the tank, I  haven't fully decided upon a agent I'm fully happy about, yet an agent added in and a 1/4 tank does get a lot of sloshing going on to clean and semi-scrub the tank. I say this as when we travel. When I get home I use bleach. I like what folks are doing with ice cubes and it makes sense. Yet... on the road, ice is a valuable commodity. 

Like I say, I come from the darker side of this. LOL
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 4:54pm
The ice cube thing doesn't really work. You can save your effort on that approach.
bp
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 6:38pm
Waiting for a full black tank before dumping is not practical in an rPod if you boondock, you'd end up with up to 50-60 gallons of water which is 400-500 lbs. Waaay to much. I always dump both gray and black tanks before refilling the fresh tank, that at least limits it to 250 lbs water total (plus the unavoidable 50 lbs in the water heater of course). 

Avoiding numbah two in the black tank as much as possible is a good strategy Thumbs Up
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Oct 2019 at 7:04pm
Use a good biological tank treatment such as TankTech's Rx or Unique Products' RV Digest-It or Happy Camper, etc. The live bacteria and enzymes of this type product will help break down solids, something that chemical treatments that only mask the smell can't do. The second thing is always to use adequate water when doing #2. Fill the bowl at least half-way and lay toilet paper in a cris-cross pattern on top of the water. Do #2 and then add even more water before flushing. By doing this, there will be sufficient water to avoid the "pyramid of poo." Brand of toilet paper is less important than using adequate water so that the solids can break down and move out when it is time to drain the tank.

I agree that the black water tank flush fitting is inconvenient, but the way it is installed, it is better than some setups I have seen where the city water connection and the black tank flush are in close proximity.
StephenH
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