Black tank flush?

[Huck]

I recently traveled for about 2 weeks without dumping my black tank.

When I dumped it yesterday I noticed that the black tank flush seems to be clogged.

I had this problem once before on another fifthwheel that I had, and I had to get to the place on the tank that the flush hose was attached and remove the spinning flush thing and clean it out to fix the problem.

Here is my Questions.
Has anybody else had this problem?
And if so, how did you get to the fitting on the tank to fix it?

I have a RE3, and after some examination I seem to think that the fitting is up under the bathroom/hallway floor with no way to get to it.

Any ideas??

[Motor31]

I have a 38' rig as well. To my knowledge there is no spinner on it (at least not in 05 models) and it just has a spray into the tank. If it's blocked you might just want to fill the black tank all the way up with fresh water and let it sit a couple days to soften the blockage. Then drain and try the flush again. On our rig the flush does a fair job of cleaning the tank and requires several additions of water with valve closed then opened to really flush the bottom of the tank. I let it fill for a minute then open the valve while flushing. I do that at least 3 to 5 times before I see the water is clear in the see through elbow.

The black tank is the top one behind the basement sliding door at the front. Nothing is really easy to get to on the back side of the tank in that area unless you open up the bottom covering.

[billr]

Like Mike said for flushing the tank.

Also, if you plan to travel, fill the tank about 1/2 and just before you leave dump in a couple bags of ice. They will do a great job cleaning the tank while driving. Not to mention a blue Martini mix! ???????

May clean the nozzle as well.

[bstark]

Ice works great Bill but "humbugs" give a more lasting scrub. Humbugs? You say. Yep, a couple of bags of those little devils sloshing around in there while you go for a drive will scrub persistant "scrudum" (scum & crud) off the insides of the tank and they won't melt in a hurry.

The only detrimental part of the procedure is try not to dump with any audience at all as they will give you strange looks when they hear the "rattle" in the hose!

[john]

What is "humbugs"? where do you get them?

[wingnut60]

Was just waiting for someone else to ask that--thanks.
Joe

[2blackdogs]

I was going to ask and then decided that I wasn't going to bite !!!

[Okie]

OK Bruce, you've got us all tugging on the line

Okie

[jdwilson3]

Come on Bruce.... :x

[Mikey]

I start with "if", because Bruce DOES have a great sense of humour.
If he is being serious - there are candies called "humbugs". Not sure if they are available in the US.
(IMHO) The absolute BEST humbugs are sold by a company called Rheo Thompson in Stratford Ontario. They also make awesome chocolate!

For the humbugs: http://www.rheothompson.com/store/default.asp
search for "humbugs".

I've included a picture of the humbugs.

[rdunk]

On the basis of my many years of general experience, and having heard many mentions on this piece of our language, I believe the the actual word many of you are wanting to be "defined" is .............................

"BAH" HUMBUGS!!! lol lol lol

[Motor31]

If those are in deed the humbugs he was talking about I'd rinse the tank more than once afterwards. The sugar locking up the valve could get ugly.

[Huck]

I have put 65 PSI on it for a few days, and it still is clogged...

I believe that the ice works to clean the sensers, but won't stop my blockage.

[anijet]

I wouldn't think debris would plug the nozzle and withstand 65 psi. I wonder if the check valve came apart internally and is blocking the flow?

[Huck]

The check valve is fairly new.
I replaced it last year. It didn't have one installed when the trailer came from the factory.

I pushed it after unscrewing the hose and it shot water back at me and seemed to be working fine.

[Huck]

Here is a pic of a built in black tank flush check valve that I found zip tied up behind the shower valves.

After getting my suite I thought it was wrong not having a check valve at the flush inlet. The water would run out when I unhooked the hose after flushing. I did not know that there was one built in the suite.
So I bought an inlet with a check valve in it and put it in.

I seem to have the problem fixed now.
The problem was that there never was a screen on the inlet washer and sand and grit got up into the built in check valve and caused blockage.

I pulled the shelves out of the pantry to get to a couple access panels that were screwed on in there and I was able to cut the zip ties that were holding the flush hose. I removed the built in valve and filled the black tank to the top and back flushed the hose from the black tank flush.
Then I re-installed the hose connector with the check valve and everything seems fine.

I just thought I would post this for others that may have this problem.

http://www.5thwheelforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_7582_0_8aee7a2fb13ee2f18b0d8ca1d6229632.jpg[/img]

[2 DA WDS]

Huck, its not a check valve. Its a vacumn break valve, it is designed to create an open in the line when the water pressure stops so that black water from the tank cant be siphoned back out through the hose connected to it. The water on the hose side of the valve drains out to the ground and the water on the black tank side drains on into the tank.

[Huck]

It is a vacuum relief valve and also has a check valve in it......

I wounder why they didn't just put a check valve on the inlet?

[jdwilson3]

Because, if you somehow pulled vacumn, you could have contaminated water all the way back to the low point (where your check valve is). A bad situation if the check valve failed open.