tiolet / grey,black tanks February 11, 2005, 07:53:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 50631Hi, I am fairly new to this group site and am still trying to learn more information regarding RV's. I've been reading the postings, files, and links.Recently I read, "Macerators and other Sewer Stuff" under Phred's Poop Sheets, in the "Links" section. The article leaves one with the feeling that cleaning and maintaining the grey/black tanks is quite a chore, with installing a macerator, cleaning it out etc.I was wondering if anyone on this site would be so kind to tell me, from experience, if maintaining the sewer system on a lazy daze rv is as extreme as he mentions. I guess I'm interested in what needs to be done during storage as well as during use.Thank you so much in advance.Dale.
Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #1 – February 11, 2005, 08:31:15 am Yahoo Message Number: 50633Dale,Even my wife admits that the dumping is much less of a problem than she expected. The everyday dumping is a simple matter of pulling the hose out of the LD, twisting it on, sticking it
Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #2 – February 11, 2005, 09:44:44 am Yahoo Message Number: 50637QuoteI was wondering if anyone on this site would be so kind to tell me, from experience, if maintaining the sewer system on a lazy daze rv is as extreme as he mentions. I guess I'm interested in what needs to be done during storage as well as during use. We have been pleasure-camping in our '83 for over 11 years now, we use Charmin Ultra tp (!), we use a commonly available RV tank deodorant after dumping, I have only rinsed the tanks a couple of times when servicing or replacing the dump valves, and we have never had any problem with level sensors. It takes about 5 min to dump both tanks, including an extra toilet-bowlful of water dumped as a flush and one more as a refill, about every 3-7 days of use. That's it.We leave the tanks empty during non-use, except one toilet-full of water with deoderant sitting in the black. If it has been over a month, we usually add a little deoderant before hitting the road again.Macerators are special-purpose and convenient only if your use fits that bill. Another item to fuss over, otherwise.Steve
Re: gray and black tanks Reply #3 – February 11, 2005, 09:57:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 50639"Recently I read, 'Macerators and other Sewer Stuff' under Phred's Poop Sheets...The article leaves one with the feeling that cleaning and maintaining the grey/black tanks is quite a chore, with installing a macerator, cleaning it out etc." Dale, phred Tinseth's Poop Sheets are a terrific source of information, but they can be daunting to a newcomer, because phred goes into so much detail about the various alternatives. So the main thing I want to get across is what Barry said: relax, it's no big deal. First, 98% of us don't use macerator pumps. They can be handy in certain circumstances, but the vast majority of RVers do just fine without one. So you can scratch that whole set of complications off your worry list. Second, dumping seems like a scary business--I make fun of it (and myself) in this photo, taken the first day I owned my rig--http://www.andybaird.com/travels/first/photos/andy_and_the_snakes.jpg> --but it really isn't complicated. As Barry said, you just attach the sewer hose, dump the black tank, then repeat with the gray tank. That's really all there is to it. It takes me 5-10 minutes to do, and I never rush when dumping. So don't be put off by the process; you'll get used to it very quickly, and after the first couple of weeks you won't even think about it.Andy Baird
Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #4 – February 11, 2005, 10:03:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 50642Quote from: barry_barnes@y...The everyday dumping is a simple matter of pulling the hose out of the> LD, twisting it on, sticking it in the dump hole, opening the black water valve, waiting until it is finished, opening the grey water valve, and waiting until that is finished. A simple rinse of the hose and sticking it back in the LD storage location, and adding chemicals to the tanks is sufficient to drive away. Of course, we are not full-time and do not put paper down the drain, so this may help, but as far as we are concerned, dumping is one of the least of our problems. For storage, we dump, add chemicals and a littl water, and leave it. Barry Hi Dale, I feel the need to clarify something Barry wrote. He posted that "everyday dumping is a simple matter"; I'm not trying to speak for Barry, he is very eloquent on his own, but I don't think he meant that he dumps his tanks "everyday". Folks who do dump their tanks, particularly the "Black water" tank everyday are usually the ones who end up with problems. Barry correct me if I'm wrong about what you meant.I went back to look at Phred's article that you referenced. It can scare you; I know that dumping the holding tanks was one thing that I had a lot of concern with when I was a new camper. There are plenty of places to read about how to dump your tanks. Here is the short version of what we do.no We dump the black tank ONLY when its nearly full and follow by dumping the gray water tank then as well. We will dump the gray tank more frequently if we are driving far to avoid carrying unnecessary weight. We DO put TP (read up on RV friendly tissues and choose wisely) in the tank, don't use a maceator, and have not had problems with odor, sludge build up or tanks sensor problems. As far a the heavy duty rinsing and cleaning, we do use a rinse wand and reverse flush device several times a year, usually at home, not in campgrounds. When storing the rig for the winter, we dump, clean and rinse, then leave the tanks empty for the winter. We live where it is cold; if we lived where freezing was not an issue, we would leave some water and tank treatmant in the black tank.I also want to put in a plug for Eco-Save tank treatmant. Phred speaks highly of this treatmant in the article you referenced. We switched to it last summer and are happy we did. Cleaning the tank thoroughly to remove any trace of harmful chemicals BEFORE switching to this kind biological treatmant is important; the chemical residue could kill the good bacteria from the Eco-Save.Don't let the tank dumping stuff intimidate you! As Barry said, its no bid deal.Steve K.
Re: gray and black tanks Reply #5 – February 11, 2005, 10:33:54 am Yahoo Message Number: 50644QuoteDale, phred Tinseth's Poop Sheets are a terrific source of information, but they can be Quotedaunting to a newcomer, because phred goes into so much detail about the various Quotealternatives. So the main thing I want to get across is what Barry said: relax, it's no bigQuotedeal. I agree, dumping soon gets to be just a part of the routine. Just take your time and proceed slowly the first couple of times.QuoteFirst, 98% of us don't use macerator pumps. They can be handy in certain circumstances, Quotebut the vast majority of RVers do just fine without one. So you can scratch that whole setQuoteof complications off your worry list. Macerators are usefull when you don't have access to a normal dump, particularly at home. It's very nice to know that you can dump at home if you need to. At our previous house we used a Sewer Solution (sort of a water powered macerator), very effectively. We were able to pump the tanks to a sewer clean-out about 60' of hose away. At our current house, there is a cleanout in the driveway area that we can reach from the LD and I haven't used the Sewer Solution.Art
Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #6 – February 11, 2005, 10:46:10 am Yahoo Message Number: 50646Thank you to everyone for all of your input. After reading Phred's article last night, I wasn't so sure that I wanted to buy a rv. You have all allayed my fears. Thank you. Dale
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #7 – February 11, 2005, 12:36:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50651At 03:43 PM 2/11/2005 +0000, you wrote:QuoteWe have been pleasure-camping in our '83 for over 11 years now, we use Charmin Ultra tp (!), we use a commonly available RV tank deodorant after dumping, I have only rinsed the tanks a couple of times when servicing or replacing the dump valves, and we have never had any problem with level sensors. It takes about 5 min to dump both tanks, including an extra toilet-bowlful of water dumped as a flush and one more as a refill, about every 3-7 days of use. That's it. Whew! I feel better now. :-) That's all we did, too, for the ten years we owned our 1980 LD. The new one (2000 RK) came with a sprayer thingie to rinse down the inside of the tank, and the previous owners apparently used it every time they dumped. We've only dumped once so far, and haven't tried the sprayer, but think it might be a good idea to add that to the job at least occasionally. We do use TP in the tank, but heretofore have never had a problem with the sensors. I just don't want to have one now...Sonsie
Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #8 – February 11, 2005, 01:45:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50656Quote "...Recently I read, "Macerators and other Sewer Stuff" under Phred's QuotePoop Sheets, in the "Links" section. ....... as extreme as he mentions. I guess I'm interested in what needs toQuotebe done during storage as well as during use......"Dale: Phred's "Poopsheets" are obligatory readings, even if he is opinioated and , you found the exact word, sometimes, "extreme" (and a little dated now). Lot's to learn, and to laugh...don't forget to read the "boondocking" part. You will laugh a lot!Eudoro
Steve K. only when nearly full? Reply #9 – February 11, 2005, 08:09:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50671Quote Quote The everyday dumping is a simple matter of pulling the hose out of the> LD, twisting it on, sticking it in the dump hole, opening the black water valve, waiting until it is finished, opening the grey water valve, and waiting until that is finished. A simple rinse of the hose and sticking it back in the LD storage location, and adding chemicals to the tanks is sufficient to drive away.Of course, we are not full-time and do not put paper down the drain, Quoteso this may help, but as far as we are concerned, dumping is one of the least of our problems.For storage, we dump, add chemicals and a littl water, and leave it.QuoteBarryHi Dale, I feel the need to clarify something Barry wrote. He posted that "everyday dumping is a simple matter"; I'm not trying to speak for Barry, he is very eloquent on his own, but I don't think he meant that he dumps his tanks "everyday". Folks who do dump their tanks, particularly the "Black water" tank everyday are usually the ones who end up with problems. Barry correct me if I'm wrong about what you meant.I went back to look at Phred's article that you referenced. It can scare you; I know that dumping the holding tanks was one thing that IQuotehad a lot of concern with when I was a new camper.There are plenty of places to read about how to dump your tanks. Here is the short version of what we do.no We dump the black tank ONLY when its nearly full and follow by dumping the gray water tank then as well. We will dump the gray tank more frequently if we are driving far to avoid carrying unnecessary weight. We DO put TP (read up on RV friendly tissues and choose wisely) in the tank, don't use a maceator, and have not had problems with odor, sludge build up or tanks sensor problems. As far a the heavy duty rinsing and cleaning, Quotewe do use a rinse wand and reverse flush device several times a year, Quoteusually at home, not in campgrounds. When storing the rig for the winter, we dump, clean and rinse, then leave the tanks empty for the winter. We live where it is cold; if we lived where freezing was not an issue, we would leave some water and tank treatmant in the black tank.I also want to put in a plug for Eco-Save tank treatmant. Phred speaks highly of this treatmant in the article you referenced. We switched to it last summer and are happy we did. Cleaning the tank thoroughly to remove any trace of harmful chemicals BEFORE switching to this kind biological treatmant is important; the chemical residue could kill the good bacteria from the Eco-Save.Don't let the tank dumping stuff intimidate you! As Barry said, its no bid deal.Steve K. Steve,You said you only dump the black tank when nearly full. Does that mean if you went a couple months during the summer on short weekend trips you would still wait until its almost full?Jeff (still with two LDs)
Re: tiolet / grey,black tanks Reply #10 – February 11, 2005, 09:50:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50678Steve K., You are right of course. We do not dump every day, more like once a week or so when we are on the road. By 'everday dumping' I meant to say 'normal dumping'.Thanks for the clarification
Re: Steve K. only when nearly full? Reply #11 – February 11, 2005, 11:07:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 50679QuoteYou said you only dump the black tank when nearly full. Does that mean if you went a couple months during the summer on short weekend trips you would still wait until its almost full? If we want to dump a low black tank, I usually add water until the tank is at least 1/2 full before dumping. It's the strong flushing action caused when a tank is fuller that you want.Art
Re: Steve, only when nearly full? Reply #12 – February 12, 2005, 10:22:15 am Yahoo Message Number: 50690Quote You said you only dump the black tank when nearly full. Does that mean if you went a couple months during the summer on short weekend trips you would still wait until its almost full? Jeff, I follow the same system that Art mentioned a few posts ago. If the black tank has had minimal use, and the LD will be sitting for months, (which in our case is not very likely.. )we'll sometimes add to the tank. I don't like to keep the fresh water tank filled with old water for too long either, so tranferring from the fresh to the black tank accomplishes two tasks. If lots of water remains, I may take a few showers in the LD to fill the gray tank too and then dump the tanks. We are fortunate to have dumping facilities at home.With TWO Lds to concern your self with, it must be twice the fun, right?Steve K.