Always Dump Waste Before Travelling?

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by larryflew

We have done that for a while also and it helps the sensors to occasionally work right. BTW only using Dawn because it is always the cheapest. We use about a third of a bottle.

What size bottle is that? Is that 1/3 bottle for a single use or over the season? I'd hate to see someone take a 64 oz. bottle and pour 12-13 oz. into a black water tank.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by flybouy

What size bottle is that? Is that 1/3 bottle for a single use or over the season? I'd hate to see someone take a 64 oz. bottle and pour 12-13 oz. into a black water tank.

Don Ho had a "hit record" titled, "Tiny Bubbles" but his was in the wine....

[sonofcy]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I've seen how these tanks are held in place, so traveling empty is my preference, not that I can't haul the weight but because OF the weight.
These tanks are held in place by a small lip on each end resting on the frame &/or held up by 2, maybe 3, thin straps attached on either end with a self tapping screw, with 200-300 lbs bouncing up/down sloshing back/forth on our great highways would be like me (250lbs) jumping up/down on a twin bed with only a couple 1x4 slats, ain't gonna hold up very long. If only stopping to sleep a couple nights I wouldn't worry about draining, but if staying a weekend using the toilet, shower & sinks I'd drain before traveling too far.
We also didn't haul fresh water. Had a jug by the toilet that would get us through several days of traveling potty stops & we never dry camped. If we had to have water I'd add to the fw tank as necessary.

I would add that if the tanks are full beyond a certain point (I don't know what that is) then the slosh problem could be an issue under some circumstances. I think in other use cases tanks similar to these have baffles to eliminate or minimize sloshing. However, if I am making a shorter trip over easy roads I do like the idea of filling the black and grey tanks maybe 1/8 full (I have a meter on my water fill line) and adding some dawn.

[JRTJH]

In my experience, baffles are found in fresh water (clear water) tanks, but not in black tanks. If you think about it, if there are baffles to inhibit fluid movement inside the black tank, then those same baffles will restrict flow to the outlet, making "lumps and clumps" even harder to remove. So, most waste water holding tanks are "wide, relatively shallow and span the width of the trailer between the frame rails. I can't remember the last time I encountered a black tank that was over 10" deep on the deep end (most are 7 or 8"). Most are wedge shaped with the deepest end at the outlet, which will "inherently reduce movement during towing" but isn't a "true baffle".

The design of most black tanks will "keep the tank flush nozzle" above the water level until the tank is about 1/3 full, possibly even 1/2 full. That's by design, not accidental or non-intentional. The reason is to maximize the "directed spray" above the waterline for as long as possible, allowing for "wet-down and washing away any stuck on waste" that might be adhered to the tank sidewalls or top. Because of nozzle positioning, if you want the "enzymes or the Dawn to soak the nozzle" the tank needs to be "pretty well filled" to assure the nozzle is under water.

Driving and sloshing during towing will help force water flow over the nozzle, but only if there is enough side to side motion AND if the water level is high enough to get the Dawn from the deep end to the shallow end of the tank.

[CraigB]

If you've read forums regarding keystone products, or owned one, you would be aware that the holding takes on these RV's are very poorly installed and very prone to falling or separating at the top seal when full. Although I wouldn't dump from one overnight stay, I wouldn't go more than a few days on the road. Rise your tanks when you get to your destination.

[66joej]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Driving and sloshing during towing will help force water flow over the nozzle, but only if there is enough side to side motion AND if the water level is high enough to get the Dawn from the deep end to the shallow end of the tank.

Yes John a drive down US 95 from Bullhead City to Yuma with 1/3 tank of water and a good squirt of Dawn will really get all of the motion required to TOTALLY clean that black tank. Believe me.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by flybouy

What size bottle is that? Is that 1/3 bottle for a single use or over the season? I'd hate to see someone take a 64 oz. bottle and pour 12-13 oz. into a black water tank.

I used Dawn at 1st, but a little goes a very long way, dumping a 1/3 of a big bottle you'll rinse suds for a week. I started using a couple cap fulls of cheap laundry detergent from the dollar store which seemed to work just as well & much less suds.

[bfisher003]

We don’t dump our tanks every time we stop.

[Bisjoe]

Fortunately for us, most trips involve I5 north or south. We are about halfway between the rest stops at Smokey Point WA to the north, and Federal Way WA to the south. Both have free dumping, so if our tank is not more than about 1/2 full we wait and stop on the way home. If it's closer to full we will dump at the campground before we leave.

[Big1]

Now I have to remember to use the Dawn, I did use on our last trip Spic and Span in the black water tank and flush it about 4 to 5 times.

[GaryUT]

We mostly dry camp. At the end of a 4 day weekend the tanks are pretty full, and we are often several mile down a dirt road.


Never had a problem towing with the tanks full, sometimes for hundreds of miles.


If we have hookups I will run the black tank flusher to mostly fill the tank and dump before we leave. I never have a completly empty black tank, always put a few gallons of water in the tank plus the chemicals after the dump.


Gary

[chunker]

We quit using the dawn because of the suds and now use a dishwasher liquid such as Cascade. Not sudsing and it's "slicker". The motorhome has a dishwasher we use infrequently and we'll take some of the dishwasher stuff, dilute in a bucket and pour in the toilet. Tank sensors even work reliably.

If you use the Dawn or equivalent and then the black tank flush, you WILL see some suds.