Black Water Tank: Hose Storage, Flushing, Cleaning

Topic: Black Water Tank: Hose Storage, Flushing, Cleaning (Read 375 times) previous topic - next topic

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January 02, 2018, 10:15:16 am

Eticket here,

My wife and I just acquired a 2006 mid bath and are total newbies to RVing. There was no hose included in the rig for grey and black water disposal and after we bought a new one at Camper Land we realized that the hose with the fittings won't fit in the tube behind the square storage door. Any suggestions on the best way to set up? I read about a Valterra Reverse flush device that sounded pretty good also and would really appreciate some insight on the best set up for dealing with what appears to be the least fun part of this adventure! Thanks in advance to the experienced members of the forum.

Re: black water hose storage. what is the best system

Reply #1 – January 02, 2018, 05:30:47 pm

"...won't fit in the tube behind the square storage door."

There are fittings out there which will do the job, you just have to be critical when selecting them.

Once determined, expect it (the connector) to fit on the RV end of the hose, so that when you stow it the non-fitting end goes in first with the fitting end resting just inside the storage door. I've been doing it that way for years but always carry an assortment of other connectors as well.

Re: black water hose storage. what is the best system

Reply #2 – January 02, 2018, 05:51:48 pm

Eticket-

Welcome to the LD fold! You're going to enjoy it here.

We use plastic tote for the sewer hose and fittings. Dimensions are approximately 16 x 22 x 8. I stored the tote in the compartment just aft of the driver door on our 1997 mid-bath. LD rearranged some of the compartments between 1997 and your 2006, so you may find a different compartment works better.

I settled on the Valterra "Dominator" line of hose and fittings. It can be compressed and bent to right angles to fit in the tote. I bought both the stock 15-foot and additional 10-foot extension hoses. Besides the rare occasion to reach a distant dump fitting, the extension hose serves as a spare. I store it outside the tote, with caps on the ends.

I also purchased a Valterra Flush-King. It works very well to back-flush the tanks when needed.

I use the same tote and hoses on our Class A now. Unhappily, the Flush-King does not fit well on the sewer outlet, so I can't use it as often as I would like.

Mark

Re: black water hose storage. what is the best system

Reply #3 – January 02, 2018, 06:38:40 pm

We had the same problem with our LD when we got it. We used a plastic tub to store the dump hose at first but hated giving up the storage space. We drilled the hole behind the door larger and changed out the aluminum sleeve with a piece of 4" corrugated drain hose. ( the kind that is used for a drain tile available at most lumber yards) A few screws to attach the hose to the housing, and simple strapping to hold up the new tubing. It works fine the black corrugated has drain holes so the dump hose can dry out and we have our storage space back. We use the Rhino Flex hose straight end in first and the elbow sits behind the door.

Re: black water hose storage. what is the best system

Reply #4 – January 02, 2018, 06:53:44 pm

The hose fitting that fits on a standard 8' or so sewer hose and fits behind that door can be purchased from the factory. Other types are less likely to fit. Also, you are not going to be able to put much of a fitting on the outflow end of the hose and still get the hose in that storage compartment.

Ken F in NM

Re: black water hose storage. what is the best system

Reply #5 – January 02, 2018, 07:16:18 pm

Welcome to LDO! There are a few long discussions about this topic, with much wisdom captured. Search terms may be problematic since the subject gets a lot of nick names.

In our case, I had a lot of fancy hoses, connectors and such in my last RV, but on the LD I went with a very basic setup, since in the end none of that stuff made the task any more efficient, faster or more fun. The expensive hoses lasted well enough, but replacing them every 5-7 years is fine with me, and Presto-fit has managed to go that long on two different RVs for us.

Went with the Presto-fit brand, widely available, and able to store a 10’ length with a couple on one end and a bayonet connector on the other in the built in tube. I thought of extending the tube, but I actually have used this section rarely, when the sewer is at the rear end of the site. What I use every time is a 5’ section with the Presto-fit universal elbow that I keep in the spare tire cover wrapped around the tire. I can link my hoses together for 15’, all I have needed. If the dump station is farther than that, I move and dump elsewhere. Who wants to handle 20 or 30 feet of the dirty snake?

We don’t hook the sewer line up until and unless we are going to dump. If you are new to all this, resist the temptation to leave the sewer hose connected and the gate valves open. Trouble ensues. So if you aren’t going to have the valve open all the time, why leave to hose deployed?

Re: black water hose storage. what is the best system

Reply #6 – January 02, 2018, 08:48:53 pm

I store a 17' Presto-Fit hose and the fitting necessary to secure it to the drain on the LD in the built-in tube provided by Lazy Daze. The little locking door on the tube works fine. Because the Lazy Daze tube has a 90 degree bend in it, at least on my Rear Bath model, it helps to twist the hose as it goes "round the bend." Stick the non-fitting end in first, with the fitting end last, just behind the door. Storage space is always at a premium. Don't take it up with a hose that won't go where LD intended it to go.

Hose:

Prest-O-Fit Blueline Ultimate Sewer Hose

Fitting:

Prest-O-Fit Blueline Hose Adapter

We almost never connect to a sewer, just use dump stations, so I just stick the non-fitting end down into the dump station inlet. But I do carry one of these in case I need it, sticking it on the end of the hose only when necessary for an RV park hook-up:

Prest-O-Fit Blueline Universal Elbow

I also recommend one of these, a clear plastic 45 degree fitting that goes between the LD dump valve and your hose so you can see what's happening.

3" Valve Hose Adapter - Valterra T1026-1 - Sewer Fittings & Adapters -...

Since you're new maybe you've gotten little or bad advice about dumping. Many make too big a production of this. I got my system from Phred's Poop Sheets (as in the old Navy saying "what't the poop," not what goes down the drain, and his sheets cover much more than dumping, virtually everything you need to know about RVing; Google them).

First, get a collapsible bucket. I use one of these, pricey but strong and holds up to abuse well:

Sea to Summit Folding Bucket - 10 Liters - REI.com

And some Eco-Save (never use anything with formaldehyde in it):

http://www.eco-save.com/retail%20price%20list%202013.pdf

Hook the clear fitting to the LD dump valve. Then hook the hose to the clear fitting. Stick the other end of the hose down the dump station inlet drain. You may need to secure it with a rock or something to keep it from descending too far into the hole.

Open the black tank valve. While it is draining put about three gallons of water in your collapsible bucket and take it to the door of the LD, hand it to your mate and have her fill the toilet bowl with that water, then have her push the toilet pedal to dump it into the tank. This will give the black tank a bit of a rinse. Take the bucket with you back to the dump valve. Close the black tank valve when it's done draining and open the gray tank valve (some LDs require that you move the hose to another valve first).

While the gray tank drains fill your bucket again, grab your Eco-Save and go back to the door. Have you mate put a small amount of Eco-Save in the toilet and then have her use the bucket to again fill the toilet. Once full have her dump the water into the tank. Go back to the dump valve and close the gray valve when that tank is done draining.

Disconnect your hose and store it. There is no reason to rinse it inside or out. The inside was just rinsed with gray water and the outside shouldn't be particularly dirty and will be stored outside the motorhome in the convenient tube provided by Lazy Daze. Who cares if it's a bit dirty?

Disconnect the clear fitting, rinse and store it. Put the cap on the LD drain valve. Rinse your hands and go to the door of the LD, where your mate can squeeze some foaming anti-bacterial hand soap into your outstretched palm and can put a paper towel into your shirt or pants pocket. Go back to the dump station faucet or hose and wash your hands, drying them with the towel. Meanwhile your mate can be washing her hands in the LD. Lock any open compartment doors and drive off. I've never used gloves in 14 years of doing this and have had no ill effects from that.

Why the bucket of water into the black tank after draining it? To provide ample liquid to dissolve the solids right from the get go. As you drive that water will slosh around in the black tank and keep things clean enough. And I've never found the black tank to fill before our gray tank, so a few extra gallons in there won't affect your time between dumps. This is much simpler and likely more effective than trying to rinse and flush the black tank with hoses and various other devices.

It takes us about 5 minutes to dump using this procedure. I've watched others spend 15 minutes or longer with much more complicated routines. Gloves, elaborate routines for rinsing the black tank, hoses to thoroughly rinse everything inside and out (only to have it filled with sewage again at the next stop).

I have a small tote in the storage compartment nearest the dump valve. That contains everything involved with dumping, mainly the clear fitting and the fitting for connecting to RV park hook-ups, but also two extra 5' Presto-Fit hoses should I need more length and some gloves for the odd situation where they may be needed. And there is nothing in that compartment that has anything to do with fresh water. All those items are stored in a compartment on the opposite side of the motorhome.

Other tips. Never put anything down the toilet that hasn't been through your body first, except for RV or septic safe toilet paper. Wipes in particular are verboten. You'll understand why when you encounter a dump station inlet that has been clogged with that stuff (I carry a "grabber" to pick up campground litter but also to occasionally get stuff out of a clogged dump station inlet). Lots of toilet paper these days is designed for comfort instead of being easily dissolved. Do a test with your toilet paper. Put a sheet or two in a glass of water and see how easily it dissolves. We use Scott "Septic Safe" TP, found in most grocery stores.

Many people obsess over clean tanks to facilitate accurate tank readings, worried that dirty sensors mean false readings. But in my experience that's not necessary. We would actually do fine without tank sensors. It's always four days use between tank dumps and water fills. You'll figure out your own number after awhile. I've never rinsed or cleaned the tanks beyond the above method and have never had any odor problems. Many say you don't need a chemical of any kind but I use Eco-Save just to give things an extra boost.

Finally, help your gray tank by cleaning dishes before you wash them. Use paper towels to remove all food residue and place it in the trash, then wash your "clean" dishes. The less food residue, grease and other stuff down the drain the happier you gray tank will be. And be sure every drain has a strainer on it, the finer the better.

Keep it simple and efficient and you'll rarely be the guy holding others up at the dump station. And this job will quickly become routine and not the odious task many new RVers fear.