Black Tank Help!

**sourdough** · 04-21-2018, 10:07 AM

My son is currently battling what appears to be a clogged black tank. He is in N central TX and I'm here in W TX. He seems to have it isolated to the tank. I'm afraid one of his issues is the fact he left his valves open since he got it hooked up to a septic system a few months ago. I have advised him on trying to check it but I'm running out of ideas and wanted to throw it out to the membership.

He has a convenience center apparently where his pull handles are. I assume they would be cable operated. Do they ever become disconnected? I'm thinking maybe the pull handle isn't pulling the valve open or....

Leaving the valve open has me thinking he could have a buildup that has blocked the black tank opening. He put Rid X in it and let it sit for 3 days at the suggestion of an RV dealership owner. It did not clear it. Has anyone ever ran a snake through the toilet? The outlet?

It is completely full so I told him the work ahead is probably going to get pretty nasty and to be prepared - he needed a lot of rubber gloves and maybe a rubber suit

. To compound it, his cell won't work there and we are trying to text back and forth as he tries different things.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I'm hoping for a way to clear it so that he doesn't have to take a bath in "stuff". I had told him up front that he needed to keep the valves closed but he thought it was too much trouble and "someone" said it would be OK. Well, here we are.

**chuckster57** · 04-21-2018, 10:24 AM

Rid X isn't going to work unless the valve is closed and the tank is full of WATER. If all the tanks drain out of one fitting, can he push a hose back up into the 3" waste line? If not then maybe putting a "back flush" fitting on and running water from the termination fitting might put water back into the black tank.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Sewer/Fl...ent=RV%20Sewer

Picture for reference only.

**sourdough** · 04-21-2018, 10:36 AM

Yes, he put Rid X in it after it was clogged and was full/almost full. I think he's at the point now he's not able to put more water into it.

I'm not familiar with how his drain lines look. All of mine come out in one drain and all the drain lines are above the coroplast. Short of being able to hear the hose in the drain line I'm not sure how he will know where it's at. With the other valves closed it shouldn't go too far I would think. I'm going to suggest a hose from the drain end vs a snake. I'm worried a snake, even if it's not rotated by a drill or similar device, might damage the valves.

**chuckster57** · 04-21-2018, 10:56 AM

A hose would be better than a snake.

**sourdough** · 04-21-2018, 11:16 AM

Thanks Chuck.

**chuckster57** · 04-21-2018, 12:24 PM

He might get away with sticking the hose down the toilet, push it as far as it will go, then turn on the water. Just be ready to shut it back off. Maybe a high pressure nozzle on the end?

ctbruce · 04-21-2018, 12:45 PM

I hope it all comes out okay...pun intended. If you use a snake, use it from the toilet out. That will ln allow him to keep the poo tsunami contained to the attached sewer lines.

Probably someone should tape this as it could be worth money...

Good luck to you all. This may work out but could easily end poorly. I'm hoping for uneventful.

**JRTJH** · 04-21-2018, 01:47 PM

Be very VERY careful with a snake. It's extremely easy to "auger through the sidewall" on a rotocast tank.

travelin texans · 04-21-2018, 01:54 PM

Try hooking the hose to hot water with a high pressure nozzle down the toilet. Maybe someone has a pressure washer they could hook to hot water down the toilet. I would not use a snake in a plastic tank & I would not remove the toilet til absolutely the last thing.
Yes the cables can come lose from the valves, they're usually attached with a set screw that can come lose. If that's the case he could lower the coroplast & reattach or open the valve with pliers.
What a crappy (pun intended) situation!
Unfortunately I think he's going to get messy before its over with, but a lesson he won't soon forget. Also from now on it won't be too much trouble to leave the valve shut.

**sourdough** · 04-21-2018, 01:58 PM

Thanks all. I've not heard from him in a bit; I'm sure he's still working on it. I told him it would be nice if he could work it from the toilet end because working it from the drain end is going to end poorly if he is successful.

Yes, I was worried about the snake due to the tank and the valve. I told him if he used it to be very careful and preferably NOT hook it to a rotating device because of that. I sent him a text about the hose but I've not heard back. I don't think he can use any water to pressure anything because he said it is "completely" full (I think he tried to use a little pressure wand to unstop it and probably let it run a little too long). I hope it all comes out OK, but if it comes out I doubt he'll be OK; if you know what I mean. This is his first trailer too so he's got the newbie learning curve going.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts. This kind of thing definitely illustrates an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Maybe a hundred pounds in this case.

notanlines · 04-21-2018, 02:13 PM

"I hope it all comes out okay..., What a crappy situation" Man, y'all are harsh!
First and foremost is to insure the valve is operational. Either it works, or the cable came loose at the handle end (sheath came loose from the housing) or the set screw came loose at the valve end.
Next I would try the clear attachment at the exit with a garden hose attachment used for flushing. I know these are usually not worth much, but in this case it will get moisture to the problem site and still stay connected to the dump tank.
Fill, drain, Fill, drain. Stir with a stick from above, fill, drain.
Learn, learn, learn.....Dad actually does know more than you think he does and your knowledgeable friends pretty much know squat.

Danny, I was reading your post to Brenda and I only read about three lines before she snickered (real loud, I'm afraid) and said "Poo pyramid, BIG poo pyramid!

MattHelm21 · 04-21-2018, 03:52 PM

If he has to work from the drain end, attach one of these Valera gate valves over the end so if he has to close things in a hurry the handle is right in front of him and he knows its going to work. If it does end badly at least there is a chance of minimizing the mess.

**JRTJH** · 04-21-2018, 05:22 PM

I can't remember ever working on a black tank that wouldn't drain at least something. Poo pyramids typically happen under the toilet, not at the valve. Even if things migrate to the valve end, usually the shape of the pyramid is such that it wouldn't completely block the 3" drain. So, I'd strongly suspect that the valve isn't opening (or there would be at least a trickle of "easily identifiable brown water" coming out of the trailer sewer connection.

My guess is that before going much further with chasing things from the toilet end, pull the coroplast and manually pull the shaft of the black tank valve. If that doesn't start the flow, then he needs to disassemble the housing on the black tank valve and open the slide blade. I think he'll find things flow well, until the pyramid gets to the valve end of the tank. Sooner or later, if there is a pyramid, he's going to have to break it up, but if he gets the tank flowing, maybe RID-X will help.

Pmedic4 · 04-21-2018, 08:41 PM

We experienced this with our previous fifthwheel, and we'd just get a trickle out of the black tank.

We tried Rid-X, Calgon, several other tank digester compounds with really no help. Couldn't go from the valve side, even though it's messier because of so many bends in the drain line, and tried from the toilet side and it didn't do any good either. Ultimately, we used the old fashion method, plunger. After about a week of the chemicals and no luck, the DW and I took turns holding the toilet valve open ( there was water in the toilet giving a good seal) and plunging hard about five attempts with multiple plunges. Finally heard a big whoosh, and it was clear. Sort of wondered what the clog was, but also was happy we didn't see it

. Ran about 400 gallons of water afterwards making sure there were no stragglers!

Every other story we heard about preventing it, was not flushing TP, so we've somewhat gone to using a waste can next to the toilet and dumping it frequently. The short version is that even the dissolving kind, if insufficient water will make paper-mache, so we now use plenty of water, and avoid TP down the tank.

**sourdough** · 04-21-2018, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pmedic4

We experienced this with our previous fifthwheel, and we'd just get a trickle out of the black tank.

We tried Rid-X, Calgon, several other tank digester compounds with really no help. Couldn't go from the valve side, even though it's messier because of so many bends in the drain line, and tried from the toilet side and it didn't do any good either. Ultimately, we used the old fashion method, plunger. After about a week of the chemicals and no luck, the DW and I took turns holding the toilet valve open ( there was water in the toilet giving a good seal) and plunging hard about five attempts with multiple plunges. Finally heard a big whoosh, and it was clear. Sort of wondered what the clog was, but also was happy we didn't see it

. Ran about 400 gallons of water afterwards making sure there were no stragglers!

Every other story we heard about preventing it, was not flushing TP, so we've somewhat gone to using a waste can next to the toilet and dumping it frequently. The short version is that even the dissolving kind, if insufficient water will make paper-mache, so we now use plenty of water, and avoid TP down the tank.

Yes! I have never had a problem with the black tank in my RV history; probably due to good luck. I believe it was on this forum, or another, that the point of lots of water was brought up. Looking back, it's common sense but never thought of it. We run lots of water into the tank after dumping and lots of water any time we "use" it. DW doesn't use it for many of her visits and uses the trash next to her to avoid the paper mache effect. If you think about it, and the construction of the RV tank/holding/dump system, water is THE key element to keep things flowing. Thanks.

Tinner12002 · 04-22-2018, 03:29 AM

I put about 3-5 gal of water with a cap full of calgon water softener and a chem pack in each tank before use. I had one of those mountains in my other RV...paid RV shop to get it cleaned out after several attempts trying to do it myself. Learned my lesson!

Pull Toy · 04-22-2018, 05:45 AM

As already mentioned, I would thin long and hard before using a rotating auger in a plastic environment. The chances of hitting the drain outlet by snaking thru the toilet seems pretty slim to me, and dropping the coroplast is a chore too.

I would try snaking from the valve end with no rotation just to check the distance before it stops. To me a loud clunk would indicate a plastic slide valve, or poo on the end would indicate the motherload awaits. Try just poking thru just enough to get a trickle going just to get some leeway on the liquid level. Once the flow starts, it may solve itself, so be ready with the drain hose, and plenty of rinse water..

p.s. Since you're not rotating, an electricians "pull tape" is probably a lot cheaper than a plumbers rotor, if you have to buy the tool.

Good Luck,

**sourdough** · 04-22-2018, 08:07 AM

Well, I've heard little back except that he had a little trickle coming out and he was heading back to Dallas (his trailer is at Lake Whitney; about 1 1/2 hrs.). Hopefully when he gets back we can talk rather than text about 3 words and I can find out where we are and what he's done in detail. Thanks again to all.

Hey, hey! Just got a text from my son. Said he is on his way back to Dallas but the toilet is fixed! No word as to how so will wait until he gets back to get the full story I guess.

Harleydodge · 04-22-2018, 10:29 AM

Interesting thread. Looking forward to hearing his solution, as it may be a good lesson for any of us who may/will encounter issues down the road.

My only suggestion here, and not sure it would even be feasible, but could he have possibly called a "honey wagon" and had them attempt a low suction evacuation? If it would not suck out through the waste gate then maybe removing the toilet and sucking out through the top?
Assuming this was a poo-ramid type clog and not a faulty waste gate or valve.

Just my thoughts...

notanlines · 04-22-2018, 01:44 PM

Pull Toy's "poo on the end would indicate the mother load awaits" is living proof that we have a sense of humor on this forum!

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