Probably break in water line

[K1ngN0thing]

I've also now noticed dirty water leaking from the bottom of my toilet when it's flushed. Currently it's a little clogged, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I've plunged it as far as possible, and when doing so, it also forces water out of the end of the hose used to fill the bowl. I've dumped some tissue dissolver on the pile and will throw some boiling water on it to hopefully cut through the pile, with a stick as the last resort. With water coming out of the end of the hose when plunged, that leads me to believe there's a break in the line that's allowing air pressure into it. I guess I'll have to remove the toilet to be sure.

 

[B and C]

I've also now noticed dirty water leaking from the bottom of my toilet when it's flushed. Currently it's a little clogged, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I've plunged it as far as possible, and when doing so, it also forces water out of the end of the hose used to fill the bowl. I've dumped some tissue dissolver on the pile and will throw some boiling water on it to hopefully cut through the pile, with a stick as the last resort. With water coming out of the end of the hose when plunged, that leads me to believe there's a break in the line that's allowing air pressure into it. I guess I'll have to remove the toilet to be sure.

Clogged toilet?  Do not use a plunger on the toilet!  You are pressurizing the black tank when you do this and could crack the tank.  My black tank only holds 12 gallons and needs to be dumped weekly with two of us using it.  Are you sure the tank is not just full?  There are two handles under the Roadtrek for dumping holding tanks, one grey and one black.  Open the black valve first (it is usually the one on the bottom) and drain the tank (connect the dump hose first).  You can tell if anything comes out the dump hose by listening and holding the dump hose up a bit checking for weight.  If it does not drain, you may have a broken dump valve or worse yet a tank full of dried poop.  If it is dried poop professional help will be needed.  If you are in an RV park and connected, NEVER leave the black tank valve open.  The tank needs the liquid to keep the solids where they will drain, otherwise you get a mountain of poop that dries in the bottom as the liquid drains away and it is very difficult to remove the solids that are left.  

When the black tank fills, drain the tank and close the valve.  I generally leave the grey tank valve closed to.  After dumping the black tank, flush the hose by opening the grey tank.

They make a wand for spraying the inside of the tank from the toilet side for cleaning and is connected to a garden hose.  There is also an adapter that can be connected to the drain hose and back flush the hose and tank. Do not use the hose you fill your fresh water tank with for any of these operations.

I hope you don't have a mountain of poop in the black tank.

When I flush my toilet, the fresh water fills the toilet from around the rim like at home.  The fresh water fill and the contents of the tank do not even get close to each other except at the rim of the toilet.  I hope your plunging has not broken the toilet itself.

 

[B and C]

Here is some reading for you. You may want to spend the time to research each type of system you have for tips.

http://www.rvuniversity.com/staticpages/index.php/htanks101
http://www.rvuniversity.com/

Google is your friend when it comes to RV maintenance.

 

[Patrick46]

working off what B & C said, I take my rig out for a drive before I dump my black tank. This helps loosen up anything that may have settled at the bottom, so it flushes out easier. (sorry...bad pun.)

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If there's room, some people dump a bag of ice cubes down the toilet before driving around, so the cubes can help bust things up in there.

Regards
John

 

[jimindenver]

If you didn't get a few gallons in the black tank before you started using it, you likely have a mountain of poo right under the toilet. You can try to break it up with flushing. Use a stick or get a longggggggg rubber glove and......

I knew there was a good reason we bag our toilet besides doubling the gray tank.

 

[B and C]

If there's room, some people dump a bag of ice cubes down the toilet before driving around, so the cubes can help bust things up in there.

Regards
John

There was a utube video of a guy that built a clear holding tank and mounted it in the back of his pickup.  He put ice cubes in there with something approximating poo.  He swerved violently, braked hard while a camera was aimed at the tank.  The ice cubes moved very little and did not do very much for the stuck sludge.

You would be better of with the wand made for cleaning the tank.  They are cheap.  Hopefully it is not dried out where the waste gate at the bottom of the tank is......

YMMV

 

[K1ngN0thing]

Panel shows the black tank as being 1/3 full, and the curvature of the opening prevents me from fully pushing the pile down, so I'm going to assume the panel is inaccurate. I think I may have ruptured something when I plunged as I don't think it was leaking before that. I'm going to dump the black tank tomorrow. Assuming I did break something by plunging, am I screwed?

 

[highdesertranger]

if you have dried out poop stuck in the tank put some water in and let it sit for a day or two. now take a few bays of ice and get it in there, then drive around a few hours. the jerkier the better, then go dump. if you think you didn't get it all repeat. another hint, they make a clear fitting that you attach while dumbing so you can watch what's going on. highdesertranger

 

[K1ngN0thing]

The boiling water loosened it enough that it slid down on its own after an hour. Pathway's clear and there's no more leaking, so I guess the pile of tissue was high enough to be over the seam where toilet meets floor.

 

[Almost There]

The boiling water loosened it enough that it slid down on its own after an hour. Pathway's clear and there's no more leaking, so I guess the pile of tissue was high enough to be over the seam where toilet meets floor.

That just means that the water level is below the leak. If it leaked before, it's more than likely going to leak again as soon as the tank is filled back up to the level of the crack.

Fill the tank full with water and then check for leaks.

 

[TMG51]

Issues like these are why I don't use my black holding tank...

 

[Almost There]

Issues like these are why I don't use my black holding tank...

Holding tanks are fine, they just need to be used instead of abused.

Too many people think that they can use a black water holding tank just like the flush toilet in their S&B - NOT!!

When I had the RV, I never put toilet paper down it, it was easier to use a covered waste basket and empty it with the trash. Formaldehyde free chemicals can be used to treat the waste quite effectively.

Always let the tank fill to at least 2/3 before emptying it. Dump the black before the gray. Don't leave the drain open when you're hooked up to a sewer line. Either heat the tank area and the lines in winter or winterize them.

Do that and you'll be fine for years.

But then I've also seen people absolutely butcher septic systems as well...

They really aren't that hard to look after but then common sense isn't so common either so there ya go!!

 

[B and C]

Panel shows the black tank as being 1/3 full, and the curvature of the opening prevents me from fully pushing the pile down, so I'm going to assume the panel is inaccurate. I think I may have ruptured something when I plunged as I don't think it was leaking before that. I'm going to dump the black tank tomorrow. Assuming I did break something by plunging, am I screwed?

Panel lights for the holding tanks lie.  They may be accurate the first few times when new.  Be very careful when pushing into the tank.  They are made of plastic with flat sides and bottom.  They will rupture if abused.  Open the flush valve and shine a light down the opening to see how full it is getting.  Since this is new to you, check it every day.  After using it for awhile, you will know about how long you can go between dumps. About a week for the two of us on our 12 gallon black tank.  Make sure it is at least 3/4 full before dumping and use those little bottles made for RV holding tanks.  They help break down the solids, not just the toilet paper and facilitates draining the tank, no clumps.  One bottle treats 40 gallons, so use 1/2-1/3 bottle per dump.

Everything is fixable given enough time and money  You probably just ruptured the seal between the tank and toilet.  Of course this means the toilet has to be removed to replace the seal which means you will want that tank empty.  YMMV

Issues like these are why I don't use my black holding tank...

It is just a learning curve.  When figured out it is very simple to keep up with.  Google is you friend when it comes to the feeding and care of an RV.  You didn't start running right out of the womb did you?  You crawled, walked and then ran, normal progression.

 

[jimindenver]

We have been camping for decades but that didn't mean I knew squat about a modern RV. Had I found a full service site that first trip out, I would have hooked up to the sewer, pulled the valves and called it good. We would have been in the same shape you are now.

Learning to use the rig and how to care for it became my hobby.

 

[TMG51]

I'm not suggesting holding tanks can't be managed properly. I'm saying I don't want to be subject to their finer points of management. At best, you're tethered to the next dump station.

 

[B and C]

 At best, you're tethered to the next dump station.

Not at all.  I have a shovel and can dig a latrine   I also carry a 12 gallon honey wagon that doubles my time between dumps.  I have a toad that I take the honey wagon in to dump also.  A combination of the above and a couple of the Reliant? 7 gallon water jugs to refill the fresh water tank with and the RV can stay out until I run out of propane    Gonna have to look into getting an extend-a-stay fitting installed on the tank.

 

[GotSmart]

Why am I reminded of this~~~

 

[B and C]

:idea: I just had a thought (my friends say that is dangerous though :dodgy: ).  You have not stated if you are boon-docking or at a place with hookups.  Are you "watering" the trees and then taking a dump?  The black holding tank needs liquid along with the solids.  Solids alone will clog the tank.  It needs the liquids along with something (the little bottles at WM or the GEO method) to break down the solids into something that will drain.

 

[B and C]

Forgot to ask, did you get your water leak fixed?