Leak By On Black Tank Valve

[thenline32]

We just purchased our first RV, a Sundance 3300CK, and it appears the Black Tank valve is leaking by. I noticed during the walkthrough with the dealer that the Black Tank valve did not go in as far as the Grey Tank valves, but he operated them and did not show any concern. Therefore, I thought that this was "normal." We have taken 2 trips and both times there was 3-5 gallons of waste waiting for me when I pulled the cap off! Any suggestions on how to fix this issue? The dealership is a considerable distance from our home, and I would like to fix it myself, if possible.

 

[jimtoo]

Hi theline32,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

That type of problem is what the PDI is for. There should have been enough time taken in the PDI for water to have been put in all the tanks and checked for leaks, along with the plumbing. Some dealers really want to rush you through the process.

But,, it sounds like your valve is not closing completely due to something holding it open. So I would try backflushing into the tank and hopefully washing it out. If this does not work, about the only choice is to make sure cable is attached to valve correctly and operating and then to remove the valve and have a look see. Or take to the dealer for repairs.

Let us know what you find.

Jim M

 

[boatto5er]

You can also get a Valtrex valve that attached to your drain outlet. You can attach your sewer line before opening that valve and no waste will exit when you take the cap off. I did this on my previous unit and brought it with me to the new one.

 

[Vtxkid]

You can also get a Valtrex valve that attached to your drain outlet. You can attach your sewer line before opening that valve and no waste will exit when you take the cap off. I did this on my previous unit and brought it with me to the new one.

I did this also after I also had a problem with the black water tank valve not wanting to close all the way when the cable slipped from the valve assembly. Nice having the two valve protection incase one should ever fail down the road...

 

[HappyKayakers]

I did this also after I also had a problem with the black water tank valve not wanting to close all the way when the cable slipped from the valve assembly. Nice having the two valve protection incase one should ever fail down the road...

That's nice as a backup but the original problem will still exist. If waste water is leaking past the valve all the time, the dreaded poop pyramid will eventually build up. I had the same problem on my waste valve, took it apart and found TP in the slot that kept the valve from closing completely. After cleaning out that slot, everything worked properly.

 

[nscaler2]

We just purchased our first RV, a Sundance 3300CK, and it appears the Black Tank valve is leaking by. I noticed during the walkthrough with the dealer that the Black Tank valve did not go in as far as the Grey Tank valves, but he operated them and did not show any concern. Therefore, I thought that this was "normal." We have taken 2 trips and both times there was 3-5 gallons of waste waiting for me when I pulled the cap off! Any suggestions on how to fix this issue? The dealership is a considerable distance from our home, and I would like to fix it myself, if possible.

We had a similar problem with ours when it was new. Took it back to the dealer. They replaced the black tank valve, but in the process found the cut out piece of plastic that was made when they made the hole for the valve, still in the tank. So it was the cut out blank that was actually causing the problem. I see quite a few of these type of problems mentioned on the net.

 

[Duramax1]

It is okay to carry a Valtrex valve for emergency purposes but you should really return the unit to the dealer when it is under warranty to have the problem fixed properly. A bit of a hassle but you will enjoy the benefit in the longer run.

 

[brianharrison]

I have had success at cleaning debris out of the seating area of my waste valve by cycling the valve open/closed 4 or 5 times while I am using the black water flush connection (cleaner fluid passing thru the valve).

Take care,
Brian

 

[danemayer]

If you add the external valve mentioned earlier, you can leave the blank tank valve open while backflushing.

Close the new external valve and put 15-20 gallons into the tank using the Black Tank Flush (3-4 minutes if you have good water flow). Open the external valve to empty the tank. You'll get a forceful flow of water out of the black tank. Repeat this 5 or 6 times. Since the black tank valve is open the entire time, anything caught in it will have a good chance of getting flushed out.

 

[Geodude]

I had a somewhat similar problem last night. I connected my Flojet macerator pump, started it up and opened the black tank valve. So the pipe filled up with the brown stuff right away, then after a minute I noticed the pump was running but it wasn't pumping. I couldn't get the stuff to move. So there I was facing the situation where I had to pull the pump off and catch everything that was in the out-chute in a bucket. That was not fun. I will be adding a valve at the end of the line at the first opportunity.

 

[GOTTOYS]

I added the additional valve to mine after dumping the first time and getting the dreaded poop shower. My handle wasn't going all the way in either. Dealer fixed it and wasn't real happy hearing from me..I think that valve by the hose connection should be standard equipment. I just used mine to equalize out my gray tanks this weekend. My shower tank was full and my kitchen tank wasn't. I opened both gray tank valves leaving the valve by the hose connection closed. Water flowed from the bathroom gray tank into the kitchen gray tank until they were both about equal. Managed to get in an extra shower or two before we had to dump on our way out this morning...Don

 

[thenline32]

Thank you all for your quick responses! We are heading out for a couple days next week and I will try some of your suggestions. This is a great forum and I am glad to be a part of the "family!"