Bighorn waste tank
- Thread starter Sabercat900
- Start date
Garypowell
Well-known member
If by plugged you mean nothing drains out it could be too little water going into the tank. First you need to put a gate valve on the end of the discharge line this will help you with any leaks that happen while traveling.
Then with this gate valve in place you can buy a cap that has a hose connection. You can then back flush through the drain line to push anything out of the way and fill the tank a little. Then close that new gate valve and remove the hose connection.....then rehook up your drain line and open that new end gate valve......and it should flow again.
Can't say it enough.....water in the tank is the key to good dumping.
Then with this gate valve in place you can buy a cap that has a hose connection. You can then back flush through the drain line to push anything out of the way and fill the tank a little. Then close that new gate valve and remove the hose connection.....then rehook up your drain line and open that new end gate valve......and it should flow again.
Can't say it enough.....water in the tank is the key to good dumping.
Sabercat900
Member
Last trip out we made sure it got lots of water. Our prior weekend it dumped but it started with a trickle then poof it let go! When I unplugged I put a clear end on to monitor what came out. All broken down nicely.
SNOKING
Well-known member
May just be a tank maintenance issue.
Here is the routine I have developed over the many sunbird winters.
1. Get a clear sight adapter and put it between the trailer and the sewer hose.
2. I leave the black tank closed for a week at a time. Grey tanks open.
3. I form a pee trap in the sewer hose with a couple boards, one 2x and a 4x4.
4. To dump and flush, I remove the pee trap boards.
5. Close the grey water tanks.
6. Open the black water tank and turn on the hose to the built in flush system.
7. Watch the sight tube until I am down to just hose water coming out.
8. Go inside and do two full bowl super flushes. "Bomb the Pile!" Note: Full bowl means filling the bowl to the bottom of the upper rim.
9. Go back outside and view discharge.
10. Close the black water tank and run the flush water in for four(4) minutes. Do not let anyone distract you at this point.
11. Open and drain and repeat 10 again.
12. Flush a bit and verify that you have nice clear water coming out of the tank. If not go back to step 8 and start again.
13. When you have nice clear discharge, put the pee trap boards back the sewer line and fill the pee trap.
14. Close the black water tank and add about a minute worth of water to the tank with the flush hose.
15. Secure the flush hose. I have a little inline valve adapter at the side of the trailer and the other end gets turned off also.
16. Open the grey water tanks and go add your chemical to the tank.
I have had the burping a couple of times, however the super flushes seem to have fixed that issue.
Having piles in not good!!
Here is the routine I have developed over the many sunbird winters.
1. Get a clear sight adapter and put it between the trailer and the sewer hose.
2. I leave the black tank closed for a week at a time. Grey tanks open.
3. I form a pee trap in the sewer hose with a couple boards, one 2x and a 4x4.
4. To dump and flush, I remove the pee trap boards.
5. Close the grey water tanks.
6. Open the black water tank and turn on the hose to the built in flush system.
7. Watch the sight tube until I am down to just hose water coming out.
8. Go inside and do two full bowl super flushes. "Bomb the Pile!" Note: Full bowl means filling the bowl to the bottom of the upper rim.
9. Go back outside and view discharge.
10. Close the black water tank and run the flush water in for four(4) minutes. Do not let anyone distract you at this point.
11. Open and drain and repeat 10 again.
12. Flush a bit and verify that you have nice clear water coming out of the tank. If not go back to step 8 and start again.
13. When you have nice clear discharge, put the pee trap boards back the sewer line and fill the pee trap.
14. Close the black water tank and add about a minute worth of water to the tank with the flush hose.
15. Secure the flush hose. I have a little inline valve adapter at the side of the trailer and the other end gets turned off also.
16. Open the grey water tanks and go add your chemical to the tank.
I have had the burping a couple of times, however the super flushes seem to have fixed that issue.
Having piles in not good!!
Sabercat900
Member
Thx. Had 5th wheels for 25 years and never had an issue until my new Bighorn ! Even better than forming the pee trap I could put a waste gate before my clear
Sabercat900
Member
Last trip hardly had any paper and put lots of water
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
It's been known to happen that the cutout for the toilet pipe falls into the tank when they cut the opening during the build and they just leave it. It can float around and block the drain, but is too large to pass through it.
Get the clear adapter "Flush King" (or similar name) with the garden hose adapter on it. Put your twist-on valve at the discharge end of it and use that to back flush and push blockages away from the drain.
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Get the clear adapter "Flush King" (or similar name) with the garden hose adapter on it. Put your twist-on valve at the discharge end of it and use that to back flush and push blockages away from the drain.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Lou_and_Bette
Well-known member
After I have flushed my black tank to my satisfaction, I finish with adding approximately 10 gallons of water to the tank so the first few times of dropping "solids" into the tank are not hitting a dry bottom and "sticking."
Oregon_Camper
Well-known member
Exactly what I do...works great.
Sabercat900
Member
Thx for the info guys! After 25 years of camping I have change it up a bit !
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
I do the same, with maybe 7 gallons or so. Starting out with a "dry" black tank after dumping is NEVER a good idea. If the sewer trout can't swim, they just lay on the beach.
Sabercat900
Member
Have always put water but now more is better!!
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
May the Force be with you . . .
Like I mentioned above . . . use the force!
The force of the gray water tank to push any blockage back into the black tank.
Then flush the black tank as usual!
Why carry around an extra water hose that you can't use for anything else when you don't have to.
Like I mentioned above . . . use the force!
The force of the gray water tank to push any blockage back into the black tank.
Then flush the black tank as usual!
Why carry around an extra water hose that you can't use for anything else when you don't have to.
SNOKING
Well-known member
We lease the grey tanks open between weekly black tank dumps. That prevents sewer odors from coming back up into the rig. Once in a while I leave them closed and do a flush dump of them. Driving with fluid in the tanks gives them a good shake down. Chris
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My flush hose is grey and potable water hoses are white. Tie them to propane tank on the drivers side, so no hoses go in basement. Chris
