I know that the black tank is everyone’s least favorite part of RVing, it is likely what keeps some people from ever getting on the road. It is scary, gross, and the topic of much debate. What toilet paper is best to use? Which tank treatments work or don’t? How does this type of toilet even operate? I mean, who wants to ask another adult how to use a toilet?
When we started our RV life we vaguely knew that we needed to treat our black tank with something. We bought whatever Wal-Mart had in the camping section. Some pods filled with colored sand-looking stuff that claimed to be the best. We dropped them in the toilet and hoped for the best.
Neither of us was excited about this aspect of the lifestyle. We didn't want to use the one-atom-thick toilet paper, we didn't know how to empty the tanks, and nobody wants to be “that” person at the campground or dump station fumbling and making a mess. We asked questions of other RVers and we were lucky enough to have friends with an RV to walk us through the first time on the phone. All those notes we took at the walk-through were not as helpful as we had hoped for when it came time to actually do the task.
We used the same toilet paper that we had used in our house, mostly because we had so much moving from 1,500 sq. ft. to 84 sq. ft. Once in a while, we got a clogged sewer hose but mostly, everything worked fine. Then we met Pierre and Leslie.
Pierre and Leslie had been living on the road for years. They started camping when they had young kids. They moved from tent, to pop-up, to travel trailers and fifth-wheels, and were currently in a beautiful class A. They were our second RV life mentors. We learned a lot from them about maintenance and easier ways to get the everyday done.
They taught us about the formula that we have been using for four years. In that time we have had a single clog in the sewer hose, I’ll talk more about summer weather adjustments later. We use Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper, for those wondering.
That icky RV toilet paper that you'll see many other YouTube videos and reviews on, showing it being the fastest to dissolve, has been debunked for a couple of reasons. First, who in their right mind wants to play that game where you count on thoughts and prayers to keep your fingers from ripping straight through THIS time? Yes, it dissolves quickly however, it does not always dissolve completely. We’ve heard horror stories of “The Awful Tower”, the pile of undissolved and now rock-solid used paper directly under the toilet bowl opening. In this case, the paper should have some density to move with the flowing water during dumping rather than be so thin that it just sticks to the walls and tank floor.
Those tank treatment pods we bought were not breaking down much waste or paper. We had a few clogs in the dump hose that, with enough pressure built up from the tank sprayers, released after a few tense moments. We chalked it up to us using the wrong paper and went on with our day vowing to use more water next time until we got through the paper that had migrated from the house.
Water usage is also a very important topic. Never leave your seal uncovered. The seal at the bottom of the bowl must be covered with water at all times or it will dry out, crack, and the bowl will no longer hold water. This part can be replaced but maintenance is key. For general daily use in moderate weather conditions the following works well.
If you go #1 and don't need to wipe due to bidet-style use or being physically blessed with the proper equipment, flush and fill the bowl enough to cover the seal.
If you go #1 and need to wipe, use the least amount of paper you can. Flush and fill the bowl about a quarter full. The volume of total fluid should be doubled or more than the volume of paper used.
If you expect to go #2, fill the bowl at least halfway first, again use the smallest amount of paper you can. Flush then refill the bowl a half to a full bowl depending on the volume that was just flushed.
In the summertime, water usage will need to be adjusted if the outside temperature gets above 90°. There is a vent pipe from the blank tank to the roof that lets the air pressure neutralize and avoids smells coming up through the toilet. This can also let out the evaporation of fluids in the tank in hot weather. Be sure to increase your water usage per flush by a quarter to a half bowl.
Winter brings its own blank tank fun. Horror stories to tell around the campfire are more like it. It was a dark and below-freezing night when Old Joe heard “The Bloop” and knew that he must go outside and empty the blank tank or else they may have a backed-up mess on their hands. He put on some shoes and his big coat and hat as we stepped out the door. The wind nearly threw him against the trailer as it tried to rip the door from his hands. He closed the door securely and headed to the dump valves. As he opened the black tank valve and the sewer hose began to run, he shivered in the cold wind. Then, he saw it! The hose lurched, the clear elbow ran dry, and he knew that there was a “poopcicle” on deck. He had forgotten to turn on the tank heaters and the tank contents had frozen in the cold weather.
We highly recommend heated and enclosed tanks and valves if you are shopping. If you already own a rig and didn't get these options, add them if you can. They are well worth the money. Skirting helps as well in the colder months but sometimes a quick cold snap happens before or after the typical winter months and you will be glad to only have to flip a switch to help keep you away from the above story. We added tank heaters to our first RV and bought our second RV fully four-season ready.
Are you wondering about “The Bloop”? It is a specific sound that happens when the black tank is getting full and you flush. Once you hear it a couple of times, it is easy to decipher from a regular flush. We often use this method because almost no tank sensors on the market work all of the time. You will be lucky if they even work some of the time!
The suggested order to achieve a successful tank dump is:
Open the dump valve on the blank tank.
Once the volume reduces to a small stream, start the tank sprayers.
Run the sprayers until the water runs clear through the dump hose and continue for an additional five minutes.
Turn off the sprayers and close the black tank.
Open the grey tank dump valve. Continue until there is only a small trickle then close the grey tank.
Treat the black tank and you're done!
The best treatment for the black tank that we've found in our four and half years on the road, using plush toilet paper and adequate water, has been a mixture told to us by Pierre and Leslie. You can even find it online from other websites. We did not make this up ourselves and don't own the formula by any means.
What you'll need:
An empty gallon jug. Preferably one that you can easily store when it is full. We keep ours in the pass-thru storage.
A small funnel
A half-cup measure
A box of Calgone bath beads. I prefer the lavender-scented, purple box.
40oz of original Pine-Sol or my preference, Pine-Sol, Lavender Clean, 24oz, as this is 2x concentrated and the bottle takes up less space.
Water
The recipe:
Using the funnel, add a half cup of Calgone bath beads to the empty jug.
Very slowly, add the whole 24oz 2x concentrated bottle or 40oz regular Pine-Sol. This step causes foam so, slow is fast.
Allow the foam to settle.
Fill the remainder of the jug with water, again slowly as it will foam.
Add 8oz of the mixture to the toilet bowl and flush. Fill the bowl completely and flush again. Add enough water to cover the seal.
Retain the rest of the mixture for subsequent use. Shake before use.
Did I leave anything out? Do you have a question that didn't get answered? Maybe you are thankful for the information provided. Have a suggestion for a future post? Leave us a comment below. We would love to hear from you.
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