What is the best procedure to dump tanks while hooked up at seasonal campground site?

This is our 1st year of camping and I know I still have a lot to learn about our 2010 29RLBS. I've emptied our tanks by pulling the black tank valve 1st, then the grey tanks.Our WC is hooked up to the sewer with a pvc pipe since we are seasonal campers. There is a hose connector on the same panel that states make sure the black tank valve is open. I have been pouring clear water down the toliet until the tank registers 2/3 full. then going back outside and emptying the tank again. then I refill the the tank to about 1/3 full (again with a bucketfull dumped and flushed in the toilet with the sanitizer packet) when we get ready to leave. We go to the site about every other weekend and have never used the toilet to go #2. But I can't seem to get some odor out. I would appreciate any suggestions.

You'd be better off if you keep your black tank and grey tank valves closed until you're ready to dump. It's very difficult to properly eliminate waste from the black tank otherwise. It's the force of the liquids flowing out of a full tank that actually evacuates the waste. Just make sure you have adequate amounts of black tank chemical in each tank full to help break down waste AND reduce odors. Also, re-charge the black tank every two weeks or so with more chemical. I can tell you for a fact that leaving your black tank valve open while hooked up to the CG septic system is at least partially to blame for the stench backing up into your empty tank and up into your Cat. Empty tanks smell worse than full tanks with chemicals in them.

If it were me, sign or no sign, I'd wait until my tank is full, then dump as I normally would; black tank first, grey tanks last. then re-charge the black tank with a gallon of water and black tank chemical.

TC

As TC said, when the tank valve is open, the sewer gases can make their way into your tank and out the roof vent and your toilet. Stinky.. I don't know if there is a requirement to have a trap on the sewer lines at each camp to keep the group system from off gassing.

Also, don't you have a black tank flush? I thought that was standard now. No need to fill from the toilet for tank flushing purposes.

I do mine the same way TC does.But until I installed a clear elbow at the dump where the hose connects to,I was dumping the black water first.My valve handles were mislabeled. So if you can, check to see if your valves are labeled correctly.It's not uncommon.
Happy Camping

Mel

I can't say it's the best way...but here's how I handle, for lack of a better term, it.

1. In the 2005 WC. I have a clear elbow that hooks to the
outlet and the slinky hose is connected to it, a good thing to have
since you can see what's happening. I turn on the rinse hose
(more on this in the next section), open the black water tank and let
things discharge until the liquid is clear (or close to it).
Close the black valve, leaving the rinse water running. Open both
of the gray water valves and dump those two tanks. After the
rinse has run for a period, depends on how much water the park is
pushing out the hose, from 3 to 8 minutes depending on how brave
you are pumping water into your black tank with an overflow possible,
I'm not very
, I open the black valve and let it drain again. Then repeat the
closing of the black valve and draining before turning off the rinse
water.

2. In the 2000 non-WC we have only a single gray tank and the
rinse doesn't seem to work all that well. I also have a clear
elbow on this RV. This RV is permanently parked and we live in it
for 5+, but less than 6, months over the winter. Since I don't
think the rinse is working well and I've had problems with not being
able to keep liquids in the black tank, bad valves, I bought a rinse
adapter that fits on the end of a hose and goes down the toilet (does
sort of what your dumping water down the toilet does except the water
is under pressure, if you don't have a rinse hose and it should be
pretty close to the city water in, you need one of these wands).
I use that about once a month now. I do the dump/rinse/rinse
sequence like above. Before I got the down the toilet wand I/we
had problems with the toilet line filling when flushing, meaning there
was a large pile of...errr...sewage...blocking the end. This was
caused by a combination of not being able to keep fluids in the tank
and probably a malfunctioning rinse thing in the tank.

I don't use any chemicals in my black tank other than a water softener as the GEO Method by Charles Bruni
and everything seems to work OK

Always leave you tank valves CLOSED.

I never use chemicals in my tanks. They are holding tanks, not a septic system. I always leave a 1/3 of a tank of water in the black tank using my flusher to fill it.

I usually dump everyday, mainly because if it rains, I don't have to worry about going out in the rain to dump. I dump the black first, while dumping the flusher is running, I close the valve, wait a few minutes then open the valve again. Let it drain for a few minutes, then close the valve again and wait a few more minutes, turn the flusher off, then dump the 2 grays at the same time to rinse out the hose.

I always leave my valves closed.

Been doing it this way for 4 years now, no problems yet....

We have a 2005 29rlbs. I have to open the black tank valve to drain water from one of the grey tanks -- I beleive it is the shower tank. How do you drain both grey tanks without opening the black tank valve?

Our 2006 29RLBS has 3 tank pulls, 1 for black and the other 2 are for the grays.

RETIRECLOSE, you only have 2 tank pulls?

I have three tank pulls also. As you face the side of the Cat, left to right, grey pull, black pull, grey pull. But in order to drain the left pull(grey) I have to open the black pull valve. With this setup if I just want to drain the left grey tank I have to drain the black tank also. We fill the left grey tank(shower?) much quicker then the black tank.

Retireclose, there should be a valve for every tank that you have, I don't know the configuration of you unit, but if you look at the panel where your pump on/off switch is there are a number of switches. If they are marked as Fresh, black, grey and galley you have four tanks.
So there should be 3 dump valves, one near the sewer outlet for black and one very close that could be the grey and one up near the rear of the unit that should be the galley. The black should be independent of the other outlet's, but it might seem that they are joined. The best way to find out what handle does what is have your sewer hose fitted over a drain then empty the black tank, close valve then open grey and do this procedure for the other tank to see what happens

Sounds like they plumbed it incorrectly if you have to pull both the black and left gray to open the left gray tank.

Retireclose Just a thought your unit has it had a twist on valve added on the outlet due to a leak on one of the other valves

rvmama,

Ask a question and you'll get ten different replies. Oh well, here goes nothing .....

We are "Mostimers" which means we are camped on one spot for about 6 months. We are also Workampers at a KOA in NC.

I leave the grey valves open and the black valve shut. When I dump, I close the grey valves then dump the black water tank. I close the blackwater valve and fill up the blackwater tank (1/2 full) using the flusher. I then redump the black water tank. fill it with 5 gallons of water (10 full bowls of water) and Campachem to sweeten the tank. I then open the grey valves until the next time. About every 3rd dump I let the grey tanks fill and use Campachem in them too.

Understand, our trailer is in daily use for about 6 to 9 months each year; dishwashing, showers, and sanitary. In four seasons like this, we've never had a problem with odor from the tanks. One good thing about our KOA, they have traps on the sewer connections, so the odors never back up into the tanks. Of course the sinks and shower have traps too and we keep them filled.

I don't understand the admonition to leave the black tank open. That is inviting disaster with a capital "D". If you were plumbed directly to the outlet, it would probably be OK, but you're not. You have a tank down there and if there is no liquid in it, the solids are going to pile up and eventually cause some real problems.

Hope this helps.

Before I give my procedure I want to tell you to be sure to always have liquid in the toilet itself, whether it's water or in the winter, RV antifreeze. You need to keep that rubber seal in the bottom of the bowl wet all the time. Other wise it will dry out and probably leak after a couple of years.

OK, here’s our procedure for waste tanks. With the exception of winter storage, we always keep the waste tank valves closed. When it comes time to dump the black tank I pull the valve and let it drain completely. BTW, I never drain the black tank unless it is 2/3’s full.

Once drained, I then hook up a water hose (not your fresh water hose) to the black tank flusher. The black tank flusher would be the connector with the sign telling you to be sure to KEEP THE BLACK TANK VALVE OPEN. It means to keep the black tank valve open ONLY WHILE USING THE FLUSHER.

Once I’m done flushing the black tank I close the valve and add about two gallons of water and black tank chemicals to the black tank via the toilet bowl. I PERSONALLY don’t believe in the bleach or GEO method or any other non chemical method. I ALWAYS add chemicals to my black tank to help keep down odors and break down the toilet paper. The chemicals can be bought cheaply enough at a WalMart store in their camping section.

Once I’m done with the black tank, I open the gray water valve for the shower area and drain it completely. When it’s done draining I close the valve and then go to the back of my trailer and open the valve for the kitchen gray water and let it drain completely. When that tank is empty I close that valve.

Like Tracker16, I too have put a clear elbow on the drain hose so that I can see when the water from the black tank is running clear again while flushing the black tank.

A clear elbow is a really good idea. I might have to steal that one and call it the "tracker elbow"

TC

Jetskier, yes I have to open the left grey valve and black valve to drain the left grey tank. This doesn't seem logical. Possible plumbing problem?

Can you take a picture of your set up and post it, this will help in giving you better advise.
When we bought our Cat i moved the discharge outlet from under the big slide to just in-front of it so it was accessible while the slide was out.
Our grey tank pull for the shower is also on the left side of the black tank pull, but it works independently of the black and other grey pull handle.

Here is a drawing. Hope this helps. Pictures later today.

It's not right. Someone failed plumbing 3.0

retireclose wrote:Here is a drawing. Hope this helps. Pictures later today.

On my 2006 29RLBS all three valves are seperately plumbed to the outlet. In the drawing it looks like the bath/shower grey tank valve is plumbed behind the blackwater valve. Don't understand the logic behind that. Maybe it was a Friday build? Someone on the line was smoking wacky weed?

On our 05 the front gray tank dumps into the big pipe right straight
across from the rear gray tank, the handles are about a foot from each
other. The black is about 2 feet further on up the big pipe.

I agree the install was done late Friday, just before Miller time , or early Monday, before the AM coffee break.

Having said that...our other 5th wheel has the gray & black dumping
into a big pipe which has another valve downstream.

Ok,, I will join in.

First off, I keep all the valves closed until I am ready to leave, or until the tanks get to 3/4 full. I then open the black "middle valve" and let it drain. I then close that valve, and open the front valve, "kitchen" to let out any soapy water from wife doing dishes. Next I open the back valve, "shower" to let out that water and clean out the soap suds from the front tank. Then I close all valves and go until needed.

It looks to me that they put the 3" valve in the wrong location. Our Cat used to look the same but had the 3" valve near the black water tank:

Mine is certainly different.

retireclose,,,,

I'd relocate that valve to look like shooters picture.

I guess with the gray water valve closed it wouldn't back up into your sink and shower, but still, having it backed up to the gray water valve would make me want to move it above the joint like its supposed to be.

Mine looks like shooters plumbing.

I'll bet someone moved your 3 inch valve to that location thinking it was easier to pull there.

I can't begin to thank all of you for your very helpful advice. It appears the only thing I've been doing wrong is not "flushing" with the hose attached while the black valve is open. All I've been doing is opening the black valve, emptying the black tank, then closing it. Then I would open the grey tank (in no particular order), drain them, close them. Then I would go back in, dump about 3 buckets of water down the toilet with chemical and that was it.
Thanks again to all!

Look at my modifications link below, I re-routed my piping. It's easy to do.

I also would think someone replumbed this for an easier pull on the black tank valve.
You can leave that valve and just install one further back and up closer to the black tank. It will save you a little time and plumbing work, you will just need to pull an extra handle when dumping.
Good luck, let us know the outcome.