Mistakes Were Made

[RandRBurroughs]

Hi. We are finishing our 3rd week of full-time RV living. When we were just RVing on the weekends we did not have an issue BUT now our toilet/black tank is clogged. My husband is even more oblivious than I, with that being said, we bought a Campo Swivel Stick, well, he hooked it up to the water 😮*💨 The toilet it full, just below where the water drains into the toilet. The clog is before the drain because nothing is going through. Any ideas? Please and thank you!

[RMcNeal]

Are you certain the valve is opening to drain the tank? Do you get anything at all when you open that drain?
If it is clogged at the valve, you might try back filling with a flush king to see if you can clear it from the other direction.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[DutchmenSport]

In this case, I don't think a Flush King would be much help. If the black tank is full, there is a lot of pressure on the tank slide valve already from the volume of water in the tank. There is simply not enough water or force on the other side of that valve to make it greater than the force that exists on the inside of the tank right now.

Actually, about the only solution, ..... and this is going to be horribly messy .... is to remove the end cap off outside discharge port, open the black tank valve and shove something up the pipe, .... like a garden hose, soft, flexible, but firm. I would not use a metal plumbers "snake". They can cause more damage than good.

Simply shove the hose up the pipe. If the valve itself is frozen shut, or stuck shut, or the cable from the pull handle to the valve itself to the slide valve on the tank is broken, then you'll never be able to get the hose any further.

If it is something blocking the valve from the inside ... like construction material from when the camper was made, then you should be able to push the blockage away with the hose and start flowing again.

BUT! Beware ... all that black tank content will come rushing out. You'll have one heck of a mess on the ground (and on you) that will need to be cleaned up.

If you have a toilet paper clog at that valve, the hose should be enough to punch a hole through it too. Just be prepared when the bowels of the trailer break loose!

[jimcol]

Actually the flush king can help if it is a clog and the gate valve is open. Use the hose port on the flush king to run a plumbers snake, no head attached up the discharge pipe. If it dislodges the obstruction you'll get a little seepage out of the hose port but nothing like you would get out of the 3 inch pipe. You can even throttle down the hose port somewhat using the water flow valve on it. Helped a friend clear his obstruction using this technique but instead of a plumbers snake used a Teflon electrician fish tape.

[TenOC]

Years ago I was at a campsite and the neighbor complained about that the after the kids had visited for the weekend that water was backing up in the shower. It turned out that the cable to open the drain valve had broken and the drain valve was not open. Are you SURE the valve is open?


One other time we purchased a used RV. On the first trip after boondocking a few days the black tank would not drain. While discussing the problem and solutions for a few hours, all at one the tank drained. We THINK that the previous owned had not completed drain the black water and the S*** had dried up into a "brick" that clogged the line. After a while the pressure forced the brick clog down the drain. We never had the problem again.


Have you tried "RidX" or a more aggressive acid treatment for clogged sewer lines?

[fatcatzzz]

Originally Posted by jimcol

Actually the flush king can help if it is a clog and the gate valve is open. Use the hose port on the flush king to run a plumbers snake, no head attached up the discharge pipe. If it dislodges the obstruction you'll get a little seepage out of the hose port but nothing like you would get out of the 3 inch pipe. You can even throttle down the hose port somewhat using the water flow valve on it. Helped a friend clear his obstruction using this technique but instead of a plumbers snake used a Teflon electrician fish tape.

I too have used this method to help a friend out. You have the water pressure from the hose to over come the head in the tank.

[AZ Traveler]

If all else fails you might try to look for a Kleentank vendor in your area - to have it professionally done.

Clogs are often cause by leaving the black tank valve open. This builds the dreaded poop pyramid as the liquid drains out. To prevent this, after dumping the tank put 5 gallons or so water in. Keep the valve closed and dump it once every week and repeat.

[Foldbak]

I'm with AZ on this. Call a pro.
https://kleentank.com/find-a-dealer/

[TheEaglesNest]

Another source to contact is the RVTAA, at: https://rvtaa.org/locate/ they have technicians who are certified in tank cleaning and clog removal (poop pyramid). With that said, technicians are available to fix other issues. If you were in San Antonio, TX area I could have assisted you with this problem.

[Randy E]

I’ve never done this but I heard about it. Instead of totally removing the end cap and discharge hose, you can poke a hole in your discharge flex hose. Then go through the hole with the garden hose or any other soft flexible ram. You can then snake it up the onboard plumbing. If you are successful in breaking up the blockage, the hose is still hooked up and will prevent a huge mess. The downside is the discharge hose will be junk once you cut a hole in it. Could save a lot of cleanup if it works.

[Lins and Vic]

If you watch a you-tube video from kleen tank and see how they do it it will be a big help. As Randy E said they run the hose through a small hole so no or not much mess. The video is very good to learn tank care.

[RandRBurroughs]

Thank you all! We ended up getting an RV Repair Service. The official diagnosis was the dreaded Poop Pryamid.

[Trevor]

To avoid this problem again only drain the black tank about once a week. DO NOT leave the valve open all the time.

[Mark7]

Originally Posted by Trevor

To avoid this problem again only drain the black tank about once a week. DO NOT leave the valve open all the time.

Also... be sure to run about 4 to 5 gallons of clean water into the tank before you "contribute" any solids. You want that stuff floating in water, not piling up right under the toilet pipe in the tank. Let the tank get near full, or right before you are going to move... then dump it like Trevor stated.

Since you are new to this, a little advice I think most will agree with...

Dump black tank first, then gray so that you kind of clean out your sewer hose.

Also a good idea to travel with that 5 gallons of fresh in your tank(s), or at least your black tank to slosh around in there on the road can keep things loosened up. NEVER travel with full waste tanks. In most cases, they are not supported well enough to transport them when full and you will have issues after you do that for a while.

[RMcNeal]

As Mark said, I usually dump blank tank first and flush well, then both grays.
I have a hose meter so I can tell how much water I'm putting in. I open the black tank flush and clos off the black tank drain valve. I can meter 5-7 gallons of water into the tank. Then I shut everything down, go inside and add my Unique black tank treatment. Sloshing while travelling helps a lot, but the key is to never allow the tank to dry out.

[pastorbill]

I've found that a bag of ice just before pulling out dumped down toilet can help loosen anything that may be stuck. the sloshing of ice going down the road will help keep things clean (er).

[Kfinnert]

I will add to the comments here with a solution that has worked for me in the past to dried clear debris in the tanks. As long as the valve is opening, then I suggest trying Thetford Holding Tank cleaner called Tank Blaster. It is designed to clean sensors, but seems to clean my tanks too.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...,0,0_SH20_.jpg

Easy to use, fill the tanks with water (sounds like this has been done) and then add the appropriate amount of chemical. Let is sit for 36 to 48 hours. The chemical and water should dissolve the poop pyramid or at least break it up...

Best of luck...