Enzyme or not?

[Kudzu-JAY]

I have read a lot threads and this is not about odor treatment. But a possible misused black tank.

20+ year old 5th wheel. Know little about it history. We moved in a little over a month ago and have a couple of clogs in the offset drain under the toilet (5th wheel). Started to suspect a pyramid build up under the drain. We used lots of water and do not leave the valve open. Dump roughly weekly, but who knows about the past?

Just bought a clear drain coupler and got the black tank flush working. AMAZED at what came out of the tank. After 45 minutes +/- there was CLEARER water but still were moments when waste would turn loose and run dirty again. Never stopped, just got less frequent and I just gave up.

A couple days latter, I used the wand and got even more to come out. Leads me to believe there is a bad buildup in the tank.

I am going to be gone for a week and was thinking about partially filling the tank and adding an Enzyme treatment and letting it set. Something that could bread down any buildup in the tank.

Not looking for a perfectly clean tank, just if there is a build up I want to break it down so I don't have to deal with the clogs again. Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[Enforcer110]

Put 10 pounds of ice cubes in your black tank with a few gallons of water and drive. The road will move the ice around hitting the sides of the tank. After that drive drain the tank. Then try some very hot water in the black tank let sit for a while then empty the tank. See if that helps.

 

[Grumpaw374]

If your gone for a week, fill the tank about 1/2 to 2/3 full and add 3-4 ounces of Rid-X...same stuff used in septic tanks.
Perfectly safe for rv tanks and will break down "stuff" faster than the rv stuff.

 

[Kudzu-JAY]

We are living in it and not going to be moving for a while. Forgot to add that.

 

[Grumpy]

Depending on where you live there are companies that can clean the tank. They use a high pressure jet and come in through the dump valve.

 

[Ttlanders]

My dad had one like that and he bought yeast and put it in it 2/3 full of water for a week in the hot summer and it all then came out. Rid x is the same now!

 

[norty1]

The Ice method has been de-bunked many times. Look it up on You Tube!

 

[SmokerBill]

I would fill the tank to the full mark if it were me. There's probaby crap and paper stuck on the sidewalls of the tank all the way to the top. Just add more enzyme to the greater volume of water.

I just bought 2 gallons of this Amazon enzyme cleaner for the floors in my new house, but it's also highly rated for breaking down septic tank waste.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonCommercial-Multi-Purpose-Enzyme-Cleaner-1-Gallon/dp/B07XL3C6FR/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=commercial%2Benzyme%2Bcleaner&qid=1649891070&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[CAG-JAY]

You can spend millions with all of the suggestions for cleaning but the solution would be to call someone who does cleaning and have them flush the tank. It will save a bunch of headache and money.

 

[craigav]

I would purchase one of these and use it regularly for the next few dumps and then when it is clean, use it as needed. The more water pressure you have the better it works and the spray jet rotates to get all areas. ~CA

 

[Kudzu-JAY]

Thanks for the input, contradictory as it is.


I am going by the RV store and pick up enzymes. Got nothing loose but a few dollars.

 

[frozen]

Put 10 pounds of ice cubes in your black tank with a few gallons of water and drive. The road will move the ice around hitting the sides of the tank. After that drive drain the tank. Then try some very hot water in the black tank let sit for a while then empty the tank. See if that helps.

Regarding ice in black tank, this video shows a somewhat scientific test of the effectiveness of trying the loosen black tank build-up with ice. It's at least entertaining.

 

[SmokerBill]

Someone needs to come up with a robotic black tank cleaner...

 

[Suprnova74]

But who will clean the poor robot then?

 

[bucko-JAY]

Follow up the ice video with a Mythbusters ending (some sort of explosive), and you would have a "plausible" result.

 

[HAL9001]

My 2021 Jayco has a water hose attachment for a black tank rinse that seems to help. Does anyone know if they use a rotary end on that or is it just nothing more than a hole in the tank where water is fed into?

It would be great to know something more about it such as where it's located. I can't see my black tank unless I remove the bottom coroplast cover which is a very tough job.

 

[bucko-JAY]

I too just recently discovered that my 2005 Class C has this water hook up. I followed it underneath, and it is just a tube (on mine at least) that connects into the tank. Mine is located on the right (passenger) side, behind the wheels.

 

[craigav]

I have never looked at mine (no need to so far) but all of the add-on kits I have seen use a nozzle that is either rotary or has a back and forth motion. I would doubt that it is simply a hose inlet, however I wouldn't bet much that this is true, just what I suspect from seeing the other kits that one can add on to their black tank if they didn't have a rinse/flush inlet to start with. ~CA

 

[Suprnova74]

It's typically hooked to some kind of spray head. I doubt they rotate but you never know. I can look down the toilet opening of my grehawk while the black tank clean out is running and see jets of water that aren't rotating.

 

[craigav]

It's typically hooked to some kind of spray head. I doubt they rotate but you never know. I can look down the toilet opening of my grehawk while the black tank clean out is running and see jets of water that aren't rotating.

I have looked in mine in use also from the toilet opening, and I can't really tell, but I am sure that Camco makes a popular black tank rinse system that has a similar connection at the tank which does use a rotating head. I suspect that ours is simply a spray head, although I have seen a fairly wide spray pattern so I suspect it is more than just an water pipe inlet. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-40126-Tornado-Rotary-Rinser/dp/B000BUU5TU?th=1
~CA