If you've been around RVers for any length of time, you know that one of their favorite topics is tank dumping. Don't ask us why -- it does seem a bit perverse, chatting up a subject that by its very nature is a bit on the stinky side. But like it or not, RV campfire chats always seem to wind up here.
Most all RVers agree on the time-honored advice: Wait until your black water tank is nearly full before you dump. That way, you'll whisk away all those little floaters and clingons that can make a black tank a real bad boy. But what about if you use one of those fancy tank dumping systems, the "Sewer Solution." This system allows you to forget about the standard 3" dump hose and, using water pressure, pump out your tanks through a garden hose, uphill, and up to 100 feet away from your RV. Do they really work?
We've had and used a Sewer Solution system for some years. We can say we've been "happy" with it, but could we really say how well it worked in comparison with a standard dump hose? Nope, can't say we've ever poked our eyeball into the depths of the blackwater tank to see how things worked. Enter the folks at The Fit RV, a do-it-yourselfer folk who like to produce videos. They built a test module 'black water tank,' and compared just how well the Sewer Solution system works, compared to the standard dump hose -- and the results were quite revealing -- once you get over what they used to fill the black tank with!
Beware, this is a 17 minute video, so make sure you're broad-band enabled!
Some RVs have a flushing capability for using even with a 3" draining method. As I understand it, you use the faster 3" gravity draining, then after it drains, flush out the residual matter. Would that not be better and quicker than the "Sewer Solution"?
ReplyDeleteCan you try testing with a back flush on the 3". Using something like the QuickieFlush?
ReplyDeleteAlso it would be interesting to see the impact of a non straight 3" line into the tank.
Great test video!
I would be curious as to how well the flush would work if there was an elbow or two in the 3" pipe.
ReplyDeleteRoy Ellithorpe
Now that you have this awesome simulated black tank, could you look into testing some of the various add-on flush systems that do not use a macerating process.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Wayne
Happy to see that you installed a regulator on your home, I have used the Sewer Solution for over 10 yrs to dump at our home and have about 70 ft of 1 inch PVC to our septic tank with a slight down hill drop, we almost never dump on the road or camp ground as I prefer to use my clean dump station my water pressure is 45 to 50 lb and I use two hoses one to my installed tank jets and one to my SS. I like the SS so much that I bought a spare for stand by at home and we do use Septic friendly Rid X in our RV tanks. Love the SS!
ReplyDeleteWalt
Due to slow internet cannot watch the video - but have been using a SS for over 7 years. It is not about speed - it is about clean. I flush and dump and flush again. I then put water in our black tank as we go down the road so it sloshes around to loosen any stuck gunk - then dump again as soon as we arrive at our next destination. Rinsing is standard procedure for us. Flush and dump and slosh is how we keep our tank clean. I cut our pressure to 20psi for black and almost no water for grey so not wasting water. Our main and most important reason for using an SS is having a clean hose and the rest of the parts of the system. I do not care that it takes longer to dump - if I tried to get the 3" slinky hose clean I doubt it would ever get as clean as the SS. Have never ever used or needed any chemical additives. Can also pump uphill. We fulltime so our needs may differ from others.
ReplyDeleteUsing over 100 psi water pressure makes this test questionable. Most campgrounds have much lower water pressure, increasing the time and decreasing the flush for the Sewer Solution.
ReplyDelete