using full hook ups

[Tom_OC]

Taking the Jayco out for the first time with full hook ups available. My question is when the sewer hose is hooked up do you leave the black water valve open the whole time? What about the Grey tank? Or do I just use it to dump at the end of my weekend?

[herewego]

Black closed untill full enough to dump ( watch level gauge )
you can leave gray open,but close the gray when you open the black tank Drain. after the black drained,close valve and open the gray,that will wash the rest of the Stuff, out of the line... Sure you will get more ways to do this,but as far as i know this is correct..

[Tom_OC]

Thank you very much. I do appreciate the input.

[Skaling]

Sometimes it's good to wait till its at least 3/4 full before you dump so you have enough water to help push the solid waste out. If u r just going for a weekend you can dump on your next trip or run your toilet till you hit @ 3/4 full then dump before you leave..

[robkelly]

I typically leave the gray closed until I'm ready to dump the black so that I know I have enough water to wash the stuff out of the hose. Generally at least 3/4 full before I dump, but as others have noted too, watch your gauges - you don't want that mess overflowing into the TT

[Tunce the traveler]

I carry a 5 gal. Bucket and after I drain the black tank I leave that valve open and pour that 5 gal. Of water for a good flush out. Close that valve and drain my gray tank. DON'T forget the rubber gloves!!!

[spoon059]

I leave them both closed. You want the water pressure built up to help flush out solids in the black tank. Then I prefer the water pressure from the gray tank to help flush out any excrement in the sewer hose.

[AKGperson]

Excellent information, guys. Thanks.

We've only been to one camp ground with full hookups and I opened both tanks as soon as I hooked up. I now know better.

Ken

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by AKGperson

Excellent information, guys. Thanks.

We've only been to one camp ground with full hookups and I opened both tanks as soon as I hooked up. I now know better.

Ken

You might have a real 'devil's tower' in the black tank.

[Imnaha.Mansion]

I too leave both valves closed till I choose to dump. Some times I dump with less in the tank if I notice an odor outside or if I'm going to be away for a couple days. I use a clear sewer hose fitting to see how clear the liquid is coming out and will flush the black tank a couple times with water till it runs clear. This helps keep the sensors working properly. I also add about five gallons of water too tank after I close the valve to help prevent the sh** mound that can build up in the tank and I add an RV chemical pack.

[Brownie]

I'm staying long-term (4 months) at a full hook-up CG. My trailer has two grey tanks: one for the bathroom sink & shower, and one for the kitchen sink. The bathroom grey tank fills up quickly - with showers, shaving, brushing teeth, washing hands, etc, so I leave it open all the time, to avoid having to dump every couple of days. Since I use paper plates, I only wash cutlery and pots/pans every couple of days, and I've found the kitchen grey tank fills at about the same rate as the black tank. So about every 4-5 days, I dump the black tank, rinse it with the black tank flush 3 or 4 times (until the water runs clear), then dump the kitchen grey to cleanse the line. That's what works for me!

[cekkk]

We close both for weekend stays so there is plenty of grey to clean the hose after dumping the black. I always add at least three gallons of water to the toilet afterwards. When full timing in the winter months the grey is left open until just before the black will need to be dumped. A shower or two will fill enough of the grey tank to do its job. Leaving the black valve open or even failing to add water after flushing the black tank can quickly lead to what has been described here as the dreaded Pyramid of Poop! As for the gauges, expect the black one to show 3/4 to full after a few trips. They are useless. Hold the flush lever down while looking into the tank. Use a flashlight if needed.

[namusmc65]

[QUOTE=cekkk;264302]We close both for weekend stays so there is plenty of grey to clean the hose after dumping the black. I always add at least three gallons of water to the toilet afterwards. When full timing in the winter months the grey is left open until just before the black will need to be dumped. A shower or two will fill enough of the grey tank to do its job. Leaving the black valve open or even failing to add water after flushing the black tank can quickly lead to what has been described here as the dreaded Pyramid of Poop! As for the gauges, expect the black one to show 3/4 to full after a few trips. They are useless. Hold the flush lever down while looking into the tank. Use a flashlight if needed.[/QUO

I have found those last couple of sentences to be very true. However, in our fifth wheeler, looking down the toilet with a flashlight does not do much good. The toilet sits upstairs and the holding tank is below the basement so you are having to look down a long pipe and with water flowing in at the same time, makes it hard to judge anything. We mostly use the "wag" method of dumping.

[Seann45]

Leave both closed. Black tank for the previously stated reasons. Gray tank for odor control. If you leave the gray tank open sewer gas can come up the hose from the main line leaving you with a smelly area.

[RedHorse1]

I can reach the dump from my slot at the storage lot so I like to come home with about 1/4 in the black. The drive will "stir things up" and a dump and rinse after parking seems to clean the tank pretty well.

[Brownie]

Originally Posted by Seann45

Leave both closed. Black tank for the previously stated reasons. Gray tank for odor control. If you leave the gray tank open sewer gas can come up the hose from the main line leaving you with a smelly area.

Sorry to disagree, Sean, but both sinks and the shower have "S"-traps (just like in your house) to prevent odors from coming up through the sewer lines and into the trailer. Opening or closing the drain valves has no effect on odor control.

[cekkk]

We've never noticed any odor. As Brownie said, the p-traps prevent any. I do add grey tank lubricant rarely and an odor control chemical, also rarely, but I think it's mostly $$ down the drain!

[norty1]

Never leave your black tank open except to dump and then when it is almost full. Large OBJECTS will dry in a heap and cause major stop ups eventually. Otherwise known as the "Poop Pyramid"

Always travel with a couple of gallons in the tanks to prevent this.

[BillMc40]

Originally Posted by cekkk

We've never noticed any odor. As Brownie said, the p-traps prevent any. I do add grey tank lubricant rarely and an odor control chemical, also rarely, but I think it's mostly $$ down the drain!

We were told we didn't need to add anything to the grey tanks when we bought the travel trailer. I wondered about this since when we bought the Fleetwood popup we were told to use a treatment for both tanks. We after nearly a summer of use, i'll spend the money and deorderize the grey tank.
BillMc

[slabat]

In my opinion there is no reason to deoderize the grey water...as others have said there are P traps that prevent any odor from coming in. All that is in the grey water is water soap and small food particles.