Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Fifth Wheels
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-02-2013, 08:53 AM   #1
dankent
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 123
Black tank flush on 333MKS

Hello all,

After running my black tank flush this last weekend I noticed that there was some pressure and water that came back out at me in the water center, is this normal behavior ? I am thinking there may be a kink in the hose or something.

Concerned that it may not be doing a great job I decided to get a bucket after my trip home and put it on the sewer hose exit and opened it up .. ack ... that was the grossest thing I have seen in a long time. Closed that off ... now I am worried about what is sitting in there after every camp. I ran the black flush for close to 30 minutes.

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong or do these things normally not work well.
__________________
TV:
2012 RAM 2500 Laramie Limited CC 4x4 w 6.7 CTD

Current:
2014 Keystone Cougar 333MKS

Sold:
2012 Keystone Sprinter 255RKS
dankent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2013, 09:38 AM   #2
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
dankent -

There are a large number of posts/threads about the black tank and the black tank flush here for you to read about this topic. While waiting for responses, try doing a forum search and browsing through these. Quite a few members have reported issues with the black tank flushing system and what they have done to remedy the problem.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2013, 02:28 PM   #3
JeffS
Senior Member
 
JeffS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Huntley, IL
Posts: 155
So far we have flushed our Black Tank 3 times - seemed to work fine. I can clearly hear the water spraying in the tank. The flush system appears to work no different than it did on our previous Cougar 5th Wheel. With both, when I disconnected I always got a little water spray. Though I don't know for sure, my assumption is that the pressure in the line is due to the back flow preventer in the flush system.
__________________
Jeff & Karen
2013 Ford F250 6.7L CC SB
2014 Cougar 333MKS
Huntley, Illinois
formerly Norton Shores, Michigan
JeffS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2013, 02:24 AM   #4
dankent
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 123
Ok thanks for the confirmation. I didnt have this pressure on the sprinter, but seem to on my cougar. Not sure why it isnt doing a very good job yet. But have a couple ideas going forward.
__________________
TV:
2012 RAM 2500 Laramie Limited CC 4x4 w 6.7 CTD

Current:
2014 Keystone Cougar 333MKS

Sold:
2012 Keystone Sprinter 255RKS
dankent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2013, 06:24 AM   #5
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Quote:
Originally Posted by dankent View Post
Hello all,

Concerned that it may not be doing a great job I decided to get a bucket after my trip home and put it on the sewer hose exit and opened it up .. ack ... that was the grossest thing I have seen in a long time.

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong or do these things normally not work well.
We have a saying in surgery that pretty much sums up your experience:

"Dilution is the solution to polution"

The only way you're going to get a "clean black tank" is by repeated *REPEATED* filling and flushing.

Most garden hoses will deliver about 3 gallons a minute, that is reduced significantly with any restriction on the nozzle end (black tank inside fitting) so you're probably only getting 1-2 gallons MAX into the tank per minute. Running the flush system for 30 minutes "might" get you 30-45 gallons of water pointed at a few specific spots inside the tank. It won't get you complete coverage of every "nook and cranny" in there. So, it's sort of like washing your car and using the hose to rinse off the roof and hood. If you don't actually rinse the sides too, you'll probably still find soap close to the ground on the truck.

Same with the black tank.... Where there's poo, you will almost always find more poo. it just won't get "completley clean" with a 30 minute "quick rinse." But in the grand scheme of things, the next trip out, you're going to be adding more "undiluted polution" to the tank, so realistically, what difference does it make if it's completely clean. This is one time when, like in "horse shoes and hand grenades" Close is good enough.....

Now, that said, at the end of the season, "relatively clean and completley empty" is probably the best way to store the black tank. I always empty it and flush until the discharge flows clear, jack the front down, let it drain, jack the front up, let it drain, then close the dump valve. Then, during winterizing, I flush the toilet until it flows pink, then let it run a bit (half a gallon or so) that into the black tank where hopefully it will flow to the valve to help keep the seals lubricated and prevent any further drainage from freezing. So far, it's worked for 30+ years
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2013, 06:45 AM   #6
dankent
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 123
Good points.

I ordered a clear plastic adapter for my sewer exit so i can monitor the flush / fill / flush processes. Also will buy a rinse wand for playing from the other end when i am unsure.

I will be doing a more thorough rinse out for sure next weekend, I have a couple more trips out this year before i put it to bed. I am sure there will be a nice mess in there ,

I will be going there tonight to see about a valve that may be under my sink, Not sure what i can do with it .. but will see. I will add some ridx and some more water to it till i can get to a proper dump station.

Before starting my trip i plan to add a few buckets of Ice and do the clean out when i arrive and concentrate on the process as much as possible.
__________________
TV:
2012 RAM 2500 Laramie Limited CC 4x4 w 6.7 CTD

Current:
2014 Keystone Cougar 333MKS

Sold:
2012 Keystone Sprinter 255RKS
dankent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2013, 07:18 AM   #7
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
dankent,

This is a direct quote from the Rid-x website:

"Recreational Vehicles (RVs)?
•RID-X® has not been tested on recreational vehicles (RVs). therefore we cannot recommend using it in RVs. "

You can find the information here: http://www.rid-x.com/faq.shtml

I would strongly urge you to use "RV" related black tank products only. All others may well create more problems than they can solve. Damaged rubber seals, action with other chemicals producing noxious gasses and even creating problems with your tank sensors are some of the problems I think you might introduce by using Rid-x.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2013, 08:09 AM   #8
dankent
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 123
thats what i get for trusting a utube how to .... lol thanks very much for pointing that out.
__________________
TV:
2012 RAM 2500 Laramie Limited CC 4x4 w 6.7 CTD

Current:
2014 Keystone Cougar 333MKS

Sold:
2012 Keystone Sprinter 255RKS
dankent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2013, 08:36 AM   #9
WaltBennett
Senior Member
 
WaltBennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Haymarket, VA
Posts: 382
The back splash when taking the hose off is good!

The flushing system has a back-flow preventer that is supposed to be installed at the top of a kind of inverted U of pipe between the hose attachment and the tank flush fitting. There have been some who've found this preventer to be missing and some who've had them fail (and had fun trying to find the thing!). Bottom line, if it's working correctly it's a good thing to have.
__________________

'06 F350 Lariat turbo diesel dually, Curt 20k, Softopper, Aerosheld, coolant filter, air bags
'10 3665RE Hickory, wet bolts, Trimetric battery monitor, 4 100w panels & Morningstar TS-45, still tweeking!
WaltBennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2013, 06:50 AM   #10
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
dankent, Howdy;

Quote:
Originally Posted by dankent View Post
Hello all,

After running my black tank flush this last weekend I noticed that there was some pressure and water that came back out at me in the water center, is this normal behavior ? I am thinking there may be a kink in the hose or something.

Concerned that it may not be doing a great job I decided to get a bucket after my trip home and put it on the sewer hose exit and opened it up .. ack ... that was the grossest thing I have seen in a long time. Closed that off ... now I am worried about what is sitting in there after every camp. I ran the black flush for close to 30 minutes.

Any ideas what I might be doing wrong or do these things normally not work well.
What comes to my mine is that when you shut-off the water the back-flow
preventer is doing it's job and so is the check valve that is part of the same
assembly. What you are experiencing is the 'trickle back' from the check valve
to the hose connection ... as far as the other end of the process, now that
you have the clear section you shouldn't have any worries there either.

hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2013, 09:04 AM   #11
dankent
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kitchener
Posts: 123
This would make the most sense to me, Its not alot of water coming back maybe a cups worth at the most.

Dealer wants me to bring it to him and he wants to check it anyhow before i go away next week. I am hoping that clear peice will help as well.

thanks again all for the help !
__________________
TV:
2012 RAM 2500 Laramie Limited CC 4x4 w 6.7 CTD

Current:
2014 Keystone Cougar 333MKS

Sold:
2012 Keystone Sprinter 255RKS
dankent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2013, 09:08 AM   #12
Javi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,456
I built an inline pressure relief valve for just this purpose and use it at the faucet. Turn off the faucet then open the valve and presto no more pressure in the hose..
__________________
2015 Ford F350 DRW 6.7 Diesel XL
2020 Avalanche 313 RS
Javi is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.