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Old 02-24-2019, 04:08 PM   #21
Carvendive
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I'm ticked!!! That shut off switch DOES NOT eliminate 80%. I had a spike two days ago (reverse connected battery). My 9 touch switched LED's, my sterio, the fuses on my converter/charger are all shot. I'm going to rip the switch out and replace it with a real shut off. Yes, I'm pissed off!
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:24 PM   #22
Guywood
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Now that you know the vent pipe is clear for the black tank, I would suggest putting the whole box of RidX in it while it is in storage and that way it can work for 7 months.
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Old 02-24-2019, 10:59 PM   #23
bobbecky
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We have been using TankTechsRX for a number of years now and have had no issues with our black tank, but we never leave the drain valve open, and we drain the tank once a week. Granted, the sensors don't work, which I never look at anyway. On the TankTechsRX web site, they talk about how to clean a black tank, and how to contact a professional that can deal with the pyramid. http://tanktechsrx.com/unclogging-yo...ank-or-toilet/
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Old 02-25-2019, 07:59 AM   #24
jimborokz
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My previous rig bought used had the poopile issue as the owner stayed a season at an RV resort and I'm guessing left the black valve open. Only one year and the tank indicators were stuck on full. Used a geo methode (mix of Calgon and Dawn soap) for one season (we snow bird the same as you) and lots of water and the tank flushed clean and the level indicators worked again. Now with new rig we only use geo mix and have no issues. BTW, tp makes no difference as long as you use septic approved tp. I speak from 30 years experience in waste managment business and septic system installation.
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Old 03-05-2019, 03:50 PM   #25
Wes Tausend
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Thanks! There is some good data info here.

After thinking about it, I realized how easy it would be for any RV vent to plug. I'll take a guess that some waste vent stacks run down through a wall as usual, but straight into their own loose-fitting hole drilled in the top of the waste tank. In this case, I can easily see the factory allowing the vent stack stub to drop too far into the tank, out of hurry and sloppy assembly. We probably all have some issues in our RV's where an installation of something(s) is compromised by hurry.

The worst flaw would be just how far the stub extends into the black or gray tank. If, for example, the stub extends half down into the tank, the vent would be submerged and useless after the tank becomes half full. If the stub was allowed to slip all the way down to the tank bottom before being permanently fastened, the vent would start to totally fail after the first two cups of effluent. My suspicion is this is a common problem with waste tanks and accounts for many new RV's having both black and gray water odors.

This situation also would have allowed the toilet air-ploop that the OP noted since even a slightly submerged vent would merely cause a pressurized, rising level in the vent fluid as the majority of the bowl emptied. Then when the added volume was high enough, the raised vent fluid would drop from it's own weight and an air bubble ploop would be able to easily splash back through the nearly empty bowl.

A better option might be to attach the vent to the toilet drain pipe below the flush release valve and some may be that way. The same problem would still exist if the main toilet drain pipe stub (or gray stub) went too deep into the tank, however.

In a related situation, I have several identical toilets in my stick home that I've been thinking about just this week. The one that flushes the smoothest and quietest is the original one that is only a couple of feet from the sewer stack. Another toilet that is about four feet away from the stack, in a Family Room, has to flush four feet, nearly horizontally, to reach the stack. I didn't add another closer vent.

The Family Room has a much noisier toilet as the bowl "megaphones" louder slurping vacuum sounds as the first water slug, tends to siphon the remaining water from the toilet trap for a longer period. Fortunately most home toilets continue to dribble enough water to refill the trap and seal the sewer gas. Unfortunately it is the one most used by guests. The analysis reveals why two identical toilets seem to work so differently.

Finally, the residual solids in a parked RV with full hook-ups are always probably more settled than in one that bounces over to a dump site first. Even if one waits until the parked tank is full before pulling the dump valve, one would think a fair bit of dissolved sediment would already be settled on the bottom. With each cycle, this "layer" probably accumulates everywhere but in a small area by the outlet. It would be better to power-wash after each dump since far less solids will ever be in decent suspension from being stirred by recent towing. I note that I have an internal rinse option to built into my present RV and I can see it wouldn't hurt to do so if I'm dumping from a stationary hook-up.

Thanks to all for the discussion.

Wes
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Old 03-06-2019, 02:26 AM   #26
jimborokz
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wes Tausend View Post
Thanks! There is some good data info here.

After thinking about it, I realized how easy it would be for any RV vent to plug. I'll take a guess that some waste vent stacks run down through a wall as usual, but straight into their own loose-fitting hole drilled in the top of the waste tank. In this case, I can easily see the factory allowing the vent stack stub to drop too far into the tank, out of hurry and sloppy assembly. We probably all have some issues in our RV's where an installation of something(s) is compromised by hurry.

The worst flaw would be just how far the stub extends into the black or gray tank. If, for example, the stub extends half down into the tank, the vent would be submerged and useless after the tank becomes half full. If the stub was allowed to slip all the way down to the tank bottom before being permanently fastened, the vent would start to totally fail after the first two cups of effluent. My suspicion is this is a common problem with waste tanks and accounts for many new RV's having both black and gray water odors.

This situation also would have allowed the toilet air-ploop that the OP noted since even a slightly submerged vent would merely cause a pressurized, rising level in the vent fluid as the majority of the bowl emptied. Then when the added volume was high enough, the raised vent fluid would drop from it's own weight and an air bubble ploop would be able to easily splash back through the nearly empty bowl.

A better option might be to attach the vent to the toilet drain pipe below the flush release valve and some may be that way. The same problem would still exist if the main toilet drain pipe stub (or gray stub) went too deep into the tank, however.

In a related situation, I have several identical toilets in my stick home that I've been thinking about just this week. The one that flushes the smoothest and quietest is the original one that is only a couple of feet from the sewer stack. Another toilet that is about four feet away from the stack, in a Family Room, has to flush four feet, nearly horizontally, to reach the stack. I didn't add another closer vent.

The Family Room has a much noisier toilet as the bowl "megaphones" louder slurping vacuum sounds as the first water slug, tends to siphon the remaining water from the toilet trap for a longer period. Fortunately most home toilets continue to dribble enough water to refill the trap and seal the sewer gas. Unfortunately it is the one most used by guests. The analysis reveals why two identical toilets seem to work so differently.

Finally, the residual solids in a parked RV with full hook-ups are always probably more settled than in one that bounces over to a dump site first. Even if one waits until the parked tank is full before pulling the dump valve, one would think a fair bit of dissolved sediment would already be settled on the bottom. With each cycle, this "layer" probably accumulates everywhere but in a small area by the outlet. It would be better to power-wash after each dump since far less solids will ever be in decent suspension from being stirred by recent towing. I note that I have an internal rinse option to built into my present RV and I can see it wouldn't hurt to do so if I'm dumping from a stationary hook-up.

Thanks to all for the discussion.

Wes

When on city water which is usually the case when stationary, I always run the black flush for a good 10-20 minutes while ocasionally closing the black valve for a few minutes to let fresh water build in the tank.


Seems to work pretty well.


I must be one of the lucky ones with a vent properly installed as I've not had any odor problems.
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