Black tank flush flood

[PowerfulREM]

Good Evening Everyone,
Today I made one of the least desirable mistakes in an RV ... left my black tank flush on with the valve closed (thankfully it was after the initial dump with most of the ... matter already gone) and have since cleaned up all the water inside. The problem now lies in where the water went down into the heat ducts and into the underbelly (2020 Hideout 29DFSWE with the coroplast bottom) ... after the clean up job was done inside the trailer, I made a few slits in the underbelly to drain as much water as I could by hand and slight jockeying of the trailer on a slope. It is still dripping very minimally but I am wondering how I should go about getting rid of all that moisture underneath? Damprid packets into the floor registers? Or even make a hole in the coroplast and put either a dehumidifier or damprid bucket in there?

Respectfully,
Robert

[JRTJH]

If the black tank ruptured and spilled its contents into the heat ducting, the underbelly and contaminated the underside of your trailer, you really don't want to "just dry it up"... You need to clean the area, possibly replace some components that were contaminated with new parts. If, for example, the black tank contents flooded into the heat ducting, unless you clean and decontaminate the heat ducting, next time you turn on the furnace, you'll get an "immediate recollection" of how bad your trailer smelled today.

Just drying it out will only make things "seem OK" and will actually mask the future problems you're going to face.

[rhagfo]

I would look at calling in your insurance!

[PowerfulREM]

If the black tank ruptured and spilled its contents into the heat ducting, the underbelly and contaminated the underside of your trailer, you really don't want to "just dry it up"... You need to clean the area, possibly replace some components that were contaminated with new parts. If, for example, the black tank contents flooded into the heat ducting, unless you clean and decontaminate the heat ducting, next time you turn on the furnace, you'll get an "immediate recollection" of how bad your trailer smelled today.



Just drying it out will only make things "seem OK" and will actually mask the future problems you're going to face.I was not planning on just drying things up, we cleaned and decontaminated everywhere we could reach inside (also bear in mind the contents of the black tank were rather clean and had almost no scent to it). We are full time so our black tank cleaning is a weekly task.
The underbelly is a different game though. I would remove the coroplast altogether but the way it was affixed to the trailer isn't as easy as taking a few bolts out.

[Tbos]

Coroplast removal isn’t hard. I was surprised this weekend to find what I thought were bolts holding the coroplast are actually big nails. A pair of vice grips pulls them out of the coroplast and frame pretty easily. I bought 3/4” #12 hex head self tapping screws to replace them. Used the same holes. Worked great.

[PowerfulREM]

Coroplast removal isn’t hard. I was surprised this weekend to find what I thought were bolts holding the coroplast are actually big nails. A pair of vice grips pulls them out of the coroplast and frame pretty easily. I bought 3/4” #12 hex head self tapping screws to replace them. Used the same holes. Worked great.Awesome, that's what I'll be doing later then.

[sourdough]

I will say on mine the coroplast is sandwiched between my power stabilizers on both ends. Now if it was that way from the factory I don't know because the coroplast has been replaced twice and so have the factory stabilizers (once).

[Tbos]

Awesome, that's what I'll be doing later then.


I reused the washers from the nails too.

[flybouy]

I was not planning on just drying things up, we cleaned and decontaminated everywhere we could reach inside (also bear in mind the contents of the black tank were rather clean and had almost no scent to it). We are full time so our black tank cleaning is a weekly task.
The underbelly is a different game though. I would remove the coroplast altogether but the way it was affixed to the trailer isn't as easy as taking a few bolts out.

That's like your wife saying she's only slightly pregnant. It doesn't take much fecal matter to transmit e coli or a host of other disease. "Rather clean" is far from sanitary. As previously pointed out the ductwork needs to cleaned or replaced.

[PowerfulREM]

After further investigation, the coroplast only had a little bit of water in and on top of it, pushing up on the vapor barrier and feeling around - it's definitely saturated so I'll more than likely just be making an insurance claim.

[FlyingAroundRV]

Good Evening Everyone,
Today I made one of the least desirable mistakes in an RV ... left my black tank flush on with the valve closed (thankfully it was after the initial dump with most of the ... matter already gone) and have since cleaned up all the water inside. The problem now lies in where the water went down into the heat ducts and into the underbelly (2020 Hideout 29DFSWE with the coroplast bottom) ... after the clean up job was done inside the trailer, I made a few slits in the underbelly to drain as much water as I could by hand and slight jockeying of the trailer on a slope. It is still dripping very minimally but I am wondering how I should go about getting rid of all that moisture underneath? Damprid packets into the floor registers? Or even make a hole in the coroplast and put either a dehumidifier or damprid bucket in there?

Respectfully,
Robert
What!?

You mean you're not supposd to leave the valve closed when you flush the tank? I always do this, but I get the DW to watch the gauge and tell me when to turn the hose off. That's how I thought it was supposed to be done. Doing that, I always get a second (or third) dump that looks pretty much like the first one. I keep doing that until it dumps clear. Is that not the way to do it?

I thought if I left the valve open while I was running water into the tank it would just run straight out the drain without really doing anything. I guess I'm fortunate I haven't overflowed the tank like PowerfulREM.

[kckettridge]

Scott...I do the same thing you do. Otherwise the water just flows by the waste and the tank really doesn't get "clean" or as clean as I would like it to. I am pretty careful when filling the tank with the valve closed. I stand there and let the water run into the flush valve for less than a minute or two then pull the valve open. I do this several times. Once I'm satisfied it's relatively "clean" I put a couple of gallons back into the black tank and dump a ton of blue stuff down the toilet. I figure the motion of the rig going down the road will slotch the water and blue stuff around in the tank enough to clean the tank. Here's a tip for the grey tanks and sink/shower drains I have been doing for years....once you dump the grey tanks and before disconnecting the water supply to the rig; pour some Simple Green down each drain and chase it down with a little water. The drains will never smell and the Simple Green will break down any grease/oil that may have found it's way down there when doing the dishes, etc.

[flybouy]

What!?

You mean you're not supposd to leave the valve closed when you flush the tank? I always do this, but I get the DW to watch the gauge and tell me when to turn the hose off. That's how I thought it was supposed to be done. Doing that, I always get a second (or third) dump that looks pretty much like the first one. I keep doing that until it dumps clear. Is that not the way to do it?

I thought if I left the valve open while I was running water into the tank it would just run straight out the drain without really doing anything. I guess I'm fortunate I haven't overflowed the tank like PowerfulREM.

My BIN did what you do until he split his blank tank open on a holiday weekend. He and his family were living in the unit while his house was being built.

The manual that came with mine stated never to use the BWT flush with the valve closed. In my opinion having the DW monitor the tank guage is asking for problems. Letting water flow in with the valve closed is problematic for several reasons in my thinking.
1 Do you now the flow rate on the water supply? If not, you don't know how much water you have added.
2. Do you trust the tank gauge to give you an accurate reading and for the DW to get distracted?
3. Do you have "fail safe" communications to prevent an overflow?
4. Are you disabling the effect of the tank rinser? The tank rinsers typically either have holes at varying angles in the end peice or have a "rotating head" that sprays water in several directions to "wash down" the surfaces of the tank.

I have on occasion filled mt BWT to give it a good flush. My method is to fill the toilet with water (hold the flush pedal about 1/2 way will run water without opening the toilet dump valve) then flush it down. This way the toilet valve is open for the least amount of time for gases to escape. Monitor the level by looking down the toilet with a flashlight. When the level creeps into the toilet outlet pipe I'll dump the tank. Using the method I have yet to have an "accident" and I know I won't risk having one.
YMMV

[travelin texans]

What!?

You mean you're not supposd to leave the valve closed when you flush the tank? I always do this, but I get the DW to watch the gauge and tell me when to turn the hose off. That's how I thought it was supposed to be done. Doing that, I always get a second (or third) dump that looks pretty much like the first one. I keep doing that until it dumps clear. Is that not the way to do it?

I thought if I left the valve open while I was running water into the tank it would just run straight out the drain without really doing anything. I guess I'm fortunate I haven't overflowed the tank like PowerfulREM.

She needs to stand by the toilet to know when to open the valve. By the time your sorry black gauge moves you could have stuff running out the door. The only sure thing those little red lights on your sensors tell you is that the little red light isn't burnt out, DO NOT trust them.....

[Tbos]

My BIN did what you do until he split his blank tank open on a holiday weekend. He and his family were living in the unit while his house was being built.



The manual that came with mine stated never to use the BWT flush with the valve closed. In my opinion having the DW monitor the tank guage is asking for problems. Letting water flow in with the valve closed is problematic for several reasons in my thinking.

1 Do you now the flow rate on the water supply? If not, you don't know how much water you have added.

2. Do you trust the tank gauge to give you an accurate reading and for the DW to get distracted?

3. Do you have "fail safe" communications to prevent an overflow?

4. Are you disabling the effect of the tank rinser? The tank rinsers typically either have holes at varying angles in the end peice or have a "rotating head" that sprays water in several directions to "wash down" the surfaces of the tank.



I have on occasion filled mt BWT to give it a good flush. My method is to fill the toilet with water (hold the flush pedal about 1/2 way will run water without opening the toilet dump valve) then flush it down. This way the toilet valve is open for the least amount of time for gases to escape. Monitor the level by looking down the toilet with a flashlight. When the level creeps into the toilet outlet pipe I'll dump the tank. Using the method I have yet to have an "accident" and I know I won't risk having one.

YMMV


Im not sure how he could blame the split tank on the flush, even if he was filling the tank from there. It sounds like that tank was going to fail anyway. Once it was full it should have come up through the vent or out any other weak spot like the toilet. I think the key is to use additional fresh water once the tank empties and then dump and repeat. If you use the flush to fill only do it partially and don’t get distracted.

[FlyingAroundRV]

Slightly off topic, but lately the water coming out of the gray pipe smells worse than what's coming out of the black pipe. This past CG dump, I got the DW to tip about half a bottle of bleach (total) down the sink, shower and bathroom basin plus a bit of water down each to flush it through into the tank. Will that hurt anything?

[ctbruce]

Slightly off topic, but lately the water coming out of the gray pipe smells worse than what's coming out of the black pipe. This past CG dump, I got the DW to tip about half a bottle of bleach (total) down the sink, shower and bathroom basin plus a bit of water down each to flush it through into the tank. Will that hurt anything?As long as you diluted it I wouldn't think so. I always add a little water, couple of gallons, after dumping and a couple good squirts of dawn.

[JRTJH]

If you can find a "dollar tree" or "everything's a dollar" store, buy a quart of "AWESOME" cleaner and dump that down the sink drain. Follow with all the hot water the trailer can provide. Let it sit for an hour or so (until the water cools) then fill the tank to the top, let it sit overnight and drain the tank, fill it again to flush and hopefully the smell will be gone.

There are some "gray tank deodorant" products available, but I've never found one that "really works"... Most will just mask the odor, but given that food particles that settle in the tank will "ferment and ripen" until they are obnoxious makes keeping the galley tank clean almost as important as keeping the black tank clean.

Anyway, try the Awesome cleaner. I think you'll find it works pretty good. And since "everything's a dollar" the price is right :)

[FlyingAroundRV]

Thanks John. We don't have smells inside the trailer from the gray tank. I only notice the smell when I'm dumping it. It's not terrible, but noticeable. Will try the AWESOME...

[sonofcy]

I use a garden hose timer on my black tank flush line. Since I am at least ADD I always forget (have flooded the bathroom with fresh water trying to fill the grey twice). Now when the wife comes home at 9pm she asks why the door is open over the water closet and I go turn off the water etc. Could one one of those mechanical timers fail, probably, but not nearly as often as my memory.

[marks146]

What!?

You mean you're not supposd to leave the valve closed when you flush the tank? I always do this, but I get the DW to watch the gauge and tell me when to turn the hose off. That's how I thought it was supposed to be done. Doing that, I always get a second (or third) dump that looks pretty much like the first one. I keep doing that until it dumps clear. Is that not the way to do it?

I thought if I left the valve open while I was running water into the tank it would just run straight out the drain without really doing anything. I guess I'm fortunate I haven't overflowed the tank like PowerfulREM.

This is how I do it, too. There is a breather pipe that goes to the roof which allows air to escape the tank. And, yes it takes up to 6 dumps to get the water to run clear as I like it ot be. Sometimes I go into the trailer with the flush water of and at half tank level and shake the trailer to make the water move around.

[flybouy]

This is how I do it, too. There is a breather pipe that goes to the roof which allows air to escape the tank. And, yes it takes up to 6 dumps to get the water to run clear as I like it ot be. Sometimes I go into the trailer with the flush water of and at half tank level and shake the trailer to make the water move around.

If you close the valve and fill the tank then the tank should hold. If your going to rely on the vent stack then you have a couple of potential issues.
1 In order for the water to "push" the 8+ feet to escape you are turning your rectangular holding tank into a pressure vessel. Pressure vessels are typically cylinders or cylindrical shaped as 90 deg bend/joint creates a week spot.
2 If the the tank stays intact then do you really want the tank contents running all over your roof and cascading down the side of your trailer? Better close the windows before you start that venture.

I can't imagine that you could "shake the trailer to make the water move around" enough to make a real difference but I can imagine it must be enjoyable to be parked next to you during this procedure .

[chuckster57]

I can't imagine that you could "shake the trailer to make the water move around" enough to make a real difference but I can imagine it must be enjoyable to be parked next to you during this procedure .

Dealership that worked at that had rentals, we did it pretty much to every one that was returned. It does work.

[flybouy]

Dealership that worked at that had rentals, we did it pretty much to every one that was returned. It does work.

So how long do you have to do the watusi to get it to work? (At my size I'm afraid I might flip it over! :lol:)

[01soundman]

Would love for PowerfulREM (Robert) to come back and clarify but for now I'll just add that I don't recall him saying exactly HOW the water got everywhere; did it simply overflow from the toilet, leak from the toilet seal, or did the tank actually rupture. (The tank rupturing doesn't seem a natural way to get water in the floor ducts...)

The reason for asking clarification is to then further pursue whether the "recommended procedure for flushing" includes leaving the black termination gate open or closed during flushing.

While certainly not a 'seasoned' camper (we only have a couple of dozen trips to our credit), I've been a devotee of this forum since our purchase of the 271RL. GREAT source of knowledge and I use it regularly. And it was here that I got my process of black tank dumping/flushing. That process being:

Start flush water
As soon as "full" light is lit, dump.
Wait until clear water is flowing out of the dump tube.
Close gate and refill until "full" light is lit.
Repeat above until convinced all is clear.


I agree with the sentiment that "you can't trust the little red light tree". That's why my wife monitors both that AND a view down the toilet while flushing is underway. We also have a window next to the dump valve open so she and I can stay in communication and keep track of the black tank level.

If the above is acceptable, is there ANY reason to be concerned about rupturing the tank by flushing...? I would hope the answer is 'no'.

[marks146]

If you close the valve and fill the tank then the tank should hold. If your going to rely on the vent stack then you have a couple of potential issues.
1 In order for the water to "push" the 8+ feet to escape you are turning your rectangular holding tank into a pressure vessel. Pressure vessels are typically cylinders or cylindrical shaped as 90 deg bend/joint creates a week spot.
2 If the the tank stays intact then do you really want the tank contents running all over your roof and cascading down the side of your trailer? Better close the windows before you start that venture.

I can't imagine that you could "shake the trailer to make the water move around" enough to make a real difference but I can imagine it must be enjoyable to be parked next to you during this procedure .

Read what I wrote, Ace. I said it lets the air out of the tank. Where did I say I push the water out the stack. And yes you can shake a travel trailer when the jacks are up. Your attempts to sound all knowing has come across pretty dumb.

No paragraph bullets needed here.

[chuckster57]

So how long do you have to do the watusi to get it to work? (At my size I'm afraid I might flip it over! :lol:)

We did it about 1 minute a couple of times. Not enough to throw out a hip LOL!!