Toilet clogged?

[jetlag]

Our toilet in the bathroom/shower seems to be clogged. For the life of me can't understand why as I am very meticulous about dumping/cleaning. Using the tank flush feature, I am able to fill tank until gauge reads full. It then dumps normally, except it is all clear water. I have pushed a breaker bar with a flexible end around there to no avail. We have a second similar toilet in the camper that works fine and have used it as a template to roam with the breaker bar. I am at a loss and welcome any ideas. There is a camping world about 30 miles away and I guess I could call to see if they carry one of those cleaning wands. Toilet pumps water normally, just no flush.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Our toilet in the bathroom/shower seems to be clogged. For the life of me can't understand why as I am very meticulous about dumping/cleaning. Using the tank flush feature, I am able to fill tank until gauge reads full. It then dumps normally, except it is all clear water. I have pushed a breaker bar with a flexible end around there to no avail. We have a second similar toilet in the camper that works fine and have used it as a template to roam with the breaker bar. I am at a loss and welcome any ideas. There is a camping world about 30 miles away and I guess I could call to see if they carry one of those cleaning wands. Toilet pumps water normally, just no flush.

You can make a cleaning wand with a standard garden hose connector with a shut off and 5 feet or so of pex line. Use a pex clamp to attach the hose connector. If I could post a photo with the IPad I would but cannot. All of the parts are available at any hardware. This will allow cleaning from the toilet down into the tank.

[TomC_AZ]

Im not sure if I follow what is going on with the breaker bar, however with that said it sounds like you have a poo pyramid/stack that needs to be broken down. The other option that I have read about on here is that some of the plastic or wood from construction is down in the tank and plugging it.

When dumping the full tank that is clear, is it a strong flow? If it is not then it is prob something stuck in there. Could still be the dreaded pyramid but might be some other physical item.

You can fill it with water, and add extra chems, let it sit for like a day. After sitting drive it around for 30miles or so and then do a dump and see if that help. While dumping use the black tank flush as well to help flush it out. Once the water comes to a trickle close the dump valve and let the flush keep running, i.e. filling the tank back up. Dont let it go too long and then dump again. Dont walk away either! Repeat this a few times and see if that has changed any of the color of the water coming out.

[ARoamer]

I'd guess a clog between toilet and tank. Get a snake and try to break it up. My pinnacle is a straight drop into tank, evidently yours isn't. Got any kids/ grandkids flushing inappropriate objects?

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by ARoamer

I'd guess a clog between toilet and tank. Get a snake and try to break it up. My pinnacle is a straight drop into tank, evidently yours isn't. Got any kids/ grandkids flushing inappropriate objects?

Originally Posted by CAG

You can make a cleaning wand with a standard garden hose connector with a shut off and 5 feet or so of pex line. Use a pex clamp to attach the hose connector. If I could post a photo with the IPad I would but cannot. All of the parts are available at any hardware. This will allow cleaning from the toilet down into the tank.

I am pretty sure it is a clog between the toilet and tank. I filled the black tank with water last night 2-3 times, or until the App indicated full, and then a little past that. The tank dumped very well with lots of water coming out, except it was all clear which leads me to my theory on where the clog might be. I went to Lowes and got a 6' snake. I saw a little bit of solid stuff come up, not much. Tried it 3-4 times. We are now into plan B, given to us by a couple of mobile RV companies. That is making RV drano, baking soda mixed with white vinegar and boiling water, and allowing to sit. They said it might take multiple doses and many hours. Plan C will be to run a water hose down there to try to clear the mess. Plan D, if all else fails, we think we have an RV mobile company that will come by tomorrow afternoon. Thankfully we have 2 toilets and can get by for a while

[TomC_AZ]

Something else to try, and not fun... But use a endo camera (amazon cheap) and look up in there from the tank side and the toilet side. Try and see what it is. You can also try running the snake up from the tank side as well. If it is a object that went down it may be easier to push back up.

[jetlag]

Success!!!! We tried the white vinegar/baking soda mix a total of 3 times yesterday, along with the snake one more time. The reaction of the mixture was very interesting, with foaming and very small bits of toilet paper bubbling up. Lete in the afternoon, getting ready to clean up and fire up the grill, we had one more treatment left and were going to use it but chose to use the snake first, and that did it, The damn burst lol. After, I ran lots of water from inside and filled and dumped the tank outside. We were both grinning from ear to ear that it was over, lol.

[Marcm157]

Glad you got it resolved - I never heard of the RV Drano solution before. Something else to add to my arsenal if I ever need it.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

Glad you got it resolved - I never heard of the RV Drano solution before. Something else to add to my arsenal if I ever need it.

Thank You, I had not heard this either, and it came from 2 separate mobile companies. One lady said it might be slow and take several hours. I think the snake helped a lot or it might have taken longer

[TomC_AZ]

That is awesome news! I will add some baking soda to our storage compartment.

If it were me, just for good measure and if you have the opportunity to do so, I would highly recommend just filling it with water and letting it sit. Even towing with it full of water will also help. You will be amazed at how much more still comes out.

We had a similar issue this summer and man once I got it free it just kept coming out. Thankfully we were at a site with hookups the next day.

I will say it again, always remember that water is your best friend down there!

[TCNashville]

Glad you got it fixed. Maybe you should try the endo scope camera anyway. You might just find out what caused the clog in the first place.

[Jerry713]

Awesome I'm going to keep this for future reference thank you.

I think we all have this from time to time. One thing I've been doing and so far (knock on wood) it's working is adding a minimum 10% water to the black tank after each flush before the toilet is used again. I think this keeps things from stacking up and also allows the paper to spread out and not bunch up. Most toilet paper doesn't really dissolve anyway and without enough water can clump up pretty fast. We also make it a big point to use a lot of water each time we use the toilet (1 or 2 but especially for 2). Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself..

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by TCNashville

Glad you got it fixed. Maybe you should try the endo scope camera anyway. You might just find out what caused the clog in the first place.

Originally Posted by Jerry713

Awesome I'm going to keep this for future reference thank you.

I think we all have this from time to time. One thing I've been doing and so far (knock on wood) it's working is adding a minimum 10% water to the black tank after each flush before the toilet is used again. I think this keeps things from stacking up and also allows the paper to spread out and not bunch up. Most toilet paper doesn't really dissolve anyway and without enough water can clump up pretty fast. We also make it a big point to use a lot of water each time we use the toilet (1 or 2 but especially for 2). Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself..

Thanks, the clog was in the line between toilet and tank. The cause, my bride, after she reluctantly confessed to using too much single ply paper and not enough water. before leaving the campground, I always dump, fill and dump the 2 black tanks 3-4 times each, then add 3-4 gallons of fresh water and happy camper. Once home, I have a small septic tank for the camper installed, I dump again, and it is usually still brown. I will fill/flush until water is clear and then add the usual 3-4 gallons and happy camper for the next trip. One of the mobile RV folks we talked to suggested using liquid happy camper, and not the powder form we have or the gel bags. Thought that was interesting. The couple next to us, they left this morning, are very nice and we talked a lot the last few days. This morning, his wife came out of the camper with a roll of toilet paper, and I was sure she was getting ready to have fun with me, lol. They already knew about our "incident", but instead she told me she had Crohn's disease, and was very well versed on going to the bathroom unexpectedly, and was an expert on all kinds of toilet paper. She gave us this roll, double ply and RV friendly called "POM". She gets it at Sam's club by the case, and she says it works and feels the best. I was not about to argue with her.

[Randy G]

Something not mentioned when considering clogs in holding tanks. When camping with full hookups don't leave your waste water tank drain valves open, especially the black tank. Dump only when there is sufficient water available to flush and move it along. Using the toilet in your RV with the valve open will result in a pile of "stuff" forming under the toilet, because a normal flush in an RV is not enough to move that stuff from your waste tank to your drain hoses and on.

[jetlag]

Yes, our tanks are always closed until time to dump.

[garywilson]

Originally Posted by jetlag

IThat is making RV drano, baking soda mixed with white vinegar and boiling water, and allowing to sit. They said it might take multiple doses and many hours. ts and can get by for a while

Was there a particular mix, like how much BS, Vinegar, hot water?

[Onyrlef]

Originally Posted by jetlag

Thanks, the clog was in the line between toilet and tank. The cause, my bride, after she reluctantly confessed to using too much single ply paper and not enough water. before leaving the campground, I always dump, fill and dump the 2 black tanks 3-4 times each, then add 3-4 gallons of fresh water and happy camper. Once home, I have a small septic tank for the camper installed, I dump again, and it is usually still brown. I will fill/flush until water is clear and then add the usual 3-4 gallons and happy camper for the next trip. One of the mobile RV folks we talked to suggested using liquid happy camper, and not the powder form we have or the gel bags. Thought that was interesting. The couple next to us, they left this morning, are very nice and we talked a lot the last few days. This morning, his wife came out of the camper with a roll of toilet paper, and I was sure she was getting ready to have fun with me, lol. They already knew about our "incident", but instead she told me she had Crohn's disease, and was very well versed on going to the bathroom unexpectedly, and was an expert on all kinds of toilet paper. She gave us this roll, double ply and RV friendly called "POM". She gets it at Sam's club by the case, and she says it works and feels the best. I was not about to argue with her.

I have an entire case of that brand I bought at Sam's during the great toilet tissue apocalypse in 2020. Guess I can put it to use now.

[norty1]

Now that's a Happy Camper story!

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

We have used POM exclusively in our trailer for years. No problems; it disintegrates well. However, we place almost all toilet paper in orange plastic newspaper bags and tie them off and discard as needed. We also dump kitchen water - we use a basin in the sink - down the toilet. It's a handy two steps away in our little rig. We make sure there is a lot of water in the black tank and have never had a problem with it.

[jetlag]

Originally Posted by CAG

You can make a cleaning wand with a standard garden hose connector with a shut off and 5 feet or so of pex line. Use a pex clamp to attach the hose connector. If I could post a photo with the IPad I would but cannot. All of the parts are available at any hardware. This will allow cleaning from the toilet down into the tank.

Originally Posted by ARoamer

I'd guess a clog between toilet and tank. Get a snake and try to break it up. My pinnacle is a straight drop into tank, evidently yours isn't. Got any kids/ grandkids flushing inappropriate objects?

Originally Posted by TomC_AZ

That is awesome news! I will add some baking soda to our storage compartment.

If it were me, just for good measure and if you have the opportunity to do so, I would highly recommend just filling it with water and letting it sit. Even towing with it full of water will also help. You will be amazed at how much more still comes out.

We had a similar issue this summer and man once I got it free it just kept coming out. Thankfully we were at a site with hookups the next day.

I will say it again, always remember that water is your best friend down there!

Originally Posted by garywilson

Was there a particular mix, like how much BS, Vinegar, hot water?

Update. Last day of our trip, as I am drinking coffee and planning the camp teardown, she tells me the commode is flushing slow!! It had clogged again, and I think sure sign of a poop pyramid as ARoamer mentioned. Long story short, back to the bucket and manual removal. I did manage to add and remove the RV Drano solution twice before calling it a day and heading home. Once home, it had unclogged again. Yesterday I performed the CAG solution, using a shutoff valve and a small 6' hose I had in the shop. I filled and timed the tank fill, just over 8 minutes at home pressure, and dumped. I did it 5 times and amazing what was coming out. Last dump was better and it was getting late and I wanted to do the same to the other commode, so I stopped. TomC, I did fill up with water, and will let it sit. The second commode, same procedure except it took 5 minutes to fill. I was amazed what came out of the tank as well, although these looked more like a normal dump.The water in the clogged tank was not coming out very dirty, except for the clumps of stuff coming out. This second tank I filled and dumped twice, and then filled up with water. My buddy in Florida has loaded me up with YouTube videos from "experts" in RV poop management, lol. Based on them and what he has told me he does, I have switched from Happy Camper to a new liquid concoction called "Unique" that appears to be very good. I have also added Borax and orange ZEP degreaser to my arsenal. The tanks , as I filled them, added the Borax and Unique to allow them to mix well in the water. The ZEP had to order online from Lowes, none to be had in our little town. The ZEP, according to the videos, is to be used on the gray tanks only to help remove grease and other stuff in the tanks. His video showed amazing stuff coming out of them. We wipe everything before washing, but grease still gets in there, and our gray tanks dump do look mostly clear. All the tanks have Borax and Unique. I also added a few squirts of Dawn detergent to the black tanks, per one of the videos. garywilson, no formula, I winged it after talking to the Mobile RV folks, and they basically said to put the baking soda in , I used about half of the container. I then added the white vinegar SLOWLY, as it will bubble up pretty impressively. I had a 1/2 gal. jug and used around 1/4 of it each time. My wife came behind that with the hot water. You are then supposed to let it sit a couple of hours, and repeat as needed. They told us it might take several hours, and it did. I am getting a masters degree in poop management, not what I had in mind.