Toilet pressure revisited

slaytop

Well-known member
After I had completely drained all the holding tanks and stored all the hoses following the 2007 Goshen Rally, my DW informed me that there was still water in the toilet and it wouldn't drain out. Having two other smaller TT's before, I was under the impression that the tank was under the commode and when I saw water and tissue under the commode the tank was nearly full and should be drained.

The problem was that my current tank monitor never read more than 1/3rd full and I had just drained the tank completely. With the help of my rally neighbor, Mel "happyrover", we tried all kinds of things to empty the tank but finally determined that it truly was empty and the water in the toilet was a different problem.

I remember visiting a farm years ago and while at the farm I asked the owner if I could use the outdoor outhouse restroom. When I entered and faced the opening I found a neat cone shaped mound of **** rising from the depths to the bottom of the seat. It took years to make that masterpiece.

That is similar to what is happening in the black tank under the toilet pipe if not enough liquid is used to disperse the solids. Because the pipe under the the commode is not straight down to the tank, there should not be any visible evidence of waste until the tank is more than full. There is a 25" drop and 12" lateral distance from the floor under the commode to the black water tank in my Shenandoah. The tank itself is only 6" or less deep where the toilet pipe enters and then I believe the bottom drops away to the rear toward the drain pipe. Solids can build up under the pipe and then eventually block the pipe from draining properly. There is nothing between the toilet and the tank to flush out the pipe. The vent pipe is at the opposite end of the tank and the tank flushing system won't help.

When I returned home I used a wand similar to the Camping World EZ-Rinse wand attached to a hose to clear out the toilet pipe and then flushed the tank as best I could to get rid of the blockage.

To close this description I must add a couple of comments. Make sure that enough water is used when flushing to disperse the solids in the tank. If you see water in the pipe beneath the toilet and it burps when you flush, check the tank level first to see if it is full. If it isn't full then it is a signal that solids are building in the tank and in the toilet drain pipe. It will need immediate attention.
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
Slaytop;
Your closing description is 100% on the mark. A few years ago I went to a lecture on holding tanks and solving problems with them. Several things that he discussed was flushing after use with plenty of water, thorough flushing when dumping, and what toilet paper not to use. Two papers that were not recommended were papers containing cold cream in them, like Charmin and papers with cloth fibers in them like Cottenelle. To test the paper for use in a holding tank, put it in a bowl of water and let it stand overnight. It should start to break down. Another thing that he recommended was Seazyme as a holding tank additive to break up the solids and eliminate odors. This is available at most Marinas or marine supply stores. When flushing the black water tank, he recommended that a clear connector between the dump connection and the hose be used so that you can observe when nothing but clear water is coming out. I find that it takes up to 8 to 10 minutes to completely flush my tank. He also recommend periodic washing all holding tanks by filling them about 1/4 full with clear water and then adding 1/4 cup of Original Dawn liquid and driving to your next stop. This has kept my monitors reading fairly accurately, most of the time.
 
C

Chulinw

Guest
I also add 1 cup of Calgon water softener with 1 gal of water and I also add 1 cup of soap to 1 gal of water. I do this after each flush and drive down the road with this in the tank and it does help keep the sensor clean. I got this off of RV.net and seems to work good for me.
 
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