Flushing out your sewage tank EZ WAY

[frankcfx]

I have a 16' Scamp with a front bathroom. Every time I emptied it I had to drag a water hose into the trailer, turn off the trailer water pump, step on the flush valve and put the hose into the holding tank, TOOOO much work.
My solution was to remove the vent screen on the out side of the trailer and put a modified electrical hatch cover over the 1&1/2" vent pipe. Now I just open the hatch cover, stick the water hose into the vent pipe and flush away!
I'll try to add a before and after picture....
Frank

[Borrego Dave]

Frank, I think your onto something here. Never did like having to put the hose through the door or window, MMMMMMMMMMM

[Donna D.]

Well, that's interesting. So, now you're not venting the tank? Or, did you apply some sort of screen behind the small opening in the hatch that you leave open while camped?

[honda03842]

An alternative is to remove the screen and mount it so it can rotate from a top pivot point to serve a dual function.

[Franswa]

this flushing the black tank thing......why?

in boats the black tank gets pumped and some amount is always left behind...the tank is never "flushed"....there are hundreds of thousands of boats that get this treatment and the tanks never get flushed. So what gives?

what's so special about RVs? What's with the built-in flushing plumbing on some units and all the flushing "gizmos" on the shelf in stores for RVs??

after dumping, assuming that the correct chemicals are added and the small, prescribed amount of water added....given the following drive down the road (shaking/splashing all over the inside of the tank).....what IS the point?

Do RVers suffer from a "flushing fetish" ?? I kind of think so

[honda03842]

Francois,

We don't flush however if I'm hooked up to water and dumping, after the initial dumping I fill the tank with water and dump again.

Sometimes after dumping and before we leave a campground I'll add a little water to the black tank to let it slosh around as a I drive.

[Mike Magee]

I have a Flush King. It pushes water up the black tank drain pipe. Then open the valve on the Flush King, and it drains out. One or two quick flushes and things are great.

[Franswa]

not a problem at all....especially if you're in a place that has an unlimited fresh water supply and unlimited sewage disposal capacity......but again....what's the point?... all you're doing IMO is fouling another 5 gals (or so) of perfectly good water...with no discernable benefit to you as far as I can figure.....the tank is sealed and odor proof.....why do it in the first place? Still don't "get it"....

and BTW I think one should ALWAYS add a little water after dumping and add the usual chemical treatment regimen right then and there....always keep the system "working"...

sewage and sewage treatment is something I have had experience with "in a previous life".....so it don't bother me much BTW

on a related note, I carry an eye dropper of bleach in the RV....and I add a drop or two of it through the fresh water filler every other time that I fill the tank....I don't drink from my water supply it's only for washing dishes, showering and such....light chorinating of the system ensures cleanliness and no odors ever develop (no organics) wherever you happen to pick up water....even from a creek if you get desperate

I also think it's a good idea to chlorinate the grey water system (lines and tank) once a year as well (large dose)

[Franswa]

if you flush the black tank....close that valve and then flush the grey tank (like you're "supposed" to)....didn't you just flush the same line you flushed with your "flush king" (?)....??? sorry, still don't get it....what's "great"? one more step to perform?

to be clear....not slaggin' anybody or any action here.....just shootin' the breeze is all

[papa-t]

Frank, I like your idea. Nice job. Great, another project in the future.

[frankcfx]

Well FRANSWA my tank is not sealed , if you notice I am using the vent line to flush the tank. My Scamp has two separate dump spouts. One for gray (in the rear) and the other in the front for black water (in front) so your open one tank and then open the other tank doesn't work because our tanks don't use a common dump spout. I don't want a sewage treatment plant in my trailer so I try to get rid of the stuff. Sorry I seem to have hit a sore spot with you. I flush with non drinkable water as I use my fresh water tank water to drink. I've been using tap water to drink for the last 76 years and I'm still going strong.

Yes Donna, I have a piece of screening in the pipe which I pull out when I flush the tank.

Mike, I like the flush king but I was tooo cheep to buy it let alone find a place to store it. By the way my sewer hose is stored in a 5 1/2 X 46 inch heavy duty galvanized vent pipe, mounted under the front trailer frame under the Propane tank, which I can also store the adapter for small hose end to the large funnel for the dump station.

[Franswa]

black tanks have to be vented.... usually happens through the roof....I meant <apart> from the vent.... the tank is completely sealed when the toilet valve is closed........and I didn't realize your black and grey systems did not merge "at the end of the line" like all the other trailers I have looked at...thought it was standard....

you may have a legitimate need/reason to "flush" with fresh water...

BTW I too drink from the tap at home too....I've only been doin' for sixty-five years though.....but I do not drink from my fresh water tank....didn't do it in my boats and I'm not doing it now... because I pick up water here and there on occasion....better be safe than sorry as far as I'm concerned

I did look at those Flush King gizmos....and frankly I am sort of horrified (my background is in water/sewer industry).....using such a device is just asking for trouble and certainly would not pass muster with any Health Department / Professional I have ever been around

such a system would have to have a backflow preventer to be anywhere safe to use.....and I doubt anybody carries one of those with them

the gentleman that said that he just gives it a couple of squirts and shuts it off sounds reasonable enough....but what about the guy who used that station/site the day before he did....

here's a worse case scenario....a guy readies to check out of his site one morning...yanks out his trusty Flushing King and hooks it up...dumps his tanks as usual...then closes his FK dump valve and opens the fresh water valve to give it "a few squirts"...right then his phone rings, he gets distracted and forgets that the valve is open.....soon after the pressure equalizes and he has just contaminated, to some extent, the campground's water supply...nice

without a backflow preventer the above is a real possibility.....Do campgrounds in some jurisdictions mandate BPs built in during construction? If not and if these FKs are popular that would be a thing to consider. I remember building a campground once (servicing it) and that was not the case in that jurisdiction...

As I said, I didn't usually drink water from my freshwater tank....and I SURE AS HECK ain't going to start now.

and on top of all that, Flushing Kings are just a waste of money IMO....with a "standard" plumbing system...if somebody is really obsessing about rinsing the run of plumbing between the black valve and the end cap COMPLETELY....all they have to do is raise the sewer hose a couple of inches above the run during the grey water dump for a few seconds to accomplish the very same thing.....why spend money on yet another "gizmo"...that you have to pack / find a spot for....

I don't get it...

[Franswa]

the "problem" I see with these Flush Kings is that valve on the end of it (and frankly I can't see why it's there)....without it, the device would be acceptable from a sanitary perspective (no backflow preventer needed)

I hope these units come with some very detailed instructions on their proper/safe use.....where I live there is no "non-potable flushing water" source...there is only one system (unless signs are posted that the whole system/campground in non potable)

happy camping everybody

[steve dunham]

Wisconsin and Minnesota require backflow preventers / vacuum breakers at all outside hydrants (Residential ,commercial and campgrounds ) All the dump stations I have seen in the midwest use NON potable water .Some have potable water at the dump station but it is separated from the dump station by a considerable distance and labeled with permanent , large signs. The water hoses at the dump stations ( potable & non potable ) do not have standard hose fittings on their end so there is no way of connecting them to a standard hose bibb The only objection I have had with flushing your tanks is when someone decides to tie up the dump station on a Sunday afternoon by flushing his tanks with 10 trailers waiting to dump.
Everybody has a different standard for cleanliness .Nobody is the sole judge for others

[RogerDat]

To remove any stuck on solids from the tank one can throw part of a bag of ice down the toilet then put some water and normal chemicals in. First several miles of driving the ice will "scrub" the tank with sloshing around, then melt.

We would tend to do this at the end of the season. Dumping at a station close to home. Purpose was to leave the tank empty and clean for winter storage. Otherwise it we just finished dump by closing valve, pour a jug of water down the toilet, open valve and rinse stinky slinky as usual.

That is the nice part of the suggested mod. Or flushing from inside with hose or wand, or using the flush king. You are cleaning the stinky slinky on the trailer while still hooked up. As opposed to having to rinse the hose off the tank, splashing is not a good thing in that off the tank operation. I do NOT want to discuss how I know that.

If you have sensors cleaning serves a purpose. Keeping the sensors clean helps insure they are accurate.

Flush King has an included backflow preventer, at least according to their product description on camping world.

[Bob Miller]

FWIW: Almost no black tanks are "Sealed" The vent stack is always open and, under the right conditions it can be a source of unpleasant odors when parked or stored, hence the need to clean out the black tank.

I do as does Roger and use the "Bag-O-Ice" cleaning method 2-3 times a season. I even use that method in my Porta-Potties, usually on the trip home.

Unfortunately some users are to tired to dump the black tank before or on a drive home and leave it until the next trip when it is common to find hardened solids sticking here and there in the tank. Again, the ice trick usually knocks everything loose.

[Franswa]

"Everybody has a different standard for cleanliness"

A ride on any subway at rush hour will drive that point home.....then there are people who won't shake hands with anybody for fear of catching their germs. Go figure...

I also know of people on septic systems who insist on having their septic tanks pumped out every single year...their money, who cares?

One's pursuit of cleanliness should not expose another person to the risk of illness. Agree? Where I live there are no "non potable flushing water sources"....and they sell Flushing Kings in local stores.

"Nobody is the sole judge for others"...Tell that one to smokers

I certainly wasn't trying to offend/blame/shame anybody....I was merely pointing out the risk and, IMO, the futility of a certain practice.....I get the impression that some put me in the same camp as the people who blame SUV drivers for global warming and want their behavior changed.....not the case here... I live sort of "out of the way" and what the general RV population does... I really don't give a hoot about really....

All hooked up and headed for Port McNeill in the am....there's a thing called "The Alice Lake Loop" up there and I'm going to give it a shot...........life is good

[Cathi]

Can't the ice freeze something and crack it in the valve area? We have used ice but then wondered about that.

[Borrego Dave]

No, the ice will be melted in 30 minutes.

[cpaharley2008]

Franswa,
That area map looks like a nice place to camp, I really enjoyed my brief visit to BC this summer at Osoyoos.