Black Tank Flush

[dakota51]

I just brought home our first travel trailer (2400bh) and I have read some posts about breaking anti siphon valves when using the black tank flush. I am worried about having problems with it too. What are the correct procedures in using it.
Thanks

[Festus2]

My "directions" simply say to make sure that your main sewer valve is OPEN to allow the incoming water and any remnants left in the tank to freely flow. Some people have closed it and sort of "forgot" about it, and came back later only to find water flowing into their bathroom or elsewhere inside the unit.

You might want to buy a clear Valterra twist-on valve so that you can see that the water coming out is more or less "clear". When you see this, it's time to shut the water off.

Some members have simply removed the existing plastic anti-siphon valve (bypassing it) or replaced it with a bronze one.

I'd try to "take it easy" with the incoming water pressure rather than turning it on "full blast" knowing how cheaply made this component is. Turn it on gradually and not up to maximum. You might lose some of the cleaning power but at least you aren't subjecting the valve to too much stress/pressure.

Finally, you shouldn't be using the same hose that you use to connect to your fresh water supply. If, for some reason, there is a back flow, your "good" hose may be contaminated. Get another old hose to use for back-flushing.

Hope this helps.

[Lee]

Festus gave you great advice.

I replaced mine (under the bathroom vanity) with a straight through coupler and purchased a brass unit that screws onto the end of the garden hose.

From everything I have read the valves usually fail from A) water freezing in the winter or B) The sudden in-rush of water causes a pressure spike and pops the cheap plastic valve when the faucet is turned on to fast.

Take care,
Lee

[dakota51]

Thanks for the info. I'll just go easy on the water pressure. Another question I have is how do I know for sure I have water in the hot water tank. Is it just if water comes out of that little spring loaded valve that is on the hot water tank?

[{tpc}]

Originally Posted by dakota51

Thanks for the info. I'll just go easy on the water pressure. Another question I have is how do I know for sure I have water in the hot water tank. Is it just if water comes out of that little spring loaded valve that is on the hot water tank?

That is the method I use. I am also in the "don't drain the hot water tank after every trip" camp, so to speak. But I always give it a check after everything is up and running before I turn on the heater.

As for the black water flush, so far so good, I have used it every time at multiple campgrounds with no problems with the valve. I do turn the water on fairly slowly and depending on the pressure sometimes not all the way. I also keep a "gray" house with me that I use specifically for this purpose. The clear sewer hose extension is a must have imo.

[dakota51]

Is it ok to close the valve while flushing the black tank in order to get the same effect as the flush king.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by dakota51

Is it ok to close the valve while flushing the black tank in order to get the same effect as the flush king.

The instructions are quite specific: When flushing the black tank, be certain that the black tank valve is OPEN. The main dump valve for all tanks should also be open so that the flush water and its contents can easily flow OUT of the unit.

I am not familiar with the Flush King so I can't compare the effects of the two.

If the directions are in bold letters followed by an exclamation mark, I usually pay attention to them.

[randy69]

My experience use a pressure reducer regulator. I blew my back flow preventor with 110 psi.

[bobbecky]

The 'instructions' are generally worded to protect the builder more than the owner. That being said, it's your mess if you do something wrong, but I have been flushing our tank, closing and opening the valve several times during a flush, with no problem. I place a camp chair next to the valve, get my phone out with the timer set for four minutes, open the drain and while draining turn on the flush water. When things are looking a bit cleaner, through the clear drain fitting, I close the drain valve and start the timer for four minutes. We have a 53 gallon black tank. When the alarm goes off, I immediately open the valve until the flow is just the flush water coming out, and then repeat this at least two more times. I never get away from the valve or the timer, and have never had a mishap.

[chuckster57]

I agree. I think the reason is the manufacturer doesn't want you to run the rinser with the valve closed and forget, flooding your unit with....

I leave mine closed for a couple of minutes and then pull the valve, while looking through the clear fitting. That will tell me if I need to close the valve and rinse some more.

[Festus2]

I agree that the two procedures outlined above will work very well. The problem that I encounter and perhaps others is that I empty my tanks and try to flush at the campsite sani-station (if available). Often, when I go to dump, so do others. We all arrive at the same time resulting in a line-up of some sort.

I don't want to hold up those behind me by going through the same procedure that you have described. If I were to haul out my lawn chair and park it by the dump valve, I can just imagine what is going through the mind of the guy behind me! Not nice thoughts!

I can't empty and flush at home so my only recourse is to try to find a sani-station that "isn't busy". Not always possible.

So I usually end up dumping and flushing as fast as I can.

[JRTJH]

Most Michigan State Parks and many of the private campgounds in Michigan have limited or no full hookup sites. We also get "caught in the lineup" trying to dump at the dumping station and then tow home with "empty but not clean" tanks.

We try, a couple times each camping season to camp at a full hookup site and I use that luxury to flush the tanks well. We always plan a full hookup night for the last night of extended camping trips and always the last of the camping season before winterizing. That seems like the only alternative we have at this time. Our septic system is on the other end of the property from where we park the Cougar and the field lines are between the tank and any access to the flush vent on the house. So, we have no real option available to flush tanks at home.

I really don't think there's a "really important" need to flush the tanks at every dumping. In fact, there are several dump stations around here that don't even have water available, so at those sites, unless there's onboard water, there isn't any way to flush the tank. Fortunately, a full tank will pretty much empty almost all the solids and if there's time at the dumping station, a quick "few minutes" of flushing should get the tank in "acceptable condition".

Certainly not the best of all worlds, but "back before flush attachments" we used to dump and then flush the toilet several times and dump again to "clean the tanks".

[chuckster57]

Same story out west.

[outwest]

I close the valve when using black tank flush but I watch the level indicator and don't go past 2/3. If there is paper messing up indicator, I only do a couple of mins at a time - don't want to overfill. I also use a clear connector so I can see what's coming out, or not.

[81SHOVELHEAD]

Well this is the second time I have tried to use our Black tank flush system on our 2014 Cougar 28 RLS & I don't think it is working?
I have the clear 90 & clear straight added to the sewer connection .
Open Dump Valve ,Use different hose & regulator for flushing & turn on water
After waiting a couple of minutes with water on I can see the water hose expanding from pressure but nothing comes out of tank?
After a few minutes I start to get nervous & turn water off because of the horror stories of the black check valve under the bathroom sink exploding flooding the bathroom .
Today I even flushed the toilet looking down in tank & could not hear or see anything going on in tank with pressure on hose????
Am I doing something wrong? is there a valve that needs to be open in the compartment where all the plumbing & 12 volt pump is?
Could it be that I am not waiting long enough for enough water to enter the tank before it starts draining?
Perhaps I am being over cautious & don't want to blow something up?
Sorry for all the dumb questions but we love our Cougar X-LITE & don't want to flood the bathroom due to my ignorance?

[billstuart]

I use the Sewer Solution -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdfUXoOxrw

which allows me to back-flush the tank in addition to flushing with the factory installed system.

Back before built-in flush systems, I used a clear elbow in front of the stinky slinky that had a hose fitting on it so you could connect a hose and back flush the tank. My kids called it the 'poop viewer.'

If you're having odor issues and/or are concerned about a build up of solids in your tank, I would recommend either of these as a possible solution.

Happy trails,

[Steve T]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

The 'instructions' are generally worded to protect the builder more than the owner. That being said, it's your mess if you do something wrong, but I have been flushing our tank, closing and opening the valve several times during a flush, with no problem. I place a camp chair next to the valve, get my phone out with the timer set for four minutes, open the drain and while draining turn on the flush water. When things are looking a bit cleaner, through the clear drain fitting, I close the drain valve and start the timer for four minutes. We have a 53 gallon black tank. When the alarm goes off, I immediately open the valve until the flow is just the flush water coming out, and then repeat this at least two more times. I never get away from the valve or the timer, and have never had a mishap.

I have tried this and it does not seem any water is going in through the flush water. Can someone tell me why? I try it with the black water valve open and/or closed and still no water comes out the main opening.