Control Your Black Tank

One of the most frustrating problems of RVing is having a stuck black tank. The black tank holds your toilet waste.
Here are two tips to overcome this headache.
First: Dump the black tank once a week. Some people are told that they can leave their tanks open all the time. This might be OK for your grey tank: sink and shower water. It is bad for the black tank. Keep the drain closed. It is also a good idea to keep the grey tank closed too. Then when you dump both tanks, dump the black one first and the grey second. This gives an automatic rinse to your sewer pipes.
Second: Use septic safe toilet tissue only. Buy single ply toilet tissue for septic systems. It will say so on the roll. Tetford makes it and is sold in RV stores. Scott tissue, 1,000 sheet rolls is also septic safe. As a general rule do not use two ply tissue. Read the label.
Another tip is to have a small waste basket lined with a plastic bag in the WC. Put used tissue into it and dispose of it regularly. It is useful for tissue used for blowing your nose and for women cleaning up after urinating. Not recommended for feces.
Finally, use a spray to clean the black tank. Some trailers, like ours, comes equipped with it. Others you can buy a wand and insert it through the toilet attached to a garden hose. Do this regularly. When moving put a couple of trays of ice cubes into your toilet and drive down the road. The cubes will dislodge some of the caked on feces and toilet paper from the sides and floor of the tank.
If you have any additional comments or suggestions, please send them.