BOOM! Research, logic, and PROOF. No sales pitch. Shows what works for him, then shows other options. This is why I trust this channel. Might be your best video yet.
A well researched video that is based on science and shows video proof of the claims you make. The fact that you share what works for you instead of trying to sell a professional tank cleaning is why I love this video. Thanks a million for sharing this Ross.
I love the RV lifestyle... connecting and sharing with others. I spent hours researching the info in this video. I don't know it all (yet lol) but enjoying sharing what works and what doesnt work for us. That's the entire goal of the channel.
One way I clean out that stuck on waste is to dump, then fill the tank about 3/4 with water, then drive down the roughest forest road you can find. The movement will help slosh everything around and break it up for your next dump.
Thank you so much Ross for Making a Great Review Video! If any viewers of RV Tips and Travels would like to try liquified and they are not 100% Happy I will give a 100% Refund! Thank you to everyone who is considering switching to Liquified! We are a small company trying to take on these BIG Titans in the Industry!
Thanks Ross! I genuinely appreciate your videos. Unlike some other channels, it never feels like you’re just trying to sell me something. I’ve learned a ton from your videos and will continue watching. Keep up the fantastic work!
thank you Michael. my job is to provide options, and my loyalty is to my viewers, not my sponsors. i try products and end up using what works for me, and thats what i recommend. glad to have you here my friend!
One of, if not the most professional, honest and transparent RV channels on RU-vid. We as new travel trailer owners, have watched so many of your videos and felt like we were nearly experts by the time we picked up our RV for the first time. Thank you.
I have been using Zep brand acidic toilet cleaner in my black tank added after a dump. You add the 1 gallon of cleaner after a dump and leave the toilet cleaner in the tank during the next use cycle. Allow the tank to fill as usual and the next time you dump be sure to rinse the tank by flushing it out and drain. Sensors work fine after. The previous owner was italian so when i dump the grey tank there's a strong garlic / olive oil smell. I use Zep brand degreaser to the empty tank down the kitchen sink drain. After 6 years the garlic smell in the grey tank water is almost gone. Hope this helps if you have dirty sensors THIS WORKS GREAT.
In the past ten years I have put solids into my black tank less than half a dozen times. If there is another toilet available I use it for that purpose. I understand a lot of people boondock so don't have that choice but I avoid number two in the camper at all costs.
We use Dawn in our black tank, a few tablespoons in the tank keeps everything “slick”, it’s biodegradable and will not hurt your seals or tanks, it also smells good. The advice about plenty of water, cannot be overstated.
Finally, someone showing evidence of what solids look like after a holding tank is dumped. Great video by the Fit RV and well done Ross for explaining. Subscribed to the Fit RV, so thanks for bringing their channel to my attention.
I have an old rig without a black tank flush so i use Rhinoblaster Pro with the gate valve, hook up a separate hose to it which also comes with a backflow preventer and backwash the tank at least 2 times after I dump it. Seems to get it pretty clean. Always goes to empty but as soon as I flush the toilet just a couple of times it can read 2/3 to completely full. I've ordered some rv digest it and want to see how that works.
I am a new RV adventurer. I am impressed by your knowledge and videos. I also like how you break things down without complicating them. Please keep the informative content coming. My mission is to not drop any solids in my black tank and use the campground facilities. LOL I hope I can stick to that.
I have tested 30 or 40 different toilet paper brands and I have realized that just because the manufacture says it's RV TOP or it's Septic Safe doesn't mean it's true. I have found 2 brands that seem to be much better than others, Angel Soft and Walmart's cheap brand "Great Value". Both with just a minor jiggle will break down in small particles and will not stick to your inside tank and sensors. All the other brands I could a shake until I was blue in the face and still be just a large clump of TP not breaking down. All my test were preformed with just city water with NO chemicals for just 1 hour of soaking in water. Good video.
✨⭐ *PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO* ⭐✨ 🔹 Toilet Wand amzn.to/40Kk2AR 🔹 Rydlyme Descaler amzn.to/41Nqmcj 🔹 Liquified RV Tank Treatment amzn.to/3ksg1Ck 📰 *Free RV Newsletter:* view.flodesk.com/pages/6497c6a9d1998fa8c7623e9f A few of you have asked about dilution ratio for Rydlyme. The bottle says 1:1 or 3:1 (I believe) which can get expensive. I read somewhere you can dilute this much more heavily and it will still be effective. Let me do some more research and I’ll circle back in the comments.ru-vid.comgaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f4f0.png
Would white vinegar(ratio to water) be suggested to use to de-scale? I.e. leave overnight, my concern would be any seals being compromised due to acidity.
I bought a back flush adapter for my black water tank because I had a leaky gate valve stopper and was lazy to change it out. I used to flush my BWT 3-4 times until it ran clear thinking I had a pretty clean tank. After I installed the back flush adapter that pushes water back up into the tank, the amount of stuff that was still coming out proved my tank was not as clean as I thought it was. I use the back flush on every dump and feel my tank is the cleanest it’s ever been. NO SMELL!! It’s like giving your black water system a high colonic! 😅😅
A tip that I love to share that works for me. Before towing/driving your camper to the next spot. With the tank empty put a 10 lb bag of ice down the toilet, chase it with 4-5 gal of water. As you drive the ice will "scrub" everything. As soon as you park and hook up drain your black tank and flush. This has worked great for me and I do it before ever trip!
Let me start by saying that I love and watch your channel often. What I would like to say is that struvite is a real thing and water is your friend to combat this problem. The thing I disagree with though is that sludge does exist in tanks that doesn't come out when using certain chemicals that break down waste. Also mold and mildew will build up in your grey tank that make your rv smell even more than the black tank. I would invite you to come on a few jobs with people who do hydrojetting of the black and grey tanks to see what comes out of tanks. I've seen with my own eyes that sludge and mold do exist in tanks that either smell or block the sensors.
Thank you for watching Rana, I appreciate that. Keep in mind that in this video I say that if you are using a lot of water, you wont have issues with sludge. I simply can not speak to what others are doing, thats why I am very clear on repeating, multiple times throughout the video, that this is what has worked for me, and there is simply no sludge in the tank. I have heard a lot of comments over the years so I know what people are doing to create this sludge problem, and it involves, in my experience, a lack of proper rinsing. nothing is going to turn sludgy or solid in the 5 minutes it takes to dump a tank, and if that tank was properly rinsed immediately after, knowing the properties of waste, its just not going to harden into a sludge in that short amount of time. I truely believe if people started rinsing more often after dumping, it would be years and years until anything could build up in their tank to the point of needing it pressure washed. Just my experience though.
Very helpful. Been RVing for 27 years with a pop up and two travel trailers. Best takeaway is no need for “RV” toilet paper. Heard that, but now have it confirmed. Thanks! Also appreciate the encouragement to use the black tank flush. So easy to skip that part when you are in a hurry.
My front gray tank and the black tank dump from the same port after meeting at a "Y" or "tee". After I dump my black tank, I close the clear valve I added at the connection port, and leaving the black tank dump valve open, I open my gray water dump valve for about ten seconds which back-flushes a deluge into the black tank, really knocking things loose and stirring it up. I then close the gray tank valve and pull the clear valve open again to dump the black tank again, and repeat this until the gray tank is almost empty. After this I dump a lot of water over and over down the commode, and use my rinse port; but after the back-flushing from the gray tank, it really leaves it pretty rinsed out. I thought I had come up with a new fancy method until I saw a post that this has been a recommended method for some time. 🙂 Great video, and thank you!!
👍👌❤🇨🇦, I helped a friend to descale their black tank, I poured several containers of Apple Cider vinegar after rinsing outthe black tank, the Apple Cider vinegar dissolved the scale buildup
Good points throughout. I bought my first Class A in 1986. The only time I "smell" my black tank is if I have my bathroom fan is on exhaust and flush. This will happen because of the roof vent for the black tank vents air into the tank and exhausts it from the toilet into the bathroom. Turning off the vent prior to the flush will prevent this from happening. I have never used any tank chemicals. I drain it when near full, use the the flush port when possible. I have a water meter on my hose to monitor when my flush is near 3/4 full and avoid over filling. My secret to "cleaning" the tank is to put in 5 to 10 pounds if ice cubes in the blank tank and travel with the ice and water mixture able to slosh around, scraping the insides very clean. Thank you for your videos. I find them helpful. keep up the good work. Don
Great video, as always. I dont honestly understand what my black tank sensors look like, how they work or where they are positioned. I could google it and self educate, but I'd be interested in a companion video to this one, explaining how the sensors work on the black / grey tanks and helping to provide a better understanding on how they fail so easily. Thanks!
I'm new to RV's, I bought a truck camper in '22, and I regularly use the wand at the toilet to clean the tank. Recently I had a slow grey drain, so I had to get a backflush attachment to clear it. The outlet on the camper points straight down so I also had to get another gate in order to get the water straight up the pipe, which worked great. Today I was looking today at a dishwasher cleaning solution by Finish, thinking of the grey tank, and the main ingredients are Citric Acid and Sulfacants (reduces surface tension think probably to help loosen material) I think I'm gonna try it and see.
I read that upon leaving a campground that you should put a bunch of ice into the black tank and as you drive down the road the ice cubes slosh back and forth breaking up the sludge so it cleans better !!
Your video is excellent. We have added a bidet seat to our toilet. This results in using much less toilet paper. Honestly, the bidet does such a good job of cleaning your personal area that the toilet paper has nothing on it after you wipe your bottom & we simply dispose of the toilet paper in a can next to the toilet. This way the black tank is much easier to flush & we never have any clogging.
another tip, if just camping few days at a time, drive around for few hours before draining as this breaks up solids as well, drain,refill, flush, this helps alot as well,
I heard calgon in the holding tanks at the beginning of the season helps from sticking to the side. The treatment we use is Unique RV digest. There is no solid clumps coming out, looks like everything is liquefied. Seems like the only reason they would put gray into a black tank would be location of facilities. Toilet & sink in one area, shower across the unit by itself. This would be the only reason.
I bought a back flush valve and it worked miracles to not only unplug my tank but also cleaned it and the grey tank as well. It even cleaned my sensor and read empty for the first time in a year and a half.
Black tank port usage. I had been told to use this to fill / dump the tank a few times before breaking camp. That does work but will have to try you method and compare.
If TP gets stuck it helps to close the valve for 30 seconds or so to let water fill up a little. They say not a good idea but there’s a vent to let air out.
I will fill the bowl 5-10 times after draining. I close the valve while flushing and time it (3 1/2 minutes) then open the valve and look. keep doing it till the water comes out clear. I always use 2 pods after dumping/flushing.
This is another very informative video! We also switched to using Liquified. It works great. Our black tank sensors have been working properly while using it as well. No overwhelming odors, either. Of course, I also flush the black tank well every time I dump the tanks. The only issue I have now is with my gray water tank sensors not reading properly. So I am searching for a good solution to clean those sensors.
Great video! We flush our black tank after each camping trip and leave a couple gallons of water in the tank along with a tank treatment. One thing we do different is that we close the black tank valve, let the tank fill (after the initial dump) release and repeat. It usually runs clean after 2-3 fills. We use a flow meter to determine how much water is going into the tank. Unless I misunderstood, it appears as though you keep the black tank valve open when flushing. Since , as you indicate, the black tank flush is like a sprayer for the black tank, is what we are doing overkill? Thanks!
Thanks for the comment David... sorry, we dump, close the valve, refill, then dump again, same as you. We will open the valve when using the flush port though as mentioned in the video. And honestly, there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to a black tank my friend.
Hey Ross, When I dump - I flush the black tank between 2-3 times. Since watching the Black Tank Master Class, I then dump two 5 gallon buckets of water down the toilet. When I flush I usually close the black tank valve and fill the tank with 10-20 gallons of water. Its a 45 gallon black tank. I use a water meter to measure the water going through Black Tank Flush hose. Then I pull the tank valve to drain the black tank. ( Rep=eat.) In your opinion do you think that is a safe way of filling the tank to flush? Someone mentioned it could possibly build pressure in tank if black tank valve is closed and toilet bowl valve closed while filling through black tank flush port. Thanks again for your contributions to the RV Community, It is appreciated !!
Mikey, you can’t build any pressure in the tank. There is a vent: a pipe inside your tank that goes up through the roof with a cover on it at the roof. Like a chimney. It is always open so pressure will never build.
Have only used Happy Camper since I bought this trailer (new) in 2021 and following the tank dump, I also run the flush for about 20 minutes. Don't really care that my sensors don't read correctly, my toilet will 'burp' when it's time to empty. Using HC exclusively, there've been no odors of any kind. I keep my gray tank valve open.
I think one of the things misunderstood about many treatments is there are live bacteria in some treatments. These bacteria will die and not work if anti-bacteria products are added to them. They will also die if left in freezing temps too. I wished you would have mentioned them but great vid as usual, thank you for all your hard work.
Great point Rod, I do mention this in my sanitizing videos since bleach is commonly used , but should never be added to the black tank because it kills that good bacteria. Didn’t mention it in this one I don’t think so thanks for mentioning!
The toilet is generally over the black tank when toilet is flushed it dumps right into the black tank. The bathroom sink is right above the tank to cut cost manufactures use a short distance to dump in the black tank. It’s all about coating cost and labor.
I purchased and use the Swivel Stick from Amazon. I use it after I dump. I have had no problems since I began using this. Awesome tool for RV's. I had been having problems with my sensors working prior to using the Swivel Stick. I see you also showed it in your video. In addition to this; due to the High inflation the cost of the tank treatment chemical I was using, (I was paying 31.95 a gallon, then went to $52.00), going through the ceiling I began using the Dawn Soap and Pinesol mix; (comes to about $5.00 a gallon). PS: (Great knowledge from your videos).
Our Alliance Valor 40v13 has 2 grey and 2 black tanks. Front grey is shower and sink. Front black is toilet only. Rear grey is kitchen sink only. Rear black is sink and toilet in the Half Bath located in the garage. I think alot of times it comes down to Tank Capacity and average water usage as to how it's plumbed. 🤔👍
I really like your channel. Thank you. I am new this year from a Pop up to a 2022 Forest River Rockwood Roo 19 Hybrid. When I use the trailer most of the time I won't be hooking up at a campsite. If I do most of them will have just power and water but No sewer. This year I would dump my Gray and Black water tank after every use and use the black water flush port. But I also read that people leave it to 2/3 full before dumping. 1. What is your recommendation with how often to dump? My black is 30gal and grey is also 30 gal. 2. How long can I leave the black water flush pumping water with the valve in the off position? Thanks
As usual thanks for a great video. Many great examples of your video editing skills. The pixelated drain was a good one. Who wants to see that! LOL One question…saw a recommendation for travel days…add powder Borax and a quarter cup of Dawn to quarter filled clean water tank. Dump on arrival. Worthwhile?
I've been a full time rv'r for a few years. With full hook ups I still have to close the valves and drain weekly or black tank plugs. Is this common. And yes I do have a newer 5th wheel
Really hot sounds fine. I don't know about boiling hot though 😕 right? I think full hot from the house garden hose would be OK. I'm skeptical about boiling big pots on the stove and then immediately pouring it down the toilet. Right?
Completely random question. In the video, why is your toilet paper up near the sink? (It looks that way. Maybe it’s the angle) thanks and as a newby ever I appreciate your videos very much
its mounted there for easy access while using the bathroom and its out of the way of the towels and all drawers. not much room anywhere else, just the best place for us.
Great video! You are just never too old to learn a tip or trick every now and then! I do have a question about black tanks. I know I am that odd female that just dares anyone to empty tanks or do anything to/with them! (Actually we just kinda split set up/break down task and that was by choice!). After dumping and washing the tank thoroughly, do you put water/water and "treatment" in it before heading home? If you are going cmaping againg in a week? Month? We are not full time, but we try to go somewhere every 2-3 weeks. Just curious what others do. Thanks for the great video!
Great video Ross - I am a long time subscriber! Which would you recommend to clean the black tank - a "wand" or Rhino Blaster RV Tank Rinser with Gate Valve? Thanks
Newbie here. Just purchased a 5th wheel. If it is not in use right away, us there a need to fill the black water tank and add any cleaner. We may not use until July so 6 -8 weeks
Honestly, I never use my black tank sensors. After just a few outings, it’s very easy to just know by looking down the toilet and if you start getting a small burp of stank on each flush it’s past due. I also don’t dump my tank at the campground before leaving. I will dump it a day or or so before I go and let the road action help break it down further. I have a dump at my rv storage and it gets a couple fills and tank flushes before I put it away. I also use a treatment that breaks sown waste and any TP that will break apart within a minute in straight water. Never once have I had an issue with smell or plugged in 20 plus years. My sensors do still work tho, just don’t need them.
Hey Ross buddy how's it going? I recently bought Matt's liquefied RV tank treatment and it works pretty good. I'm happy with it. Knocked down the smells also👍🇺🇲
Only reason what I could think of this they won't do it to ensure that enough water gets into the black tank, other than that I think the only thing that should drain into it is the toilet. Because of this we don't use bathroom sink 98% of time. Only now n then to keep it working, etc. Everything is done at kitchen sink. I do notice the toilet doesn't allow much water. Like its a water save feature. I liked my old setup in my old trailer. It had 2levers one for flush/empty an one for water so u could use as much or little as u want. Our new one is just one flush rinse lever
Upgraded from a pop-up, so new to this... Leaving the campground (not full hook ups) after I use the black tank flush and it runs clean, should I close the black valve and use the flush to put water into the black tank? How else would I always keep water in black tank? That's what I'm supposed to do, right? How much water? Then add some chemical even when not in use?
Marcus, precisely. after you dump, put enough water in your tank to fill it about 10% of the way. 30 gallon tank = 3 gallons. you can use the flush to do this. if you are unsure how much you are putting in.... dump a gallon of water into your toilet without pressing the pedal. then youll know how much one gallon is. after that, you can slightly press the pedal enough to turn on the water but not open the ball valve. once it hits that spot, dump it down. now you know you have 1 gallon in your tank. repeat until you reach the amount you want. you can put the treatment in now or before you start using it on your next trip.
It's something youll have to figure out. Or you can use a 5 gallon bucket... thats what I do. watch the video at the end of this video if you havent seen it yet.
If it's a travel day I'll put 10-20% water in the tank (including digester) before leaving, then dump as soon as I get to the next RV park. Not every time but on intervals. Usually on a long leg of the trip.
I leave the dump valve closed until I'm ready to leave and I also empty the hot water tank into the toilet before I dump. Hot water loosens things up(shower head on most campers reaches the toilet). You don't rinse your plates and bowls out with cold water before your wash them, right?
Thinking one reason they are working is because your outflow is wide open and since its empty it has dried out, so no moisture is being utilized by sensors to produce a reading.
my waste tanks are never dried out. I always keep water in them. After I dump, I ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY put 4-5 gallons of water back in. Even if the RV is sitting in the driveway for a month until the next trip. I mention this in about 9 of our videos lol. The only time my tanks are dry is when its winterized. They are working because I back flush the tanks, but it seems you dont believe me lol. this video shows how much stuff stays in the tank after the first dump, which is why back filling and flushing a second time will help get all that out and clean the sensors: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Q7ZJzfimLwg.html theres video proof in that video link i just posted that shows not everything comes out after 1 dump. thats why sensors fail, backfilling and rinsing your tank is important to keep them working.
I've worked for heartland and forest river in Elkhart Indiana and the only reason the manufactures dump the bathroom sink into the black tank is to cut cost of the build they use less piping to get it to the gray tank, you need to realize that in the factory we are having Lin moves every 12 to 15 minutes we are completing 25 to 40 units each day and not running pipe to the gray tank from the bathroom sink saves time and money
Warning for all towable RV owners . Inspect your I beams in the vicinity of the axle / spring shackles. Sooner or later even the big dollar 5th wheel and travel trailers will get cracks that can cause major damage or crashes . This occurs on tandem axle or especially three axle trailers . Springs , spring shackles and the I beams will break. On 5th wheels the Basement to upper frame risers regularly break . This information can be found on RU-vid and cansave an on road failure or a devastating accident . And the most expensive 5th wheels to the lowly 2 axle travel trailer all break. That popping sounds you hear backing into camp or making a tight turn is twisting the hell out of your 1/8th inch cheap Lippert metal I beams .
Liquify the black tank yes it helps, but for me I use the old method to clean my tank. I have a 2022 model and it has the hookup where you attach a hose but that way of cleaning was crap. The old method works far better and that’s putting the stick water cleaner down the toilet. Now I can actually see the black tank. I may also close the valve and fill once again then open most of the time actually nothing more comes out except water. The stick works for me.
I made up a pipe with a high-pressure nozzle that I can stick down the toliet and run up the outlet ,, I have really good luck cleaning and having my senors stay working..
Great video!,, You mentioned that you use a septic safe 2-ply toilet paper. Can you provide exactly which one you use? My RV remains stationary, inside of a RV Park, on a deeded lot. But, I’m not on sewer, unfortunately. I’m on a pump out where we sign up on a Sunday afternoon for a Monday pump out. But, we won’t return until the next Friday night. My sensors are always out of wack. I tried the softeners, Dawn detergent, borax, and water. I tried Pine Sol. I fill the tank full, ahead of the pump out. I tried the spray wand. I even just tried the clear elbow with a high pressured hose to backwash as it’s being pumped out, several times in the last pump out. I just ordered the Rydlyme Marine Descaler. Do you have any other suggestions? I just winterized, only leaving a small amount of RV antifreeze in it. Being on a pump out is a challenge. I can sign up anytime I need to, all days but a Sunday. But, unless I’m on a weeks vacation, we’re only there Friday night to Sunday afternoon.
I’m having a hard time finding out what black tank treatment you can use that’s safe in aerobic septic systems. Most products say “septic safe” but which septic are they referring to? Anaerobic systems or aerobic systems? It’s very confusing.
regarding the sink draining into the black tank. is this a problem with full RV bathrooms or potentially RVs that also have a half Baths with just a sink and toilet.
Great video! My issue is that my RV is new and my sensors never worked from the beginning. They filled our tanks full during our orientation and then completely emptied before transport. I don’t think that there is a build up on the sensors.
@@RVTIPSANDTRAVELS Right! If anything comes to mind, please let me know. This is for all my tanks (two in front and two in back). Even when I completely drain all of them, the sensors all say Full Tank. Very frustrating. I don’t want to just “live with it” I want to fix it. Lol.
