Do you remember when you were first RVing—or maybe just contemplating starting out? All of us were full of questions. Since then, RVtravel.com readers have developed a wealth of experience and practical knowledge. Would you like to share some of it with newer ones? Here’s a chance to share your RV knowledge.
How we came to ask you to share your RV knowledge
Here’s how it works. As we research for stories and talk with different “new ones,” we hear all sorts of questions. Some are fairly simple to answer, and others, well, some will cross your eyes. Some are of a “yep, do this” nature, and others call more for opinions, developed with RV road experience.
What we’d like to do is to throw out a couple of questions that some new ones have asked. We’d like our “RV road scholars” to provide helpful answers in the comments section. Along the way, we’ll all get a “more rounded education,” and at the same time, have some fun with it. Here we go!
The case of the poop pyramid and a stuck black valve
We’ve all been down the road of “keep your powder dry and your black tank valve closed” advice. But not everyone knows the score. We have one RVer with a serious problem. Their RV presently doesn’t move—it’s stuck in a long-term RV park situation. Unwittingly, the black water valve was never closed, and the rig hooked up full-time to a sewer drain.
You know the rest. The RV owner tried to close the drain valve, and alas, it was firmly stuck in the open position. Adding more misery, one of those infamous “poop pyramids” started to grow in the black water tank. The owner called out several mobile RV technicians, and not one of them could help with the problem. The blockage is now so bad, nothing can get out of the black tank.
“I’ve tried a pressure washer from the inside, boiling water, tank additive, Dawn soap, baking soda, and vinegar,” relates the “hung up” owner. He’s even tried “back flush from outside.” And, so far, nothing has worked. “We can see the backup from inside, but it has not reached the bowl. Hours of pressure washing from inside did not fill it anymore, but only small amounts of water came out the other end.”
This isn’t a case of “If it weren’t for your plumber, you’d have no place to go.” With the situation as it is, well, you can only hold on so long.
So, voices of experience, what do you suggest? Can you share your RV knowledge?From plumbing to electrical—Can you keep your power running without ruining the batteries?
A couple has their RV parked at home when not out enjoying the scenery. Unfortunately, the area where they live is a high-humidity environment, and they’re fearful of mold and mildew developing. Their thought is, run a dehumidifier when the rig is in storage.
But they’ve been told by others that, hey, keeping your shore power hooked up to your rig when you aren’t using it could lead to battery damage. Their rig is equipped with flooded lead-acid batteries.
The dehumidifier needs shore power to run. They figure the only way to keep that water vapor-eater happy is to leave it plugged into one of their RV’s inside shore power outlets. But that leaves the converter on—and them dreaming of cooking batteries.
Suggestions?Looking forward to your thinking and, in some cases, humor.
Pull the Bussman fuse that feeds the line the power supply uses to charge the battery.
I had the same issue, and purchased a 15a thru wall port plug so I could attach an extension cord to the RV and not have to use the RV’s shore power cord.
I bought a used RV for my daughter’s family that had been at a lake lot, tanks open, that had a black tank 2/3rds full of solidified waste. I put in a healthy amount of Travel Jon Waste Digester (available from Century Chemicals) and filled the tank to the brim. If the valve won’t close, they’ll need to put one of those short add on valves on the connection. I left the Travel Jon in for two weeks. It liquified everything and I flushed out the tank clean as new. I suspect a product like Roebic would do the same thing.
I live in a high humidity area. I have had great success using the large bucket of Damp Rid.
If this were me, I would continue along the same path. We use the RV once a month, so when we weren’t camping we would keep 1/2 tank or so of water in our black tank overloaded with the best enzyme based tank cleaner. When we get to our new camp site, we would dump the tank and use what ever black tank flush we had or could come up with. When finished camping, we would dump and flush the tank, fill it 1/2 full, or so with water and an over load of treatment, go home and do it again next trip. Eventually, we would ask for professional help in pumping or cleaning the tank.
My trailers have been produced with an on board battery charger that only charges as the battery needs it. Our previous trailer had a solar collector so it charged the battery. We leave our current trailer plugged in and the batteries are being charged. Plugging in a dehumidifier would not be a problem. We use the exhaust fan in the bathroom (12v). You may want to look at an inverter for your dehumidifier, or run an extension cord directly to the humidifier from shore power. A few options, depending on your wants and needs.
Please consider a piece on the importance of checking the weld tow vehicle attachment on one’s towed vehicle. I have a friend whose car detached (and was totaled) from her motor home. She had towed for over 15 years and may not have had her weld checked on her towed vehicle. Your article on checking towing equip for trailers is great – and I suggest the same for a towed automobile weld site and equipment.
Don’t know what to say. I joined a FB group for RV maintenance. About to unjoin. There are SO many posts that have answers already on the web; and so many poor and sometimes terrible responses. What I learned is how many people just want quick, miraculous, little effort and no cost fixes that allow them to keep making the same mistakes. Happy to help but I could spend all day every day typing.
If all they are doing is running an AC dehumidifier, there should be little to no draw on the batteries. So, make sure the batteries are fully charged, then turn off, open the circuit breaker, or disconnect the battery charger. Then buy a good trickle charger and connect it to maintain the batteries while they are in storage.
The solution is to make sure that your converter is a multi-stage type. This type of converter will not overcharge batteries, and in fact it will keep them safely topped-off, ensuring the longest life. Changing a converter from old-style to new-style is not hugely expensive, perhaps a few hundred dollars. An alternative would be to switch off or disconnect the converter; however, you still want to keep your batteries on a maintainer. By the time you do all that, changing the converter might make the most sense.
I’ve never heard about anything this bad. I suppose:
First, Replace the black valve.
Then hire a reputable waste tank cleaner provider. They should be able to thread their special pressure washer/camera head in through the drain valve and clear the drain blockage and then go after the pyramid.
If they cannot hire someone, they will need to rig up a similar system that can be used to clear the blockage and pyramid.
I had this happen to me one time when someone else had left my black tank valve open and the grey tank valve closed! The professional guys tried all their procedures, which helped but didn’t fully solve the problem. A mobile tech told me to try Unique Camping & Marine (https://uniquecampingmarine.com). I recommend that you first try “Clear-It” to clear the big pyramid plug and then regularly use “RV Digest-It” to liquefy the solid waste and neutralize tank odors. I’ve been using it ever since and am very pleased. It just so happens that they are now running a 20% discount on their products. Happy Easter!
Crack a window and run a extension cord direct to a outside power outlet. Fashion something to fill in the window gap.
Unhook the sewer hose and cap the outlet. Fill the tank with hot water and let is sit. It might take hours or it might take days. The water will eventually soften the pyramid and eventually break down. Rinse & repeat for however long it takes to dissolve the pyramid.
Use these guys:
https://kleentank.com/tank-cleaning/
Get a good converter if you don’t have one. Progressive Dynamics and WFCO make them (others too). You need one that has a 3-stage charger so it’ll desulfate the batteries when needed.
buy an additional gate valve to snap onto the existing one which is stuck. Then fill the black tank with Dawn and Borax and soak it for 2 or 3 days. Then dump it, flush if possible, and repeat until things are better.
Plug the dehumidifier into an appropriate extension cord that runs to your house or garage.
Try a septic service. Many have a power washing device on a hose that is powerful enough to cut roots that invade sewer and drainage lines. If that doesn’t work, nothing will.
A good, functioning converter should be maintaining the batteries instead of harming them. Alternatively, my WEFCO has a breaker tn the unit itself that turns off the converter without disrupting power to the rest of the 120VAC side.
You could try modifying an adapter with a hose connection to flush the tank. Remove the adapter valve and connect a 1/2″x10′ pex to to your garden hose. Send it thru the adapter opening until you hit solids and crank up the hose. The pressure should be enough to dislodge the solids and send it down the drain. Best of luck
I have always kept my travel trailer and now motorhome connected to shore power at our house when not in use. I have never had a problem with the batteries going bad or over charged as there is a box that controls the charge of the batteries and won’t let them overcharge. I have the deep cycle batteries for the RV house. In the winter I run the dehumidifier with a heater as we live in the wet part of Oregon.
In general, especially new RV owners and even if you aren’t . Read everything you can, We’ve owned several styles of RV’s, each one has their own learning curve. They are not the same. We have had RV’s in one form or another for 40 yrs, we are still learning. Ask questions. Not understanding how things work can at the least be frustrating and at the worst, disastrous .
Not a problem we have ever had, so just “spitballing.” Given all that has been tried and failed, it seems some type of rod/stick with tines on the end should be employed through the commode. Ideally this will break off pieces of the pyramid that are small enough to pass through the sewer pipe. In the extreme, the tank may require replacing. Again, “spitballing free advice,” which invariably is only worth its cost.
Thank you for the new column idea, Russ and Tina! I hope that you get answers from those with experience and not just from newbies such as me. Have a great day and safe travels!