Major problem with Black Tank overflow, NEED HELP

[themachiene]

I just had a major issue occur. I was flushing the black tank on my 2015 big country and I thought I had turned off the pressure on the black tank flush and closed the valve, but Obviously I had forgotten to turn off the water at the valve. The sewage/water had backed up into the toilet, which makes sense, but then it did something completely unexpected, sewage was poring out of the ac vents and around the A/C unit as well as poring into the closet as well, I know I made a mistake and left the water on the black tank flush but I thought it was supposed to just drain on the roof of the unit! Why would it fill my ceiling and ac vents with sewage which poured all over the top of my bed! Can I get some advice on why this would happen and if this is by design? I would think that it would come out of the vent tube going to the roof and then on to the ground outside. I can understand why the toilet backed up but the ceiling and ac vents and around the ac unit itself? I have been through many rains in this unit and we have no roof leaks at all so why would my ac vents have sewage come out of them with me overfilling the black tanks? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jbeletti]

The tanks are vented through the roof - including the black tank. By overpressurizing the tank, the vent line may have come unglued and fell down a bit. When the sewage vent up the vent, it spilled it's contents into the roof system.

Sorry to hear this happened. Might be time to call your insurance company.

 

[themachiene]

Thanks for the reply, if the vent tube failed and came unglued or was not connected correctly I would think this would be a warranty issue since the vent tube is designed to make sure this does not happen in cases like this. My unit is still under warranty so I should call Heartland customer service and see what can be done. I am not even sure where to go in the mean time since my bed is destroyed and breathing air coming from the ac vents is most likely a health issue right now.

 

[jnbhobe]

I don't think warranty covers an owners mistake, insurance might???

 

[danemayer]

I would think this would be a warranty issue

You should take a look at the warranty statement in your manual before making the call to Heartland. It's possible Heartland might provide some help that goes beyond fixing the vent pipe, but the way the warranty reads to me, they're probably not obligated to fix damage caused by your mistake or help with the cleanup.

I'd suggest you have a calm discussion about what happened and ask for their expert opinion on why water didn't just flow onto the roof, and then get recommendations about how to go about cleaning up. The final part of the discussion would be about whether Heartland will help with the cleanup.

If you jump straight to a warranty discussion, you may get a strict warranty answer, which wouldn't be what you want.

 

[sjandbj]

I am really sorry to hear about problem.
RV plumbing is different than a S&B house. But in both cases the vent pipes are for air only they are not intend for pressure. Also in a conventional house the vent pipes do not have any caps on them unlike a RV. The caps do not have a large opening for solid material to flow out of. RV waste plumbing was never designed to handle pressure. I would be calling the insurance company telling them that this is big health problem.

 

[jbeletti]

My sense is that when the tank was over-pressurized, it ballooned out. The upward movement of the tank may have caused the vent pipe to move vertically as well. Glued joints at the tank and roof may have let loose. Very sorry about your situation.

 

[themachiene]

Thank you, I will call Heartland tomorrow and get some advice on where to go from here.

 

[cookie]

I doubt that there was a separation of the vent pipe.
The vent is there to vent gases not liquid. At the roof line the vent area is really not sealed so any liquid coming out of the vent will have a path to your ceiling.
Your not the first to overflow the black tank and I don't think you will be the last.

Peace
Dave

 

[jbeletti]

For what it's worth - one time, on a previous coach, I too forgot the black tank flush was on and I too had waste coming out of the roof vent. In my case, the effluent flowed across the roof, down the side and over the awning. Not good but not as bad as you have it.

 

[hoefler]

The sewer vents on an RV, whether black or grey, ARE NOT sealed at the roof. They just protrude through the roof an 1" or so, and the vent is only a cover over it. It is not sealed to the pipe only to the roof.

 

[irving.lavoie]

I had a friend do the same thing insurance company totaled the unit sorry for your luck

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[Gaffer]

Totaling the unit is probably the best thing that can happen. At least you won't have to wonder what did not get cleaned up correctly and become a haven for mold etc. Sorry for your loss. A lesson for the rest of us....never leave the UDC when flushing the black tank. As a precaution, use a quick disconnect fitting on it and disconnect it when done. I am anal about this now. Don't ask what happened on my last coach.

 

[Bones]

I know this may get a lot of people stirred up but could a simple float shut off switch be installed electronically or mechanically.

 

[irving.lavoie]

Yeah you have to really watch it when you use them clean outs too much water pressure and it comes right out the vent. I had that problem bathroom floor soked.

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[danemayer]

I know this may get a lot of people stirred up but could a simple float shut off switch be installed electronically or mechanically.

Sure, you could add an electric valve on the flush line and maybe find a float that would work more than 2 or 3 times. Getting to the black tank could be difficult on many floor plans. It's often located above the gray #1 tank. So you might have a lot of install work.

For me, using the timer on my phone seems like a pretty good solution.

 

[travelin2]

For me, using the timer on my phone seems like a pretty good solution.

Yep that and don't allow any distractions. If you need to refocus cease the operation and start over.
When I flush the tank that's all I'm doing. When I'm done I completely disconnect my flushing hose and store it.

 

[JohnDar]

I use my water meter to tell me how much water I've added to the black tank via the flush line. If I'm using the backflush on the sewer pipe, I use my phone timer, knowing the flow rate I get off the pedestal. Unfortunately, my anti-siphon valve blew the end of last summer and dumped water (clean!) down the wall and onto the kitchen floor. There's now a stain on the carpeting at the base of the stairs. When it warms up (and dries out) around here and I start getting the rig ready for the summer, the valve will be bypassed with a Sharkbite check valve, raised above the black tank. There's already a check valve that I added at the inlet in the UDC, replacing the cheap plastic flow restrictor that was there and broke a couple of years ago.

As mentioned, when servicing the tanks, there is no walking away or multi-tasking. All valves are checked and doubled checked before leaving the UDC.