BH 3870 FB clogged black water drain - thinking of trying this....

[jbs80122]

The black water gate valves on my BH have never closed properly, even after servicing. One of the tanks is completely clogged now, as I think as the water seeps past the gate valve, it carries solid matter with it that creates the clog. And of course, when I remove the drain cap I get a nice blast of sewage before I can put the drain hose on. We're currently living in our rig as part of our cross country move, so taking it to a dealer (assuming I can get in) and leaving it is not an option. Fortunately the 3870 FB has two toilets with separate tanks, so we are still operational.

I'm considering this approach to clearing the clog, but wanted feedback on the idea before I attempt it. I have one of those clear twist on couplings from my old trailer for making sure things are running clear. It also has an attachment for a water hose to allow you to shoot water back up into the line. If I put that on, then put on a secondary twist on gate valve after it, I should be able to inject fresh water into the drain line, and create back pressure. If I close all the gate valves except for the one that's clogged, the water should build up pressure against the clog and dislodge it. I can then open the secondary gate valve and drain the system that way.

I don't think there's any vent lines in the drain part of the sewage system, and I would expect the amount of pressure built up wouldn't be that great, so this should work. But before I try, I'd like to hear from the community about the approach. is this crazy enough to work, or just crazy and ill-advised?

Thanks!
John

 

[NP_Chief]

Sounds like a crappy situation (sorry couldn't resist). Is the clogged tank full?

 

[jbs80122]

Sounds like a crappy situation (sorry couldn't resist). Is the clogged tank full?

A crappy situation indeed. Although we've been RVing for over 20 years, I've never had this level of difficulty before. The clogged tank isn't quite full, though we've been using it several days.

 

[NP_Chief]

The method you suggested would be the least messy. If it doesn't work, you may have get a cheap plumbing snake and use it. If you do have to snake it, leave your clear coupling on it and run the snake through the hole for the water hose.

 

[jbs80122]

The method you suggested would be the least messy. If it doesn't work, you may have get a cheap plumbing snake and use it. If you do have to snake it, leave your clear coupling on it and run the snake through the hole for the water hose.

I have the snake, but couldn't figure out how to: a- ensure that the snake goes to the proper gate valve, and b- if it worked, how to withdraw the snake and put on the drain line without getting covered in sewage, since the snake wouldn't go through the opening for the water line.

I have to wait a couple of days while the extra gate valve arrives, so I still have time to think about it more.

 

[mlpeloquin]

The clog could be the plug cut out made when the drain was installed or just TP paper. Some, including me, have put an external gate valve to prevent the poop/gray water surprise. https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-Twist-On-Waste-Valve/dp/B000BGHYJS I never have had the cut out block my tank. Mine was do to the fact I forgot to put my tank treatment in. TP paper clogged it. As others have done, keep the external screw on valve closed, open the black water tank valve and then the gray water valves. Closed the gray water valves and opened the twist on valve. This creates a back flow that loosens the clog and then allows the black water tank to empty. Only once did I have to do this, but worked well. Always put more water in at each poop flush to ensure that there is enough water to properly flush your black water tank. I use Happy Camper and it really breaks down the TP paper. Happy Camper allows you to use any home septic tank approved TP paper.

 

[TravelTiger]

We had some valve issues that caused some plugging up/slow draining earlier this year.

We used some Tank Tech RX and have had success breaking up solids in the tank.

http://tanktechsrx.com/shop/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NP_Chief]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/General-Wire-25-ft-Galvanized-Wire-Machine-Auger/1000404675

A snake like this one should fit through the water hose connection. Hopefully, it won't come to that... if you still have some water flowing through, maybe the water method will work.

 

[danemayer]

If the black tank gate valve doesn't shut completely, the water leaks out and goes down the sewer, leaving solids behind to build up into a big poo pile. And it gets progressively more difficult to empty the tank. So if you've been having this problem for a long time, it's very possible that most of the solids from the entire period are now built up in the tank.

Backflushing the tank from the clear adapter may help, but you need to be careful not to overfill the tank. And you have no direct way to determine when the tank is full, so great care is needed.

I'd recommend you proceed as you've described, using the backflush adapter and the external gate valve. But time the water going in. I would suggest no more than 5-6 gallons at a time. That should fill the 3" pipe between the backflush fitting and the black tank gate valve, and some more to dislodge a buildup at the black tank gate valve. If you time how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, you can then time how long to let the backflush run.

Backflush, drain, backflush, drain, backflush drain.... If you're seeing solids come out through the clear adapter, keep doing that. If you see more water draining than you think you've put in with the backflush, increase the backflush time gradually.

You'll want to be careful to not overfill the black tank. That can cause sewage pressure against the toilet, up the vent, possibly dislodge the toilet sewer pipe that goes into the black tank, or damage the tank.

Don't get distracted while doing this. Use the timer on your phone. Don't engage in conversations.

If using a snake, you might turn off the water and snake down the toilet. You may or may not find the gate valve, but you might be able to break up some of the poo pile.

 

[jbs80122]

The clog could be the plug cut out made when the drain was installed or just TP paper. Some, including me, have put an external gate valve to prevent the poop/gray water surprise. https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-Twist-On-Waste-Valve/dp/B000BGHYJS I never have had the cut out block my tank. Mine was do to the fact I forgot to put my tank treatment in. TP paper clogged it. As others have done, keep the external screw on valve closed, open the black water tank valve and then the gray water valves. Closed the gray water valves and opened the twist on valve. This creates a back flow that loosens the clog and then allows the black water tank to empty. Only once did I have to do this, but worked well. Always put more water in at each poop flush to ensure that there is enough water to properly flush your black water tank. I use Happy Camper and it really breaks down the TP paper. Happy Camper allows you to use any home septic tank approved TP paper.

Yep, that's the gate valve I have on order, arriving tomorrow. I'll try this approach before I try the water hose method.

- - - Updated - - -

Since the gate valves never closed properly, I'm sure the slow leak is pulling the solids against the gate valve. The frustrating thing is that I had the system serviced, Heartland covered the "fix" under warranty, and the tank is clogged after only a few days of usage. Makes for a very frustrating situation. I'll definitely keep an eye on the amount of water being injected, the timer idea is a good one.

If the black tank gate valve doesn't shut completely, the water leaks out and goes down the sewer, leaving solids behind to build up into a big poo pile. And it gets progressively more difficult to empty the tank. So if you've been having this problem for a long time, it's very possible that most of the solids from the entire period are now built up in the tank.

Backflushing the tank from the clear adapter may help, but you need to be careful not to overfill the tank. And you have no direct way to determine when the tank is full, so great care is needed.

I'd recommend you proceed as you've described, using the backflush adapter and the external gate valve. But time the water going in. I would suggest no more than 5-6 gallons at a time. That should fill the 3" pipe between the backflush fitting and the black tank gate valve, and some more to dislodge a buildup at the black tank gate valve. If you time how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, you can then time how long to let the backflush run.

Backflush, drain, backflush, drain, backflush drain.... If you're seeing solids come out through the clear adapter, keep doing that. If you see more water draining than you think you've put in with the backflush, increase the backflush time gradually.

You'll want to be careful to not overfill the black tank. That can cause sewage pressure against the toilet, up the vent, possibly dislodge the toilet sewer pipe that goes into the black tank, or damage the tank.

Don't get distracted while doing this. Use the timer on your phone. Don't engage in conversations.

If using a snake, you might turn off the water and snake down the toilet. You may or may not find the gate valve, but you might be able to break up some of the poo pile.

 

[david-steph2018]

We had this issue on our old RV and my luck, none of the ideals worked. We had to get a mobile tech out and it was around $225.00 to clear the clog. After we had it cleared I started back flushing every time I dumped the tank. For the 2 years after, until we traded for the Road Warrior, no more issues with the tank.