My RV Mentor

 What Scares People the Most? RV Holding Tanks

When talking with new RV owners you can never talk enough about holding tanks and especially the dreaded Black Tank. After all, who wants to smell that stuff let alone get sprayed with a good dose of poop? No one.

Learning about the plumbing on your RV is an educational opportunity you don't want to miss. Aside from the absolute nasty nature of waste water, you can actually get sick from that stuff. And this is a subject I covered in a different video RV Fresh Water Do's & Dont's.

In this video you will learn how to keep your Fresh Water Tank Clean and free from stale water and worse yet, mold. Additionally, you will learn that the Gray Tank pretty much takes care of itself. Just avoid rinsing any oil or food participles down the drain when washing dishes. 

The Black Tank can be subject to many problems all of which are human induced (no pun intended). Lets walk through them one by one:

• Toilet Paper: I have had good luck using any paper marked "Septic Safe." With this said I don't recommend getting the thicker multi-ply soft stuff. The key here is to flush with plenty of water making sure everything in the Black Tank is covered with water without an opportunity to dry out. When "things" dry in the tank it s get hard eventually creating a clog or stoppage.

• Black Tank Treatment: Use a proven quality treatment and avoid the home remedy solutions; one day you will thank me for this. I use  Happy Campers Black Tank Treatment and after 15 year never an odor or clog. 

• Back Flush: If your RV is equipped with a Black Tank Flush connection use it every time you dump the tank. This flushing removes any particles left in the tank and helps to ensure against poop buildup and the dreaded Poop Pyramid. 

• Never Flush Items: Paper towels, handi wipes, female hygiene products,  toilet paper not marked "Septic Safe." Just because something says "disposable" does not mean you can flush it.

A Final note on dumping your tanks. Keep the valves closed until you are ready to dump. Even if you have a sewer connection at you campsite, keep the valves closed else unwanted critters like rats, gnats, sewer flies and of course sewer gas can come up into your holding tank. Try to fill the black tank to 1/2 to 2/3 full before flushing.

Dump the Black Tank first, do the black tank flush, and lastly, flush the gray tank. Flushing the gray tank last will rinse out the sewer hose and reduce odor while in storage.

Never be afraid of the dump site, just respect it. I hope you can take this knowledge with confidence that you can be safe, clean and respectful of the environment. 

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