HELP! Toilet plugged!

[skp51443]

Sure, hot tap water and 1/4 cup liquid dish soap can help cut any grease buildup.

 

If you are sitting hot tap water followed by a big pot of boiling water is good too. We used to use our pasta water to keep the kitchen tank and pipes cleaned out.

[rcharrette]

Yep, been there. We dry camp a lot so the first few times we were trying to conserve water and did "quick flushes. Well the toilet plugged up on us. There I was with a stick digging it all free.

The lesson I learned is the toilet is NOT the place to conserve water!!!!

[wa_desert_rat]

I bought a "wand" from Amazon that ends in a swivel sprinkler. Attach it to the end of a water hose and let it down into the tank (carefully!). When it hits bottom bring it up a bit, turn on the water (ball valve on the device). The sprinkler head spins and directs a stream of water (at RV or city pressure) around the tank. We do this twice a year and have not had an issue. We use any darn tissue we want, too.

 

WDR

[2gypsies]

If you don't have a straight connection from the toilet to the tank, how are those ice cubes going to make it down the curve? Plus, you'd have to do some hairpin curves and fast stops to get any action going in there.

 

I've seen the above video before and he's also made an excellent one of the different methods of flushing out the tanks...look for it. The eye opener was seeing very little tank cleaning by using one of the clear connectors with a hose attached to it. Yes, the water eventually runs clear and you can see that but it's only cleaning a very small portion beyond the tank connections. The spray does not even reach the sides of the tank or further back. The video showed the very best method was a flusher installed in the tank itself.

 

I always thought it would be neat to be able to see what really goes on in that black hole! Well....maybe not.

[Pat & Pete]

If you don't have a straight connection from the toilet to the tank, how are those ice cubes going to make it down the curve? Plus, you'd have to do some hairpin curves and fast stops to get any action going in there.

 

I've seen the above video before and he's also made an excellent one of the different methods of flushing out the tanks...look for it. The eye opener was seeing very little tank cleaning by using one of the clear connectors with a hose attached to it. Yes, the water eventually runs clear and you can see that but it's only cleaning a very small portion beyond the tank connections. The spray does not even reach the sides of the tank or further back. The video showed the very best method was a flusher installed in the tank itself.

 

I always thought it would be neat to be able to see what really goes on in that black hole! Well....maybe not.

 

That's exactly what the factory installed in our tank . I couldn't clear it with 150 pounds of air pressure , among various other attempts . The line from the 'control panel' to the OEM flusher must have been built really well .

 

And , ice cubes make way into the tank the very same way they end on the floor when you're trying to get them in a glass .

The slightest bump and back will slosh whatever is in the tanks nicely . Ever stub a toe or just about stumble when you're caring a bowl with liquid ?

[Gypsy Traveler]

Just when I thought this thread was slowing down!!

I watched the ice cube video....it was funny! Nice in theory. I'll do a little water and detergent in all our tanks before we hit the road for the first time tomorrow. We've got a 5 hour drive, so that should be a good cleaning.

[Kirk W]

I don't advise the use of dish detergent or at least not much as it will cause suds in the tank, while laundry detergent also cuts grease and it don't do that nearly so much. Even better is dish washer detergent as it is very strong and nearly no suds.

[bigjim]

2gypies, if you change the word neat for the word informative in you last statement you would be correct I would say.

[Bob Cochran]

I help someone once that had a problem draining the black tank and it turned out to be the vent stack!!!! While it did drain it was slow and at the time opened the toilet valve and held it open to get it drained. Later got on the roof with and old hose and with one of us to turn the water on and off cleaned the stack into the tank. Apparently the tank and been let get really full and TP and what ever got pushed into the vent stack. Cleaned out and all better. I would think this is not something that happens often as I would nto think most people let the black tank get that full even boondocking. At least not very often!!!!!

[reed and elaine]

Absolutely agree with Malone2Go. We have been to Mexico four times, once to end of Baja and three times to Yucatan/Belize. The rule in all RV parks we visited in Mexico and Belize was no paper in the toilet. The septic tanks and piping cannot handle it and get clogged. We traveled (flew down) 3 months in Honduras/Guatemala in 2014 and three months in Ecuador/Peru this year and every hotel/hostel/private home we stayed in but one have the same protocol; no paper in toilet. The one that said "put paper down the toilet" was probably the last Howard Johnson's hotel left in the world, and that was in Guatemala City.

 

We started doing this during and after first trip to Baja. Just put paper in a plastic bag in a trash can next to the toilet and have had no problems with clogging in six years. It is about the same as having a diaper pail for your kids/grandkids. Our kids have all traveled to Latin America, Africa, and Asia and they know the drill. If other folks request to use the bathroom when we are boondocking (tenter friends), we let them know our protocol and why.

 

Also go along with using a Valtera or Camco RV Dual Flush Pro gate valve at the sewage outlet. It does two things:

1. No dripping/splashing of effluvia when the valve is opened

2. You can backwash the black tank with the grey water. With the clear plastic outlet, you know when it the black water tank and the pipes are fairly clean.

 

Only use the bacterial break down holding tank product.

 

We are primarily boondockers (90% of the time - and dry camp in kids' backyards the rest), so we are never hooked into line power/water/sewage except on the beach in Yucatan. Even then we run power through battery charger (line power goes from 85 to 150 V and will destroy your electronics otherwise), water is only for showers and we run the water into freshwater tank and use the pump (after two levels of filtration - and fill 20 liter containers with drinking water), and sewage is emptied only when 2/3 full or so as a number of respondents have suggested.

 

We sometimes put in detergent, Calgonite, and hot water when we are traveling after dumping. Othertimes it is ice cubes and calgonite

 

Reed and Elaine

[cire]

Understand that depending on your plumbing configuration and whether or not you flush the yellow stuff every time there is a possiblity you have a uric salt problem in you toilet plumbing. Uric salts build up is as rough as #10 sandpaper. If the inside of your plumbing is rough as a cobb you have the problem. An easy fix is muriatic acid (swimming pool acid). Be aware that if you have a heavy build up, repeated applications may be required. The bottom of the pipe might be cleaned but any uric salts on the top of the pipe may fall down and need to be dissolved with a second or even a third application. Note the muriatic acid will not harm your plastic tanks and valves.

 

After learning about this trick a few years ago my toilet plugging problems has been greatly reduced.

[rmalikone]

My husband just cleared it. He went to Home Depot and made a 6' wand with a sprayed attachment on the end. He attached a hose at one end and put that down the toilet. All the yuck kept filling back into the toilet. He scooped it out into a bucket and dumped that down the sewer connection. He did that 5 or 6 times. I poured boiling water down the tank while he did the flush. It finally broke free.

We've been using Angel Soft tp and Environmentally friendly tank treatment. No more of that. I want the caustic toxic rat killing chemical down there doing the job!! I think we haven't been adding enough water to the tank though. This is one of those newbie full timer lessons!! It sucks!!!!! But we're laughing about it now!! Today is our 2 week anniversary of full timing!

Only use septic safe TP, chemicals aren't that necessary IMO.

[Giancarlo]

We always use enzimnes ( sp ) they sort of eat the stuff up and chew the paper so it just call comes out like a thick water. . Of course use the one ply paper and enough water . The stuff that smells real good usually only smells real good so I put a little good smelling stuff in with the enzimes ( sp ) to get the best of both worlds. And just in case we carry a back flush attachment with us.that goes on the sewer hose and has saved our butts a couple of times.

( and of course when ever we have got a plug in our sewer system I blame the wife ) LOL

[Kirk W]

Only use septic safe TP, chemicals aren't that necessary IMO.

Most of the fulltimers that I have known over the years, eventually come around to that practice as well. Use generous amounts of water when you flush and stop wasting money on stuff to pour into the waste tanks. A good detergent & water mix while traveling will wash out the inside of the tanks if done a few times a year and that is cheap too. Some RVers just feel better pouring the perfumed stuff into the toilet and the manufacturers of additives continue to be profitable. I have always found it quite entertaining to hear of the lengths some RV folks go to so that the waste tanks will be clean, then turn around once they believe the tank to be sanitary and they poop into it!

[pugsly]

We have a straight shot from the toilet into the black tank, and the bathroom sink also drains to the black tank to add liquid volume. Works really well for us. We use the enzymes and have never had an issue. I just cleaned out the black tank today and the water coming out of it is as clear as it is going in.