Black tank flush using on board water

[SkyBound]

Today I put together a simple mod that I have yet to test out, but should come in really handy when dumping the black tank.

I have found that most dumping stations at provincial parks in Canada do not have a suitable hose that will connect to the black tank flush. They are these types of wands with vent holes in the side that will not allow any pressure to build up. It's very frustrating when trying to do a good cleaning and flushing of the black tank (for those of us owners who actually care about proper maintenance).

I always seem to have a decent amount of water leftover after we leave our site, so a quick trip to the hardware store now allows me to use the on board pump and outdoor shower to flush the black tank.

I picked up a 5 dollar brass fitting that screws into the outdoor shower hose (remove the shower head) and adapts to a male hose connector. A 6 foot length of hose is then connected to a black-flow preventer which then screws into the black tank flush. My outdoor shower is on the rear of the trailer and the black tank flush port is just around the corner.

Now I can use my remaining water which would have gone to waste to accomplish something that proved to be sometimes not possible at the dump station. Hopefully I'll get to test it out sometime this summer, then again, hopefully the rest of the dump stations I visit have proper facilities!

[bluie5]

That's an awesome idea! We too have plenty of water left over and our outdoor shower is right under the connection for the blank tank flush. We don't use the outdoor shower so I could rig up something a little more permanent. Keep updating or PM with how it works this summer.

[Murphie]

If your brave you could even flush it out with the hot water left over from the hwt.
I suspect that doing this set up is a big no no. Connecting the two systems together could cause a cross contamination situation. Make sure you add a back flo preventer. I just never thought there would be enough pressure to make a notable difference.

[SkyBound]

There are 2 back flow preventers. One is factory installed in the black tank flush line and I am using another one in the hose assembly I put together. I can't speak yet about the pressure as I haven't been able to test it out yet. It may not be as good as a water spigot source but it will be better than nothing when it's needed, I'm thinking.

[JohnWedell]

If you're good friends with a RV dealer you migh borrow a tank flusher and hook it up outside the trailer and see how much pressure and water flow you get. If you do it keep us posted of the results.

[norty1]

I made that mod years ago. It works great and I have never had any problem.
I have a shut off valve in the line for additional precaution.

[SkyBound]

I had a chance to try out this mod. What I can summarize is that it works "pretty well." Going by the sound of the water spraying, it doesn't have quite as much pressure as being hooked up to a faucet spigot, but it certainly is spraying into the tank and doing some cleaning. It's a cheap and light weight tool to keep on board and works better than nothing in a pinch.

[tjpolsin]

I don't have black water flush installed, so I am stuck using a wand down the toilet.

I found an adapter to allow me to hook us a short length of hose to the sink faucet, then use that water to flush my black water tank. this is better than dragging a hose through the trailer. worked pretty good last weekend. Used the wand to break loose the solids, then just ran water to fill the tank - twice - to get it clean enough.

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

I don't have black water flush installed, so I am stuck using a wand down the toilet.

I found an adapter to allow me to hook us a short length of hose to the sink faucet, then use that water to flush my black water tank. this is better than dragging a hose through the trailer. worked pretty good last weekend. Used the wand to break loose the solids, then just ran water to fill the tank - twice - to get it clean enough.

Sometimes the wand works better than the factory installed tank rinse

[flyingflyfisher]

Skybound---- do you have any pics of your setup?

[tjpolsin]

Originally Posted by troutslayer

Sometimes the wand works better than the factory installed tank rinse

the original wand was pretty cheesy. just a capped piece of PVC with 4 holes drilled in the end.

I modified it with some PVC sprinkler parts I had on hand. Now the business end is a 180deg shrub sprinkler head set to full flow.