Caring for Your RV's Black Water Tank

Caring for your RV's black water tank can seem like such a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be! You can wipe the burned image in your retina of you having a bucket of poo all over you, because it won't happen. Be good to your RV's black water tank, and it will be good for you, even in the most dire of situations. You can do so by heeding these few tips.

You Don't Need a Face Mask, Just Get the Gloves

Much like in medicine, preventative care is the best care for your RV's black water tank too. By maintaining the tank regularly, you can ensure that there will not be any unpleasant backups or mishaps.

Before you start to even touch the tank, be sure to get some rubber gloves and some coverings for your shoes. Just in case some sewage spills out onto you, you want to be prepared. You should schedule the cleaning of your black water tank every few weeks and definitely before and after any road trips. Some units come with a backwash option on it so the inside can be pressure cleaned. The other option is to purchase a wand that will attach to your house to clean everything manually.

You'll Need More Chemicals than a Science Lab

There are chemicals you can buy that are specifically made for black water tanks that will rid your tank of sewage on the regular. That option can save you a lot of smelly work in the long run if you don't mind the added toxins around. Some other mild cleaning chemicals will do the same job, just not as intensely as the products you can buy already made to destroy the waste.

Dive in—But Not Too Far

First you'll want to drain your black water tank in order to properly clean it. You'll want to be sure that you have a large basin or container to collect all of the waste ready. Once the tank is emptied, you can go ahead and put in water about three-quarters of the way up the tank. Fill in the last quarter with bleach. Let that concoction sit for ten to fifteen minutes.

Then you will want to drain the tank again with a clear hose so you can see how dirty the water is coming out into your basin. Keep filling the tank up with three quarters water and one quarter bleach until the hose excrement is running clean and clear! Be sure to make sure the rinse cycle you are doing is done more than less, as you do not want any bleach left behind to corrode your tank.

Further Tips

  • To make the experience of cleaning your black water tank a pleasant one, be sure to use biodegradable toilet paper. That way you won't have wads of tissue paper flooding out and clogging your hose when it is cleaning time.
  • Be wary of the size of your tank too. The smaller your black water tank is, the more it will have to be emptied. The same rule applies to a larger tank obviously, just in reverse.
  • The fill method comes into play as well when you are deciding how often you need to empty your tank. Some black water tanks are filled via the shower in your RV and some are from multiple sources all at once.

So caring for your RV's black water tank isn't such a horrible nightmare after all, is it? As long as you remember to care for your tank in a preventative way, all will be well. Get your tank on an emptying schedule depending on the size and how many sources your personal tank gets filled from (examples being the shower, sink, etc). For more tips or assistance, consult resources like Fretz RV.

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