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01-08-2005, 03:57 PM
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#1
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Duncan
Posts: 157
M.O.C. #1645
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BLACK WATER TANK OVER-FILL
If you over-fill the black water tank where does it go? Is there an over-flow vent on the 3400RL? We were trying to rinse out the black water tank with a garden how inside the trailer. We could see the water down in the toliet but it would not get any higher and water was coming out the bottom of the trailer. When we turned the water off the water stopped leaking out under the trailer. Is there an over-flow vent or do we have a hole in the tank?!? We looked in the basement and could not find any visible leaks or water in the basement.
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01-08-2005, 04:00 PM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Tipton
Posts: 3,646
M.O.C. #191
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I thought it came back up the toilet.
Let us know if you find a hole and how you deal with it,
Hope you don't, good luck with this situation.
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01-08-2005, 04:19 PM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Bakersfield
Posts: 5,316
M.O.C. #15
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Go Pokes,
Unless your black tank system is broken it should simply fill up and overflow out the toilet just like CountryGuy said. If is leaking out somewhere else then it is broken and needs to be fixed! Doesn't your rig have a Black Tank Flush on it? I thought that was standard equipment but maybe it's an option.
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01-08-2005, 04:38 PM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Cumming
Posts: 2,820
M.O.C. #919
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Sounds like the vent pipe is not connected if it doesn't over flow to the toilet. I'd have a look under there or have the dealer check it.
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01-08-2005, 04:39 PM
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#5
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Duncan
Posts: 157
M.O.C. #1645
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Thanks Country Guy, Fulltimedreamer, and HamRad for the comments. We suspected that we had a hole in the tank but were just hoping it was not so. Yes we have a black water tank flush, but Bruce was using the hose so he could see the water come up and not over flow it into the coach. Oh well it is still under warranty and we have time to get it fixed before spring break.
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01-09-2005, 01:21 AM
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#6
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: farmingdale
Posts: 298
M.O.C. #1351
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Ours fills the flush. So far thats as high as it has been and thats as high as I ever want to see it. I agree with fulltimedreamer, most likely vent disconected. Dan
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01-09-2005, 02:33 AM
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#7
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Duncan
Posts: 157
M.O.C. #1645
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Foggby,
Thanks for your thoughts.
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01-09-2005, 02:41 AM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Ore City Texas
Posts: 1,648
M.O.C. #2224
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Best of luck on this problem, Go Pokes, and please let us know whatever you find out. It may help us down the line. "Sharing problems is solving problems" might be a good motto for this forum.
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01-09-2005, 03:54 AM
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#9
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Established Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 38
M.O.C. #2499
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Hi again Marilyn,
Believe it or not, we have a very similar problem with our 2004 3400RL that we just purchased used.
Our "black tank" hadn't been flushed properly and the previous owner had been using a formaldehyde (sp?) based odor chemical.
Here's a couple of pertinent points of interest: First, when you see water down the toliet hole (when stepping on the pedal and opening the trap door) you actually have filled up the 3" PVC pipe leading up to the toliet from the tank. This pipe plugs up easily and you MAY be able to get a long "wand" and (ugh) poke through the fecal material and paper product, but more likely, you can buy an inexpensive "snake" from ACE hardware or Wally's and poke through it. Note: The snake will NOT work to go all the way through to the drain because there's no pipe to direct it, and it just coils up in the tank. Ask me how I know that.
But the "tank" leak you have from the bottom may be the same problem we have. Take a look under your SINK in the bedroom and check out the water coupling at the vacuum breaker/vent that's located under the sink. You must have your tank flusher hooked up and the water turned on to check this, but if you have the same problem, the water drips down the plastic plumbing and finds it's way down to the ground. It's clean water by the way, so if yours is.....uh...black, then it's probably something else.
hth,
Richard
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01-09-2005, 04:02 AM
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#10
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: carlsbad
Posts: 305
M.O.C. #888
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If you're having ANYTHING weird going on with your black tank (or any other tank, for that matter) -- get it looked at. If there is already a problem, using the snake can make things a lot worse. Based on our experience -- since we made matters worse, Keystone said the repair would not be fully covered under warranty. Our black tank blew and needed to be replaced -- a pricey and nasty job. Seems that more than one 3400 is having a problem.
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01-09-2005, 04:18 AM
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#11
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Established Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 38
M.O.C. #2499
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In re-reading, I'm not sure if I was very clear. Our black tank wasn't really plugged up. It was certainly not clean, but once I fixed the problem with the flushing system leaking, I put one of those "clear plastic" sections in front of the waste hose (leading to the sewer) and flushed until the water ran crystal clear. It took quite a while....1 1/2 hours or more.
The really plugged up part was the 3" PVC pipe going down to the tank (which the flushing system cannot reach) and the only thing long enough was the snake. Once I poked a hole in fecal material, the toliet started to slowly drain, which I then augmented with about 15 buckets of water down the now-freely flowing toliet.
Before putting a snake down the tube, I ground off the sharp edge on the snake "coil" so that if it contacted any rubber seals, it wouldn't cut them.
We have had no further problems or leaks, so it seems to have worked. (we also changed to a non-formaldehyde odor additive)
Richard
P.S. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a big fan of "do it myself". Drives my wife nuts.
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01-09-2005, 04:36 AM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Flemington
Posts: 1,373
M.O.C. #242
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Richard, Do a search about black tanks, there is a very good posting on RV Net from a member who uses no chemicals.
I would reccomend filling Your tank to the top and adding liquid water softener. The softener makes the water and the sides of the tank very slick. I always flush my tank well and one day I did this, let it sit a few days and was amazed at the gunk that came out of the tank. You can also add about 1/3 tank of water, a cup or 2 of non-ultra Dawn dish detergent(dissolves well in cold water), then just before leaving on a trip add a few bags of ice cubes. The cubes will scrub the inside of the tank while travelling. Dump when You arrive at the CG and things should be pretty clean.
John
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01-09-2005, 04:43 AM
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#13
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Flemington
Posts: 1,373
M.O.C. #242
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01-09-2005, 09:58 AM
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#14
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Englewood
Posts: 3,095
M.O.C. #164
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When flushing use lots and lots of water. Not doing that is why you get that clog in the pipe from the pot to the tank. We found that out a lot a years ago when we had a Jayco.
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01-09-2005, 10:16 AM
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#15
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: New Market
Posts: 831
M.O.C. #375
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Go Pokes
If you over-fill the black water tank where does it go? Is there an over-flow vent on the 3400RL? We were trying to rinse out the black water tank with a garden how inside the trailer. We could see the water down in the toliet but it would not get any higher and water was coming out the bottom of the trailer. When we turned the water off the water stopped leaking out under the trailer. Is there an over-flow vent or do we have a hole in the tank?!? We looked in the basement and could not find any visible leaks or water in the basement.
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There is no overlow, it would be agains the law for a sewage tank to have such an escape outlet. The water must back up at some point into the coach. The flush system does a very good job and a hose should not be needed unless you have a clog. To be sure you are flushing clean, use a clear elbow attachment on your sewer connection and flush until it runs clear.
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01-10-2005, 12:54 AM
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#16
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Emery
Posts: 403
M.O.C. #31
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I don't know his for a fact, but if it fills to capacity it won't come out the toilet if the pedal isn't depressed. I'm guessing it will travel up the air vent and come out on the roof.
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01-10-2005, 01:53 AM
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#17
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: carlsbad
Posts: 305
M.O.C. #888
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Bob & Donna
I don't know his for a fact, but if it fills to capacity it won't come out the toilet if the pedal isn't depressed. I'm guessing it will travel up the air vent and come out on the roof.
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Good guess, Bob & Donna. In this situation, when the pedal isn't depressed, the water and contents of the tank will come out on the roof. The thing is -- the weight will cause the tank to blow its seams. When this happens....well let's just not go there. At least this was our experience.
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01-10-2005, 01:55 AM
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#18
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: carlsbad
Posts: 305
M.O.C. #888
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John,
Thanks for this wonderful link. It's a keeper and now a part of my maintenance.
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