Toilet "Burping" - Montana Owners Club

drjjj · 10-11-2012, 06:33 AM

DW has spent the last four weeks on the Gulf Coast in our rig while I stayed home and worked :-(. We use lots of water in the black tank when we have full hookups for obvious reasons. We normally let the black tank get full enough that the toilet "burps" at us and then we dump, and flush thoroughly. Second week she was down there she called and said the toilet was "burping" just two days after she dumped. Had her call a local RV repair guy out and he ran some tubing down the toilet and told her she needed to get her own piece of tubing and do it herself if it happened again. We lived in the rig full time for almost 18 months 5 years ago and never had this problem. It has done it to her again a couple more times. I suggested she dump the tank, then fill it with clean water and let it sit for several hours before dumping to see if anything came loose. Any other ideas?

BB_TX · 10-11-2012, 06:55 AM

Sounds like it did not fully drain that time. Maybe the outlet just got clogged. Since it has done it again there may be something in there that will not dissolve.

1retired06 · 10-11-2012, 07:01 AM

agree, some kind of blockage.

snfexpress · 10-11-2012, 07:08 AM

Could be the plastic disc they cut out when they install the toilet pipe or the vent stack. The craftsmen just let them fall into the tank if they don't get caught in the hole saw.

Another possibility happened to us. I couldn't close the black tank valve fully due to the cable getting increasingly difficult to move in and out. What happened was that the liquid waste was draining, leaving the solids. I filled up the tank with water and put a bunch of Happy Camper, similar to Rid-X, and let it sit for a day and a half. The enzymes dissolved the solids and I was able to flush the tank clean.

drjjj · 10-11-2012, 07:10 AM

Thanks for the responses. Where can I get the "Happy Camper"?

**DQDick** · 10-11-2012, 07:22 AM

Amazon has it as do many RV supply outlets.

snfexpress · 10-11-2012, 10:06 AM

We buy it from 5starhappycamper.com

**Rondo** · 10-11-2012, 01:55 PM

I'm with Michael and Kat on the use of Happy Camper! We used many different types of tank cleaners and have been using the Happy Camper for the past three years and have had no problems since.

simonsrf · 10-12-2012, 08:59 AM

Happy Camper was a bit expensive for our budget. Before you move to your next location, try a cup of calgon dishwasher granular soap dumped in the tank after you have flushed and added a couple of minutes of water to the tank. This soap is very slippery, it will reduce the surface tension...that's how they get sparkling clean glasses in dishwashers.

We do a lot of boondocking without using enough water, and we have never had a plugged black tank.

sailer · 10-12-2012, 03:25 PM

Also while moving dump a bag of ice in the tiolet and drive the ice will melt and beat on the sides of the tank . that and pine sol work great...sailer

fauch · 01-05-2013, 02:53 AM

... holy-moley!! there are some witches brews going on down in those tanks :-}

kdeiss · 01-05-2013, 03:45 AM

Sounds like she may not be flushing with enough water!
Lots and Lots of water, After draing flush several times
You can use Chems and Water Conditioners but if you are not using a lot of water you are going to have problems

**DQDick** · 01-05-2013, 03:45 AM

You bet. We use dish washing detergent pellets that have Dawn and a water softener combined. What goes down, must come out (with luck).

sreigle · 01-07-2013, 12:00 PM

Drjj, what kind of toilet paper are you using? Have you tried the shake test? Take a single sheet, put it in a closed container partially filled with water, then shake the container vigorously for a couple of seconds. If the paper has not shredded to where it will easily go down the sink drain, then don't use that paper.

It sounds like you may be getting the "dreaded pyramid." That's from TP that doesn't pass that shake test. It builds up on the bottom of the tank directly below the toilet. Since the paper does not dissolve easily it just builds up. When it gets high enough it starts to block the pipe from the toilet. That's when you get the burp, just like when the tank gets full enough to cause the burp.

Been there, done that. You can try high pressure water whether through a tube or some other method. That might break it loose enough to be able to fill and flush it out of there.

Another method, which works very well, is to get some tissue digester. You can get it at RV dealers for around $10 or so. I also got some at an Ace Hardware that's made for septic tanks. I like it because you just pour some of it down the toilet and let it sit for 2 or 3 days, adding nothing but liquid to the tank during that time. Just add enough water to cover at least the bottom part of the blockage. After 3 days, drain (add water if needed first to get a good drain) and flush.

One of those tissue digesters requires you add hot warer and it works very slowly in colder weather. Another kind doesn't require hot water and seems to me to work better. I've taken to putting a couple of ounces in our tank every other month, immediately after dumping the tank.

The problem may be one of the things other posters suggested, but if not...

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