Black tank flush mod on 2018 28BHBE

[FeatherFam]

I do a combo approach. First, I always make sure that I have a pressure regulator with a gauge on the water supply (on the spigot). I think some of the black tank flush valve failures may be due to too much water pressure or pressure surges. So I start with the regulator to take water pressure problems out of the equation.

I typically use the Flush King to fill and flush the tank 3x. Then I will run the tank flush for 2-3 tank fills and flushes and about 5 minutes of open valve rinsing. I use the Flush King to fill the tank; the less I use the black tank flush, the better. The Flush King does not do much more than provide an additonal means of tank filling and draining. But I like it as it minimizes my use of the tank flush "sprayer" system.

As a final measure, I use the wand 2-3x a year, usually when I am giving the tanks a Commando (or similar) treatment. I keep a close eye on the stupid, cheap black tank flush valve. I may remove it at some point, but since I will always want to minimize my use of the exterior wall connectors, my routine will stay the same. They are junk, too. Someday, I will have a unit with stainless, marine fittings and connectors, but it obviously won't be a Jayco or other mass-produced unit.

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

I typically use the Flush King to fill and flush the tank 3x. Then I will run the tank flush for 2-3 tank fills and flushes and about 5 minutes of open valve rinsing. I use the Flush King to fill the tank; the less I use the black tank flush, the better. The Flush King does not do much more than provide an additonal means of tank filling and draining. But I like it as it minimizes my use of the tank flush "sprayer" system.

Holy smokes Feather! I'm no "tree hugger" but that's a lot of water. Some folks West of the continental divide may frown on that.

[Quantum]

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

I do a combo approach. First, I always make sure that I have a pressure regulator with a gauge on the water supply (on the spigot). I think some of the black tank flush valve failures may be due to too much water pressure or pressure surges. So I start with the regulator to take water pressure problems out of the equation.

I typically use the Flush King to fill and flush the tank 3x. Then I will run the tank flush for 2-3 tank fills and flushes and about 5 minutes of open valve rinsing. I use the Flush King to fill the tank; the less I use the black tank flush, the better. The Flush King does not do much more than provide an additonal means of tank filling and draining. But I like it as it minimizes my use of the tank flush "sprayer" system.

As a final measure, I use the wand 2-3x a year, usually when I am giving the tanks a Commando (or similar) treatment. I keep a close eye on the stupid, cheap black tank flush valve. I may remove it at some point, but since I will always want to minimize my use of the exterior wall connectors, my routine will stay the same. They are junk, too. Someday, I will have a unit with stainless, marine fittings and connectors, but it obviously won't be a Jayco or other mass-produced unit.

I hope I'm not the guy behind you at the dining station!

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[FeatherFam]

Originally Posted by Quantum

I hope I'm not the guy behind you at the dining station!

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No worries. I usually do one rinse at the CG and do the others at home.

[FeatherFam]

Originally Posted by troutslayer

Holy smokes Feather! I'm no "tree hugger" but that's a lot of water. Some folks West of the continental divide may frown on that.

Yes it is a lot of water. There is always significant debris in the first two rinses. I do not know about others, but one rinse won't come near a clean tank, and two flows with lots of crud as well. I use Thetford, Dometic, and Walex tank products while in camp, but there is always a need to rinse several times before the pipe runs clear. My tanks are clean. I thought that was the point - to get the paper and waste out of the tank to prevent sensor damage, valve clogging/damage, pinnacles, and/or stench. Am I missing something?

[TCNashville]

We use this method and it usually takes 1 good flush and it's clean and sensors working properly. https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

[TednWV]

I have the 2017 28BHBE. I also had the black tank flush fail and spew water under my bunks early last spring. I didn't want to take it into the dealer for fear they'd keep it for days. So..I got out my old Flush King from my old camper.

I LOVE the Flush King! Hook it up, turn on water, I set timer for 3 minutes and 30 seconds because I know the high level on tank indicator is lit now. Turn off water and open tank valve. Keep doing this until water runs clear AND tank level indicator is empty.

I finally took my camper into the dealer this past fall. From the time I pulled in and was done, total time was probably 30 minutes! They didn't want me to unhook from camper either. They did it in the drive way.

It was the back flow preventer that was plugged causing the water to run under the bunks. The mechanic took the access panel off that goes under the shower. Took the back flow preventer out and put in a straight piece of line. He took the back flow preventer apart to look and see what caused it to fail. It was one of those little metal "burr's" you probably have seen all through your camper. They're from the factory where they drill the metal framing. Those burr's are everywhere in my camper!

I actually like the Flush King a little better than the factory black tank flush. The black tank flush takes longer to fill the tank than the Flush King. This season I'm thinking about using a splitter and using both the black flush line and the Flush King. What could it hurt?

Another tip for black tanks. Leave about 5 gallons of clear water in the tank during camping season. It does 2 things.

1. It sloshes around while driving and keeps the inside of your black tank clean.
2. I think it's harder for anything to stick to the tank once you're setup. Think about it this way. Pretend your black tank is a bucket. If you were to drop something sticky in it, it's going to be hard to get out. Now, put a few gallons of water in the bucket and drop something sticky in it. I don't think it's going to stick now?

Back to the Flush King. I will always keep mine in my camper. You never know when the factory black tank flush will fail. I love my Flush King!

[vcbice]

I never used the black flush to fill the tank. It really is intended to work on a near empty tank, ie, it is spraying water over much of the tank. If there is water in the tank it means the spray is not getting to the lower portions of the tank.

But, it is not the end all method. To really get the tank clean you need a directed spray inside the tank. I use a wand that has one 'nozzle' on it. I can then direct the flow around the entire tank to get almost all the crud out. After I use it, I then add about 10 gal of water to the tank and flush it.

And, yes, the Flush King is a good way to fill the black tank with fresh water.

Not perfect but it is close.

[ibra0078]

So all and all, some use the black flush value but remove the back flow preventer, some dont use the back flow at all and use the Flush King. I think the Flush king is a simple and fast way to add water to the tank and yes the sprayer only works well when there inst water in the tank. Back to the first post, is the mod consist of removing the back flow preventer and just add a straight through pipe?

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

Yes it is a lot of water. There is always significant debris in the first two rinses. I do not know about others, but one rinse won't come near a clean tank, and two flows with lots of crud as well. I use Thetford, Dometic, and Walex tank products while in camp, but there is always a need to rinse several times before the pipe runs clear. My tanks are clean. I thought that was the point - to get the paper and waste out of the tank to prevent sensor damage, valve clogging/damage, pinnacles, and/or stench. Am I missing something?

No. Not missing anything. All I'm saying is that according to what I read in your post is that you are using something in excess of 250 gallons of water in order to clean your black tank. I would never use that much clean water for such a purpose...but that's just me.

[FeatherFam]

Originally Posted by troutslayer

No. Not missing anything. All I'm saying is that according to what I read in your post is that you are using something in excess of 250 gallons of water in order to clean your black tank. I would never use that much clean water for such a purpose...but that's just me.

It's actually about 150 gallons when I do 5 tanks. I have a 30 gal tank. Most of the time I average 4 tanks. Once or twice a year I will do the 5 tanks and a wand rinse from inside. I know it is a lot of water, but that is what it takes to clean it until there is no more debris coming out of the pipe. I am open to ideas that will remove all of the crud and use less water.

[vcbice]

I guess I just don't care if it is that clean...unless I need to do maintenance on a valve or such. Heck, 20min after I clean it there will be crud in it again.

I like to use a wand inside the tank about once a month just to make sure I don't have any build up going on.

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

It's actually about 150 gallons when I do 5 tanks. I have a 30 gal tank. Most of the time I average 4 tanks. Once or twice a year I will do the 5 tanks and a wand rinse from inside. I know it is a lot of water, but that is what it takes to clean it until there is no more debris coming out of the pipe. I am open to ideas that will remove all of the crud and use less water.

I'll tell ya what I do, but I will admit that I doubt it gets 100% of the crud. I use the Sewer Solution to drain my tanks (mostly because I think it's cleaner and easier to store) however, I let the gray tanks empty using no water thru the SS jets. Then I empty the black tank using about 1/3 of the SS jet open, just enough to break up the "solids". I never try to backfill the tank with the SS because it doesn't work and even if it did, I think back filling the tank is a very inefficient way to clean a tank. At this point I hook up a hose to the black tank rinser (without the pressure reducer cuz I want as much pressure as possible). I then rinse the tank for 3 to 5 minutes and the pipe is running clear. I figure that I'm getting 95 to 98% out (you can never get 100%) then dump 2 gallons of water along with 1 scoop of Happy Camper in the toilet and head down the road. I've never had a bad smelling rv and I figure that I use about 20 gallons (maximum) of fresh water for the total process. If the back flow prevented on the tank flush goes bad...i replace it because it's there to be used and no doubt, the best way to clean out a black tank. When out West I reduce the water consumption to no more than 5 gallons. It really doesn't do a complete job but water out there is a precious commodity. When it comes to this kind of thing, we all need to see how we can do more with less and be good stewards of our natural resources. Just my thoughts.

[ibra0078]

Anybody know if using the onboard black flush valve how long would one leave the water on for? Giving the tank is a 39 gallon.

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[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by ibra0078

Anybody know if using the onboard black flush valve how long would one leave the water on for? Giving the tank is a 39 gallon.

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Depends. If you want it really clean, leave it on till the water runs clear. If not, just a minute or two.