emptying black tank

[Trizzy]

Tried to empty my black tank for the first time and nothing drained.. so I figured it froze! We have had -30 weather for a week now.. anyways I turned the herman nelson on and tried to dethaw. It started to drain and we filled it with water and repeated accordingly. The tank now reads empty but when I look into the bowl I can still see toilet paper and s&*$ down the pipe has anyone experienced this? Any advice helps. Thanks!

[3330]

Not with freezing but occasionally I have trouble draining the tank because my wife uses so much paper that it clogs the drain. My cure is to start the flush water and wait. I monitor to make sure it doesn't overfill. It breaks loose after sufficient water is in there. Lately I have been shutting my valve before turning off the flush to keep more liquid and it helps a lot. If your tank is thawed you might have to bring a hose into the toilet room and try to flush from the top.

[dalenoel]

The water in that tank may have thawed but the remainder is probably still a rock. I had the fearful TP Teepee and needed to dump many 5 gallon buckets down to try to breakup the solids. I also too a long stick to actually stir the mess to break into smaller pieces to get the tank to empty.

Once empty the solution is a ration of plenty of water to solids so it won't happen again.

You don't have an unsolvable problem but it also is not a quick fix. Using plenty of water and time you'll get through this.

[SkyBound]

Take your shower hose (if it will reach) and turn the hot water on and get a few gallons of hot water in there to thaw things out and free them up before you flush and dump.

[Heady]

x2 on the warm water from the shower hose. Just remember this might create some aroma.

Don't forget to use TP sparingly, and use RV TP, it will help with the tower in the future.

[Seann45]

HOT WATER ... pour buckets of hot water down the toilet...

[Bird Dawg]

Agree with suggestion to use hot water. When you do get it out, you might want to add a gallon or two of RV antifreeze down the toilet to keep it from happening again. Just a side note on RV toilet paper, it is more expensive than household brands. You want to use something that breaks down easily. The best way to test it, is to put a couple of sheets in a glass jar half filled with water. Put on the lid and shake it for 15 seconds. If the sheets breakup into to small pieces, it is okay to use in the black tank. If the sheets remain whole, don't use it.

Fred

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by Trizzy

Tried to empty my black tank for the first time and nothing drained.. so I figured it froze! We have had -30 weather for a week now.. anyways I turned the herman nelson on and tried to dethaw. It started to drain and we filled it with water and repeated accordingly. The tank now reads empty but when I look into the bowl I can still see toilet paper and s&*$ down the pipe has anyone experienced this? Any advice helps. Thanks!

Do you have a black tank flush? If so, you should be able to rinse most of the stuff out by letting it run a while. By the way, after several rving trips the black tank indicator light will probably never read empty again. That's what usually happens because some "stuff" hangs up on the indicator probe and never seems to come off. Ours never reads less than 1/3 even though I know it's empty. Another tip is to use a cup-full of Calgon (liquid) in addition to a black tank enzyme "tablet" in order to keep things smelling good. The Calgon helps to keep the waste water slick so it drains better. The previous suggestions to use LOTS of water are probably most important. Good luck with the most unpleasant part of RVing

[Trizzy]

I do use rv toliet paper and tend to double flush so more water goes down. Today we have bought a snake and will try that and then pour a gallon ot 2 of antifreeze down the hole.. ill let you know how it goes..

[tnchuck100]

Originally Posted by Trizzy

I do use rv toliet paper and tend to double flush so more water goes down. Today we have bought a snake and will try that and then pour a gallon ot 2 of antifreeze down the hole.. ill let you know how it goes..

I would be very careful using a snake as you could easily damage the dump valve seal.

[norty1]

Any TP that says septic safe will work fine in a Rv. Save your money for some mods or good dining

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by norty1

Any TP that says septic safe will work fine in a Rv. Save your money for some mods or good dining

Thanks, Norty1, you just answered my next question.

[norty1]

Thanks, we use the same brand as at home. Keeping water in the tank to prevent it from drying is key. Never leave the black tank valve open except to dump.

[HappyFeet]

Have 3 girls and had problem also, changed to rv paper, what a difference, little more costly, buy when on sale!!!!!!

[Captain1]

I believe there may be a design problem. I have a 2013 Pinnacle 36REQS and have had the same issue three times. I have been rv'ing for over twelve years and keep the appropriate water in the tank, The toilet pipe curves before hitting the tank causing blockage. I carry a flexable piece of pex tubing to push into the toilet to force any blockage.

[Trizzy]

I ended up going into the basement and pulling down the walls that conceal the pipes. I then put an isolating heater and sealed it back up. Now there is no toilet paper when i look in and my pipes don't ever freeze anymore.. Hoping this heater has been my savior..

Thanks for the replies!

[norty1]

What is an isolating heater?