How To Unclog 5Th Wheel Septic Tank? (Question)

• You need to flush the tank out backward from the valve opening to displace the clog and hopefully break it apart. If you have a black tank flush on your RV, travel trailer, or 5th-wheel this may not work because you need to attack the clog from the other end.

How do I unclog my RV septic tank?

Begin by boiling several pots of water. Pour the water down the toilet and let it sit overnight. Attempt to dump the tank in the morning. Sometimes the super hot water is enough to break up a stubborn clog, especially if the tank isn’t already full.

How do you unclog a fifth wheel toilet?

Insert the wand into the toilet bowl and down toward the tank for a high pressure spray that will break up the clog. #2 Another popular option is to open the toilet valve and pour several pots of boiling water down the toilet and into the tank. Let the water sit over night and soak.

How do you remove sludge from an RV black water tank?

Directions for Cleaning an RV Black Water Tank:

1. Close the gray water tank valve the night before cleaning.
2. Clean your toilet.
3. Connect your hose.
4. Slowly turn on the water.
5. Pull the black water tank valve.
6. Slowly turn the water on more.
7. Close the black water tank valve.
8. Open black water tank valve again.

Can you snake an RV black tank?

How Do You Snake An RV Black Tank? To snake an RV black tank, get yourself some PEX pipe. It’s flexible so if you have bends in your waste pipe, it will still work. Plunge through your blockage until you can get water into your tank.

How do you get rid of the poop pyramid in RV black?

To eliminate a poop pyramid, you need to get water into your black tank. The first thing you should do is close the black tank valve and get as much water into the black tank as possible. If the poop pyramid prohibits you from putting water into the tank, get some tank cleaner to pour down into the sewer drain.

Can I use Drano in my RV black tank?

for clearing a clogged black tank are usually the most efficient and cheapest, I see no problem with using chemicals if one wants to do so. I’ve never agreed with those who caution against using Drano, Liquid Plumber, etc. in RV plumbing because it will harm something in the system.

Can I use a plunger on my RV toilet?

You can use a plunger to clear the clog just like in your toilet at home. Add some water to the toilet bowl if there isn’t any already. Then, put the plunger over the hole. Make sure it completely covers the hole.

How do you dissolve clogged toilet paper?

You can break down toilet paper with different methods such as pouring vinegar and baking soda, Epsom salt, dish soap, or RID-X. You can also decompose the clog with tools like toilet snakes or plungers.

Why does my RV toilet bubble when I flush?

So, why does your RV toilet bubble when flushed? You could have a full black tank, a buildup of solids at the bottom of your tank, a clogged drain pipe, or even a blocked black tank air vent.

How often should you flush your black tank?

You should dump your black water tank every 3-5 days or when it gets to be two-thirds full, whichever is first. The steps to emptying your black water tank are listed below: Put on gloves. Connect the hose to the black tank water drain.

How do I unclog my RV water pipes?

Flush the fresh water tank with bleach

1. When all the water is out, close up your valves and flush your fresh water tank with a bleach-water solution.
2. Next, fill the tank the rest of the way with clean water.
3. Let your RV sit overnight with the water lines filled with the bleach-water solution in the lines.

How to Clear a Clogged RV or Camper Blackwater Tank: A Step by Step Guide

When it comes to replacing home components, septic systems are among the most expensive. The most effective way to extend the life of your system and avoid costly repairs is to maintain a regular schedule of routine septic inspections. In the retail industry, this is referred to as a point of sale (POS). In order to know what you’re purchasing underneath, a Septic Inspection must be performed throughout the property sale process. With the average cost of a septic system replacement exceeding $15,000, it’s easy to understand what’s on the line.

We look forward to assisting you in saving time, money, and anxiety!

What Causes Blackwater Tank Clogs?

When trying to determine what causes blackwater tank blockages, simply ask yourself what causes your toilet to become blocked as a starting point. Yes, once again, this isn’t nice, but give it some thought anyway. There are primarily two factors that contribute to the accumulation of debris in your blackwater tank. The first is made up of human waste (yep, excrement), while the second is made up of clumps of toilet paper. If your blackwater holding tank is a more contemporary, high-end model, it may incorporate a series of sensors to monitor its contents and function.

• They use a gauge to determine how full the blackwater tank is.
• After that, you may clean out the tank.
• In the event of a buildup of human waste or toilet paper in the tank, the sensors may become clogged and ineffective.
• Even if your blackwater holding tank does not include sensors, the accumulation of human waste and toilet paper is still a major source of frustration.

How to Clear a Clogged Blackwater Tank: Step by Step

It is typically necessary to identify and eliminate the source of the blockage before you can begin to remove the sludge from your blackwater tank. After all, how can you remedy a problem if you don’t know what’s causing it to begin with? To be clear, just because I compared your blackwater tank to a toilet in the introduction does not imply that you can just take a large plunger and pull all the garbage out of it. That would be fantastic, but there aren’t any plungers large enough for the task.

It’s possible one day.

If these procedures are attempted, they have the potential to cause significant damage, if not outright failure, to the blackwater tank.

That is something you do not want to witness firsthand at any point in your life. If you want to ensure your safety and the durability of your blackwater tank, you should avoid using the following methods:

• Using a pressure washer or power washer: On the surface, this appears to be a smart idea, and some self-proclaimed RV “experts” even propose power-washing your blackwater tank as a first step in the cleaning process. Don’t take everything you read on the internet at face value. In the case of a blackwater tank, the use of a pressure washer or a power washer might result in the tank being damaged. It’s also possible that you’ll be hurt. It’s not worth it. Using compressed air as a source of energy: Once again, any form of pressure should be avoided. The use of pressurized air from a device has the potential to pump large amounts of air into the blackwater tank. This can cause waste and toilet paper to become stuck in difficult-to-reach areas, as well as damage to the tank itself. That’s not going to assist you at all
• Using a toilet snake is a good idea: Having a toilet snake on hand is a convenient and useful equipment to have around the house. Their performance when it comes to cleaning dirt out of pipes is excellent. With the use of blackwater tanks? That’s not the case. The snakes will not properly remove the waste accumulation, so save yourself the time and trouble by skipping them altogether.

After getting all of that out of the way, you now know what not to do in order to unclog your clogged blackwater storage tank. All well and good, you’re presumably thinking. But what are you going todo with it? Let’s get into it right now.

Step 1: Clean the Tank

After getting all of that out of the way, you now know what not to do in order to unclog your clogged blackwater tank and prevent it from being clogged again. You’re probably thinking, “That’s fine and all, but what do you do?”. All right, let’s get started on that.

Step 2: Wipe down the Line

Your blackwater tank collects all of this waste, and a connection links it to the toilet to dispose of it. Pyramid plugs can form in this line if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. These are a sort of hardened waste material that develops on and around the line while it is being manufactured. An excessive number of pyramid plugs might cause your connection to become clogged. How does one go about obtaining pyramid plugs in the first place? The primary reason for this is a failure to clean the blackwater tank.

1. In reality, you have two alternatives when it comes to doing so.
2. Yes, an auger is a form of toilet snake, which I have previously stated should not be used.
3. Because the line contains pipe, an auger is entirely acceptable for usage, but just for this particular project.
4. If you’re not careful, a motorized auger can puncture the blackwater tank and cause a backup of dirty water.
5. Breaking apart the pyramid plugs should begin as soon as you start poking about.
6. A long spray wand will suffice in the absence of a long wand.
7. To do this, you must add water to your blackwater tank until it is halfway full.
8. After that, you’ll have to start up your RV or camper and drive about in the rugged terrain.
9. Allow the water to rest in the tank once it has passed through your pipes.
10. Hopefully, you were successful in getting rid of all of the pyramid plugs.

Step 3: Test Tank Valves

Now that your blackwater tank and line are almost completely free of debris, it’s time to move on to some troubleshooting techniques. The first step is to check your tank valves and make sure they are open and operating properly. You may think this is a stupid question, but you may have overlooked something while you were setting up your car. Is the sewer line, for example, properly connected? Did you make sure that every valve was turned on? If this is the case, go back and double-check your work.

This may be of assistance, and if it is, then kudos to you! Neither a significant amount of effort nor monetary investment was required. Don’t be concerned if your blackwater tank is still plugged up. There’s still a lot you can accomplish in this situation.

Step 4: Try a Chemical Treatment

Isn’t it annoying to have to rummage around in your toilet for things? If there’s a chemical that can accomplish the job faster and more efficiently, you’ll probably use it, right? The same may be said for your blackwater tank as well. If you aren’t going to be reaching around in there too much, then save yourself the trauma of doing so. Chemical treatments are quite widespread, and there are a plethora of options available on the market. You might want to consider the following for your own blackwater tank, all of which are available on Amazon:

• Drop-Ins for Camco’s TST Ultra-Concentrated RV Treatment include: These orange citrus-scented drop-ins are free of bronopol and formaldehyde, making them completely safe to use. For $20.35, you may receive a box of 30 cards. As long as your blackwater tank holds at least 40 gallons, a single one of these drop-in cleaners will be adequate to clean it. When you call Camco, their drop-ins will begin to work right away, dissolving gunked-up waste and making your tank smell nicer as well
• Happy Campers’ Extreme Cleaner (also known as Happy Campers’ Extreme Cleaner): This cleaning from Happy Campers may be used on both the sensors and the blackwater tank itself. It has a four-star rating and can be purchased for $23.95 on Amazon. To make use of it, simply fill a bucket halfway with hot water (warm water also works). The bucket should be able to hold at least five gallons of liquid. Then, throw the Extreme Cleaner into the tank and let it sit for a while before emptying it. You’ll notice a reduction in odor and improved sensor performance, as well as a significantly cleaner blackwater tank. Holding tank treatment package from Thetford, which comprises six packets of the detergent and digester, is available for purchase separately. Each pack contains eight ounces of product. For $21.18, you may get the entire six-pack set. It’s no surprise that this product has received five stars on Amazon. In addition to being biodegradable, the deodorants may be used to clean drain lines and the walls of your blackwater tank. Because tissue and other debris are transformed into a liquid, blockage is no longer a concern. Not only that, but Aqua-Kem has a nice smell that effectively eliminates odors. Drop-Ins for Walex’s Porta-Pak Holding Tank Deodorizer include: Walex’s Porta-Pak drop-ins are another excellent alternative to keep onboard your vehicle, and they have the pleasant scent of Sunglow to accompany them. Alternatively, you may get a 10-pack for $9.98 or a 50-pack for $45.99. That’s a fairly decent deal for the money. Similar to Camco’s offering, you just drop one in your blackwater tank and forget about it. Drop-ins emit chemicals into the environment (which do not include formaldehyde), and toilet paper and other toilet waste are unable to survive as a result.

Step 5: Try the Water Hose Method

However, while chemicals are nearly always the most effective solution, there are other options available if you cannot wait for them to arrive or would want to avoid using chemicals altogether. This procedure should be effective in eliminating smells and trash from your blackwater tank without the use of chemical cleansers. This method necessitates the following:

• It’s a drill
• A hose for delivering water
• A water piping connection with a minimum length of five feet
• A sewage hose for an RV
• A hose connection with a transparent casing

Bring the clear hose connector over to the blackwater tank and attach it to the tank using the clear hose connector. Clarity or translucency of the hose is required. Otherwise, how else will you know whether or not this strategy is effective? Check to see that the connector is properly secured. After that, you’ll need to drill a hole into the connection using your drill. Make the hole at the top of the hole and make sure it is large enough to accommodate the water line passing through it. It should not be larger than the water line, or else leaks may occur.

Turn on the blackwater tank’s valve to allow water to flow through the system to the storage tank.

The majority of the time, water should be turned on, but this is not always the case.

If this is the case, waste should begin to flow via the water line rather than water.

Step 6: Or the Ice Cube Method

If drilling appears to be too much work (which is understandable), there is one more alternative available to you. The ice cube approach is what this is referred to as. It may appear unusual at first, but don’t dismiss it until you’ve given it a go. Many RV and camper owners have found it to be effective. What you’re really doing is pouring water into your blackwater tank to flush it out. It shouldn’t be entirely full, but only about a third of the way full is OK. After that, fill the remainder of the tank with ice.

Using your RV or camper to move around might help to release any tenacious waste or toilet paper that has become lodged in your blackwater tank.

Step 7: Bring in the Pros

If none of these options work, you are left with just one option: pull over and call a professional repairperson for assistance.

This may be expensive, but at the very least you will be guaranteed that your blackwater tank is completely clear of garbage and residue.

Tips for Preventing Future Clogs

Hopefully, one of the ways suggested above was successful in totally cleaning your blackwater tank. Regardless of whether you used chemicals, performed physical labor, or even hired professionals, your tank is now completely clean. If you have sensors, be sure that they are not obscured by toilet paper chunks. Great! You’ll have to put in some effort now if you want to maintain your blackwater tank looking and functioning as well as it does. Sorry for the inconvenience, but frequent blackwater tank repair is an unavoidable aspect of RV and camper ownership.

In order to avoid future blockages and maintain your blackwater tank as clean as possible, you should follow these guidelines:

• It should be cleaned on a regular basis. When you get in there and utilize a cleaning on the tank on a regular basis, the less likely it is that muck will collect. If your blackwater tank is equipped with sensors, they will alert you when it is time to clean it. If you don’t already, get into the practice of cleaning out the tank once a week, or at the very least every few weeks. Don’t forget to clean your graywater and freshwater tanks, as well as the sensors on your water meters. Aside from that, you’ll obtain erroneous readings, which will cause you to have to clean the blackwater tank more frequently than is absolutely necessary. That is something no one wants. Use only chemicals and products that are intended for use in RV or camper toilets and blackwater tanks to avoid contamination. You might believe that the drain cleaner you have on hand would do the task, but that is not the case. It has the potential to cause drain valve seal deterioration. It is also possible that the waste in the tank may not dissolve as quickly as it should
• Avoid leaving the blackwater tank full for any longer than is absolutely necessary. Make certain to dump it in the middle of, or at the very least after, your road trip. Only in a dumping site should this be done! Afterwards, install a graywater tank, and make an investment in environmentally friendly toilet paper. Thetford’s Soft Aqua toilet tissue is one of the most effective toilet paper solutions available to RV and camper owners. It is designed for use in both automobiles and maritime boats. On Amazon, you can get a four-pack for $8.55, which is almost the same price as conventional toilet paper, give or take a few cents. Soft Aqua, on the other hand, is just two-ply and will break down in the toilet or blackwater tank, which is a significant difference. That means no toilet paper in the way of your sensors, and never leaving your blackwater tank completely depleted of water. The bottoms and sides of the tank would otherwise be the only places for wastes, toilet paper, and other solids to go. You’ll definitely be able to smell the waste while it sits, especially if it’s warm outside. When filling the tank with water, it is advised that you fill it slightly more than halfway. The toilet should be flushed often while using an RV or camping toilet. Do this at least twice every trip to the restroom, and if required, even more frequently.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that it is not a pleasant subject to discuss, the blackwater tank is a crucial component of any RV or camper. It is the location where all toilet waste is disposed of, including excrement and toilet paper. It has the potential to get clogged, resulting in severe headaches. Fortunately, determining the root cause of the problem is rather simple. There are a variety of troubleshooting approaches that you may use to get to the bottom of a blocked blackwater tank, as mentioned above.

Never leave the tank empty!

How To Fix A Clogged RV Blackwater Tank

Kelly Beasley contributed to this article. Date of publication: October 5, 2021 The most recent update was made on December 14, 2021. When your camper’s toilet backs up, it’s undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable elements of RVing! It is not need to occur, and it is entirely avoidable. I’m assuming, though, that you already have a clogged black tank, my buddy, because you’re reading this. It’s a bummer for you. The good news is that most waste obstructions can be cleared out. It is OK to use your dump tank as long as there are just four items in it: water, pee, toilet paper, and feces!

Don’t be concerned.

Continue reading to find out how to clear a clogged RV black water tank.

Types Of RV Toilet Clogs

Toilet paper, solid waste, and hardened solid waste are the three things that clog an RV toilet, and any combination of these three items will clog it. Having stated that, there are three ways in which an RV toilet might get clogged:

Pipe Clog

The drain pipe for your RV toilet extends from the toilet’s base and transports all waste down to the black tank below. While sometimes it’s just a straight piece of pipe, sometimes there are bends in the waste pipe that go down to the waste collection system. The majority of the time, a pipe blockage occurs in an RV toilet design that includes twists and turns in the pipe.

The use of bent elbows (pipe turns) to guide sewage into the black tank is necessary if the black tank is not located immediately beneath the toilet bowl. This is the most common location where issues arise. The following are examples of errors that might clog a pipe:

1. Using insufficient water in the toilet bowl for flushing purposes
2. Using an excessive amount of toilet paper or toilet paper that is not septic-safe
3. Large or difficult bowel motions (this is dangerous)

Poop Pyramid

This one is exactly what it says on the tin. Down in the dark tank, there’s a mound of your feces in a pyramid form. This is often typically caused by a rookie RV owner forgetting to close the valve to your black tank while parked and linked to a dump station, as described above (most likely when you are at an RV site with full-hookups). When the black tank valve is left open when connected to a dump, the liquids can escape from the black tank and into the dump. Meanwhile, the particles remain where they fell when they exited the RV toilet’s discharge line, where they remain.

Eventually, the pyramid develops to such a height that it contacts the toilet pipe, preventing the toilet from draining into your tanks.

Compacted Tank Or Hardened Solids

It’s not probable, but it’s conceivable that if you don’t utilize enough liquids in your RV toilet holding tank, a mass of solid stuff will collect at the bottom of the tank. Similarly, if you keep your RV for an extended period of time with the contents of the RV’s black tank still there, the liquids will ultimately evaporate. This approach leaves the solids in the container, where they will ultimately dry and solidify, at the very least. (Remember that your RV’s blackwater holding tank has a vent for this purpose.) As a result, it is not completely sealed.)

So My Black Water Tank Clogged. Now What?

After that, you need to figure out what kind of clogged black water tank you’re dealing with. (This can be in the form of a pipe, pyramid, or compressed.) Which sort of blocked black tank problem you have will dictate which procedures you will need to take to clear the obstruction. There are three indicators that something is going on:

1. When you flush your RV toilet, nothing goes down the drain anymore. When you empty your RV’s black holding tank, very little or nothing flows out of the tank. You’re dealing with two issues at the same time.

The use of clear RV sewage line adapters allows you to see how much waste is emptying from your black holding tank, which is a great idea.

How to figure out what these clues mean:

1. No matter how hard you try, nothing will go down the toilet bowl and nothing (or very little) will come out when you dump. It is your fault that you have left the black tank valve open while connected to the sewer system. You’ve got a poop pyramid on your hands. Nothing will flush down the toilet, and nothing (or very little) will come out when you defecate. Clogged Pipe: You did not leave your black water valve open when you were parked, as claimed. Tank that has been compacted or dried up: When you flush the toilet, liquid enters the camper blackwater tank and runs into the toilet bowl, but nothing comes out when you dump. During your camping/connection to the sewer, you did not ever leave the black tank valve open
2. Misreading Tank Sensors:an Here’s example you might not have considered before. However, your sensors indicate that your black tank is full, although you have just emptied it. If everything appears to be working properly (you can dump without issue, and toilet contents flow into the blackwater holding tank without issue), but the RV black tank sensors indicate otherwise, your sensors are generating erroneous readouts (this is a very typical issue).

How Do You Unblock An RV Black Tank?

The approach you’ll need to use to unclog your black water holding tank is entirely dependent on the sort of obstruction you’ve discovered. We’ll show you how to repair each one in this section.

How To Unblock A Poop Pyramid

Prior to attempting to clear pyramid clogs, you must first determine whether or not a poop pyramid is responsible for the blockage in your tank. There are three factors that indicate if a pyramid is blocking your toilet:

• You forgot to close the black tank valve while camping and were disconnected
• Nothing (or very little, or it moves very slowly down the toilet) is flushed down the toilet any more. Nothing comes out of the sewage hose
• It is completely dry. Maybe you observed that the RV toilet was emptying slowly before it stopped draining completely. It will begin to drain slowly before the poop pyramid begins to totally obstruct the pipe.

If any of these three statements apply to your circumstances, you should be pleased. You’ve got a poop pyramid on your hands.

Here’s how to unclog an RV with a poop pyramid.

You can experiment with a variety of approaches. Your primary objective is to create a route via which water may be pumped into the tank in order to fill it. What you should do initially is the following:

1. The first and most important step is to CLOSE your black tank valve. Pour some liquid plumber type enzymeRV black tank treatment into the toilet and flush it down the toilet. It could be able to accomplish the task of breaking down solids in order to create a channel. Allow it to sit for as long as the maker specifies. Typically, this will take a few hours or as long as a few days
2. Whenever a channel opens up, fill the tank with water and an enzyme treatment, which will immediately begin working to break down the waste accumulation. If no channel opens up, you must manually open up the socket that is causing the problem. You may perform this with a flexible PEX pipe (which looks similar to a toilet snake) to save time. It should be flushed down the toilet and moved about. If everything goes according to plan, the recalcitrant material will finally give way. Once the door is open, continue with 3
3. Keep in mind that you must allow the product to sit for at least the amount of time specified by the manufacturer. If you have the ability to go a bit further, that is probably even better. Allow enough time for the product to break down the solids. After the stipulated time has expired, flush out the clogged RV toilet tank with fresh water. Everything has to be dissolved and let to flow freely
4. However, even if everything appears to be flowing well, it is a good idea to repeat the process at least once more to ensure that the entire pyramid has been dissolved.

How To Unblock A Compacted Black Tank

To unclog a compacted tank, you must first check that the tank in question is truly a compacted RV holding tank. What decides whether or not you have a compacted tank is as follows:

• When you flush water down the toilet, liquids enter the toilet bowl. When you dump the blocked black tank of your RV, nothing comes out
• NOTE: If liquid does flow out of the tank when you empty it, it is most likely due to faulty sensors rather than a blocked black tank, as previously stated.

So you’ve learned how to clear a clogged RV black tank. Keep in mind that clearing up this sort of obstruction may take a bit longer than usual (no pun intended).

This is especially true if you haven’t emptied your RV’s blackwater tank before putting it away. The solids at the bottom of the tank have now solidified and are ready to be removed. Maybe you’ll have to read it twice or three times before it sinks in entirely.

Here’s how to unclog an RV with a compacted blackwater tank:

1. Prepare by filling your blackwater tank completely with water
2. Fill the container with your selected enzyme therapy. It’s possible that the manufacturer wants you to utilize the full bottle. Keep it in for as long as the manufacturer recommends. The more time you have, the better. It is preferable if you can let it sit for at least one night. Alternatively, you might try dumping the tank at an RV dump station once the authorized time has passed. If there is no liquid waste coming out, leave it for a little longer. Empty the blackwater tank and dispose of it at the disposal station. If you believe there are still particles of debris left, repeat the process.

Liquid Tank Unclogger

In order to disconnect an RV holding tank, all three methods necessitate the use of a liquid enzyme treatment to aid in the process. You might want to consider using the Unique brand tank cleaning, which is particularly designed to deal with clogged pipes, feces pyramids, and a compacted tank.

How To Clear An RV Toilet Clogged Pipe

A liquid enzyme treatment is required for each of the three methods of unplugging an RV holding tank in order to aid in the process. Consider using the Unique brand tank cleaning, which is particularly developed to deal with clogged pipes, feces pyramids, and a compacted tank, among other problems.

Here’s how to unclog an RV with a clogged toilet pipe.

1. Plunge it into the water to see what happens. If the pipe is actually clogged, this procedure will be effective in clearing it. However, it is possible that it will not be enough to remove the obstruction. If it still doesn’t work, flush your enzyme treatment down the toilet and let it rest for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. After the allocated time has passed, flush the system to check whether it works. If it doesn’t work, try again. Repeat the enzyme treatment until the blockage is successfully eaten away by the enzymes. When everything else fails, grab yourself a PEX pipe and try pushing it through into the black tank. As soon as the blockage has been cleared, fill your tank with water and flush it to remove any leftover “junk.”

How To Maintain A Healthy Black Tank

Congratulations! It’s time to figure out what caused your clogged black tank pipe in the first place and what you can do to avoid further obstructions in the future. The following are the traditional methods of avoiding a blocked toilet:

1. Use toilet paper that is suitable for septic systems. Before you use your toilet paper, rip it up into small pieces. Make use of a lot of water when flushing your BM (How much water? At the very least, half-fill the bowl. The greater the amount of water, the better)
2. If you are constipated or have firm stools, you may be suffering from a digestive ailment. Stools that are too hard or too lengthy might become trapped. If and when this occurs, remove them from the equation. Disgusting? Yes. Effective? Yes, as well

DEMONS! LOL The most effective approach to avoid a clog in your blackwater tank is to avoid flushing your toilet paper down the toilet. Instead, throw it away in a trash can or recycling bin. It may seem disgusting, but it isn’t at all. Kelly has not dumped toilet paper down the plumbing of her toilet for about 5 years, and she has never experienced a blockage. Even better, I can use whichever brand of toilet paper I choose! Final point: it conserves gas tank space when boondocking, allowing you to remain out longer before needing to dump.

In the hopes that you’ll continue to use septic-safe toilet paper and more water than you used previously, and that you’ll never have another blockage in either of your tanks again.

Whatever the case, I pray you never have to deal with your human excrement in this manner again!

How To Unclog A RV Toilet Holding Tank- MYTHS!

I’m providing several techniques. Others have claimed to have found jobs simply performing a Google search. Some of them are really outrageous in their absurdity. But here’s what we’ve got:

Ice Method

Nothing can be removed from your black water tank by using this method, it just does not work. Even if you tried something and it worked, it was all by chance. A blocked pipe means that neither water nor ice will be able to reach the obstruction and remove it from the pipe’s interior. Unless you have a poop pyramid, the only ‘rubbing’ that the ice can perform is extremely minor and will only affect a single level of the blockage at a time. If you have a tank that has been compressed, floating ice will not even get close to touching the tenacious waste.

Boiling Water

Okay, can you assist me with this hot water method? HOW is it that hot water, boiling water, or even warm water will be able to break apart anything? It does not have the ability to ingest or remove anything from its environment.

Even seeing this as a’solution’ on another page makes me wonder how I came to be here. Is there hot water? Please. Is it effective against grease clogs? Maybe. Is it effective for feces clogs? Nope! (Unless, of course, you consume an excessive amount of grease.)

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Again. Please. Perhaps you could try dumping this on some dog feces and see what happens. It will be a complete and utter waste of time. Don’t squander any more of your time. If you believe that a few little bubbles will make a difference, you’re wasting your time. Furthermore, the process that produces the bubbles is only active for a relatively brief period of time. No, this one isn’t going to work out for you. (Even though that is a fantastic technique to create a volcano!)

Dish Soap

Once again, how does liquid soap intend to function? Anything that gets between the stuck object and the wall or pipe, such as toilet paper and feces, will not be able to get soapy water in between them. This method of repairing tanks is just not a realistic alternative, despite the fact that some individuals say it worked for them while they were rebuilding their camper toilets. At the very least, it MIGHT assist in degreasing and doing some minor tank maintenance in a gray water tank. It is necessary for anything to EATEN/LIQUEFY their solid waste or for an object such as PEX pipe to physically transport it if their solid waste is the source of black tank clogging.

Harsh Chemicals

You might be tempted to employ some harsh chemicals in your holding tanks to get rid of the garbage that has accumulated there. Why, once more? You run the danger of harming the seals in the plumbing that prevent leaks from occurring. Furthermore, it is preferable to keep these chemicals out of the dump station or septic tank that you are currently utilizing.

Pressure Washing

It is possible that using a pressure washer will be effective. Using a drain snake to penetrate through pyramid obstructions or RV clogs, on the other hand, is far less nasty and much easier. Some people say that utilizing a pressure sprayer into the toilet and accidently puncturing through your clogged blackwater tank is a possibility, but I don’t believe so. In the event that your black tank is in desperate need of a thorough cleaning, there are specialists that can pressure wash your holding tanks.

Black Tank Flush

If you use a wand style flusher to flush your black water tank, it could work. And only because you have to puncture a hole through the tank’s contents if you have a pyramid or a clog, so it might push a blockage through or at least open a hole so you can get drain unclogger product down the tank. That stated if you try to employ a backflush method where water is poured into the tank through its exit plumbing (your RV’s drain line you use to dump the tanks), good luck. This won’t work. If you’ve seen what the interior of a tank looked like when one of these very pointless flushes was happening, you’d understand why.

RV Blackwater Tank Clogged FAQs:

There are a variety of reasons why your black tank continues to clog.

1. When you flush the toilet, you are not utilizing enough water. You’re either using too much toilet paper or you’re not utilizing toilet paper that is safe for septic systems. In the pipe that leads into the tank, there is an obstacle that keeps collecting objects on it.

How Do You Snake An RV Black Tank?

Get yourself some PEX pipe if you want to snake an RV’s black tank.

Because it is flexible, it will still function even if your waste pipe has bends in it. Plunge your way through the obstruction until you can get water into your tank again. Fill it with water, and then apply an enzyme treatment to dissolve the clog in the hole.

What Do You Do If Your Black Water Tank Won’t Drain?

Don’t get too worked up if your black water tank refuses to empty or flush. You’re dealing with a barrier that has to be removed. To begin, determine what sort of obstruction you are experiencing, and then follow the instructions provided above to remove that blockage.

Conclusion

RV owners do not want their RV’s black tank to become blocked. If you’re in a travel trailer, 5th wheel, or motorhome, it’s bad enough that you have to deal with your RV dump hose and human waste on the road. A toilet that isn’t operating properly in your RV, on the other hand, might cause your camping trip to go horribly, horribly wrong. It’s a filthy and stinky chore to clean it up. If your black water tank is not draining its waste water, there are three sorts of obstructions that you might be dealing with at the same time.

• It shouldn’t be too difficult to correct them.
• It is hoped that this will be the last time you have to deal with blockage, as it is a common problem.
• Now you know how to avoid future jams.
• I’m the co-founder of Camp Addict, which was founded by my business partner and me in 2017.
• Heck, I lived in my travel trailer for more than 5.5 years, primarily boondocking during the duration of that time.
• Anyway, I’m a huge animal lover who despises campsites and seldom cooks.
• My current activities include plotting and strategizing over whether or not to begin collecting farm animals (or planning my next RV vacation!) at my gorgeous new ‘ranch’ titled ‘Hotel Kellyfornia,’ which is located in Southern Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

What To Do When An RV Waste Tank (Black/Grey) Won’t Drain

So after taking your RV to the dump, you discover that the black or grey tanks will barely empty a few gallons at the most, if they ever empty at all. A typical concern for RV owners, particularly those who are dumping a used RV or trailer for the first time, is a clogged sewer line. Improper RV holding tank maintenance is one of the most common reasons of blocked black tanks, and it’s possible that the prior owner did not properly maintain their RV waste tanks as well. There are three primary reasons why RV waste tanks become stuck or jammed.

1. An biological blockage (flushable wipes, foreign items, and other such things)
2. A broken gate valve or T-Handle
3. A broken T-Handle. A natural obstruction (a valve that has been left open for an extended period of time, causing items to dry and harden and therefore generating a blockage)

As a result of this essay, I’ll go over some of the most important things you can do to unclog a black or grey water tank on your own.

I’ll start with things you can do with minimal equipment in case you’re reading this post while standing at the RV dump station trying to figure out how to unclog your black tank at the time of this writing. Review of the Best Septic Safe RV Toilet Paper Brands is also available.

How To Unclog An RV Black Tank

It doesn’t matter what the cause of a blocked black tank is; there are a few things you can do right away to get things flowing again. However, if none of these approaches prove successful, you may be forced to turn to the more time-consuming procedures described later on in this article.

Make Sure The Gate Valve Is Open

The first thing you should look for is whether or not the gate valve is open or closed. Unless you have a major hard buildup and obstruction exactly at the valve opening of your black tank, there should be at least some liquid coming out of the valve hole of your black tank. If you open your black tank and nothing comes out, it’s possible that the fault is with the gate valve itself. Despite the fact that it is not a prevalent problem, it is worth investigating. The t-handle should have a slight amount of resistance when you pull on it, or if you have a trailer like mine, where you can’t see the gate move in or out, the t-handle should have a slight amount of resistance when you pull open the gate valve when you pull open the gate valve.

If the t-handle can be moved in and out extremely easily and doesn’t appear to be linked to anything, this indicates that the gate valve is not opening properly.

If the waste tank begins to drain normally, you have identified the source of the problem.

Backflush It

An obstruction of some kind immediately at the valve opening will be the most prevalent problem. Perhaps it is only a pile of toilet paper and other organic materials, in which case you should be grateful (aka number two). It is necessary to flush the tank out in the opposite direction of the valve opening in order to dislodge the blockage and possibly break it apart. When using a black tank flush in an RV, travel trailer, or fifth-wheel, you may find that this does not work because you need to attack the clog from the other end.

• Using backflush items for holding tanks, such as these, may be beneficial in maintaining holding tanks as well as breaking up or even snaking out obstructions in the tank.
• It should either break up the clog or at the very least move it enough to enable the rest of the black tank to drain properly.
• Ideally, when both valves are open, some water from the grey tank should flow into the black tank, increasing the amount of water that is applied to the blockage.
• Open the grey tank valve a few times while the black tank valve is still open to see if it helps.
• Hopefully, this procedure will allow you to drain your black tank once more.
• This approach isn’t always the best option since if the clog is broken up while you don’t have the sewer hose attached, it will result in a major mess on your hands.

Make sure you are prepared to close the gate valve once the blockage has been cleared so that you may reconnect the sewage line and redirect the flow of water to where it belongs.

Check The Roof Vent

If backflushing doesn’t work, there are a few more things you may check or attempt before moving on to the more time-consuming techniques of unclogging a blocked black tank that need more effort. If your black tank is slowly draining but not pouring out as quickly as it should, it is possible that you have a clogged air vent. This is a more common problem than you may believe, especially if you are camping or storing your RV in an area where there are a lot of wasps. It is possible that they have constructed a nest in your RV’s exhaust vent.

1. Though the flow of waste from your black tank suddenly increases, and it appears as if a vacuum seal has been broken by admitting air into the tank, the air vent is clogged.
2. If your roof cap was correctly installed, the only item that should have gotten into the vent should have been a wasps nest or a piece of toilet paper stuck in there.
3. Normally, smell will be a decent indicator of which one is which, but if you aren’t sure, you may always clean out both of them and see if it helps.
4. Dicor’s Self Leveling Lap Sealant (click here to see it on Amazon) is the product of choice for most RVers when it comes to sealing anything on their camper roof.

Dump Water Into The Toilet

If backflushing the tank has at least partially resolved the problem and there is some black water draining from the black tank, another option is to throw a 5 gallon pail of water into the toilet. The high velocity of water rushing into the black tank at the same time should help to break up the clog even more and maybe drive out any foreign items that may have been causing it to clog in the first instance. This procedure should not be used as a first step since it may exacerbate the obstruction.

The Drive Around Method

If backflushing the tank has at least partially resolved the problem and there is some black water draining from the black tank, another option is to throw a 5 gallon pail of water into the toilet and flush it again. When a large amount of water is flushed into the black tank at the same time, it should break up the clog even more and maybe drive out any foreign items that were previously obstructing it. This approach should not be used as a first step since it has the potential to exacerbate the problem.

Snake It

Another thing you may do before contacting a plumber and perhaps dismantling the entire RV black tank valve system is to snake the system. As a word of caution, if you have never used a drain snake before, you should exercise extreme caution to avoid causing the snake to become tangled in the pipe, which might result in the snake becoming trapped as well. Everything should be relatively simple to operate, with little need for excessive force. There is an apparent problem with snakeing your black tank from the gate valve end: if you break up the clog, you will have a massive amount of unpleasant raw sewage rushing out very rapidly, creating a huge mess on your hands.

1. Drilling a hole at the top of their sewer hose, close to the bayonet coupling, is the most basic thing that individuals perform.
2. To avoid damaging your excellent sewer hose, you can purchase a low-cost sewer hose for this purpose.
3. As soon as you’ve made a hole in the top of the tank, you may insert the snake and begin to move it into the black tank below it.
4. A short snake, such as theGeneral Pipe Cleaners 3-Foot Toilet Auger (click to purchase on Amazon), with a 1/2 inch serpent should suffice.
5. Using a rubber glove or at the very least a cloth to cover as much of the hole as possible while inserting the cable into the hole you’ve created will help to prevent sewage from escaping throughout the installation process.
6. The blockage should be struck and broken up as soon as it is discovered, and sewage should start flowing immediately.
7. You are not need to empty your whole black tank due to a faulty sewer line connection.
8. Consider the following: Best Portable Foldable Solar Panel Chargers for Camping and RV People have also used their RV black tank flush attachment to feed the drain snake through, which I’ve seen them do in the past.
9. This approach is also effective, and you may not have to worry about damaging a sewage pipe if you use it.

The disadvantage of this approach is that it is possible to damage the RV black tank flush attachment if you are not cautious, and they are often more expensive than a new sewage hose if you are.

Call The Professionals

It’s possible that none of these solutions will work, and you’ll be forced to either take your RV or trailer to an RV repair shop to get it serviced or hire a plumber if the problem persists. Neither of those solutions seem particularly appealing, but if you’ve tried everything else and nothing has worked, you may be at a loss for what to do next.

How To Unclog An RV Grey Tank

While clogged RV grey tanks are less prevalent, they still occur on rare occasions. Any of the procedures listed below can be used to unclog a clogged RV black tank. The only thing I would alter is that if you are going to use the water from the black tank to try to flush out a clog in the grey tank, make sure that the black tank has been completely drained and cleansed to the best of your ability before doing so. The raw sewage from your toilet should not enter your grey tank. Filling your black tank with water and flushing it out with a Camco Swivel Stick Black Tank Sprayer (click to view on Amazon) is one way to accomplish this, as is pouring a 5 gallon bucket full of water and dish soap down the toilet a few times to thoroughly clean it.

The grey tank does not have a direct connection to the black tank, as there is with the black tank.

After you’ve poured holding tank treatment into the kitchen sinks, bathroom sink, and bathtub, make a concerted effort to dump as much water as you possibly can down each drain at the same time to ensure that the most amount of water possible flows into the grey tank.

If none of the other methods work, you can try the snake technique.

Final Thoughts On What To Do If The Black Or Grey Waste Tanks Won’t Drain

Things go wrong with recreational vehicles (RVs), travel trailers, and fifth-wheels on a regular basis. Even after only a year of ownership, I’ve had to repair or replace nearly everything on my old travel trailer. In RV ownership, having blocked holding/waste tanks is just another part of the experience. Hopefully, being able to go camping or travel across the world in an RV more than makes up for all of the difficulties you encounter throughout your journey. There are steps you can take to ensure that your RV holding tanks are properly maintained and that you never have a blockage.

I hope at least one of these ways has been successful for you and that you have not given up on camping or RVing.

You never know how someone else has treated their RV holding tanks, and by thoroughly cleaning your holding tanks before utilizing them, you may potentially avoid any future blockages.

Do you have any further questions regarding RV black or grey tanks, or about removing blockages from waste tanks? Leave a remark in the section below.

Unclogging your RV Holding Tank or Toilet

WARNING: This process necessitates a basic understanding of RV tanks. This article should be read in its entirety, and the videos should be seen, before attempting to remove your own blockage. At the absolute least, you should view this rather quick instructional video if you want to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot without all of this knowledge.

CHECK THE VALVES

You’re thinking to yourself that this is a stupid move. Your valves are, without a doubt, open! However, you must make certain that all of the valves are open and that the sewage line is connected to both the tank and the sewer. Some tanks have TWO valves, and the galley is frequently equipped with a separate tank and valve. Come back here and read this once you have made absolutely certain that all of the valves are open. if it is what you require. (I’m willing to guess that I just lost a significant number of readers.)

CALL A PRO

Professional tank hydro-jet cleaning should be sought if at all feasible. Fortunately, a qualified expert at TankTechsRx has the tools and skills to take care of the problem as fast as possible while still doing it correctly and safely. In many cases, RV service facilities can connect you to a nearby professional who may even come to you. It’s well worth the effort. If the service facility does not know of anybody in your region, tell them about TankTechsRx, or contact us and we will send them our free training booklet, which explains in full how to clean a tank from top to bottom.

KNOW WHAT NOT TO DO

Why not make use of a toilet “snake” or auger to flush the toilet? Most of this is due to the fact that they are useless in a congested tank. They were not intended for use in open tanks, but rather in pipes. They may quickly become twisted or knotted, making it nearly hard to get them untangled. They will, at the at least, puncture a small hole in the blockage to enable some drainage, but that small hole will quickly get clogged once more. Isn’t it better to contact a septic service/pump truck?

1. As for the pumper truck, it will suck a small amount of sludge out, but as soon as it comes into contact with air, it will cease to be effective, and the heavy sludge will simply sit in the holding tank.
2. Why not try blowing it out with pressured air to see if it works?
3. Because of the pressure, anything it comes into touch with will be forced to travel somewhere it does not want to go, and once it has created an airway, nothing else will be able to escape.
4. Numerous tank treatments make the promise that their solution would unclog a blockage in 24 hours or less time.
5. Actually, it is more likely that the motion of driving, rather than the chemical, is what causes the plug to break apart.
6. In other words, if you have all the time in the world to just sit back and watch what occurs, go ahead and do it.
7. Because nothing will keep a tank from blocking if not enough water is utilized or if a valve is leaking and preventing liquid from remaining in the tank, it is quite probable that the problem will recur sooner rather than later, even if it is successfully unplugged.
8. I ask that you do not insert a pressure washer line into a toilet or tank, as I demonstrate in my YouTube movies.

In order to make this equipment workable, we employ custom-made parts that are not available to the general public. WARNING: Be familiar with your clog. Alternatively, is the toilet blocked or is the toilet tank clogged?

PYRAMID PLUGS

The “pyramid” plug is the most prevalent type of blockage. Technically, it takes place in the tank, although it takes place directly below the toilet bowl itself. In the instance of a pyramid plug, your tank may be completely empty, yet you will still be unable to flush any waste. In either case, the blockage develops when there is not enough water poured to the toilet during flushing, or when a worn valve gasket enables water to flow out of the toilet before flushing. In order to unplug this sort of blockage, it is best to drain the standing water or shop vac out as much as possible before beginning the process.

• Then, after watching the video below, creating the tool (or purchasing TankToolRx) and following the instructions are all that is left.
• Individuals from all around the country have used this easy method to successfully disconnect their tanks, and you can do it as well.
• They are purple in color and can be found at most RV supply shops.
• This should work if you did not use one of the chemical tank treatments to try to clear the clog before doing this.
• Check out the video below to learn more about this.), and it is not uncommon for a TankTechsRx specialist to labor for more than 30 minutes using custom-made equipment to grind this stuff out of a tank.
• This technique will not completely clean out the tank, but it may allow you to continue using it for a short period of time.

PLUGGED TANK

Tank blockages are most often caused by a valve that has been left open or has been leaking. In either case, unplugging will be extremely difficult and will take some time. It is feasible to unhook a tank on most motor homes and travel trailers, but it is quite difficult on most fifth wheels, unless you are extremely brave or desperate. Why? Many 5th wheels have a distance between the outlet and the tank that is too big for a hose to reach properly. It is possible to disconnect a tank in your RV if it has a straight line from the drain valve to the tank.

• Alternative options include purchasing a Dual Flush from Camco.
• Carefully follow the directions for connecting the Dual Flush to the water supply.
• No, I didn’t believe that.
• It will not clean the tank, but it may assist in clearing a line or creating a little amount of space so that you may utilize the tank.
• TankTechsRx can be put to the tank if there is any flow from the toilet through the tank and out the valve.
• Again, this technique will not completely clean out the tank, but it may allow you to continue using it for a short period of time.

It is probable that it will plug again unless you get it cleaned by aTankTechsRxcertified expert, switch promptly toTankTechsRx, and fix the behavior or fault that caused the plug in the first instance.

USE ONLY TANKTECHSRX IN YOUR TANKS

If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve mentioned our product, TankTechsRx, several times. Rather of doing so only for the sake of selling our products, we have purposefully developed them to be unlike anything else now available on the market. As a result of our probiotic tank treatment, the solids will be liquefied, allowing the tank to be entirely emptied because the heavy sludge will be transformed into water. The length of time it will take depends on how thick the sludge is, but with TankTechsRxon board, the tanks are being cleaned continually rather than becoming tougher.

You may be skeptical, but I have personally cleaned over 12,000 holding tanks, and I developed TankTechsRx (with the assistance of the world’s finest probiotic microbiologists) based on my real-world experience in the tank cleaning industry.

Have you ever seen anyone else do something like that?

Here’s a video to help you understand the differentkinds of tank treatments on the market today

Having made it all the way to the conclusion of these instructions, I’m rather impressed with you! The option to watch a pair of films that I prepared to assist you in unplugging your tank has been provided to you, and I hope you took advantage of the opportunity to do so. In the case of a thousand words, such films are the equivalent of a complete library! To the point that I strongly recommend that you watch the whole Unplugging a Toilet and/or Tank playlist on YouTube if you have the opportunity to do so Some of these are simply me going about my business, but you can get a sense of how I do things, which will be useful when you attempt to unclog your own drains and pipes.