Always a little surprise waiting for me

[labman]

Every time I am setting up camp I get a little surprise when I open the black/gray drain to hook up the sewer hose. 10-20 ounces of :eek: stinky dirty brown water are waiting for me. I have flushed the tank virtually each time I put the 5er away and without fail, open the drain weeks/months later and yuk..... Nothing to terrible but it is disgusting. Rubber gloves are certainly a prerequisite to set up on the sewer. Anyone else have this or is it my own to claim? :scuba:

[jsmith948]

Every time I am setting up camp I get a little surprise when I open the black/gray drain to hook up the sewer hose. 10-20 ounces of :eek: stinky dirty brown water are waiting for me. I have flushed the tank virtually each time I put the 5er away and without fail, open the drain weeks/months later and yuk..... Nothing to terrible but it is disgusting. Rubber gloves are certainly a prerequisite to set up on the sewer. Anyone else have this or is it my own to claim? :scuba:Your black tank dump valve is leaking. The seal could be bad or, there could be tp or some solid waste stuck in the seal. You can tear into the underbelly and repair or replace the valve it the seals, or,you can add a "last chance" valve on the end of your sewer line.

[Movin' on]

I can't help laughing just a little after reading your signature line quoting Einstein. What would Albert say? Maybe he'd say " Sh*t Happens". :D

OK, now seriously, I have had a similar problem, just not as much volume, since our 5ver was new. I've just learned to expect it, and carefully hold the hose ready to catch what comes out after loosening the cap.

I plan on adding a "twist on waste valve" like jsmith948 mentioned, just haven't done it yet. So, you're not alone when it comes to this particular problem.

[JimQ]

Could it be the tank is not drained completely from the last dump. If you can, try driving up onto a couple of pieces of wood to tip your trailer toward the drain side to help facilitate the process of dumping. A clear elbow helps to see when it all stops flowing. Do you also get the same amount of black water when you prepare to dump when departing the campground ?

[cpaulsen]

Just buy a Valterra termination valve. It goes one the end of your sewer connection and has a valve in it......drin your tanks...close your valves and then close the Valterra valve....no more mess to suprise you.

[mhbell]

I got a Valtera Twist on Valve for $22 on Amazon two day delivery and it was worth it. Worked great for me as I had the same problem.
Mel

https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipMjqQw_L7vaeQ5-HycRUvk5OeqDuiigo573t3_L

[Ken / Claudia]

I think any long time RVer has had that problem at some point. Advice given is good. Several different things will help. Just having a dump cap with a hose size fitting helps. You hold the sewer hose under the dump cap, unscrew the small hose cap and the out pouring fluids are much easier to manage. Unlike removing the dump cap you can get this cap back on while fluids come out. Also I would fill the tank with water and dump it, while its dumping open and close the valve many times and if it has a substance blocking the valve from fully closing it may clear it from the valve. And get a clear connection to make sure when dumping it's done. Rubber gloves for me are a must always when dumping, I use the throw away type.

[packnrat]

first and cheepest to do is after your next dump. hose out the valve area very good. inspect the seal area.
if no deformatin, "stuff" seen. then lub it up.
then check very good on next drain. if still leaking think repair / replace the old valve assambly.
the attachment unit is only a bandaid for a problem. sure it works, but does not fix the problem.

[wiredgeorge]

Fixing a dump valve ain't always that easy since the black and gray tanks often Y into the sewer outlet. This means they were put together, put on the trailer and then the braces that hold them were torqued into place and the braces are held by self tapping screws that are easy to shear off. The tanks won't move enough for a new dump valve to be squeezed up there without a lot of work.

[packnrat]

never said it was easy. just one is a fix. the other a bandaid.

with luck a clean up of the seal and/or a bit of lube on it might solve the problem.

[cynjon]

Debris is always a possibility, as mentioned. On my last TT, the black water valve always leaked so one day I took a close look at it and found a sliver of plywood from when the toilet flange hole was cut into the floor. Fished that out and it never leaked again. Luckily, it didn't damage the valve permanently with all the opening and closing.

[packnrat]

my guess i have been very lucky with the rv i bought back in 2001.
none of all these big or little problems i read about. ��

[rhagfo]

Fixing a dump valve ain't always that easy since the black and gray tanks often Y into the sewer outlet. This means they were put together, put on the trailer and then the braces that hold them were torqued into place and the braces are held by self tapping screws that are easy to shear off. The tanks won't move enough for a new dump valve to be squeezed up there without a lot of work.

never said it was easy. just one is a fix. the other a bandaid.

with luck a clean up of the seal and/or a bit of lube on it might solve the problem.

Not always! I know Wiredgeorge's issue, black and grey are right next to each other! Tank, valve, Y, valve, tank! No room to move tanks, even slightly, so I used the twist on valve problem FIXED!

[labman]

black and gray for the restroom share the outlet. So, for me, adding the valve "band aid" will be the fix of choice I guess. Thanks for the help and advice. It is always welcome. I will try the "fill the tank with water and flush away anything that may be blocking the valve" solution this week. We are heading for Door county Wisconsin for a little R&R.

[johnlewis]

With our 12 year old 5th wheel, I almost always get some liquid out when I remove the cap. That's why I have a cap with the hose size fitting and a cap on it. I put connect the sewer line to the dump station, remove the cap from the hose size fitting, and let whatever drain out. No mess, if I pay attention. Impossible to avoid a mess if you try to catch the liquid by removing the main cap. I know I should put a "last chance" valve on the end, but the way I do it is simple enough that I haven't felt compelled to add the valve.

[rjullrich]

I look at the additional Valterra dump valve as a solid way to eliminate the problem. What's the difference between having the two valves? If the problem pops up again, just replace the $22extention valve. I have had one on my Sprinter for close to 4 years...still no problem. And the best part is that no one,(especially me), has had to jack around with the darn original mount from hell, .....just sayin'.

[tomd]

Been there done that. For a while I had a bucket, then added a second valve until the problem resolved.

Eventually I learned that if I use a clear sewer connector and run the black tank flush system until everything is clear problem goes away. I think debris gets stuck in valve and it doesn't seal completely; the 'flush feature' seems to keep it clear now.
Good luck.

[labman]

Put one of these on and flushed till clear. (Valterra RV Waste Valve Cap w/ Garden Hose Inlet - 3" - Black) we'll see next time i'm at the 5'er if the flush worked and if not, it won't be as big an issue.