Do you not put toilet paper in the black tank?

[Marine359]

Anybody who has a septic tank at their home knows that wipes are not flushable. We always caution our visitors to flush only TP lest we get nailed with an expensive septic repair bill. Rinsing grease onto the ground when camping is a bad idea. We live in the mountains. Any residue of grease from cooking attracts critters, especially raccoons, skunks and possums. Clean your campsite, or invite unwanted visitors.

[Norm-n-Mary]

We stopped putting toilet paper in our black tank a couple years ago. Since we got our Multipoo we've been using doggy bags when doing the paper work. Wink-wink!! At the end of the day while taking pepper (our dog) out for a walk we deposit into the site waste containers.

[jacwjames]

A friend of ours has a Class A and he a big problem with a blockage. He ended up having to pull his rig down into his pasture and used a hose to break it loose.



About ~12 years ago we were traveling with another camper. We were at a couple of dog shows for ~a week. When we were getting ready to depart the site I pulled up to the dump first, it was not a typical dump, just had a large concrete pad sloped into a rain type catch. Not a pretty site when you dump. We didn't have any problems. When the other camper pulled up to dump she opened her black tank valve and nothing (nada, zippo, zip) came out. A whole line of other RV's were behind us and someone suggested we try rocking her Class A so a bunch of got on the side and pushed back and forth and got it moving pretty good and all of a sudden There She Blow (or flows in this case), it as a thick mix of sewage with lots and lots and lots of toilet paper, came out a thick paste. Definitely not a pretty site.





FWIW, when we bought our first Class C my wife had an older friend who had RV'd for years. She advised us not to put TP in the toilet. So we don't. Not a big deal. We also don't use any type of tank treatment. I guess we are outliers.

[Banjoman47]

Originally Posted by jacwjames

A friend of ours has a Class A and he a big problem with a blockage. He ended up having to pull his rig down into his pasture and used a hose to break it loose.



About ~12 years ago we were traveling with another camper. We were at a couple of dog shows for ~a week. When we were getting ready to depart the site I pulled up to the dump first, it was not a typical dump, just had a large concrete pad sloped into a rain type catch. Not a pretty site when you dump. We didn't have any problems. When the other camper pulled up to dump she opened her black tank valve and nothing (nada, zippo, zip) came out. A whole line of other RV's were behind us and someone suggested we try rocking her Class A so a bunch of got on the side and pushed back and forth and got it moving pretty good and all of a sudden There She Blow (or flows in this case), it as a thick mix of sewage with lots and lots and lots of toilet paper, came out a thick paste. Definitely not a pretty site.





FWIW, when we bought our first Class C my wife had an older friend who had RV'd for years. She advised us not to put TP in the toilet. So we don't. Not a big deal. We also don't use any type of tank treatment. I guess we are outliers.

If that effluent came out as a thick sludge, the answer is pretty darned simple; they (and anyone else) are simply not flushing with enough water to keep your sewage fluid. I know that some people boondock and must monitor their tanks. but having to deal with what you described simply isn't worth it.

[LETMGROW]

C'mon folks, you don't need a Doctorate's Degree in Physics to make these waste holding tanks work. Let water be your friend. After dumping each tank add a minimum of five gallons of water to each tank. The more water the better. Use water liberally when flushing #2 down. Fill the bowl up again if you wish and flush that water down too. Never let the tank get completely full before draining your tank. 3/4 is fine then top the tank off with fresh clear water.
Now when you pull the handle or push a button the dump valve will open and the pressure from the water in the tank will come out with a significant force and carry most everything in the tank out with it. If you feel the need to, fill the tank again with fresh water and dump it again. This should carry out anything which got missed at the first dumping. Let the water and the head pressure in the tank do the dirty work for you. During this procedure you are rinsing off the tank level sensors and helping them to read more accurately. Don't forget to add the five gallons of water before you start using the toilet again.
Want to use a tank deodorizer? Go ahead. While it may not be necessary it won't hurt anything except your RVing budget. I do use some in a liberal amount in extremely hot weather. Normally I use "Happy Camper" but that's just something I bought in a large amount on sale and I still have plenty left.
While I'm not dealing with solids in my grey tank, like my black tank, I still dump the grey tank before it becomes totally full. Nothing, and I mean nothing goes into our grey tank except water from the kitchen sink, water from the bathroom sink and the water from our shower. Water from washing dishes gets dumped into the black tank. The dish washing water is contained in a plastic dishpan which fits nicely in the kitchen sink bowl. All dishes, pots and pans are scraped off and wiped before they go into the dish pan. My black tank is NOT a garbage disposal. That's what dumpsters are for.
While I wouldn't recommend it, treat your tanks like you were going to drink out of them after you have cleaned them and you will never have a plugged up tank or experience that dreaded "Poop Pile" in your tank.

[Jchemie]

Thank you Letmgrow, your plan of use and maintenance is exactly right. Since RV toilets don’t refill with water after flushing like home based toilets do, there is no water being sent down the line after the flush to clear the line and carry the sludge away. Plus the extra water dilutes the waste so that it clears out of the tank better later on. Like you said, this isn’t rocket science. And grease is a big problem, if you don’t believe so then go ask someone who runs a city sewer system or a plumber of how bad grease clogs a street drain.

[US1]

Originally Posted by Jchemie

\ Since RV toilets don’t refill with water after flushing like home based toilets do, there is no water being sent down the line after the flush to clear the line and carry the sludge away.

All of our RV toilets allow you to fill the bowl without flushing. Some by lifting up on the flush lever 1/2 way, some by pushing 1/2 way down.

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by US1

All of our RV toilets allow you to fill the bowl without flushing. Some by lifting up on the flush lever 1/2 way, some by pushing 1/2 way down.

Others by pulling a lever on top of the bowl.
We wouldn't want a nearly full bowl of water in our toilets after flushing them. This might make a mess as we drove down a bumpy or curvy road. I usually add just a small amount after flushing to assure the toilet valve is covered.
Job #2 gets a double flush. Ladies, being special, get to double flush every time.

[1stimerveer]

Been using TP in our camper for the last 6 years and never had a problem.
We usually top off our tanks with water so that we're dumping a full tank, when its time to go home.

At the end of the last trip of the season, I dump the black and grey tanks, close the valve and run about 5 gallons of water in each tank, add a 1/2 cup of dawn liquid soap and a scoop of happy camper.

This loosens everything up during our trip home. Once home I add water to both tanks filling each to about 1/2 full and dump them again. This gets rid of almost all of the solids.

finally I snake a hose down into the black tank with a nozzle that emits a fan spray. Using a quick disconnect on the hose allows me to rotate the hose and fan spray head so that the fan spray hits all the inner tank surfaces.

This usually leaves the black tank squeaky clean. Then I fill the gray tank, before dumping it. The Dawn does a great job on the gray tank, and the sensors work perfectly.

I don't see any rocket science requirements here.

Safe travels and all the best....

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by 1stimerveer

Been using TP in our camper for the last 6 years and never had a problem.
We usually top off our tanks with water so that we're dumping a full tank, when its time to go home.

At the end of the last trip of the season, I dump the black and grey tanks, close the valve and run about 5 gallons of water in each tank, add a 1/2 cup of dawn liquid soap and a scoop of happy camper.

This loosens everything up during our trip home. Once home I add water to both tanks filling each to about 1/2 full and dump them again. This gets rid of almost all of the solids.

finally I snake a hose down into the black tank with a nozzle that emits a fan spray. Using a quick disconnect on the hose allows me to rotate the hose and fan spray head so that the fan spray hits all the inner tank surfaces.

This usually leaves the black tank squeaky clean. Then I fill the gray tank, before dumping it. The Dawn does a great job on the gray tank, and the sensors work perfectly.

I don't see any rocket science requirements here.

Safe travels and all the best....

Not rocket science.... but overkill and wasting water! You will never get the tanks 'squeaky clean' so don't worry about it.

[VolDawg]

Originally Posted by Reprobate

I have known folks who don't flush TP, only allow #1 in their toilet (no #2), use their shower only for storage, will not use propane, will not use microwave, will not use the fresh tank, will use water heater on propane, but not the main heater, will not use the air conditioner, the list goes on.
Most of it, i think, is a phobia of some sort. Could be because they don't understand some things, but most will not even begin to listen to logic about it.
My phobia is running out of beer...

I like your way of thinking. I tend to overthink things but when it comes to my RV and camping, I prefer to use it, clean it, store it and repeat.

And these days I have replaced running out of beer with running out of bourbon.

[Mudfrog]

One things for sure, black tank toilet paper threads are the most interesting, comical, and entertaining to read. With such a simple system to deal with, it's amazing how complicated some make it out to be. I can understand newbies having a few questions but I'm not sure why anyone would ever think they couldn't flush TP down a run of the mill RV toilet. To each his own I suppose.

As long as there isn't a problem with the plumbing system, using enough water to keep things liquified and then dumping only after there's plenty in the tank is all that's needed.

There's certainly no rocket science involved.

[bwanna2016]

i think that is why it's called toilet paper i follow instructions and put it where it belongs. just add plenty of water.

[1stimerveer]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Not rocket science.... but overkill and wasting water! You will never get the tanks 'squeaky clean' so don't worry about it.

I might have gotten carried away with my squeaky clean description.. basically I use about 10 to 15 gallons in each of the gray and black tanks for the drive home, and about 5 to 10 minutes or so with the fan spray. The black and gray tanks can each hold up to 30 gallons.

I want to make sure no clumps develop and I like my sensors to work. A once a year cleaning also makes sure I don't have to listen to my better half tell me about any smells that might develop... So I expect I use at most 60 gallons, once a year. It doesn't seem like a waste to me. Heck most people blow more than that watering their lawn or washing their RV or TV.



Safe travels and all the best..