Community Forums

nightmission · 02-20-2018, 03:56 PM

I'm learning what I can about MH maintenance/service before I purchase my first MH. Reading about water filtration has me wondering about tank cleaning. I have a sailboat with fresh water holding tanks. I can open an access port and reach inside if I chose to both see and clean out sediment if I chose to. My waste holding tank has similar access that I will use to clean the tank at the end of the sailing season by shooting high pressure water directly into the tank to break up sediment at the bottom of the tank that the pump out fails to remove. Do MH's generally provide good access to inspect and clean out these tanks? What's your experience in doing so?

Sudsy · 02-20-2018, 04:04 PM

Is no. I know what you're talking about but I have never seen an RV tank like that. I can see mine but I cannot see the top without removal and that isn't going to work. When I have a full hookup I will drain the tanks and then let my tank wash system run for a while till the water looks clean. This really works at a campground that has high water pressure. I have a clear adapter on the sewage discharge.

Sudsy

MisterT · 02-20-2018, 04:05 PM

nope, it's a closed system - but 'most' RVs come with a 'black tank cleanout' port which allows you to use it, connected to your pressurized water, to supposedly help wash out the tank.... I've never used ours, don't see the need for it. Traveling will help wash it out more than anything will.

cruzbill · 02-20-2018, 04:13 PM

Don't start comparing boat systems to RV systems, you will forever be disappointed! (Maybe Marathon, Newell, Foretravel, Prevost excluded).

One guy here (monaco forum) just added a marine cleanout port to his black tank, first time I've ever heard about it.
In the world of RVs, its profits first, style second, and function a distant third.

Old and Bitter!!

nightmission · 02-20-2018, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruzbill

Don't start comparing boat systems to RV systems, you will forever be disappointed!

Old and Bitter!!

Sailing a 30 yo boat, I would hope that some RV systems would be more advanced than the antique I'm currently sailing.

On a boat, where the black water needs to be sucked out of the tank by a strong pump, solid waste has a tendency to remain stuck to the bottom of the tank. Usually one would just leave until the end of the season, I like to clean the tank before laying up the boat for the winter and have the tank as clean as possible. Otherwise organic material

remaining over the winter may very well become a permeant part of your waste system.

Sudsy · 02-20-2018, 08:34 PM

As RVer's we mostly have Full Hookups (water, electric and sewage). We dump and rinse our tanks before leaving a campground and about every other day or so when staying for a while. Our tanks are built so the low point is at the drain not in a well like a pump out tank. Like someone said most campers have a flush system at least for the black tank now days. But this may be an option on some coaches and probably all towables. We don't let solid waste sit in the tank long enough to be a problem. Now must say that I became aware of a condition called pyramiding. This happens when a person has a camper on a permanent site and leaves the black tank open think the turds were going to crawl out I guess. But it is a mess to clean out. Long story.

As for the fresh water tank we have low point drains and can refill as much as we want. We usually don't carry around a full tank of water unless we are boon-docking (camping without hookups)

I got it! There are no bilges!

It's just different.

Sudsy

ThePowells · 02-20-2018, 10:21 PM

I guess this would be a good question when I get to Wakarusa Monday to find out where I can access the top of the black tank.

Sudsy · 02-20-2018, 10:30 PM

Please post the response. I'm sure that money can buy anything. It's just simply unnecessary.

cruzbill · 02-21-2018, 04:41 PM

The best thing you can do in a boat or RV is use lotsa water to flush. If you keep enough water in your black tank on land or sea you will not have a problem when you dump or pump out. To expect that on water you can use the head once or all season and only pump out once per season is to ignore evaporation, and the resulting brown concrete that remains.......

Roger G · 02-21-2018, 06:10 PM

No access to either the black or gray tank on mine although I do have both a black and grey tank flush. I “engineered “ a way to pressure wash the inside of my tanks. I bought a clear sewer elbow with a water hose flush fitting on it. I got a 1/8 I’d pressure washer hose with a rotating nozzle used for cleaning plugged sewer pipes. I ran the hose through the hose fitting which has a flap type back flow preventer that seals well around the hose. I feed it up past the dump valve and work it into each tank. I work it back and forth until I get clear water out the discharge hose. The gray tank is always nastier than the black tank. I do this about once a year.

TonyMac · 02-21-2018, 06:25 PM

My rig has a sanicon waste pump. When it's off, there is about no flow. So, I use this no flow to back flush my black tank everytime I dump. I open black tank valve, turn on Sanicon and pump the black tank empty. Leaving the black valve open, I shut the Sanicon off and open the gray tank valve. Gray water flows thru the y-pipe and into the black tank. About 5 seconds of that and I shut the gray tank valve and turn the Sanicon back on. I have a clear 90* elbow to monitor the situation and I do the backflush 3 times or until I run outta gray water. Then dump what's left of the gray tank and call it a day. The Sanicon also allows me to transfer gray water to the black tank while dry camping. If you don't have a Sanicon, you can use one of thes to do about the same thing: Twist On Waste Valve, Boxed - Valterra.com | Valterra.com

TonyMac · 02-21-2018, 06:29 PM

Oh, and I run the tank flusher the whole time. Before I hook up the tank flush hose to the spigot, I put a big squirt of cheap liguid dishwashing grease fighting, anti bacterial soap in the hose. Turn on the spigot and blow that soapy solution into the empty tank after the initial dump.

nightmission · 02-21-2018, 07:27 PM

Quick question about odors. In a boat, with Black water not leaving the vessel until pump put, its not uncommon to have issues with odor. The problem is most prevalent when you add fluid during a flush and air vents out the air vent of the tank. Is this an issue when boondocking and not moving waste overboard as its being produced?

Sudsy · 02-21-2018, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightmission

Quick question about odors. In a boat, with Black water not leaving the vessel until pump put, its not uncommon to have issues with odor. The problem is most prevalent when you add fluid during a flush and air vents out the air vent of the tank. Is this an issue when boondocking and not moving waste overboard as its being produced?

Your RV black tank is vented thru a pipe that extends above the roof a few inches. There are usually at least two that look like mushrooms. As for smell we use a mild mint fragrant toilet treatment from Camco I think. But most of the modern non formaldehyde stuff is fine.

Sudsy