Potential Black Tank Issue?

[Fullcount]

Okay,

Had a family event with a bunch of out of town guests and let someone stay in my Seneca as extra room. Hooked up a water hose to the unit and it was plugged into my shore power while in the driveway. Found out afterwards that one of the guests likes to use baby wipes (and bunches of them) to freshen up. Now I am faced with going to the local campground to dump my tanks.

I have a macerateror and the normal large hose connection. Recommendations or expectations? Should I use the macerator or just use the larger hose connection to vacate the black tank? What should I do if I experience a clog?

Signed: Trembling hose dumper

[Jay Matt]

My 2 cents is go dump it. Maybe your pump will chew it up, maybe not. If it doesn’t I can only see a messy cleanup at best.
If you use a pump, get you some 3/4” hose for best flow, and the shortest distance possible..

[houstonstroker]

I would not use the macerator but only the large hose. I had a female throw something down the commode that got stuck in my macerator. That was not fun taking it apart to clean.

[rkymntsno]

Originally Posted by houstonstroker

I would not use the macerator but only the large hose. I had a female throw something down the commode that got stuck in my macerator. That was not fun taking it apart to clean.

X2 for the gravity hose. Don't use the macerator. Those wipes will clog up the macerator I'm sure. At least with gravity you can add water to the toilet if needed.

[Lake Huron]

X2!! Do not use the macerator!
Try this... hook up your dump hose and open the valves. I have a clear 45* elbow connector so I can see how dirty or clean the water is coming out. Fill a 5gal pail with water and ram the water down the toilet as fast as you can. Close the valves and put 5 or 10 gal in there and have someone open the valves as you are pouring your pail water down the toilet. You might have to do this a few times.

Normally when I go to dump, I'll empty the black tank and when it's about done I'll go inside the trailer and I've already got a 5gal pail of water full and sitting in the shower. I keep it about 2' above the toilet so I can get as much of it down the toilet hole directly and very little in the bowl. It's like a big volume flush and works pretty well to finish off getting any solids or t-paper that hasn't already dissolved .

[Jagiven]

I would probably go to a full hookup CG, and spend the weekend. I would fill the blank tank twice full of water with some liquid fabric softener. And gravity dump the tank. I would then have 3 or so full 5 gallon buckets ready, and with the tank valve open, dump all the buckets in fairly quickly, to flush the residue down the drain.

Maybe repeat before going home, just to be safe

Good luck.

[Fullcount]

I took everyone advise and did just the large hose and applied Lake Huron's suggestion with several 5 gallon dumps down the toilet and the wife outside giving me a blow by blow account of what was traveling past the clear connection. Everything went well and the tank is completely empty. Now if I could just get the conductivity indicators to clear up and let me see an empty tank.

[Duke4857]

I hope you send the clean out bill to the offender. Those things need to go into the trash can. Maybe they did not know how holding tanks work. We all need to explain what goes into the tank for new people.

[Lake Huron]

That's good news!! The ole 5gal bucket of water trick works pretty well, I think. Like I said, I do that on every dump. And to keep from being an anchor in the dump station line, I have them filled with water, sitting in the shower in one bath and the other just on a towel in the other bathroom ( I have 2 bathrooms, 2 black tanks and 3 grey tanks totaling 210gal ).

To try to get the sensors clean, there's a bunch of methods used. Some having good results and others not so much. I would maybe try filling your black tank with water, adding some black tank treatment for the amount of gallons size your tank is and let it sit in between camping trips for a week or so. Sometimes it's some toilet paper stuck on it and needs to be dissolved. That can happen pretty quickly as long as its rv paper. Normal paper may take a while.

If that don't work I know it's been posted of people having good luck with some concoction of something like dishwasher soap and ?????, then fill it like 1/2 to 1/2 way and drive to your destination so the water can slosh all around in there and clean things up.

I know I read somewhere that people have dumped a bag if ice cubes and let it bang all around in there. I'd be too afraid they would bang around too hard and break a sensor off in there.

[Fullcount]

Duke4857 - You are correct, I should have explained to my guests the do's and don't of black & gray tanks, but I had a wedding that was on the horizon and the days got pushed together with all the items on my task list, and I just plain forgot to go over this important detail with them. Fortunately, everything worked out and I got the tank emptied.

Lake Huron - We purchased the Seneca used about 6 months ago and the gray and black tank sensors have read erroneously from the beginning. Several attempts to clear the conductivity probes have been unsuccessful. This past black tank cleaning with the clear hose section proved that we have virtually zero solids present, so I am thinking what ever has these probes fouled has been there for some time. I poured approximately 15 gallons of water down the toilet (with my wife monitoring the clear tube) as we went from the brown to tan to clear in the final flush. First time we have actually flushed til clear this way. Thanks for the tip.

I am thinking I will have to take this into the dealership to get the probes pulled and replaced. I have past occupational experience on how these conductivity probes work and I am sure that something has bridged between the probes and rocked up. Maybe the previous owners did not do such a good job with using proper technique with items down the hatch. If I do get the probes cleaned, I will let you all know which method did the trick (ice, hot water, dawn, fabric softener, etc..., or a trip to the dealership).

[DrSmart]

New sensors will likely end up the same way after a couple of fill/dumps. I've always wondered why manufacturers haven't gone with something like this:


https://www.garnetinstruments.com/pr...onitor-system/

[norty1]

SeeLevels are the only ones I would consider. That said, I would not spend the $$$ on any. I know better than any sensor after camping for years. I never even look at them anymore.