ATF: Gateway - Front sewer tank keeps getting stopped up

I'm not sure what is happening, for the past two camping trips, my front sewer tank will not drain all the way out, I had to put a water hose in it to get it to drain, It has a terrible smell, It is getting stopped up, after I put the water hose in it, it does all drain out, Trying to find out if there is a problem , please help
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi LaCrawfish,

Reading between the lines, I'm guessing that you open the dump valve and some water comes out with some waste material. Then the flow of water stops before the tank is empty.

You may simply have a blockage of paper and waste stuck at the valve. That can happen if you use a lot of paper, or use paper that doesn't degrade quickly, or if you don't use a lot of water when you flush.

It can also happen if you have a slow leak from the black tank valve, and have the sewer hose connected all the time. Most of the water leaks out of the black tank, leaving solids behind, piling up and getting progressively more difficult to dump.

When you insert the water hose, if after 20 or 30 seconds there's a rush of water and solids, like a dam burst, you probably have a buildup at the valve.

It's possible that manufacturing debris could be clogging the valve opening, but since water clears the problem, I think that's less likely.

You might take a look at pages 17-22 of our owner-written Water Systems Guide for tips and best practices to dump the tanks.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Most likely too much paper and not enough water when you flush. Don't leave the black tank dump valve open.
 

Gaffer

Well-known member
A lot of us have black tanks that are not directly under the toilets. When you flush (#2) with less than a full bowl and more than a little paper, you can create a pile where the horizontal pipe enters the tank. This can allow mostly water to drain when you dump. The solution is to flush with a full or nearly full bowl with minimal paper. If you like to use more paper, consider putting other than the initial paper into the garbage rather than the tank.
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
We make sure there is plenty of water in our toilet bowl before flushing #2. You need a high liquid to waste ratio to facilitate dumping and flushing.
Ever been in a job johnny and seen that pile of poop and paper. Without adequate water that's what you could have in an RV black tank.


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