Black drain issue

[ann.mark.sheppard]

Hubby went off for the day, forgetting he left the black water valve open.  Unfortunately, he didn’t tell me and I continued to use the toilet.  By the time he got home and realized, there was a clog in the drain pipe exiting the tank.  He has tried to find a snake (solution in our stick home) but no luck.  Does anyone have a suggestion?  Realize harsh chemicals not a solution.

[Wrknrvr]

Is it after the tank valve. Or before it.

 

  I can take a picture of a tool in the am and post it. Is the underside closed or is it open on your rv.

 

   Vern

[sandsys]

The simplest thing is to simply fill the hose with water right up to the clog then go away. Eventually the clog will dissolve. You might have to fill the hose more than once, though.

Linda

[2gypsies]

Dump some buckets of water down the toilet.

[ann.mark.sheppard]

It is before the tank valve.  We’ve been full timing for over 15 years but every once in awhile we have a senior moment or two or three…

A pic of a tool would be appreciated!

I suggested filling the tank and hoping the force would push it out, he didn’t agree…

[sandsys]

34 minutes ago, ann.mark.sheppard said:

I suggested filling the tank and hoping the force would push it out, he didn’t agree…

You don't need force; you simply need time. Lots of water then time to let the clog dissolve. This works for people who get a mountain of doom in their tank but it does require time. And lots of water if it's a whole mountain but yours is just a clog so simply fill your black tank with water and let it set until the clog drains away. Will probably happen by the time you get up tomorrow.

Linda

[RV_]

Fill the tank with the foot pedal until you see it coming up to the toilet.stop before it gets to the toilet, this is with the outside dump valve closed. Wait an hour or overnight and then dump the tank normally. It should go if it was not there more than a day or so. The pressure in the tank full of water should do the trick. You can add some dish washing liquid like Dawn which helps and can't hurt.

[Wrknrvr]

   It is still dark in Montana at this time. Will take a photo later this am.

 

 Hopefully it has flushed out by now.

  Filling the tank is a good idea.     But then the system is not usable at that time. Or until it is emptied.

   When I was doing rv repair I carried a clear 90 elbow for the sewer line. So I could see what or if anything was flowing out. I recommend that you get one and install it so you can see what is happening. There has been more than once that I was called for a plugged black tank. Installed that clear fitting. Had the customer fill the bowl in the toilet.. Dump the bowl of water and.  That bowl of water came out as I could see it pass through that clear fitting 

  They apparently had a valve that was not closed fully from the last dump. But probably had a pile in there. Maybe even floaters. I told them to use 1 bowl of water for a number 1. Two bowls of water when there is  a number 2 to be dumped.

   

 

 With the water in the tank the plug may float up and out of the way. It should get soft and naturally dissolve in time.

  I really hope you have had a false alarm on this subject

[Ray,IN]

9 hours ago, RV_ said:

Fill the tank with the foot pedal until you see it coming up to the toilet.stop before it gets to the toilet, this is with the outside dump valve closed. Wait an hour or overnight and then dump the tank normally. It should go if it was not there more than a day or so. The pressure in the tank full of water should do the trick. You can add some dish washing liquid like Dawn which helps and can't hurt.

There ya go! Clog busting 101.

 

BTW, Ann, stop putting toilet paper down the commode, do it like almost all of Mexico, have a special used paper container handy.

[docj]

5 hours ago, Wrknrvr said:

When I was doing rv repair I carried a clear 90 elbow for the sewer line. So I could see what or if anything was flowing out. I recommend that you get one and install it so you can see what is happening. There has been more than once that I was called for a plugged black tank. Installed that clear fitting. Had the customer fill the bowl in the toilet.. Dump the bowl of water and.  Th

I have found that this accessory is worth its weight in gold (or poop!)  Flush King

The beauty of this item is that it both serves as a clear section of drain pipe, while, the same time, providing a way to inject water into the tank even if it acts like it is totally blocked.  For example, our gray tank tends to develop soap scum clogs where the 1.5" gray line enters the "drain manifold".  With this device I can easily push a few gallons of water back past the clog which almost always gets things flowing again.  Other "reverse flush" devices rely on the force of water squirting up the drain pipe to dislodge clogs; having a valve you can close so the water can be forced in makes all the difference IMO.

Edited October 16, 2022 by docj

[Pat & Pete]

2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

There ya go! Clog busting 101.

 

BTW, Ann, stop putting toilet paper down the commode, do it like almost all of Mexico, have a special used paper container handy.

Sorry to disagree , Ray , but we've been putting TP down the tube for the last 13 years without a single issue with tissue . See what I did there ?

And , we aren't real picky as to which paper we use . So long as it is septic safe .

Just use twice as much water than you think needed . The more paper used , the more water needed . 

A lot of 'folks' use way too much paper for the job at hand , which is likely half the reason clogs .

Honestly , it's about as simple as 3 seconds time .

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Pat & Pete

[sandsys]

I've done both flush the paper and stash the used paper in a zip top bag. I only did the latter because the black tank was smaller than I was comfortable having. My rule of thumb for water was add enough to be sure everything floats before flushing. We didn't have big enough tanks to use a bowl or two full with each flush. Never had a clog although we know people who have.

That's how I know just add water and wait works. One person bought an RV with a mountain of doom already established. They had to keep adding water off and on for three days without dumping as the mountain absorbed the water before everything dissolved. But it did the job.

Linda

[Ray,IN]

1 hour ago, Pat & Pete said:

Sorry to disagree , Ray , but we've been putting TP down the tube for the last 13 years without a single issue with tissue . See what I did there ?

And , we aren't real picky as to which paper we use . So long as it is septic safe .

Just use twice as much water than you think needed . The more paper used , the more water needed . 

A lot of 'folks' use way too much paper for the job at hand , which is likely half the reason clogs .

Honestly , it's about as simple as 3 seconds time .

 

Is that like the Army way, one section of TP, poke your finger through the middle and clean yourself, pull the TP off your finger to wipe it clean. 🙃

Years ago we bought black tank additives, Kirk suggested more water to keep all solids covered eliminated any need for chemicals. That works great. Then we dry-camped at the Navy base on Key West and tried reducing water consumption. A waste can for TP was suggested by another retired military guy there. That works great too, it extended dump periods while reducing water consumption by 2 days before driving the MH to the dump station again.

It not for everyone and that's OK too.

[Pat & Pete]

15 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Is that like the Army way, one section of TP, poke your finger through the middle and clean yourself, pull the TP off your finger to wipe it clean. 🙃

Years ago we bought black tank additives, Kirk suggested more water to keep all solids covered eliminated any need for chemicals. That works great. Then we dry-camped at the Navy base on Key West and tried reducing water consumption. A waste can for TP was suggested by another retired military guy there. That works great too, it extended dump periods while reducing water consumption by 2 days before driving the MH to the dump station again.

It not for everyone and that's OK too.

I don't know about that Army thing . I was in the Air Force . I guess we had a little higher standard . LOL

As for the 'side bag' , that simply doesn't seem very necessary .

We , DW and I , can pretty easily do 2 weeks before a dump is required . And  , no clogs or 'side bags' involved .

[Second Chance]

51 minutes ago, Pat & Pete said:

I don't know about that Army thing . I was in the Air Force . I guess we had a little higher standard . LOL

As for the 'side bag' , that simply doesn't seem very necessary .

We , DW and I , can pretty easily do 2 weeks before a dump is required . And  , no clogs or 'side bags' involved .

I was in 27 years and retired from the Army - never heard of the method described. (I spent a year in the field in a third world setting where it wasn't an issue.) My wife spent about half her life in Latin America and Spain where nothing goes in the toilet except human waste. It was that way when were spent February in Ecuador this year. The reason being that their plumbing systems are hundreds of years older than ours and the diameters and turns cannot handle anything but human waste (and sometimes not even that). The TP in the trash can can get nasty, though.

Now... I'm with Pat & Pete. We are full-time and, in those seven years, have never had an issue with the black tank in either of our fifth wheels. We use septic-safe TP (breaks down so quickly it even comes apart when I try to use some to get something out of the shower drain when its wet). Saturday is our dump day. I use the tank rinser, do a second four minute fill and drain, and then add fresh water with the rinser while the gray tanks are draining. Even all of the OEM tank sensors are clean and work! We use no chemicals. 

Rob

[RV_]

There is a solution with little nastiness and little to no "soil" on the drying TP final drying wipe, so bagging is not an odor issue.

(the only RVing solution I can find is the portable at the bottom)

We've used add on cold water bidets for years and I can't imagine living without one. We currently use bidets in our bathrooms upstairs. Almost eliminates the need for large dirty amounts of TP whether flushed or bagged. Just a bit to dry. And provides for a quick freshening anytime of day without needing a shower. We've used them for years but I don't think they make one for RV toilets. Here is the one we use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005V1SZR8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just found this one for $29.99 that we may try for the downstairs bathroom. $29.99 Dual nozzle Bidet with video

I don't like the ones similar to a kitchen sprayer as I don't want my hand underneath the spray.

But for RVing we would go with a portable battery operated bidet. It does not require getting in the spray and with a little practice looks like it may be as effective. There are a lot of them in a search for "Portable Bidet" on Amazon. Like this one that has videos too: Portable bidet battery operated with videos

I don't even notice cold water but the portables allow filling with warm water! A good cheap solution (pun int.)

Edited October 17, 2022 by RV_

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, Second Chance said:

I was in 27 years and retired from the Army - never heard of the method described.

I was in the Navy and while there I heard that story but it was said to be true of the Marine Corps.  I also once heard a story that some backcountry hikers that were told to use leaves discovered too late that the leaves they used were poison ivy!

 

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, Pat & Pete said:

 

We , DW and I , can pretty easily do 2 weeks before a dump is required . And  , no clogs or 'side bags' involved .

 

What size tank do you have? It matters.

Linda

[Pat & Pete]

1 minute ago, sandsys said:

What size tank do you have? It matters.

Linda

We only have 45 gallon tanks , grey and black . 

[jblo]

When I have found the drain line clogged (for whatever reason) but the valve opens--have had good luck filling the sewer hose with water, elevating it and opening the valve. Has never failed to work. Worst thing can happen, clog doesn't clear and you have to put the hose full of water back in the septic opening...Also worked for thawing a frozen valve using hot water...

[Ray,IN]

For clogged black tanks: Unique Tank cleaner

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

For clogged black tanks:

Have you used it? It looks to be another product to compete with Roebic RVM-Q RV & Marine Holding Tank Treatment, which I saw a neighbor use with eventual success several years ago. One would need to compare the ingredients to really know what is in them. After more than 20 years of using only generous amounts of water when we flush I have never had a clog to deal with in our RV and the one neighbor is the only time that I have had any involvement in an effort to resolve one. 

[Ray,IN]

No I haven't had need to use that Unique product, I just told about it because it claims to break up/dissolve pyramid clogs, and that is the first product I've seen to make that claim in writing and include a guarantee.

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

it claims to break up/dissolve pyramid clogs, and that is the first product I've seen to make that claim in writing and include a guarantee.

Claiming to breakup clogged waste tanks isn't uncommon but a guarantee would be. I am looking that the website of Unique and can find no such guarantee and I can't find it on the container in your link either.

[Ray,IN]

I was going by the claims made in the writeup on the Amazon webpage and their satisfaction  statement. When i followed your direct link, this is their refund policy. "We have a VERY simple return policy: If you aren't completely satisfied you get 100% of your money refunded! That's it!"

In all likely-hood this product may not be as claimed, per the SDS it is >85% water.https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/714WHVmWvHL.pdf

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Ray,IN