btrox
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 4 
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Post by btrox on Jan 20, 2016 22:01:16 GMT -5
Greetings! I am a novice to chat rooms, so a little patience is asked for. My wife and I travel 3 to 5 months a year. We have an 37 foot Esclade fifth wheel, new in 2005. We are the second owners. Problem starts when we sit for a few weeks the black tank will start to drain then stop even with the tank flush on. I usually put a bag of ice when we leave the camp ground. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks Bert
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Post by johnr on Jan 21, 2016 7:34:32 GMT -5
Hi, welcome to the group. Could we get a little more information? When you're at a place for a few weeks, how often do you attempt to drain your black tank? What gets it going again? How much water do you use when you flush?
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btrox
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 4
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Post by btrox on Jan 22, 2016 22:25:06 GMT -5
Thanks for reply. The black tank is emptied once a week and fresh chemicals are inserted. My wife uses the bathroom most, I use the bath house for all solid waste. Once we had to cut our trip short to have the rv worked on. They had to pump out the black tank. The rv shop said they could find no problem with the waste system. I have plans to replace the dump valves on both tanks this winter while we are off the road. Down here in New Orleans winterizing is not required, but travel this time of year is not for me. Thanks again. Hopes this answers your question.
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Post by spadoctor on Jan 23, 2016 17:29:24 GMT -5
It sounds to me like a lack of water being put into the tank AFTER you dump. You should put in about 5 gallons. Remember women use an average of 300% more paper then men. Also the chemical is for odor control NOT for breakdown of the solids, in fact the chemicals most widely used hamper the breakdown since they kill the needed bacteria. Also try to fill the tank with water before dumping as the added flow will help prevent a clog. I know they say to NOT run the flush with the valve closed but I have for 20 plus years....it helps stir things up and should not be an issue since the tank is vented....I run it for about 20 to 30 seconds
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btrox
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 4
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Post by btrox on Jan 23, 2016 20:23:25 GMT -5
Thanks for information. Will give extra water a try. Last time out I had to travel with 30 or so gallons of water in black tank. At camp site it stopped draining and had flush on. Emptied tank at home and had a large percent of paper in refuse. I have given instructions on toilet use very calmly,but I will say no more. Thanks again. Bert
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Post by johnr on Jan 25, 2016 7:50:22 GMT -5
I would agree, a lack of water. Good luck!
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Post by spreevilla on Jan 27, 2016 16:15:06 GMT -5
make sure the holding tank is at least 2/3 full to have a proper dump, also run the tank flush, if you one, for at least 20-3 minutes. most chemicals don't breakdown solids properly. I use especially when the temperature is high TankTechs, it works great and less odor. check it out, it can be expensive but I think it is worth the investment. tanktechs.com/ |
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0rion
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 46
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Post by 0rion on Jan 29, 2016 23:27:00 GMT -5
I keep a waste can in the bathroom and have my wife and daughter put their TP in there when they go 1. I then just take the trash out every day. The less you can have paper in there the better. We really don't go 2 in there except for emergency type situations.  Paper has the potential to create some headaches at some point. I'd rather just take a small trash bag out of there ( we re-use our grocery bags as a trash bag) than to deal with paper in the tank. |
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Post by cannonball104 on Jul 14, 2016 6:53:25 GMT -5
It sounds to me like a lack of water being put into the tank AFTER you dump. You should put in about 5 gallons. Remember women use an average of 300% more paper then men. Also the chemical is for odor control NOT for breakdown of the solids, in fact the chemicals most widely used hamper the breakdown since they kill the needed bacteria. Also try to fill the tank with water before dumping as the added flow will help prevent a clog. I know they say to NOT run the flush with the valve closed but I have for 20 plus years....it helps stir things up and should not be an issue since the tank is vented....I run it for about 20 to 30 seconds Ya mean after you do your thing you hold the pedal for up to 30 seconds? |
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Paper has the potential to create some headaches at some point. I'd rather just take a small trash bag out of there ( we re-use our grocery bags as a trash bag) than to deal with paper in the tank.