Black Tank will not drain ?

TBerry · 03-10-2012, 04:36 AM

Hello, new to forum...having problem with the black tank not dumping. Bought tt two weeks ago used from rv dealer and have not really used the toilet much, but thought i would empty all tanks and flush out. Well to my surprise the black tank does not empty, i can see through the toilet that it is about 2/3 full, also according to the tank indication system shows same thing.
Nothing comes out, not even a trickle. I tried to run a small snake up through the dump valve side into tank, can tell that iam past the valve by the valve being able to pull lightly against snake when pulling open/close. A few hard clumps came out nothing else. Could it be possible that the vent is clogged?
Any help would be great! Thanks for forum.

mapleman3 · 03-10-2012, 05:17 AM

Its not frozen? Is it?

Just a thought

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

TBerry · 03-10-2012, 05:47 AM

Hello, thanks for reply, no its not frozen, yesterday was almost 60 deg f.

Terrydactile · 03-10-2012, 06:12 AM

If the vent was clogged you would still get something out although it might be slow. If the valve is open and you know the snake is past the valve then I would say it is blocked by something in the tank maybe solids that have set up like concrete in the tank. If you are getting hard clumps out then that makes me beleive that its blocked by solids all the more. The clumps you got out....are they hard and dry? If so I would say someone left stuff in the tank and they dried out.

TBerry · 03-10-2012, 06:41 AM

Thanks for reply Terry, Yes the clumps appeared to be hard and dry, maybe your right and there is a hard blockage in there. When I bought the RV, the main drain outlet for all
the tanks was missing the cap? I had them install a new one. But maybe something built a nest in there? I am also going to try a back flush kit, maybe that will help?

CincyGus · 03-10-2012, 06:48 AM

Put someone inside to watch through the toilet lid and fill the tank as full as you dare with the backflow kit. Leave some room at the top. Let that sit for a few hours then hitch to it and take it out on a ride to hopefully shake things up a bit. The bumpier and curvy the road the better. Then try to redump. You may have to do this a bunch of times over the course of days or weeks to get the calcified contents of your black tank loosened up. Keep refilling it with water to let it soak and soften and loosen up. Once your done for the day, refill let it soak overnight or until the next oppertunity to road test it and dump.

TBerry · 03-10-2012, 07:14 AM

Thanks for reply, sounds like a good idea. someone said put ice into it also.
I'll try it all, thanks again.

SteveC7010 · 03-10-2012, 07:24 AM

Sounds like some form of the dreaded black pyramid has grown in there.

Even better than just filling it with water, put just a few gallons in and let that soak for a while. Then dump in several bags of ice cubes just before you take it for a ride. The ice cubes will bump around and should knock the stuff loose.

Big caution. Make sure the dump valve is properly closed before adding liquid to a dried out black tank.

albertr · 03-10-2012, 07:38 AM

Stool Softener?

oldfamer · 03-10-2012, 07:38 AM

I would also add some Calgon water softner and Dawn dish detergent to the ice.

hankaye · 03-10-2012, 09:45 AM

Howdy All;

might give this guy a call;

http://www.allprowaterflow.com/default.asp

Disclaimer; I have ZERO connection with this company .

hankaye

BoosTT · 03-11-2012, 10:50 AM

I would go nuts with some chemicals to break it down.

TBerry · 03-17-2012, 04:16 PM

Thanks everyone for all the great help. I used a backflush with valve and filled the black water tank, it pushed out the clogged. Did the flushout several times and each time it flushed out more stuff. Finally after a few flushes it looks pretty clear. I will continue now to use the backflush method for each dump.
Thanks Again.

hankaye · 03-17-2012, 07:20 PM

TBerry, Howdy;

If you have a few hours you might want to dump about 6 or 8 bags of ice
into the tank with about 5 gallons and take the trailer for a drive up and down
some hills make a few turns sloshing the ice around the inside of the tank.
Should scrub it out and help get rid of the last of the 'hangers' and lumps that might still be hangin' around.

hankaye

SteveC7010 · 03-18-2012, 12:20 AM

hankaye's ice scrub is an excellent solution when this kind of problem rears its ugly head.

But, rather than concentrate on just doing an extreme flush when you dump, consider that something caused this situation to occur. Most likely there is too little fluid in the black tank when ready to dump. A few repeats of that would start to leave some solids behind. Once those solids build up and the trailer sits with what you think is an empty tank, things get a chance to dry out and the situation just compounds itself.

We dry camp a lot so we're pretty stingy with the flush water during a one or two week stay. But the last day is time to make sure the tank has plenty of fluid so that whatever is in there is really soft. The more fluid, the better the chance that 99% of everything will flow out of the tank when you pull the valve. Then the flush spray can do its job and power away any stray material.

One other possible problem. If you are parked on a site with a sewer hookup in place, you want to make doubly certain that the black dump gate is fully closed. If it isn't it may allow the fluids to drain away leaving just the solids. That's one of the reasons that experienced RV'ers use a clear fitting at the trailer end drain connection. Much as this may be a bit distasteful, there is no substitute to actually visualizing what is going on.

Scottinvt · 03-18-2012, 03:57 AM

The back flush kit ( flush King ) is the best !! I have used it for tears and no problems !!

TBerry · 03-18-2012, 10:07 AM

Thanks everyone,
I will be putting in some ice on the next trip out and let it help with cleaning out the tank
some more. I bought this RV used and it's possible that it was a dry tank and clogged when I bought it because it woudnt drain two days after purchase. But now it is flowing
and I will keep up on it till Iam satisfied that all the goodies are gone. I am using a clear drain tube and the clear flush king, also trying some dawn in the tank in small amounts to help. Thanks for the forum and reply's. TBerry.

rhagfo · 04-17-2012, 01:45 PM

We had a similar issue with your used 2005 Copper Canyon, went to connect the drain hose and the pipe was half full full of "Dry Stuff".
Once connected I closed the valve and added deodorant/digester double strength then added about 8 gallons of hot water, let it set over night. then added more hot water the next morning, then drained. Repeated twice on the two night stay.
Last drain I once again put in a good dose of deodorant/digester as tank was showing much lower level, pipe was 100% clear will dump the water, deodorant/digester and any remaining gunk in about two weeks.

hankaye · 04-17-2012, 04:31 PM

TBerry, Howdy;

Have you found happiness at the hole-in-the-ground (dump site), yet???

hankaye

Bruzer 71 · 04-27-2012, 04:21 AM

I just has to post this. I bought a 2008 passport 300BH. Was confused how the black tank by the sensor display read 2/3 full but the tank was empty. After reading from this forum! some if the solutions documented here I chose the soap/ice/water fix. I feed a 22 lb. bag of ice with a Hefty shot of Dawn dish soap into the toilet and topped it off with a large dose of water till the level was close to the capacity of the black tank about an hour before our first camping trip last weekend. It was a 1 hour and 15 min. Drive with 1/2 of it a very bouncy section of highway. Set up camp and hooked up my waste hose and drained black tank. I was very happy to see the black tank level read E so it definitely works. The couple we went with did not know I was doing this but when I shared the info they will be doing this same thing there next camping trip. I just love this forum. Keep the info coming. Happy Camping To All !!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You may also like: