By Steve Korsvall
THE RV PROCTOLOGIST
Steve posted this on our Facebook group RV Crashes and Disasters.
I like the stories when people said “it happened this way.” Example:
A customer of mine said, “I was drinking, and while I was over on the side of my RV I started flushing my tank. I forgot to open my black gate valve. Just then my neighbor came over and we were talking about tools and hardware. He invited me to go to the hardware store. I figured that wouldn’t take long so we went. So, long story short, by the time we got back the bathroom floor was flooded. It was coming down the stairs flooding the kitchen and carpet and flowing out the front door.”
The damage. Oh my goodness, not pretty!
Steve Korsvall operates the RV Proctologist in Quartzsite, Arizona. If you have problems with your holding tanks, or simply want them cleaned, and are in the area, you know who to call.
I have a Heartland Bighorn 39′. Bought new 2020 yr. I am a female – only person in the RV. I do not and have never put toilet paper in my commode. I am having problems with my sewer running over and pour out under the RV. I have paid an RV guy to fix it to the tune of $900.00 and he did nothing. As long as I empty the black tank every two days it does not overflow. Guys please help me WHAT IS THE PROBLEM!? I would like to get this fixed and sell this RV. I am in south Florida Bonita Springs. I will pay to have someone come fix it. Thanks!
I have an Orbit sprinkler timer that I always attach to the input for the black tank flush. It has never failed to shut off the water even if I walk away.
Something similar happened to me once. I had drained the tank and flushed once. Closed the valve and let the back-flush running while I ran into the workshop for a second flush. I’ll just be gone a second. Duh! I got distracted and a second ran into a minute and a minute into about 40. When I returned to the rig there was water gushing out the roof vent. I shut the water off immediately, and opened the black valve to drain the tank again. Gratefully, there was not a drop of water inside the rig. The toilet seal held the water in the tank and the tank is properly vented. Whew!!
I learned to always set an alarm on my phone
This would not have damaged the ceiling area if the manufacturers would seal around the roof vent pipe or like your home’s vent pipes ensure the pipe penetrated the roof. If the vent pipe was properly installed the effluents would be on the roof not in the ceiling.
This is one of my nightmares.
Opening line—-“I was drinking……”
I’m still researching full time RV living. These posts are such a wealth of information.
My only question is, why are some people on this just to be outright vicious?
Please, people, let’s use this forum to our benefit and not to vent or be mean to anyone.
Let’s help each other and spread good karma. 💚
Thanks. 😉
Give the poor guy a break. We’re talking a trip to the hardware store here.
Obvious you are using the wrong toilet paper…..good luck
We were at a SMART group get together One of our friends arrived late and went to a group meeting without getting completely set up. another of our friends decided to help and hooked up the Campground water supply. However, she got the wrong input and actually hooked up to the black water clean out valve. Then turned on the water! When T came back from the meeting, water was running out the front door and every other place possible for water to exit. Shock, anger and horror when T saw what was happening to his new RV.
Seen this happen from using tank flush and leaving/forgetting. Makes a mess and for everybody around you. I’ve use flusher to add water down the valve piping but I stood there and filled for one minute only.
It’s your RV know what your doing.
For those of you who aren’t as PERFECT as some of these replies imply…try this:
Orbit 62034 Mechanical Watering Hose Timer
I also witnessed a flood with water pouring out of a a camper. The water was flowing out the door and seams. If I remember correctly it was a valve that let go during the night from the toilet. Being insecure, I always cut off the water when I leave the camper and also at night when sleeping. I turn the water back on when I wakeup.
On another occasion I witnessed another flooding flowing out of the door and compartments of a Class A. Can’t remember what the issue was on that one. I vaguely remember that it also may have been the toilet. The people returned to a mess.
Yikes, I really cannot wait to convert my water toilet to a compost toilet. Still trying to find one that is affordable and will fit nicely in my bathroom.
do your research before you start the conversion, it’s not all sweetness and light, ask me how I know…
Hard learned lessons are sometimes the best teachers.
Don’t ask me how My wife and I came about the habit of shutting off the water when we leave for the day and also don’t ask me how many times we circled back because neither one of us could remember if we did actually shut it off.
I normally refill my flushed black tank on my 5er 3-4 timed for a good clean. I got a phone call and forgot it was filling and “boom” the black tank burst. Shook the whole trailer but no sign inside or on the roof. Funny think is a friend next us did the same thing a few months (his wife told us his secret) before and then traded in his almost new 5er for a new toy hauler. Than a couple days after I blew my tank the friend on the other side of us did the same thing to his toy hauler. All 3 of us did it. I repaced my tank. I wonder how many used trailers have blown tanks which you would only know if they were filled to the top?
Did the same thing in my Dutch Star a couple of years ago – didn’t go to the hardware store but was standing there wondering why it was taking so long to fill the fresh water tank when water started running down the sides from the plumbing vents on the roof. Fortunately all the joints and even the seal in the toilet held and there was no water at all inside, and the water coming out the roof was clean.
The first three words explain it all. “I was drinking.”
I’ve seen first hand what can happen. Not my rv, but someone else. Not only did toilet flood the rv, but black tank turned into a balloon and busted all the support brackets. I purchased a ”dead Man valve” and put it inline with the hose I use for flushing. If I’m not holding it, no water flows. I flush with the dump valve closed for a minute or two, then pull while still flushing for best effect. I have a unique quick connect, so hopefully if someone else dumps for me, they still end up using it. My wife learned how to dump as well.
Btw, if the terrible happens to you; toilet water everywhere and you have carpet, consider ripping the carpet out, then drying. RV construction lets water soak in everywhere and even a wet vac won’t keep it from soaking under and into the wall material. With the previously mentioned trailer, the repair shop said pulling the carpet and drying quickly made the difference between repair and total.
OKAY LEAVING WAS NOT THE BEST IDEA, BUT THESE DAYS IT IS EASY TO BECOME DISTRACTED. I FIND THAT GETTING SET UP BY MYSELF AS AN OLDER WOMAN, 70 THIS YEAR, I HAVE TO USE A CHECK LIST TO INSURE I HAVE EVERYTHING COMPLETED PROPERLY. I JUST GOT MY VERY SMALL CAMPER LAST YEAR AND WHILE ON A 32 DAY TRIP IN THE SPRING I GOT MUCH BETTER AS I WAS MOVING EVERY FEW DAYS, BUT I AM SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO ANYONE, HAVING BEEN A REGULATOR FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS OVER MY ENTIRE, THOU SMALL STATE FOR 30 YEARS, I HAVE SEEN SMALL ERRORS CREATE MASSIVE WASTEWATER OVERFLOWS INTO FEDERAL WATERS, WETLANDS AND STATE WATERS. I CAN TELL YOU IT IS NEVER FUN OR PRETTY OR WITHOUT HAZARD AND COST, BE OUR OWN LITTLE HOMES ON THE ROAD OR LARGE INDUSTRIES OR MUNICIPALITIES. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, I FEEL SURE THIS WAS A LESSON WELL LEARNED.
Whoa! Please take a breath between thoughts and turn off the CAPS LOCK.
FYI all caps mean you’re shouting. Use upper/lower case next time.
Checklist only work if you concentrate on them at the time. If you get distracted, all bets are off
proctologist, not protologist
Oops. Thanks, Chris! Fixed it. —Diane at RVtravel.com
Sounds like he was smoking something as well as drinking. That will make a person space out and forget stuff!
Back Thom. We are not all perfect like you and to insinuate drinking or/and smoking something probably is not a good assessment to make or label someone.