When traveling on the road with an RV, waste water systems can be be very useful while you are driving or decide to stop at a campsite. RV waste systems consist of holding tanks, the toilet,and the tank dump valves. These waste water systems use p-traps and vents that are used to help release the oders and gases from the RV. It is exactly the same way that oders and gases are released from your house.
Waste Water will be seperated into black and gray colored water. The black water is associated with the waste that is flushed down from the toilet. Black water is kept in only one tank that is known as the black tank. The gray water is referred to as the waste water that comes from the Rv sink, tub drains, and shower. This waste is stored in either one or more of the gray tanks. These two waste tanks will be emptied by using one single outlet and each one is operated by seperate valves.
The valves used for both of the tanks should be kept closed at all times, even when you are attaching the valves to any sewer hook up that is outside. It is important to make sure that you are properly dumping the tanks when they are just about full. You never want the tanks to become too full. By emptying the tanks before they become full, water will be sent in large volumes throughout both tanks. This will allow the solid waste to be flushed through one hose at a time and the waste will then be cleared from the waste water system.
When dumping the waste water holding tank on your RV be sure to put the end of the sewer hose completely into the dump station inlet before you twist the termination cap. Next attach it to the sewer hose to lock the end levers found at the termination end by turning in clock wise. Open up the black tank and drain the valve followed by the gray tank valve. Be sure that you are draining the tanks one at a time and that the valves are closed once the tanks finish draining. Remove the sewer hose from the station inlet and properly put it back in place. Put the termination cap back on the outlets and apply any type of approved RV deodorizer. Once the tanks are emptied and the valves have been closed you can begin placing more water on the water already in the tanks to prevent solids from building up. The RV toilet is operated by the water that is supplied from the fresh water tank or from the outer water supply. The outer water supply will come from a campsites water hook up. This water will be flushed directly to your black water tank.
One of the main issues that can occur with RV waste water systems is the accumulation of solids. The best way to reduce solid waste from accumulating is to use a lot of water when you go to flush your RV toilet. Be sure to keep the valves of the holding tanks closed at all times until the system is ready to be flushed. If you do find an issue with solid build up you can try closing the valves and refilling the tanks with fresh water. Once you refill the tanks with fresh water, drive your RV around for a few miles to move the solids around. Once you finish doing this you can then drain the tanks.
It is very important that you take the proper steps to care for your Rv to keep it working correctely. Proper mainteance will save you from future problems could occur. Whenever managing the waste water in your RV, be sure that you are only dumping on sites that are approved.