Dumping my Black Tank

[Mykelyksit]

Hi Friends, My wife and I puirchased a 99 HR Endeavor and have been living in it for 8 days now. We are both newbies when it comes to RV's but we had a terrible experience that I am wondering if anyone else is having similar problems.

I have been having problems getting fresh water in my tank when I use the city/water in valve. My sensors say that it is full and yet when I try to use water, there isn't any available. So we were at the RV station to get water and when I opened my utility door, it was full of black tank crap!! Oh S_ _ t was my reaction!!

I put my bayonet dump hose on the outlet and pulled the valve the rest of the way open to dump the tank, apparently the valve had opened a quarter of an inch and was allowing waste into the compartment. My line out of the black tank is a 4 inch line and my dump hose is 3" diameter. The force of the release popped the bayonet connector right off of the outlet and crap was flying everywhere. Needless to say, my wife and I both decided that this may not be the lifestyle change we were looking for.

My question is this: What product can I purchase that would give me a better outlet connection, and why does a new dump hose leak around the connector?? I checked and the O ring was in place but it still leaks when I dump the tank. Camping World says that I need a new valve put on the outlet, which is probably correct, but I don't think that is going to stop the leaking when 4" of waste is pushing to get out of a 3" hose.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have to fix this problem or else I may be looking for a new change.

[vettenuts]

Is the connection to the pipe the standard bayonet fitting? If the coach is a 99 it would be hard to believe there isn't a solution to this as the previous owner couldn't have had this happen every time they dumped the tank. Was the bayonet fitting you used old or brand new? Did it break off the tabs on the fitting?

[PushedAround]

That sure is one heck of a way to begin your camping experience. No place to go from here but up! One thing that is a big help is patience. It will all come to you in time, and taking things slow is the RV lifestyle anyway.

As far as your waste problem goes, first throw away your 3" hose and get a 4" one. No more restrictions now. Second, check and make sure that the fitting on the outlet has all of it's tabs so that the hose stays on. Third, make sure that when you close the valve, it is fully closed. If there is ANY stem showing at all, then it is not closed and if pushing harder on it does not work, then there is some waste material in the groove that needs to be cleaned out. The slide valves are very easy to remove, once you have dumped the tank of course (newbie ) and you are already familiar with the odor so... Finally, there should be a cap on the outlet to keep things clean just in case you do have a slight leak from the valve.

And if you are unsure about your connector, post some pictures. We have lots of experts here who love pictures!

[dakratdave]

get the proper size hose. do not oull valve handle out all the way st first.
get and use cap over discharge port when not in use.


have another knowledge able camper look at your set up to see whats wrong.


if I open mine all the way initially my hose will jump all over.

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by dakratdave

if I open mine all the way initially my hose will jump all over.

Is that the valve, or all that Mexican food ?

[LETMGROW]

I have a solid cap which fits on the dump tube just in case the handle did work its way out. If the handle did look to be out a little I could simply close it tightly, place a pan under the tube and wearing rubber gloves carefully remove the cap. You would only get the discharge between the cap and valve draining into the pan. Luckily I have never had to do this. These handles should stay shut if they are in good condition. Valves etc. are replaceable if they are worn to the point where they won't stay shut.
The cap also insures I wouldn't have a mess if I mistakingly left the valve open after draining the tank then using the toilet on the next trip out.
If all 4 lugs are on the discharge pipe and the end of the pipe is in good condition I would get a new hose for the dumping duty. Fill the black tank with fresh water and try it out before using the toilet.
By any chance does the fresh water tank have a vent on it to allow air to escape while filling the tank? Some of the tanks have a plug in the vent hole which must be removed to fill the tank then put back in to keep critters out.
Lynn

[JFNM]

Howdy and Welcome Mykelyksit!!

Ohhhh!!! What a yucky experience!

It seems you've already received some good input! I would just add that I have never had an experience like this and I know none of my RV'ing friends have either. So, please don't give up on the lifestyle yet - it is not normally like that.

[FormerBoater]

For your fresh water issue, there is a by-pass valve that has to be open to fill your tanks and then must be closed for your on-board water pump to pump the water to your faucets, shower head, toilet etc.

Sounds to me like you have the tank full, but have not closed the valve.

[NMRVer]

Welcome to irv2
X2 check your by-pass valves.
Sorry to hear about your "crappy situation". It sounds like your valve to opened slightly. After you cleaned everything up, i'd double check that it isn't still leaking, you might have a valve seal leaking.

[Gary RVRoamer]

There is a good chance on his '99 that the waste tank valves are simply leaking and due for replacement. The seals in the valves don't last forever. Old seals leak a bit over time, and they also may get sloppy enough that the valve can work open. Replacement isn't a big job in most cases, unless the nuts/bolts are rusted badly.

[FRR2EYW]

You might also want to get a short clear section (which I call a poo-view), mount it on the outlet and then use the black cap. I find it very comforting to know that there is only air behind the cap when I remove it. (Yes this is the voice of experience). It also allows you to see when the tank is completely flushed out.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by FRR2EYW

You might also want to get a short clear section (which I call a poo-view), mount it on the outlet and then use the black cap. I find it very comforting to know that there is only air behind the cap when I remove it. (Yes this is the voice of experience). It also allows you to see when the tank is completely flushed out.

Also known as "dump-o-vision". Good when rinsing tank also. When the rinse water is clear you're done.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

[jlabit]

I recently purchased one of these that I connect on initial setup.

Flush King - Valterra FK-02/F02-4350 - Sewer Flushing - Camping World

I love it because it has the clear section where you can see the color of tank output. It also has a fresh water connector where you can easily back flush the tank.

[PushedAround]

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

Also known as "dump-o-vision". Good when rinsing tank also. When the rinse water is clear you're done.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

Yeah, but the dump-o-vision costs more, and I think that it needs batteries.