New to this whole holding tank thing

[wingerbls]

The DW & I are anxious to begin a new season with our new (to us) Sundance XLT. Never having had a camper with holding tanks, I'm curious about a few things. (Forgive me if this has been asked a few thousand times; I searched but couldn't find an answer...)

1) Should I ALWAYS have some water in the black tank (either when rolling or stationary, or both), even if it isn't necessarily used? If so, how much?
2) Same question for the grey tank...
3) Is there a maximum 'safe' time that I can leave the black tank un-drained (assuming it is not full, of course...)?

Thanks!

 

[danemayer]

Hi wingerbls,

Good questions.

After flushing the black tank thoroughly, you'll want to add perhaps 5 gallons of water so that when you start adding waste, it dissolves rather than building up on the bottom of the tank.

I'm not aware of any reason to do this for the gray tank(s).

I always flush the black tank before putting the rig in storage. When in use, I'll usually dump the tank weekly, although some people will go longer without difficulty.

We have an owner written Water Systems User Guide you might find helpful. It has lots of tips on managing the holding tanks and other parts of the water system.

 

[JohnDar]

We use our rig over the summer in a seasonal site. When we leave it for a week or so, I dump and flush the black tank and then add at least 5 gallons of water and a two gallon bucket of water with a cup of Calgon dissolved in it. No problems. The use of Calgon is just a different method of tank maintenance. Just add whatever chemical you use unless you're at the end of your season. Then leave the tanks empty.

 

[ILH]

Many people use chemical odor suppressants and other aids to dissolve black tank contents. An alternative approach is called the GEO method. There is an excellent article on it here: https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

 

[wingerbls]

Thanks for all the tips! I forgot about the owner manuals on this site; I won't be making that mistake again! There's lots of good stuff in there...

Now if winter would ever end...

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Brian, all good suggestions from the others. I'll also add when we travel, I like to have a fair amount of water in all of the tanks to slosh around during travel. As soon as we arrive at our destination site I dump all of the tanks and flush the black again. I've had no issues in 8 years.
For storage, which I don't so, I think it would be OK to have dry tanks as long as you are confident you've done a thorough flushing for the last use.

 

[whp4262]

If you are using a black tank chemical/deoderizer you need 4 to 5 gallons of water in the tank to mix the chemical with. I have left the tank undrained for periods of time without problems, usually because it got used on the way home after I dumped it. When I store the camper for the winter I flush the tanks and leave the gate/dump valves open when I park it, I close the valves when towing it just in case. Leaving the valves open for storage was what was recommended with my previous motorhome and I do the same with the toy hauler.

 

[JohnDar]

To be sure, if you winterize for long winter storage, like I do, pour antifreeze into every drain and flush the toilet while pumping the AF. That will put it into the tanks and protect the valves.

 

[Willie13]

When I pulled the black tank I would place fresh water in the tank (2 or 3 gallons) and then place a bag of ice iin the tank so it would agitate the tank why I was driving.



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[wingerbls]

Thanks again for all the tips. I read the GEO method from the link ILH pointed me to; interesting stuff! I purchased some chemical when I bought the trailer, but have not used it yet. Is there anything to be gained by using some Calgon with the chemical, just to keep things from sticking to the tank walls? I'm guessing it certainly won't hurt...

 

[ILH]

Thanks again for all the tips. I read the GEO method from the link ILH pointed me to; interesting stuff! I purchased some chemical when I bought the trailer, but have not used it yet. Is there anything to be gained by using some Calgon with the chemical, just to keep things from sticking to the tank walls? I'm guessing it certainly won't hurt...

Using Calgon under any circumstance won't hurt.