Question about Jayco factory black tank flush

ensign · 09-18-2012, 08:02 PM

Hi friends,

I used my black tank flush for the first time on my 2013 BHDS.

I left both valves (grey and black) open while the flush was going. It seemed, though, that very little water was coming out of the sewer hose.

Question: Where was that water going? I would have thought there would be a torrent coming out of the sewer hose.

Any thoughts . . . water can't just disappear????

Thanks.

Ensign.

Boubou · 09-18-2012, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ensign

Hi friends,

I used my black tank flush for the first time on my 2013 BHDS.

I left both valves (grey and black) open while the flush was going. It seemed, though, that very little water was coming out of the sewer hose.

Question: Where was that water going? I would have thought there would be a torrent coming out of the sewer hose.

Any thoughts . . . water can't just disappear????

Thanks.

Ensign.

How long did you let the water run? When I do the backflush, the water doesn't come out right away, but rather, fills up a bit, then comes out.

ensign · 09-18-2012, 08:18 PM

I let it run for around 4 minutes. When nothing was coming out I shut things down. Again, I was worried where the water was going. I even had the crazy thought that the plumbing was screwed up and that the water was going into my fresh water system. But that would be crazy . . . right?

dewey02 · 09-18-2012, 08:28 PM

I had the same question a few weeks ago. Here's a link to that thread. http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...ank+water+tank
Since then, I've had the same experience as Boubou...I let it run for a while, and then water comes out...slowly. The jet makes a heck of a lot of noise, but I think that the jets of water are very small, but come out under high pressure. It takes a while for the water to build up and some of it gets trapped in the sewer hose if there is a dip before it comes to the outlet. I was expecting a big gush of water when I first tried it. But if you are getting NOTHING after several minutes, then I think that is something to be worried about. I hope all works out OK for you.

However, I will say that letting it run, it did knock out some nasty stuff, and the water was pretty filthy at first, but after several minutes, the water became much clearer. So the thing does seem to accomplish what it is supposed to do.

pbohart · 09-18-2012, 08:29 PM

The water from the hose is pushed through a sprayer. The holes in the sprayer are pretty small so that the water spray has some pressure behind it. I thought the same thing...but if you let it run long enough you will be able to tell that the water runoff if from the black tank flush.

usmc616 · 09-18-2012, 08:35 PM

You can keep the grey water valve closed, the flush is only for the black tank.
What I do is I open my black tank valve and completely drain the black tank and then I empty my grey tank and then close the valve. I then run the black tank flush for several minutes with the black tank valve closed and then open the black tank valve. What I have experienced is I need to close the black tank valve for a few minutes then open it and repeat this process several times before clear water runs out of my black tank.

**norty1** · 09-19-2012, 04:07 AM

Do you have a clear fitting on the black tank drain so you can see what is coming out? Save the grey water for after the black is drained and clear. If the valve is open and not clogged it has to come out. Never walk away while the tank is draining. Too easy to get distracted. Once you get it, try different sequences until all the crud coming out is clear.

You can't break the law of gravity.

EastOttawa · 09-19-2012, 10:49 AM

After a great visit to Watkins Glen State Park, I attempted my first pump out and was also going to use the back flush for the black tank. I attached the hose, made sure the valves were opened and turned on the pressure. After a couple of minutes, listening to see if we could hear gurgling water, we then noticed water was draining from the hookup and was running down the trailer. I turned off the water, checked inside and had my wife turn the water back on, and it was gushing out from a check valve, model No. 571, beside the hot water tank. We then shut down and drove back to our seasonal site in Ontario where they do pumpouts on a regular schedule so we had no occasion to use this system before. I removed the valve, contacted my Jayco dealer and they are in the process of sending me a new valve. I wonder if this has happened to anyone else. The check valve is designed to prevent backup from the black tank. It was installed properly with the arrow pointing towards the tank. It's very easy to remove and install. I will have to wait until next year to see if the new one works.

Cheers
East Ottawa

jal0710 · 09-19-2012, 12:01 PM

I have had the same experience with my flush connection. Seems that there is a bunch more water going in than coming out. I flushed it twice and the second time, after a while, I unhooked the hose at the trailer and watched the water run, slowly, into the hose. Keep in mind this black tank had already been flushed some time ago and I was just trying to determine whether the labels on the valves were in the right places. I think mine might be switched, but after looking underneath the FW, it looks like they should have placed them one on top of the other rather than side by side as that is the way the valves are arranged under the FW. Oh well, I have an appointment in a couple of weeks to get some other work done and I'll have them try to fix the problem then.

tinlizzie23 · 09-19-2012, 08:00 PM

EastOttowa, yes, we had the same problem. The valve you refer to is a vacuum breaker valve, and when it leaks, it really leaks. Ours is under the bathroom sink, and fortunately the water ran straight down the pipe from the vac breaker into the basement area. A little mess, but no big deal. Replacement of the valve was easy, and cured the problem.

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