It’s not a fun job, but somebody has to do it. Thank goodness (in my case at least) that’s my husband’s job. 🙂
There’s nothing that will ruin a great camping trip quicker than having issues with your black tank. I have seen this question ask time and time again – “How do I clean my black tank to keep from having problems with build-up?”
Everyone seems to have their own opinions and methods for doing this nasty job. The main thing we have found is to be sure to use plenty of water with each flush, use a thin-type of toilet paper, dump the tanks before it gets too full, and put a little more water back in after the tank is dumped.
I’m going to give you the step-by-step method Ernie uses to keep our black tank working smoothly.
PIN this post for later! Hopefully you’ll never need it, but.
How To Clean RV/Camper Black Tank
- Do NOT keep the black tank valve open while camping! The valve should remain closed until you are ready to dump the tank. If the valve is continuously left open, the liquids will drain out of the tank and the solids will remain. Not good!
- Open the black tank value and drain the tank.
- Close the value, flush the tank with more water and drain again. Repeat until drain water runs clear, then close the black tank valve.
- Dump 1 cup of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and 1 cup of Calgon Liquid Water Softener down the commode.
- Flush the commode 3 or 4 times – approx. 2-3 gallons of water into the tank. Leave this water in the tank.
- Toss in a pod of RV Black Holding Tank Treatment.
- Happy Camping!
Bonus Tip for Cleaning the Black Tank:
When we about to leave home to head to the campground, Ernie flushes a large bag of ice down the commode. The ice sloshes around as we travel down the road and it helps to loosen any remaining solids.
Send us a message or leave us a comment with any tips you have for keeping your black tank in tip top shape! We’d love to hear from you.
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