Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-07-2020, 03:55 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 134
black water cable appears broken

Bathroom toilet was suddenly full. Attempted to dump when we were leaving campground and it won't drain. it appears the cable may have broken. Handle feels normal when I pull it. How do I go about finding out if the cable is broken?
__________________
Rob & Kathy
2015 39MB
2014 Dodge 3500 Big Horn Manual Transmission
robkathybat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2020, 04:53 PM   #2
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 20
I would assume that the handle would not have the resistance you would normally feel, I know on mine it takes significant effort to open the drain valve. If the cable was broken, you would have little to no resistance. Could the drain be clogged? Might have to pull the underbelly cover and see if you can access the valve itself.
ramaniac1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2020, 06:49 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
GTXRAS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 234
Quote:
Originally Posted by robkathybat View Post
Bathroom toilet was suddenly full. Attempted to dump when we were leaving campground and it won't drain. it appears the cable may have broken. Handle feels normal when I pull it. How do I go about finding out if the cable is broken?
I assume you are talking about the front bath toilet. We also have a 15 MB and if that toilet is "suddenly" full, you probably have a pop pyramid. The water in the pipe should slowly drain away. If it does, then you need get a sprayer and send it down to force the waste to move. After turning off the water to the house/toilet.

The design for how the pipe enters the the black tank is very poor. The pipe is attached in the right front corner(door side). So the waste has only 180 degrees to exit. And it is at the front, narrow end of the tank.

We had problems for a couple years until I pulled the front wall in the basement out and cut the pipe off the tank. We had some plastic and other junk stuck in that corner.

There are 2 - 45 degree turns in that pipe. It is not a straight pipe to the tank. This causes the waste to separate from the water. When it hits the tank, it does not have enough water to move it to the deep end of the tank. It took quite awhile for me to get my wife to understand she needed to use about 3 times the water when she flushes.

You also need to make sure it is full when you dump so it pulls all the waste out. Same for when you flush that tank. It needs to be full to empty it completely. Since it is on the same level as the outlet, it needs the full force of the water to get all the waste out.

Rick
__________________
2015 Ram 3500 SLT Mega Cab DRW, SS Nerf Bars, Andersen Ultimate Hitch, ATTA Freedom Fill System
Living Full Time in a 2015 39MB Tan & Burgundy Urban Clay/Caramel, Wineguard Dish, Res Fridge & Induction Cook Top, myRV Linc Remote, MorRyde 8K IS, Titan Disk Brakes, 17.5 Sailun S637's
GTXRAS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2020, 09:45 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 134
Well Rick you saved me a whole bunch of crawling around under my trailer. I took a plunger out and one good plunge and whoosh it drained. We were camping at Gettysburg Battlefield Resort with our Daughter and Son-in-law and baby granddaughter for 8 days. We did not have full hook up so I asked everyone to be conservative with the flushing. I did think it was odd that the forward black tank filled so quickly, and all the bouncing on the drive home didn't dislodge it. We will not do that again, extra flushing from now on. Again thanks Rick for responding.
__________________
Rob & Kathy
2015 39MB
2014 Dodge 3500 Big Horn Manual Transmission
robkathybat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2020, 10:18 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
travelin' texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,353
A good practice is to add extra water to the bowl before using then when flushing after the waste has dropped continue holding down the pedal adding water for another 3-5 seconds, this adds plenty of water to move the waste.
__________________
Danny & Linda
Full-timed 10+ years
Former '13 FB owner
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Currently rv & truckless
Replacement undetermined
travelin' texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2020, 01:06 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
GTXRAS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 234
Quote:
Originally Posted by robkathybat View Post
Well Rick you saved me a whole bunch of crawling around under my trailer. I took a plunger out and one good plunge and whoosh it drained. We were camping at Gettysburg Battlefield Resort with our Daughter and Son-in-law and baby granddaughter for 8 days. We did not have full hook up so I asked everyone to be conservative with the flushing. I did think it was odd that the forward black tank filled so quickly, and all the bouncing on the drive home didn't dislodge it. We will not do that again, extra flushing from now on. Again thanks Rick for responding.
Welcome Rob, glad I could help

Rick
__________________
2015 Ram 3500 SLT Mega Cab DRW, SS Nerf Bars, Andersen Ultimate Hitch, ATTA Freedom Fill System
Living Full Time in a 2015 39MB Tan & Burgundy Urban Clay/Caramel, Wineguard Dish, Res Fridge & Induction Cook Top, myRV Linc Remote, MorRyde 8K IS, Titan Disk Brakes, 17.5 Sailun S637's
GTXRAS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2020, 01:15 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
mhs4771's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,805
I think sometimes even with lots of water, enough solids work their way to the outlet and don't want to flow when the gate valve is opened. I've had it happen several times when the tank isn't totally full, so just running the flusher for a minute or two puts enough pressure for it flow.
__________________
Michelle & Ann
2018 Chevy 3500HD Crew Cab High Country DRW, D/A, 2016 RW39MB, Dual ACs, Auto Level, Auto Sat Dish, Stack W/D, King Sleep #, 17.5" Sailuns w/Disc, MORryde IS & Pin, Comfort Ride Hitch, 5.5 Onan, Res Fridge & Induction Cook Top
mhs4771 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2020, 05:48 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
NW Snowbirds's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 335
Send a message via AIM to NW Snowbirds
Try connecting the outdoor shower outlet to the black tank flush connection and flush with hot water. I do this and it seems to do a great job of melting the solids and allowing a good drainage.
__________________
2012 Redwood 31SL chasing 2019 Denali HD 3500 Duramax SRW
NW Snowbirds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2020, 09:10 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
travelin' texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,353
After dumping/rinsing add 3-5 gallons of water to the tank with a good shot of dish or laundry soap to slosh around while traveling.
Also adding a 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable oil for the grey tanks occasionally keeps the seals operating smoothly.
__________________
Danny & Linda
Full-timed 10+ years
Former '13 FB owner
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Currently rv & truckless
Replacement undetermined
travelin' texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2020, 04:57 PM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 8
Also a good idea to place 10 or 20 pound bag of ice into the tank right before travel, pulling the rig shakes the ice cubes in the tank and "scrubs" the tank.
Dump at rest area and tank is clean
dabruzr9527@yahoo.com is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2020, 07:07 PM   #11
Junior Member
 
EarlA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 27
As others have said, I also think it is a poop pile. We have a 2019 3901 WB and I have learned to start with about 7-8 gals of water in the tank. By doing this we haven't had any further problems. I have been RVing since the 1990's and this is the only one that I have owned that necessitated this to work properly. Of course draining it properly is needed but that is another post. I hope this helps.
EarlA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2020, 08:28 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 134
Thanks for all the replies. I have had 2 different travel trailers and then this 5th wheel since about 1995. I have always put a fresh dose of the RV toilet treatment and a few gallons of water in right after dumping letting the trip home mix things up. In all but the front toilet of this 5th wheel I could look down through the toilet with the water off and see the tank bottom, so I've always had a pretty good idea how clean the tanks are. Also this is the first time I have had remote dumping handles and was very quick to think the cable had broken, having had read all the cable breaking stories on this and other forums. I have never had to resort to the ice thing, but may consider since I can't see whats going on in the tank. I haven't used the dish soap either feeling the liquid RV toilet treatment should maintain the seals just as well. Currently I have filled the tank with the garden hose. I will dump the next time we go out. My wife and I have camped more then a week without having to dump either black water tank. There is plenty of capacity there, however, like I said we had our daughter and son-in-law so I asked for conservative flushing, that contributed to the blockage in the pipe. We learned our lesson and will flush with plenty of water from now on. Again thanks to everyone for the responses. My sister and brother-in-law are new to travel trailer camping (they have had a pop up tent camper forever) and are on a steep learning curve. I told them to look up a forum for their trailer because of all the info I get from this forum.
__________________
Rob & Kathy
2015 39MB
2014 Dodge 3500 Big Horn Manual Transmission
robkathybat is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Redwood RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×