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Old 08-24-2010, 07:22 AM   #1
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Black Tank Treatment

I'm new to this whole black tank grey tank thing. I have quesiton about storing the camper. After camping a few weeks ago we dumped the black tank, then the grey. My understanding (wrong from what I have since learned) was that the grey tank flows through the empty black tank to clear out any remaining "stuff". Since that is not the case are you supposed to do anything to flush out the black tank to reduce odor buildup between uses? Should I have some sort of chemical in the empty tank? Same with the grey, should there be a treatment in there while the camper is stored? The last thing I need is to get up north for our October trip and have a stinky camper. Thanks in advance.
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Old 08-24-2010, 08:39 AM   #2
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Per suggestions from other rv'ers at other forums (prior to us frequenting the Jayco Owners Forum), we decided not to use chemicals in our tanks. We haven't yet had problems except for the black monitor readings being inaccurate the entire time we have had the tt. We do have a "wand "to clean the inside of the black, but only did that once so far.

Another thing we learned was to make sure that the black tank is 3/4 prior to dumping. Then pull the grey and drain that last. We also read somewhere that folks will add a drop or two of liquid detergent, then some water and let that slosh around when driving home. It works for us anyhow and no stinky camper

(Let us know what you find works for you)
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Old 08-24-2010, 01:20 PM   #3
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Drain the black tank first, then close the valve. Drain the gray tank second. I always put a bottle of tank treatment chemical in the black tank through the toilet and add 2-3 gallons of water before heading out from the dump station. That way, the tank is treated during storage and no additional chemicals are needed before dumping after the next camping trip. I prefer to have chemical in the tank during storage. Of course, I live in Texas where the temperatures can exceed 100 degrees 30-45 days each summer.
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Old 08-24-2010, 02:21 PM   #4
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We do the same as what Texas Sam described. Drain black tank, Drain Grey tank, rinse the stinky slinky and store the stinky slinky.
After I have closed the black tank, my wife adds a small bottle of chemicals down the toilet and adds about 4 gallons of water down the toilet.
We do this routine each time. No smelly trailer or tank.
Here is the chemicals we use. We get them at Wal-Mart for much less than this place.
http://www.rvpartscountry.com/TSTOra...s8-4oz.bottles
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Old 08-25-2010, 06:10 AM   #5
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Thanks

Thanks for the tips. I'll give them a try and see how it works out.
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Old 08-25-2010, 06:23 AM   #6
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I've also read that a water softener in the black tank can help with buildup.
I believe the best one can do is prior to storage sterilize the tanks with a mild bleach/water mixture.
All of the suggestions above are good advice too.
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Old 08-25-2010, 09:15 AM   #7
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Unless you are winterizing dont leave the black tank empty... dump a 5 gallon pail of water into it... that way any sediment on the bottom of the tank will not harden and shrink the size of your tank over time..
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Old 10-06-2010, 08:39 AM   #8
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Unless you are winterizing dont leave the black tank empty... dump a 5 gallon pail of water into it... that way any sediment on the bottom of the tank will not harden and shrink the size of your tank over time..
I've heard of folks partially filling their tanks with antifreeze/water mixture during storage. Anyone do this? Again I think to prevent drying out of any sediment.
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Old 10-06-2010, 10:11 AM   #9
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When I winterized my unit 2 weeks ago, I had dumped my tanks and then used water line hook-up that sprays water through the black tank(I forget what it's called). I then put antifreeze through my system allowing a bit to go down toilet into blacktank. I also added a couple of ounces of chemical to my tank to eliminate odours.
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Old 11-21-2010, 12:57 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Sam View Post
Drain the black tank first, then close the valve. Drain the gray tank second. I always put a bottle of tank treatment chemical in the black tank through the toilet and add 2-3 gallons of water before heading out from the dump station. That way, the tank is treated during storage and no additional chemicals are needed before dumping after the next camping trip. I prefer to have chemical in the tank during storage. Of course, I live in Texas where the temperatures can exceed 100 degrees 30-45 days each summer.
Texas Sam has it figured out. We do the same as he does. We also have a Black water flush on our 5'er which I think is worth its weight in gold. Never have any smells or tank guage errors! As gross as this may sound I like a black tank you can eat out of! Also there are many deodorizers for the gray tanks. Believe it or not, the gray tank can get about as rauchy as the black tank! Take a lil care of em both and there should be no problems or smells!
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Old 11-21-2010, 01:47 PM   #11
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Here's what I do

I have a Quickie Flush that I installed on my black tank.

During camping season, after I empty the black tank, I periodically (usually if I'm not going to use the TT for a few weeks or more) rinse it using the Quickie Flush. Regardless, whether I've rinsed or not, my wife always pours an 8oz bottle of Campa-Chem followed by a gallon of water into the empty black tank via the toilet.

The last campout of the season, I only rinse with the Quickie Flush. No chemicals or water is added to the black tank. When I winterize, I pour about a pint of RV anti-freeze into the empty black tank via the toilet to prevent any small amounts of water remaining in the tank from freezing against the drain valve.
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Old 11-21-2010, 04:03 PM   #12
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I have always emptied the black first then grey to clean the hose out
this year I have been adding 8 oz of camp chem then a few gallons of water to slosh around while I travel and have had great sucess
I want to buy one of these and install it. http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...nk-rinser/4969
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Old 11-21-2010, 04:24 PM   #13
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Just installed a tornado into our black tank hope this helps to keep it clean and trouble free
we did have to extend the hose seeing i mounted the tornado on the opposite side as the probes hoping that when we use this to flush the tank it will hit the sensors and clean them off
install was easy and done with in 20 min
you will need some self tapping screws to mount the female hose bib to the frame
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Old 11-22-2010, 09:49 PM   #14
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I have a clear 90 degree elbow, that has a valve on it, that goes between the dump pipe and the slinky... after I have dumped the black tank I close the valve on the clear elbow and with the black tank still open I open the gray tank.... the water from the gray goes into the black tank. Wait 1 min close the gray tank... and open the valve on the clear elbow.. this will rinse more out of the black tank.... after the black has emptied... close it and dump the rest of the gray tank...
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Old 11-24-2010, 09:09 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seann45 View Post
I have a clear 90 degree elbow, that has a valve on it, that goes between the dump pipe and the slinky... after I have dumped the black tank I close the valve on the clear elbow and with the black tank still open I open the gray tank.... the water from the gray goes into the black tank. Wait 1 min close the gray tank... and open the valve on the clear elbow.. this will rinse more out of the black tank.... after the black has emptied... close it and dump the rest of the gray tank...
i had to read this a couple times before it clicked but thats a good idea
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