By the RV Geeks
Dumping your RV's black and grey tanks might seem like a no-brainer, but we can't tell you how many times we've seen people who could use a little help with the basics.
Be sure to watch the video below.
Properly dumping your RV's holding tanks requires a few simple procedures to help keep things odor-free and running smoothly.
For everyday tank dumping, this video is the "express version" of our original "How To Dump & Clean an RV Black Tank." If your black tank really needs a super cleaning, you can watch the original, more detailed video here:
If you're not having tank odor problems and just want a quick overview of basic tank dumping procedures, this new video gets right to the point.
Many RVers seem to think their black tank is clean when they just empty it and flush out the sewer hose with water from the grey tank. Even those RVers who use a black tank flush system often don't utilize the most important piece of equipment necessary for monitoring the cleanliness of the tank: a clear sewer elbow.
But using a clear sewer elbow on your camper isn't enough. As we demonstrate, even a black tank flush connection still won't do the job unless used correctly. We'll show you how to be sure your black tank is really empty, keeping it clean and odor-free and making your motorhome, travel trailer or fifth wheel a nicer place to be.
RV Geeks offers basic DIY (do it yourself) RV service, repair,
maintenance and travel tips from full-time RVers who have been handling
most of their own maintenance since hitting the road in 2003.
Be sure to confirm that all methods and materials used are compatible
with your particular recreational vehicle. Every type of motorhome,
motorcoach, fifth wheel, travel trailer, bus conversion, camper and toy
hauler is different, so your systems may not be the same as ours.
RVgeeks is proud to be affiliated with RVtravel.com.
While we're not RV technicians, we're very mechanically inclined and
have learned a lot about RV systems over the years. We handle most of
our own minor service, maintenance and repair work on our 2005 43'
Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. We also maintained our 2002 39'
Fleetwood Bounder Diesel during our first two years on the road.
We meet lots of newer RVers who are eager to learn some basics about
maintaining and caring for their rigs. After more than 9 years on the
road, we want to share what we've learned (some of it the hard way).
We hope our experiences can help other RVers go DIY, saving some time,
money and effort, while experiencing the satisfaction of a job well
done.
We do not pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly
know about maintaining our own rig. But lots of things are the same on
RVs in general, and diesel pushers in particular.
Comments welcome!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
RVer is impressed with portable waterless toilet
We recently wrote about a new water-less toilet called the Dry Flush. Most readers who commented on the article were not impressed. But one reader was, John Farr, who sent us this email:
Our travel is with a Casita travel trailer and has been limited by seasonal conditions. We bought the littlest and the lightest travel trailer we could find so we could camp out of the weather and have inside plumbing. It works wonderfully well in the right season. But high fuel costs hauling sludge around did not make sense and having it freeze up was worse.
So the idea of a functional Dry Flush had great appeal. I have used plastic bags, etc. but they were not easy to handle or dispose of. I read your article about the Dry Flush, then looked at their material and called the company. They made sense and have the financial backing to survive. So we ordered one and it arrived this week.
It looks good, it is solidly built, and one old man can pick it up and move it. So I set it in my bathroom (at our age we each have a bedroom and bathroom) and proceeded to start to use it. I will need to finish an entire cycle of a bag and remove it to tell you the entire story. Here is the first report:
After three days, there is no odor, and it is much easier to clean than a regular toilet. The unit has so many 'flushes" per series of bags so you do not flush it with each use. It is informative (polite discussion) to see just how much passes thru your system in a set period of hours. I am a big guy and have had a small bladder my entire life. So realizing how often I pee and the quantity has been interesting.
The unit is standard toilet high, 14 inches, which is a big improvement over the usual 10 to 12 inches in most RVs. Since the entire bowl inside has a Mylar fabric-type covering it is bigger than most RV toilets and you do not have to clean it! Bingo!
It comes with L brackets to fasten it to an RV. I do not think you would want it rolling around. However you can set it anywhere you wish -- the porch, guest room, etc. It runs off of electricity and has a rechargeable battery that runs off of 110 power or a RV electrical system.
For a cabin or even a second home, this would be tremendous and much easier than have to weatherize, buy into a sewer system or build a leach field.
As I finish this first bag I know what to study and see how Dry Flush really operates. My first impression is that this will be one of the hot new items of 2013 and it is a creative idea and well built unit to handle the job it was designed to do.
Our travel is with a Casita travel trailer and has been limited by seasonal conditions. We bought the littlest and the lightest travel trailer we could find so we could camp out of the weather and have inside plumbing. It works wonderfully well in the right season. But high fuel costs hauling sludge around did not make sense and having it freeze up was worse.So the idea of a functional Dry Flush had great appeal. I have used plastic bags, etc. but they were not easy to handle or dispose of. I read your article about the Dry Flush, then looked at their material and called the company. They made sense and have the financial backing to survive. So we ordered one and it arrived this week.
It looks good, it is solidly built, and one old man can pick it up and move it. So I set it in my bathroom (at our age we each have a bedroom and bathroom) and proceeded to start to use it. I will need to finish an entire cycle of a bag and remove it to tell you the entire story. Here is the first report:
After three days, there is no odor, and it is much easier to clean than a regular toilet. The unit has so many 'flushes" per series of bags so you do not flush it with each use. It is informative (polite discussion) to see just how much passes thru your system in a set period of hours. I am a big guy and have had a small bladder my entire life. So realizing how often I pee and the quantity has been interesting.
The unit is standard toilet high, 14 inches, which is a big improvement over the usual 10 to 12 inches in most RVs. Since the entire bowl inside has a Mylar fabric-type covering it is bigger than most RV toilets and you do not have to clean it! Bingo!
It comes with L brackets to fasten it to an RV. I do not think you would want it rolling around. However you can set it anywhere you wish -- the porch, guest room, etc. It runs off of electricity and has a rechargeable battery that runs off of 110 power or a RV electrical system.
For a cabin or even a second home, this would be tremendous and much easier than have to weatherize, buy into a sewer system or build a leach field.
As I finish this first bag I know what to study and see how Dry Flush really operates. My first impression is that this will be one of the hot new items of 2013 and it is a creative idea and well built unit to handle the job it was designed to do.
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