Black Tank Issues

[camping for 4]

I have a 2016 Jay Feather X254; under the toilet where it enters the tank it seems to back up. The gauge only shows 2/3 full after 2 days of use with just 3 people using it, but the tank is full under the toilet. I also have to flush the tank 3 to 4 times after camping to get the tank emptied. Any advice on why this is happening? Is there a design flaw?

[JFlightRisk]

How, exactly are you flushing the tank? It sounds as if you have a poop pyramid that's formed under the toilet. If you're using a flush port on the TT, it probably isn't getting all the solids. Using a wand down the toilet will do a better job.
We have a straight flush wand that I drilled three more holes into, so it sprays in all four directions. I only have to twist it back and forth about 90* to get all the corners of the tank.
Something similar to your situation happened to my BIL's TT. He swore by the "tank flush" port...until he had a problem. I had him connect his clear fitting to the sewer hose, then I went inside and flushed his tank with my wand. He was speechless with what he saw come out.

[Screwby]

Classic poop pyramid symptom, I concur with the previous statement. I don’t have a wand but I did rid myself of a buildup once by turning off the water pump so the toilet didn’t flush when I stepped on the handle. I then took a full 5 gallon bucket of water and dumped it straight down the toilet while stepping on the flush paddle so all that water gushed right on top of the pile. I did this over and over pouring as forcefully as I could right down the hole. It did the trick and now I make darn sure I use lots of water when flushing. We were trying to conserve water while boondocking and that’s what happens. You need lots of water to keep the solids moving around and not building up under the hole.

[Mustang65]

Everything they said plus when I drain the tank, I fill the toilet as high as it will go with water and after the tank is emptied, and the valve is closed, I let the full toilet empty into the black tank. This keeps the bottom covered with a little bit of water so the poop mountain does not start to form on a dry tank bottom. We also put in one of those orange tank sanitizers in.

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[distracto]

I bought my 2018 174BH used from a trailer rental place, we never dropped solids in the tank, only liquids.

I purchased this wand https://www.amazon.ca/Camco-40094-Sw.../dp/B000BUQOCC and when i cleaned out the black tank, it was ridiculous what was coming out. Used the wand until the tank was full, then emptied it - repeated this two or three times until it ran clear through the elbow. Feels good to know I am not driving around/camping with other people's poop under me!!

[Octopus Prime]

We have started pouring about 8-12 gallons of water down the black tank when we set up at the campsite. We also pour about 5 gallons down the toilet after we flush the tanks and before we store. Doing this, plus adding toilet chemicals, have kept the stink and clog issues at bay.

[wags999]

Besides plenty of water, keep your black tank drain closed till your ready to dump. Water is your black tanks friend.. certainly no reason not to use your black tank as designed. Solids don't harm it, lack of water and lack of water when dumping can.


Good Luck

[camping for 4]

When I flush the tank I fill it 3 times, the water comes out clear ( or am I still not getting it all clean ). Looking at it tonight I noticed that the bottom of the tank is only 3 inches from the bottom of the toilet opening is this normal. What is the shape of the tank, instead of leveling the trailer when parked should it be tilted away from the toilet?

[2edgesword]

Ditto with respect to putting a few gallons of water back in the tank after you finish dumping it.

[JFlightRisk]

Originally Posted by camping for 4

When I flush the tank I fill it 3 times, the water comes out clear ( or am I still not getting it all clean ). Looking at it tonight I noticed that the bottom of the tank is only 3 inches from the bottom of the toilet opening is this normal. What is the shape of the tank, instead of leveling the trailer when parked should it be tilted away from the toilet?

Some black tanks are very shallow, with a slight slope towards the dump valve, and it's normal. A 30 something gallon tank will go from frame rail to frame rail, maybe 20 some inches long, and only a few inches deep. Ours is the same way. Filling and dumping multiple times is commendable, but may not be ridding the tank of solids. Sometimes it'll take being hit with water pressure, like from a rinse wand, to shake it free and send it on its way. (Sorry, I'm a huge proponent of the wand.)
Keep the TT level, for the sake of the fridge, and someone not falling out of bed!

[jloco]

Originally Posted by camping for 4

When I flush the tank I fill it 3 times, the water comes out clear ( or am I still not getting it all clean ). Looking at it tonight I noticed that the bottom of the tank is only 3 inches from the bottom of the toilet opening is this normal. What is the shape of the tank, instead of leveling the trailer when parked should it be tilted away from the toilet?

After you dump/flush the tank, have you been adding at least a few gallons of water and chemical to the freshly emptied tank since you've owned it? You need a base of water in the tank after dumping to keep things from sticking to the floor of the tank.

[W Kearney]

The wand it pretty cheap and works extremely well.

[turbo130]

Ditto on the wand I have found that it works much better that the flush fitting.

[qs271a]

If this problem persists, there is an easier way to scrape off the poopy pyramid. When your getting ready to go out camping, and your worried about it happening again, just stop by the store on the way to your destination and pick up a bag or two of ice cubes. Make sure you have a little water in there and dump the bag(s) down the magic hole. Then get back in your rig and trek ever forward. When you get to your destination the bottom of the tank will be magically scrubbed clean, and you will have a couple of gallons of water in there. I generally do this at the end of the camping season, and have never had an issue. HAPPY CAMPING!

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

I add at least a couple gallons water in black tank after dumping. We add a lot of water including dumping kitchen sink basin water down toilet. We also add 2/3 cup Calgon, 1/3 cup Dawn to tank after dumping to keep things clean, lubed, and slick.

When not in use I keep 2-3 gallons of water in black tank and antifreeze in the winter so hopefully nothing petrifies in the tank.

[WGEDC]

I got the Rhino Blaster Pro from Camco for my new-to-me, used 2009 GreyHawk (with only 24,000 miles I have a feeling there was plenty of time in its past life to let the crud dry up) ... I back-filled a few times (always rewarded with output' ... then I got brave and let it fill until I heard some clacking noise, then a bit of a pop. When the water got that full I emptied ... all sorts of stuff got dislodged. Then I repeated (full-full-full) and did some wanding and now I feel pretty confident.


The wand is the only thing that tried to splash back at me.

[Stever71]

I can concur with this 👇. Was getting false tank readings and My old school father inlaw told me a few trays of cubes in between camping cleans the tank out with all that ice bouncing around driving down the road.
Does a great job!

Originally Posted by qs271a

If this problem persists, there is an easier way to scrape off the poopy pyramid. When your getting ready to go out camping, and your worried about it happening again, just stop by the store on the way to your destination and pick up a bag or two of ice cubes. Make sure you have a little water in there and dump the bag(s) down the magic hole. Then get back in your rig and trek ever forward. When you get to your destination the bottom of the tank will be magically scrubbed clean, and you will have a couple of gallons of water in there. I generally do this at the end of the camping season, and have never had an issue. HAPPY CAMPING!

[skids]

If you use the wand, make sure it isn’t turned on above the toilet pipe or you will get splashed in the face!

[JFlightRisk]

https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/do-...k-really-work/

Here's a fellow who's done some pretty good tests on tank flushing, and other stuff. The videos are kinda interesting.