Posted February 25, 2021 – Narrated by Jim
“Semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat”
– Ancient Latin saying:
Translation: “We’re always in manure, only the depth varies”
It’s time to get down to business, the business we all doo.
As a retired Chief Financial Officer, I find that recreational vehicle black water tank maintenance is better understood from a financial perspective.
Risk Aversion is understandable and every RVers’ Risk Tolerance is personal. Me? I’m low risk. Why else would I be talking dollars and cents about fecal matter.
So, RVing Friends, let’s come to Terms. Our business with business deserves serious Appreciation, and it is our Fiduciary Responsibility to evaluate our Back-End Load and its Current Yield.
So take a moment to slip on a pair of gloves and draw a deep breath before we dive into the Fluid Economy of Gross Capital Flows.
I promise to guide this foray into Dark Pool Economics with the lowest possible Standard Deviation.
Call it an eMission Statement if you will, but to cover one’s Assets, it is vital that every RVer get in The Black.
Ever wonder what Investment insures that your Installment has Pass-Through Security?
Let’s flush this thing out.
What is Deposited down the toilet – from Flowing Liabilities to Gross Margins – ultimately winds up in the black water tank as a Short-term Liability.
Our Product Development through the Channels of Distribution becomes a Receivable.
Which in turn needs Inventory Turnover and Proper Positioning for the Moving Weighted Average to lower the Perceived Risk to an acceptable Tolerance Level.
While the Collection Period in this Safe Deposit Box is Short-Term, the Capital Input – which is Privately Owned – must be ready for its Initial Public Offering, its I Pee, Oh.
It doesn’t matter if our black tank is a mere 10 gallons or a whopping 40 gallons, the Economies of Scale require a Withdrawal once a Benchmark is reached.
This Intensive Distribution is easier with a proper Business Plan.
So let’s get down-and-dirty with our Return On Investment and find our Break Even Point of ideas, suggestions, tips, and procedures to keep our black water tank at a high level of Liquidity and on the happy side of our Balance Sheet.
“If ever you see a toilet in your dreams… Do not use it!!”
– Wise old saying
Here are the basics:
What is a Black Water Tank, (BWT)?
Everything that goes down the toilet goes into the BWT. All other drains, shower and sinks, go into the gray water tank.
Never leave the black tank open
Leaving our BWT valve open all the time would cause the BWT to be empty of any liquids. This would cause accumulation at the bottom of the tank causing solid waste build up, blockages and odors.
Only empty the BWT when it is more than half full.
It’s the Goldilocks rule. Emptying the BWT too often is not good. Waiting too long is not good either. But ⅔ or ¾ full is just right. Waiting for that sweet spot will provide the liquid volume to swish out most of those tank solids. NOTE: When done, be sure to completely close the BWT valve and secure the sewer cap. Do not ask how I learned this.
Empty the BWT before the gray tank
By emptying our BWT first, the soapy water from the gray tank flushes out the sewer hose (AKA: stinky-slinky) and the RV sewer outlet. This makes sewer hose storage a much more pleasant task, if that is even possible.
Always wear gloves
BWT maintenance is dirty business, so we wear disposable gloves. Some folks prefer reusable gloves, and that’s okay, but we discard the gloves after a single use.
Only use products designed for use with a Recreational Vehicle BWT
There are countless BWT treatment products at RV supply stores, both locally and online. After almost five years of traveling full-time and emptying our BWT more than 200 times, we give Unique RV “Digest-It” Holding Tank Treatment the LIB seal of approval.
It is 100% eco-friendly and doesn’t have that scary blue dye that causes stains. Now, with the Unique Digest-It method, our BWT tank is always odor-free.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
We avoid toilet cleaners like Clorox, Comet, Lysol, or any anti-bacterial product containing harsh bleaches (chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, etc.) or hydrochloride acid, and hydrogen peroxide. These substances will kill off the bacteria which support an odor-free BWT.
For cleaning the toilet, we like Unique RV Toilet Cleaner + Holding Tank Enhancer. These two dynamic bio products merge to support a pleasant BWT environment.
But toilet seat disinfection cannot be compromised, so following tank-maintenance we use a Clorox Healthcare Bleach Germicidal Wipe and dispose of the wipe in the trash bin – never down the toilet.
The BWT needs fresh water as a base of liquid
Most bad odors and BWT blockages are caused by not having enough fresh water in the BWT after dumping. Do not ask me how I know this.
After emptying the BWT, we start fresh with enough water to make the tank-treatment chemicals work properly. With our 40 gallon BWT, we fill the toilet bowl with water, then add 2 ounces of the Unique RV “Digest-It” Holding Tank Treatment, and then flush.
Next, we squirt some Unique RV Toilet Cleaner + Holding Tank Enhancer around the bowl, fill the toilet with water, and allow for a 15 minute soak before flushing.
Tip: Clean the toilet brush by placing it in the bowl during that 15-minute soak. Nothing like starting fresh with a sparkling clean bowl and a clean brush.
That magic temperature – 85°
A cool environment is good for any live bacteria product. Unique RV “Digest-It” Holding Tank Treatment can only break down solids and stay effective if the temperature is right. The bio-colony in the BWT is threatened when the outdoor environment is higher than approximately 85°F. So play it cool when you’re at Burning Man. Pour some water down the toilet to lower that temperature and preserve the bacteria.
A little water in the bottom of the toilet bowl
Like pocket money, it’s insurance to always keep a little water – about an inch or two – in the bottom of the toilet bowl to create a water seal and prevent BWT odors from seeping into the cabin.
We just – ever so slightly – press the foot lever to release a smidgen of water into the bowl without opening the toilet ball valve.
The “X” Secret
RV toilets use very little flushing water. So, to keep things tidy we prepare by setting two 8-inch strips of toilet paper afloat over a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the toilet bowl.
This paper ‘X’ barrier before “the big number” not only helps to keep the bowl and bowl-valve clean, it also keeps the “down pipe” clean as your important business descends like a tidy toilet-paper-parachute.
Special Toilet Paper?
There’s an ongoing debate in the RV world about expensive RV toilet paper versus less expensive brands. And, as usual, the answer is more complicated than YES and NO. Yes, we need a toilet paper that breaks down quickly and a RV toilet paper like Scott Rapid-Dissolving for RVs and Boats does just that. YouTube is filled with tests displaying disintegration speed results on all the major brands. Angle Soft works great for us, at a fraction of the cost of Scott RV.
Here’s a quick test for toilet paper disintegration: Tear off a single sheet of paper and place it in a glass of water. Allow it to soak for an hour. When the hour is up, take a look at it. Is it dissolved or is it still intact? There’s your answer.
BWT Blocked and will not empty?
Five years ago, as newbies, our BWT refused to empty. Shortly thereafter we published the blog post, We Met The Enema, and It Is Us, which explains how we dealt with a complete BWT blockage.
And we call BS on the myth that ice unblocks a BWT.
Here’s proof that ice down the toilet doesn’t work:
Don’t buy a cheap sewer hose
Don’t be penny-wise and pound foolish. We could have bought a sewer hose for as little $7 and as much as $115. After experimenting with several brands, we have settled on the RhinoFLEX RV Sewer Hose. Our current hose has lasted more than six years and still works great, looks good and has no leaks.
UPDATE June 2022 – Since we published this blog post in February 2021, our 6-year-old sewer hose sprung a leak, so we upgraded to the RhinoEXTREME Sewer hose. While our cheaper hose lasted a long time, we decided to get the best sewer hose available when we needed a new one.
Have a sewer hose extension
We’ve encountered more than a dozen campsites where a sewer hose extension was necessary to reach the sewer connection. In those rare situations, we are grateful for our RhinoFlex 10 foot sewer extension. Sometimes, even two are necessary.
Sewer Hose Support
While it is not technically necessary to use a sewer hose support, there are good reasons to use one.
- It keeps the sewer hose off the ground, making it last longer. And, it supports the hose so you don’t accidentally step on it while walking the dog in the middle of the night. Do not ask me how I know this.
- The sewer hose support helps gravity do its job.
- Some campgrounds require a sewer hose support, so it’s necessary equipment to have onboard.
- While using the support, we can create a ‘water trap’ which blocks any gases or sewer flies (and worse!) from entering into our black or gray tank while the tank valve is open.
Built-In BWT Sprayer
Some RVs come with a built-in BWT spray head. When a fresh water hose is attached, it’s supposed to flush out the inside of the tank.
Our experience has shown that while it does clean some debris from the tank, it does a lame job. So we don’t use it. Instead, we use the Valterra Reverse RV Flush King Valve.
Warning, warning, warning!
Avoid the very common newbie mistake of confusing the city water inlet with the BWT spray head inlet. They are both threaded for a water hose. So, if you’re not careful you may think you are filling up your fresh water tank with city water but you are actually filling up your BWT. At best, this could be an embarrassing mistake, at worse it could cause toilet overflow and disastrous results in your RV. Read the label (if there is one) next to the inlets before proceeding. Again, do not ask me how I know this.
Keep the BWT Sparkling Clean (Well, kinda…)
Every time we empty our BWT, we use the Valterra Reverse RV Flush King Valve. With this cool gizmo, we refill the BWT with fresh water several times to help flush out stubborn contents and avoid a blockage.
We go into great detail and explain how we use this in our blog post: We Met The Enema, and It Was Us.
The Valterra “Sewer Solution” Pulverizing System
While we haven’t used this product, many RVers swear by the Valterra “Sewer Solution” System.
It pulverizes the black water tank contents and sends it down a small 1″ hose, instead of the traditional 3″ sewer hose. We only mention this as a reference. If you use it, please give us your review.
Doin’ The Stinky Slinky Crawl
When disconnecting the sewer hose from the RV, we do the ‘Stinky Slinky Crawl.’ First we carefully unhook the sewer hose from the RV, then promptly raise the end so all hose content drains down toward the dump station receiver into the sewer. This insures the hose is completely empty before disconnecting.
The Blaster Tank Wand
The Valterra Blaster Tank Wand BWT treatment is one of those extra-mile things. Do not be deceived by this seemingly harmless, quirky-looking thingamajig because …
… it blasts the livin’ holy blazin’ daylights out of the freakin’ BWT with high pressure water of insane velocity, producing such a disorienting racket that I feel violated when the thing is done. But, on a positive note, it dislodges any and all remnants of our former selves and sends each and every particle of whatever down the drain as if it never happened.
If you have to replace your toilet
If, for any reason, the toilet needs to be replaced, we highly recommend the Dometic 310 toilet with sprayer.
This toilet has a perfect water distribution over the bowl when flushing, and the hand sprayer is a nifty tool to keep the bowl clean. Also, if the bowl valve starts leaking, it only takes about a minute to replace the rubber seal – no removing the toilet or any kind of disassembly is necessary.
BWT Sensor
The BWT sensor, located inside our tank, became dysfunctional years ago. Recently, we installed the Garnet SeeLevel sensor system on the outside of all the tanks. Now, we are confident the monitor is reading our tank levels accurately.
Like finance, BWT Maintenance is a practice, a science, and an ongoing journey – an investment in a chosen lifestyle.
As Americans we have this aversion, but modern mobile lifestyles are changing all that. So, explore. Be confident, creative and clean. Have fun with it. And most of all, don’t let the sewer hose wag the RV.
If you have an RV BWT tip or suggestion, or if you use an alternative like a compost toilet, we’d love to hear from you. Please share in the comments section below.
Products we use
We have listed all of the plumbing related products and tools we use to keep our Airstream trailer in tip-top condition.
Related Topics
Our post – Water, Water… – discusses RV water usage, conservation and filtering techniques, tips and suggestions.
Our post – Hot Stuff – discusses our solar power setup along with our lithium batteries.
Special thanks to the following for their help and input on the blog post:
- Aimee Varghese, Consumer Relations Manager at Unique Camping + Marine
- Larry Cook, master Airstream guru, and the guy we bought our Airstream from in 2015.
- Vinnie Lamica from Vinnie’s Northbay Airstream Repair
If you want to see our exact route, click here.
*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.
I spent my life and earning years in different subsets of the Humanities, therefore business terms are what I’ve heard secondhand. So as to help me be informed about things financial, is diagram under the heading of “What is a Black Water Tank” what financial people call a flow chart?
Touché. 🤣
Wow, that was a great read and very informative….. and funny!! What a way with words!! I’m just a fly on your windshield…watching, learning and enjoying the ride!! Love you both! Safe travels!!
Margie! It is always a joy to hear from you! Glad you enjoyed the humor! It is a dark subject (lol) you know! Jim
Me too! 😉
The intro had us laughing hysterically! Great article Jim! One of my pet peeves is the folks at the RV park who hook up their sewer line — or lines in some cases with Y connectors, usually transparent so you can see everything — to the sewer opening, open their valves, and let ‘er rip the whole time they are there (and in the case of where we are now, than could mean several years!). As you walk through the park and pass various units you can smell what I assume are their poopalagtites and leaking sewer gas. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. This post should be required reading for every RV’er. You could of course get a composting toilet like we did, but that is opening a totally different can of poop!
Steve, thanks for the graphic description of some of the issues RVer deal with a campgrounds. Glad you enjoyed the humor. Stay safe out there! Jim
Last week we found out what happens when you fill your black tank to exactly 100% with the flush hose! It actually provided the best cleaning of the tank we’ve seen in a long time. (I wouldn’t really recommend this.)
Kevin, you have grabbed my curiosity! So… what happens with you fill your black tank to exactly 100% with the flush hose? You have me waiting in suspense!🤔
There’s nothing like conducting your own experiment! Mary left our orange hose connected after flushing, not realizing the fresh supply valve did not close all the way. So we had a trickle of water filling the black tank for several hours. She asked me, what’s that funny sound? It was the sound of a tiny bit of water gurgling through the vacuum break device. When she flushed the toilet, it bubbled but did not overflow. I checked the gauge which read 100%. We immediately emptied to 0%. Lesson: never leave the flush hose connected, even if you think it is turned off.
Kevin and Mary, from you two, nothing would surprise me! I think no catastrophe is the best part of the experience.
All the best, Imelda and John
The new gold (or black?!) standard on BWT maintenance!
David, thank for your kind comment. It was a challenge to approach black water tank maintenance without it being too dark! 😜. I thought combining really good tips with a little humor might make the reading a little more tolerable. 😏. Stay safe out there David. Jim
I have been using the “sewer solution” one inch hose system for about 3 years. LOVE IT. One of the best things about it, being an Airstreamer, is that it will pump up hill. With the dump pipe on an Airstream being much lower than standard SOBs quite often the dump pipe at a campground is above the Airstream dump value. Thanks
Mooch. WBCCI 5433
Mooch, thank you for the feedback on the ‘Sewer Solution.’ Do you also carry with you the traditional 3″ sewer hose in case you are at a place that doesn’t have a water source to power the pulverizing action? Just wondering? We too have noticed the Airstream dump pipe is lower than “Some Other Brands” (SOBs) making it a challenge at times to have gravity work in our favor. Thanks for following LIB. Jim
I know you were thinking of me with your, “Warning, warning, warning!” about hooking up the city water to the flush out system!
Frank, I would like to tell you that, but I was talking about myself. BUT… I am sure I am not the only person to make that mistake. You and I are probably in good company. 😊 Luckily for me, I figured it out before the toilet overflowed. Stay safe out there and say HI to Debbie for us! Jim
Obviously, Jim, during the past 5 1/2 years of RVing, you have graduated to the ranks of us select few of Master Black Water specialists!
This title is reserved for only a chosen few of us! CONGRATULATIONS!
Larry
Larry, it feels wonderful that you consider me a part of the exclusive group of MBWS! Just think of the jobs I can apply for now that I hold that title. The (bathroom) doors that may open up to me. With so many toilets in the world, the sky is the limit. And some day I can look back at today, and say, “Gee, I owe it all to Larry.” Thanks for all you have done for us, from the moment we bought our wonderful Airstream from you back in April 2015 and the friendship we have developed over the years. Love you and Jacqui! Jim
Don’t put anything down the toilet except what comes out of your body naturally. No paper or wipes or tampons EVER! ‘Nuff said.
Ila, Thank you for your comment. We have met folks who are of the same philosophy of never putting toilet paper down the RV toilet. It is a guaranteed solution to avoiding blockages. We have found, after traveling full-time for almost 5 years, that if we follow the procedures listing in this post, we have not had any problems emptying our black water tank for more than 200 times. Since we live in our Airstream full-time, the idea of putting soiled toilet paper in a waste basket or other receptacle is something we are not willing to practice. Your comment is appreciated and will help this discussion. Thanks! Jim
What a great read – thank you!!
Donna, glad you enjoyed it! Jim
Great read and very informative!
Kim, So happy you found the post informative. I have been working on the article for over a year and I hope it covered the major aspect of dealing with the black water tank! Stay safe out there! Jim
I do not use chemicals. I have a tank flush and use it. I have never had any issues with oder or being plugged. If the tank is cleaned properly with a tank flush there are no problem at all. Oh and use plenty of water. Water is your friend.
Neil, thank you for your feedback. Interesting concept to not use any chemicals. The main reason we use the Digest-It products it that it seems to help in the liquifying of the black tank solids and breaking down toilet paper. If you have been successful without the use of any additives, that is saying a lot and something to consider. We appreciate you providing your comment! Jim
A tank flush is amazing at keeping the tank clean.
The RV park in which we stay has it own sewage disposal system and does not allow black water treatment chemicals in the units; therefore, we do not use them even when not staying at the park. We’ve had no problems with blockage.
Digger2, that is something we have never heard of before that a RV Park who has their own disposal system and does not allow black water treatment chemicals. We will keep an eye out on this. Thanks for sharing. Jim
I would add my experience to the discussion, but I can’t stop laughing 😂
Allen, Glad you liked the post. Together, Carmen and I, were able to come up with some fun terminology to try to make a discussion about toilets and black water tanks fun. See you in a few weeks in Charleston. Jim
It is nice to see it all summed up in one place.
Bandit455, thanks! Jim
Good stuff!
Summer, thanks!
Get ya some of this stuff. It works great. Happy Camper Organic RV Holding Tank Treatment
Tony, we have tried Happy Camper and didn’t know how to use it correctly. We discovered that if you do not start with a good portion of fresh water in the tank, the Happy Camper treatment doesn’t dissolve completely and the powder will build up in the tank. So… if anyone is going to use it, you must fill the black tank with enough water for the granules to dissolve. Since we like to boondock and water can be a rare resource, we switched to a liquid tank conditioner that does not need to dissolve. It is a choice. We have heard great things about Happy Camper. Thanks for sharing. Jim
This was amazing!! very helpful information
Thanks! Glad you received some value from the post. Jim
In addition to all that you have in your blog: We are seasonal RVers. Our motorhome lives in the RV Park. We have nowhere to keep it next to our house in the city. If I need to dump while we are staying in the motorhome, I pull the dump valve, when empty I close it, then fill the toilet with water and toss in a bio-pack (breath mint), flush before it starts to dissolve or it sticks to the toilet, I then fill and flush the toilet two more times. We have a 35-gallon tank. When we are leaving the rig for a while, I dump, close the tank, pull the garden hose (also used as a fire hose) in and fill and flush the toilet ten times, empty the tank again, then do the fill, bio-pack, flush and to more fill and flushes. In almost 8 years we have had no problems with the holding tanks.
My only stinky slinky problem was the campground’s ground crew slit my hose with a weed wacker.
Bob
Bob, thanks for sharing how you deal with your black water tank. There are so many ways to successfully maintenance a black water tank and we appreciate you sharing the way you handle yours. Having a week walker cut a sewer hose is a new one on us. One more reason to use the Sewer Hose Support. Stay safe out there! Jim
Anyone else have a Pavlovian response to reading this post? Anyway, now that I am back on the Airstream sofa…Thanks for another informative and entertaining post!
Would add one “for sure” idea and an alternative treatment suggestion:
“For sure” – Change out the plastic lid on the Dometic 310 with their Slow-Close lid; we changed ours out because we wanted a heavier lid; didn’t realize the benefits of a slow close lid. Ever made a potty run in the middle of the night and had the plastic lid slam down to awaken the DW? More importantly, the heavier (white painted wood) lid provides a comfortable seat when the lid is closed.
Suggestion: We have been using the Geo Method for black tank treatment (Calgon fabric softener in a tank of water, Dawn in a tank of water and another tank full of water; fills the BT to about 13% after treatment, but really works well. We have never experienced odor and the tank seems to flush really well.
One last thing, I too have experienced the city water/black tank rinse inlet confusion…discovered when opening the main awning…dark brown water poured along the awning and came off where you ask??? Where I was standing, of course. Labels applied immediately after that fun experience.
Thanks again for the post; really enjoyed getting together with you guys in FL. See you down the road. Michael & Judy
Michael and Judy, thanks for the comments. We agree the Slow-Close toilet lid is the way to go. Luckily, our Dometic 301 toilet came with that Slow-Close lid, and we think it is great. For the same reasons you mentioned. Thanks for the tips about how you keep your black water tank in tip top condition. The one thing we have learned is there is more than one way to do just about everything. It seems that confusing the city water/black tank inlet is a common problem. You would think that RV manufacturing would acknowledge this and come up with a sure fire solution. Oh well! I did realize my mistake before I had an over-flow. Sorry to hear you had the black water contents oozing out of the black tank vent pipe on the roof. I guess that is better than all over the floor of the Airstream. We did so enjoy our visit with you two in Destin back in January and hope our paths cross again soon. Stay safe out there! Jim
Great fun read as usual Jim. One suggestion. I would recommend NOT using the “water trap” in freezing weather. Creates an ice plug. Easily remedied with some hot water down the toilet, but why go through the hassle. Just take the bend out during freezing weather.
Mark, great tip on the use of the water trap. The reason we didn’t mention it is we do everything in our power to avoid at all times cold weather, especially freezing weather. The few times we have had a surprise freeze, we have put all hoses, fresh water and sewer, into storage to try to avoid them freezing. Your tip is a great suggestion and is appreciated. Thanks! Jim
Your presentation of the facts of black tank management in a financial format is very entertaining. It’s all good advice too – most of us who have been RVing for years have learned those lessons too – don’t ask me how we did it – LOL. ~Donna
Mike and Donna, glad you found the post entertaining. We tried hard to find a way to make talking about sewers and toilets fun to read. We figured most folks who have been RVing for years already knows this stuff, but there are so many new folks trying out the RV lifestyle that we thought they might appreciate hearing how we dealt with our black water tank. Thanks for your comment and stay safe out there. Jim
Jim, I met you for the first time at Chula Vista when our Orange County Airstream Club had a rally there. I didn’t know you from Adam. You were finishing some curtains as I recall. Then somehow got on to your blog and it has been a joy ever since. My eye is now trained to weed through all the ‘crap’ in the inbox and find Living In Beauty. Keep it coming forever ! Connie and I live vicariously through you three. Yes, three. You know who I’m talking about.
All the best,
Mark
Mark, I remember when the Orange County Airstream Club was at the Chula Vista RV Resort when we were there. And yes, we removed all our curtains back then, washed them, and put them all back on. Glad you are enjoying the blog. We sure enjoy this lifestyle and writing about it. Pico say Hi and he feels special that you remembered him! 🦴 Say hi to Connie for us and stay safe out there! Jim
So glad wee got the down Loo on this dark topic. Lol. Travel safe, stay awhile and happy trails.
Mike, so great to hear from you! Say HI to Sara for us! Jim
Great info and even though we’ll begin our 4th year fulltiming in our Airstream next month, we learned a few things! Hubby just ordered the black tank treatment, black tank cleaner, and the toilet bowl cleaner. Thanks!
Jen, congratulations on beginning your 4th year fulltiming in your Airstream next month. Glad you found the blog post helpful. Hope our paths cross on the road somewhere sometime. Stay safe out there! Jim
Your commentary was so funny!! Made us smile
Beverly, glad you enjoyed the blog post. It was a challenge to find a way to make talking about this subject interesting and entertaining.
Second dose COVID vax today and more than ready to hit the road and socialize a tad more in 10-14 days. Your post was a hilarious distraction from mild chills and general malaise. Thanks!
Glad you were able to get your second COVID-19 vaccine. We are still trying to find a state that will issue vaccines to out of state visitors. We are 3,000 miles from our ‘home’ town. So far no luck, but we have high hopes for the new Johnson and Johnson one shot vaccine that was just approved. Carmen is not 65, so she does not quality yet under current rules. Glad you enjoyed my feeble attempt at humor on a ‘dark’ subject. 😆 Stay safe! Jim
We all need a “golden poo parachute”. I’ll be sure to share all these tips with my BWT master. Thoroughly enjoyed your take on the dark matter. Safe travels and hoping you find your vaccinations soon.
Allison, glad you enjoyed the ‘dark matter’ discussion. If your BWT master has any suggestions, please share them in a future comment. And yes, i guess we all do need a ‘golden poo parachute’ in some way. 🤭 We are still looking and waiting for our vaccine, but still hope we can get one soon! Stay safe out there. Jim
We are to become first time campers!!! so excited…. I will make sure my “poop patrol” reads all the handy tips….. thanks for the info!!!
Penny, congratulations on becoming first time campers soon! It is amazing to be able to spend time in the outdoors and experience what is has to offer. Say hi to your ‘poop patrol,’ whomever that might be, and tell them we are rooting for them to be successful! Glad you enjoyed the post and found it helpful! Jim
Hello from the Keys! Steve and I found your post most entertaining. I can’t tell you how many times we laughed hysterically. Very creative and excellent play on words.
We both have attempted your parachute method without much success. It looked good on paper. It’s been a struggle and maybe it’s our brand (Kirkland.) We will keep at it BUT should you refine the process, please feel free to share.
Kathy and Steve,
So glad you found a bit of humor in the post. Without getting too personal🧐, sorry your attempt at the parachute method is not being successful! 🤨 Hmmm? Refine the process? All we do is place two sheets one way centered over the ball valve and then another two sheets over it to make an ‘x’. You might try a little more water, maybe 4 inches or more instead of 2 inches. That might make a difference. When we have unlimited water at a full hookup sight, we will have 4 to 6 inches in the bowl before we place the ‘x’ down. Hope this helps! Thanks for following Living in Beauty all these years and stay safe out there! Jim
Thanks, Jim. We haven’t given up.
I hope this message gets through…
Okay, I empty the bwt, how much water do I fill in the tank while sitting in my drive for a week or a month?
Terri, great to hear from you! You have a good question. Since we have been traveling full-time since July 2016, we have not had the opportunity since then for the BWT to sit for a month. We do have it sit for a week all the time, every week. It is our practice to empty the BWT once a week, but we have had many occasions when we went 14 days without moving the trailer or emptying the BWT. We do follow our routine of using the Flush King to clean out the BWT every time we dump. We refill the BWT tank several times during the dump to make sure we get as much of the ‘stuff’ out of the tank as possible. All that being said, we would recommend that if you plan to not use your RV for any length of time, short term or long term, you do the following. After dumping, flush the tank several times until you don’t see anything coming out of the BWT except clear water. No brown or toilet paper being seen. It might take 5 flushes. Then fill the toilet with water and put your chemicals in the bowl. This blog post tells you what we use. Flush the toilet and fill it again with water and then flush. That should put about 2 gallons of fresh water in the BWT. Most folks feel that is a great starting point. Never leave the trailer with anything other than fresh water in the BWT. You are just asking for odors to ultimately arise and for any and all solids and paper in the tank to sink to the bottom and make it harder to clean out with the Flush King. Hope this answers your question. If not, reach out to us again. Thanks for following Living in Beauty. Stay safe out there and happy travels. Jim
Thank you for your insight. But I always thought we wanted long-term deposits.
Well, yes, long-term deposits in the financial world can utilize compound interest and yield a greater capital gain, that philosophy does not apply to your personal deposits into the black water tank. We would need to arrange an in-depth interview about your habits to fully understand your point of view and then, and only then, could we begin to develop a proper plan for your product developments. But, no matter, stay safe out there and happy travels! Jim