Proper Use & Maintenance of your Black Water Tank
Doing Your Business, Should Only Be Your Business!!
Having your own personal bathroom while camping is a big selling point for those looking to joining the Camper and RV community. However, with the addition to this extra creature comfort you should know how everything is supposed to function and how to properly maintain your Black Water Tank to make sure that you can go camping without having to deal with…Unexpected Problems. I bet you thought I was going to say SH*T didn’t you.
Table Of Contents:
(Click On The Steps Below To Skip Right To Them)
Storage Tank Overview:
A Black Water Tank is ONLY for waste from the toilet. The Grey Water Tank is water that is gathered from the sink and shower.
Simple Right.
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Where Is It?
The Black Water Tank is located directly under the toilet. Given it’s location and primary function, it’s a good idea to know how it functions and how to properly maintain it. This way you can avoid any costly repairs or smelly disgusting problems, such as clogs or the infamous “Poop Pyramid”. Especially when you are in your Home Away From Home. Enjoying your much needed vacation time out in nature.
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Black Tank Components:
From The Top - Down.
First off you have your Toilet and ball valve which drain directly into your Black Water Tank. The ball valve opens typically with a foot pedal which also activates a spray system located inside the toilet to help flush waste down.
Then there is the Black Water Tank itself. Which in most cases have at least Four component itself.
1: The Electrical Sensor System
The electrical sensor system will indicate how full your tank is. Unfortunately a majority of tank sensors on the market don’t work properly, so don’t worry if yours does not work all the time. The best you can do is try and keep the tank and sensors as clean as possible by following these maintenance tips.
2: External Vent Pipe
The vent pipe is connected to your Tank and goes up to the outside top of your Camper or RV in order to vent any gasses.
3: Flush Port
Located inside your Black Tank is a Black Tank Flush Port. Which is essentially a sprayer inside the Black Tank which is used to spray and help clean inside the tank with fresh water. This helps to remove any film or materials stuck to the inside of the tank. This port is connected to another hose port on the outside of the camper or RV.
4: Waste Gate Drain Valve
So this is not directly part of the Tank itself but a is a crucial part to the system. Located near the bottom of the Black tank there is a Waste Gate Drain Valve. That valve can be opened which sends the waste down a drain pipe to the outside of your Camper/RV. This is where you hook up your sewer hose to dump the waste into an external septic system.
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Getting Your Black Water Tank Ready For Use:
Unless you are a full-time camper, the process for starting the maintenance of your Black Tank is when you are taking your Camper or RV out from winter storage.
STEP #1: Water is Your Friend:
The first thing you are going to want to do is back fill your Black Tank up with about 10% of your Black Tank capacity with water. There are two reasons behind doing this.
- It helps to dilute anything that goes into the tank.
- It is going to help prevent anything from sticking to the inside of the tank.
What is Happening Inside The Tank?
Because the tank is located directly below the toilet, everything that goes into the tank falls directly down into the same place. The solid waste that goes down will eventually build up and start to stack on top of each other which inevitably leads to the infamous “Poop Pyramid”. With no water initially in the tank that waste will begin to harden and smell. The water will act as a buffer for that waste, dispersing it as it enters the tank. Helping to prevent waste from sticking to the tank itself.
How Do You Add Water To The Black Water Tank?
A few ways you can add water to your tank are…
1: To hold the flush pedal down, allowing the water from the toilet to fill into the tank.
2: Is to fill a 5-gallon bucket with water and while the flush valve is open, pour it down into the tank.
3: Use a Flow Meter and hook it up to your flush port on the outside of the camper. This way you know how much water you are adding into your tank, making sure you don’t overfill it.
Hint: Using the flush pedal method for getting water into your tank is much slower, plus you can not be sure as to how much water you are actually putting into your tank. You can press the flush pedal just enough to fill the bowl and not allow it to go down. Filling to just below the flush sprayer. This typically adds about 1 gallon of water at a time to your tank.
NOTE: It’s always good to have a bucket with you on your camping trip anyway, because it can be used for a variety of reasons anyway.
- Pro Tip: Instead of purchasing a cover for your tongue jack you can place the bucket right over your tongue jack and use the handle to hang your tow hooks on. This way your tow hooks stay off the ground, the hooks make sure your bucket won’t fly away, and the open air from the underside of the bucket allows water from condensing and gathering on your tongue jack keeping everything from rusting.
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Step #2: Black Tank Treatments:
Similar to adding Rid-X to your septic system at home (if you have one). The idea of adding Treatments to your Black Water Tank is simply to help break solids down so they are easily flushed out of the system when it comes time to dump your tank. Not to mention it will aide in eliminating any smells that might come from your tank when flushing.
These Are Three Highly Recommended Black Water Tank Treatments that are used by Millions of Camper & RV Owners.
Again, ALWAYS keep water in your Black Water Tank. When you are driving to your destination. When you are parked at your camp spot. When your camper is sitting in between camping trips. This will only aide in keeping solids from building up and solidifying on the inner walls of your tank and sensors.
What ever you do, DO NOT USE BLEACH!!!! Bleach is a great cleaner for many other things; however it will kill off any Good Bacteria in your Black Water Tank which aide in the breaking down of the solids in your tank.
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STEP #3: Proper Use of your Black Water Tank:
Now the time has come when you are all set up at your camp location and you are able to start using the toilet.
First: Always be generous when flushing. Again, water is your friend here. This will be sure that you are keeping the tank diluted and solids will not build up. If you are Dry Camping, or NOT hooked up to a sewer line while camping, try adding a little more than the 10% of water and treatment to your tank first. Then you can be a little more frugal when you are flushing.
Second: Always try to leave about 1 to 2 inches of water in your toilet just above the ball valve. This will act as a vapor barrier. Much like a pea trap in you kitchen sink. This will help to make sure that no fowl odors will escape out of the tank into your camper. It also will help keep your ball valve from drying out leading to more problems down the road.
Third: Toilet Paper. Be wary of RV safe toilet paper. Although it is marketed that it will break down faster this is usually not the case. Instead look for 2 ply septic safe toilet paper. This will break down much faster and save you a little more money. However, you still want to go a little lighter on the amount of toilet paper than you typically use at home.
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STEP #4: Dumping Your Tank:
When To Dump Your Black Water Tank:
You want to try and dump your tank when it is about 2/3 rds. full. If for some reason your sensors are not working properly, you can simply open your ball valve in the toilet, use a flashlight and look down into the tank. If you see that water is close to the floor of the camper, or the top of the tank, then you know it is time to dump. The reason why you want to wait until it is mostly full is because the amount of water will help to flush or push all the waste out of the drainpipe and clear out most of the solids.
Here are a couple things you should have on hand before you begin the dumping process.
First: Rubber Gloves
It is a good idea to have a box of rubber gloves handy. This process involves human waste, and even though it is a self-contained system, things happen, and you will be handling hoses and fitting which come in contact with this waste. I’m sure you don’t want any of this on your hands.
Second: Sewer Hose(s)
You should have One or Two Sewer hoses. Sometimes campgrounds are spaced out enough where One 10-to-15-foot sewer hose will not reach the dumping port. It is also a good idea to have a back up hose just in case one of them should crack or leak. You don’t want that AT ALL!
Third: Clear Elbow Adapter
There are fittings and adapters that you will need for your sewer dump hose. A must have item should be a Clear Elbow Adapter for your dump hose. This will allow you to see when the water has stopped flowing through the sewer hose.
Fourth: Collapsible Sewer Hose Ramp
This will make sure that your hose is slanted down towards the dumping port in the ground. Making sure that water will not collect or settle.
After you have everything hooked up on your camper or RV. Locate the Waste Gate Dumping Valve handle on the service side (Drivers Side). Most of these valves are manual, unless you have purchased camper with a push button electric dumping valve.
Flush It Out Again! Just To Make Sure:
After you noticed that the water has stopped flowing through the clear elbow after you have dumped your Black Water Tank, close your dump valve, fill your 5-gallon bucket once or twice with clear water and pour it into your tank through the toilet. Then go ahead and open the dump valve again. This will help to clear out much of the remaining solids in the tank. You will be surprised how much more stuff you will see come out with the second flushing.
Typically you should only have to do this process once or twice but every once in a while it is a good idea to do it three or four times to make sure you have really flushed out everything from the tank.
- (Be Courteous of other campers:) If there is a line at the dumping station at your campground, try and find a time and place to repeat the fill and dumping flush process.
Remember: Water Is Your Friend! Put Some Back In The Tank!
After you are done dumping, close the valve and go ahead and back fill that 10% water back into your tank. Again, Water is your friend. Feel free to add your treatment as well.
- Bonus Tip: After you are done dumping your Black water tank, go ahead and dump your Grey water. The cleaner/ soapy water from this tank will help to flush and clean out your dumping sewer hose and attachments.
I Know I Know, What About The Grey Water Tank?
For the most part you can follow the same process you use with the Black Tank as you would with your Grey water tank. There are still things like soap, grease, food particles that can still stick to the inside of your Grey water tank. Again water is your friend, but this time it is not as necessary to put that much water initially into the tank. By adding a little bit of Dish soap along with the water down into the tank the dish soap will help to break down and loosen up any material that is still left in the tank. Much like letting pots or pans soak in water overnight to loosen up stuck on food.
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STEP #5: Additional Black Tank Maintenance:
What if you have not followed these procedures before now? Don’t worry there are still things you can do to get your Black Water Tank back up and functioning like new again.
Power Spray Method:
If you think you may have one of those “Poop Pyramids” in your tank, simply grab a water hose with a high-pressure garden sprayer attached and open the ball valve in your toilet and spray it directly into the tank. This high pressure should be enough to break up and loosen up that Pyramid.
Sit & Soak Method:
If you still think you need to clean out your tank, go ahead and fill it up with water along with some dish soap or treatment and let it sit overnight. If you are so inclined, adding warm water into the tank will also help loosen up those solids. Again, this is just like soaking dishes overnight. Then the next day go ahead and dump your tank like you would in the before mentioned processes. Rinse and repeat if necessary.
Flush Port Method:
You can also use your Black Tank Flush Port located on the side of your Camper or RV but make sure if you are using this to fill your tank up that you have a flow meter attached so you don’t overflow your tank.
Pro Tip: After you are done dumping your tank at the campground and have added clean water back in, take any leftover ICE from your cooler or freezer and dump that down into your Black Water Tank. The ice cubes will act as a scrubbing agent in the tank as they slosh around in the water as you are driving. This will help loosen up any solids still stuck to the sides of the tank.
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Black Tank Component Maintenance:
You may be asking yourself if there is anything that you need to do to maintain all the components of your Black Water Tank. Well indeed there is.
Let’s start from the Top:
There is a seal on your toilets ball valve. You can purchase any waterproof silicone seal conditioner and lubricant. However if you follow the instructions of leaving an inch or two of water in the toilet this will help prevent the seal to dry and crack. This does not mean that this water will not eventually evaporate when the camper is sitting unused for a duration of time.
Unfortunately there is not much you can do to protect the Waste Gate Valve located under the camper or RV. Many people still use PB Blaster and spray the handle then move it in and out to lubricate and help protect the line. Be sure to do this after you have dumped your tank though.
Keep Black Tank Components Stored Separately:
Most Campers and RV’s house the sewer hose in the rear bumper. However many campers install a separate PVC pipe under their RV to help prevent the rear bumper from rusting from the inside out. Seeing as though the sewer hose will still contain moisture in it after you flush it out. Again, this is not necessary and is all based on your personal preferences.
It is also a good idea to have a labeled plastic bin with a locking lid to hold all other attachments and components for the sewer hoses. This will make sure they will not come in contact with other items such as, your freshwater hoses and filters, your electrical system hook-up accessories or grilling accessories and contaminate them.
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Quick Overview:
- Keep water (along with treatment) in your black tank. Around 10% of your black tank capacity should be filled with water, always.
- Be generous with water you use to flush & try to use the least amount of toilet paper as you can.
- Wait until your black tank is about 2/3 to 3/4 full to dump. The fuller the tank, the more diluted it is AND the better the flush you will get.
- After dumping the black tank, back fill the tank, to about 10-20% capacity, and dump again.
- Keep all sewer hoses and accessories in separate storage areas to prevent cross contamination.
Thank You & Hope This Helps!!
Don’t Forget To Share This Knowledge With Others!
Proper Use And Maintenance Of Your Black Water Tank: Audio File (19min 5 sec.)
If I left anything out or you have anything to add, I’d love your input. Thanks Again!
REMEMBER…
Camp Happy And With A Purpose!!!