If you own an RV, taking care of your waste collection system is one of the most important duties for the overall maintenance of your portable home. Dealing with toilet waste is no one’s favorite task but if neglected, you can end up with a bigger mess on your hands. A waste collection system consists of two different tanks attached to the RV, and it comes with some additional waste disposal gadgets to help you with the task. To ensure that your waste disposal system is working fine, you need to maintain it properly and use it correctly to avoid a build-up of solid waste.
Cleaning and flushing out the tank pump whenever you dump your RV waste is a good practice to maintain the system working in the long run. This is why we put this guide together to explain everything you need to do to maintain your waste disposal system and ensure it’s working perfectly.
Make Sure You Are Dumping Your Tanks Correctly
Your RV waste disposal system consists mainly of a grey water holding tank and a black water holding tank. Some RVs have a freshwater tank but this is not an essential attachment as most types of RV don’t have it. Both tanks are connected to drain into a sewer hose that you can attach to both your RV and into the campground or dumping station’s sewer drain pipe. To dispose of your RV waste correctly, it’s crucial that you discard the waste from your black tank before the grey one. The black tank is where the RV’s toilet waste goes into while the grey one collects all the dirty water from the shower and the sink.
Flushing the black tank out first will ensure that you will have extra water so the solid wastes from the grey tank will be fully discarded into the sewer hose. If you want your waste disposal system to run smoothly every time you use it, make sure that your sewer hose and other waste disposal tools are clean and not clogged. You also need to discard the waste from your black tank when it is ⅔ full so that gravity can take its course and force the larger contents to drain out properly. Draining your tanks correctly and flushing out all the waste is very important in maintaining your waste collection system.
Flushing the Tanks
After draining your tanks, they will need to be flushed with fresh water to clean and remove left-over solid wastes. Most people opt for an RV macerator, which works as a blender to turn the liquid and solid waste into a slurry that can be drained through a smaller hose. The macerator also allows the use of the best RV pumps that can aid in draining the waste in uphill locations. So instead of depending only on gravity, it can easily help in removing the waste using pressure.
The point of using these pumps and devices is to drain or flush out as much waste as possible all at once. Of course, you will still flush the tanks with fresh water and this can be conveniently done using a flushing wand or any similar device that can easily be hooked to a freshwater supply.
Tank Treatments
RV tank treatments are the ultimate solution for cleaning your black and grey tanks. They also aid in getting rid of the odor after flushing the wastes out. However, it’s important to note that each tank requires different treatments. Contrary to popular belief, grey tanks can sometimes be harder to deal with than black tanks as their odor can be worse. This is due to the build-up of solid waste that produces bacteria, along with the grease, dirt, or hair sitting in this tank. These separate treatments for your tanks can be found at any local RV Care dealer and there are many options to choose from. To know how much of the chemical you should use, be sure to carefully read the instructions on the bottle before pouring it down your toilet or sink.
An RV waste disposal system is what makes RVs more fun and convenient rather than having to use the campground pit toilets. But as they say, with great power, comes great responsibility. Enjoying the convenience of the built-in toilet, sink, and shower in your built-in means that you have to get rid of the waste every time you use your RV. While it might seem a daunting and overwhelming task, it will save you a lot of mess in the long run as it will ensure that you will have a fully-functional waste disposal system that works perfectly.
