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Old 09-01-2014, 05:31 PM   #1
wado66
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Smelly Black water tank

My Springdale sits on a site all season. The black water tank has hard plumbing going into their sewer.
What I typically do is:
Go up to our camper and stay the weekend with the black water gate valve closed.
When I leave at the end of the weekend I open the valve, let it drain, fill it up, and let it drain again. Close the valve fill about 1 1/2 gallons of water and pour the blue stuff in the tank.
When I come back the next weekend it smells from the black water tank.
I even bought one of those wands to stick down there to flush out the tank.
Is there is some step I am missing? Does anyone else have this issue?
And more importantly, does anyone have a resolution?
Thanks for the input.
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Old 09-01-2014, 05:41 PM   #2
wado66
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Ok, so I'm surfing around looking for a gate valve because mine is getting hard to slide.
When I come across a site that says " I would try dumping a whole bottle of original liquid Dawn Detergent In the holding tank and let it sit for a while. You would be amazed at how much crud that Dawn breaks up. It could also act as a lubricant if it reaches the valve."
Something I think I'm going to try and thought I would pass it on.
Maybe it will cut and clean all the smelly stuff too.
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Old 09-01-2014, 06:15 PM   #3
JRTJH
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The Dawn will likely cut a "bunch of crud" out of your tank. It doesn't take a "whole bottle", but half a cup or so of the original blue Dawn should clean your tank well. Plan on rinsing it 3 or 4 times after the "Dawn treatment". The "blue tank deodorant" isn't really a "permanent type" deodorizer. It only lasts a few days and may be losing its "perfume" before you get back the following week.

A couple of other things that could be happening: Make sure you have water that stays in the toilet bowl. The water acts as a "seal" and prevents gas from bubbling past the O-ring seal. Also, if you're leaving your gray tank valves open, you could have campground sewer gas being pushed into your rig, through the gray tanks and up into your sink traps. Keep your gray tank valves closed if you're not in the RV. Another possibility is the gray tanks themselves. Food particles have a way of "ripening" in the gray tank and can easily smell just as bad as the black tank. You might want to do the "Dawn treatment" on your gray tanks also, especially if you don't see good results with the black tank cleaning.
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Old 09-01-2014, 06:16 PM   #4
GaryWT
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When we were seasonal, we would not dump until we came back for the weekend and never an issue in 11 years. Make sure your vent is not blocked. Try using the dawn, dump it, fill it with dawn and let it sit for the week to see if it helps. Be sure tank is full or close to it before dumping each week.
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Old 09-01-2014, 07:16 PM   #5
wado66
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JRTJH,
Never even considered the gray tank. Will consider this.
I don't believe the water will act like a seal because there is a hole next to the bowl filler. I believe this is a vent hole preventing pressure.
GaryWT,
You left you black water tank full until you returned the next week?
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Old 09-02-2014, 04:02 AM   #6
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Yes we did. When we first bought and went seasonal that is what we were told to do by the rV center/campground when they set the trailer up on site so that is how we did it for 11 years.
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Old 09-02-2014, 05:03 AM   #7
mazboy123
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smell

do you put "stuff" in it?

is your vent blocked?

do you kee water in the bowl?
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Old 09-02-2014, 05:58 AM   #8
Scttw
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wado66 View Post
My Springdale sits on a site all season. The black water tank has hard plumbing going into their sewer.
What I typically do is:
Go up to our camper and stay the weekend with the black water gate valve closed.
When I leave at the end of the weekend I open the valve, let it drain, fill it up, and let it drain again. Close the valve fill about 1 1/2 gallons of water and pour the blue stuff in the tank.
When I come back the next weekend it smells from the black water tank.
I even bought one of those wands to stick down there to flush out the tank.
Is there is some step I am missing? Does anyone else have this issue?
And more importantly, does anyone have a resolution?
Thanks for the input.

It really is a good idea to leave the chemicals in for longer than just the weekend - they are meant to do a job and they take time to do it. I suggest draining when you arrive - add chems and leave it closed till you arrive next - unless of course it fills faster than that and you have to drain mid-weekend. But still leave it closed when you leave with chems in.

One other consideration .... On my last trailer I had to also keep my Grey closed because it would suck up smells from the joint output system and stink up the trailer. I don't think the traps where sufficient. It's an option to look at. Try closing your grey and see if the problem disappears.
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Old 09-02-2014, 06:18 AM   #9
Desert185
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wado66 View Post
My Springdale sits on a site all season. The black water tank has hard plumbing going into their sewer.
What I typically do is:
Go up to our camper and stay the weekend with the black water gate valve closed.
When I leave at the end of the weekend I open the valve, let it drain, fill it up, and let it drain again. Close the valve fill about 1 1/2 gallons of water and pour the blue stuff in the tank.
When I come back the next weekend it smells from the black water tank.
I even bought one of those wands to stick down there to flush out the tank.
Is there is some step I am missing? Does anyone else have this issue?
And more importantly, does anyone have a resolution?
Thanks for the input.
It seems to me that if you use the black water tank for the designed purpose, it will normally smell. I try to not challenge the concept by actually giving it a smell check. Poop stinks, and nothing will change that.

Having said that, a good fresh water flush from time to time, along with the suggestions outlined in this thread, will go a long way towards minimizing the offensive nature of the necessary reasons for having the tank.
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