“Honey, I think the black water needs to be dumped.” Ah – the fun part of RVing.  Here are my tips.

One key is to always use plenty of water when flushing. That helps liquefy waste. Scott’s single ply toilet paper breaks down immediately (almost too fast if you get my meaning) so it is a good and cheap choice.  Another key is to dump only when you have a half tank or more to dump. You want a good “woosh” when you pull the lever. Generally, I dump black water once a week. Our tank sensors stopped working long ago (it is probably the number one RV part to fail). When flushing we can hear when the tank is getting full – also, right at clear full the toilet will “burp” an air bubble when we flush. That means right now it is time to dump. For us, once a week works out just the same – so for us Friday is dump day. Your mileage will vary.

Note: see this post for my sewer hose security tip pictured above.

Some people like to close the grey water tank the day before they dump black water.  Then, before they pull the black water valve they open the gray tank valve just long enough to be sure all the connections are tight.  This is a good way to avoid doing the infamous “black water dance” and making enemies out of your fellow campers and the campground staff.  Also, if you are breaking camp, having plenty of grey water to dump right after finishing the black water helps clean the hose a bit before you put it in storage.

Now, the black water:

I start the tank rinse, and immediately open the valve and dump. Then, leaving the rinse on, I close the valve for about 7 minutes (how long depends on the size of your tank, water flow, etc. – again you want a half tank or more), then open it again. Warning: if you get distracted and forget you left the water running the results will be a real mess!  I set a quick alarm timer on my phone.  Once the tank empties, repeat the process. Now, close the valve, let the rinse run one more minute to get some water back in the bottom of the tank, turn the water off and call it good for another week.

Some people wear disposable gloves.  Since I’m not putting my fingers into the hose, I just wash my hands afterwards.  I also keep hand sanitizer in the wet bay so I can use it as I clean up.

A bonus tip is to get a clear sewer hose fitting that lets you see what is going on when you dump. Once the water runs clear you know you have cleaned the tank as good as you are going to get it.

I’ve often seen people suggest putting ice cubes down the toilet to “scrub” it as you drive.  However, you are probably wasting good ice that could be used in your tea.  The ice in the black tank doesn’t last very long and unless you drive like the Dukes of Hazard it doesn’t do much scrubbing at all.  You might enjoy this great video on the topic.

Some people put strong perfume treatments in the tank. Not only do we think that causes a “stink” of its own, we have found that using lots of water works just fine. If you want to put a treatment in try Happy Campers – not a perfume, but an enzyme treatment that actually helps break down the solids. Some people report that it also cleaned their tank sensors – didn’t work for us but I think it does break down solids.

One more tip: don’t run the exhaust when flushing the toilet. The fan will pull smells up out of the black tank and into the camper! Flush first, then turn on the fan as needed!

Dumping the black water is no one’s favorite part of camping, but it’s not all that bad either.