We’re concerned about the ongoing issues with the black water tank drain valve. I’m pretty sure that the Valterra valve is not closing all the way and the liquid is draining out while the solids are remaining in the tank. As a result we’ve been using the tank flush every time we’ve emptied the black tank. If we don’t, nothing empties out when we open the valve. That tells me there’s nothing sitting in there except solids. The flush seems to get some of it, but I’m worried about build-up and hardening of those solids.
Some time back, I bought a gadget called a Swivel Stik. Basically, it’s a holding tank rinser that attaches to the end of a garden hose. It has to be inserted down the toilet where it supposedly snakes into the holding tank. The end of the Swivel Stik is a flexible hose with a brass fitting on the end that acts as a pressure washer. When the water is turned on, the flexible end whips around, and the brass fitting spins, shooting water out everywhere. Sounds dangerous, eh?
Well, surprisingly, I didn’t make a huge mess, but I don’t know that I fixed anything, either. The holding tank sensor still says that the tank is 1/3 full. Not possible. I even ran the outside flush after I used the Swivel Stik, and the water was running out clear. I was hoping that I might end up blowing out whatever blockage was causing the problem with the valve, but I don’t think that happened.
I’ve done almost everything I know to do at this point: flush, tank rinser, chemicals, fabric softener. The only thing I know about that I haven’t tried is filling up the tank with ice cubes and water and taking the RV out for a drive over a bumpy road before flushing the tanks again. Might be worth the try. Won’t cost much. It’ll just be a giant hassle to unhook the RV and hitch it up just to go for a drive. Maybe I can convince Lex to take a short weekend trip just so we can try the ice trick without wasting all the effort.
If we don’t find a way to fix it quickly, I’ll just have to call the repairman and ask him to take another look at it. I hate doing that. It’s $100 or more each time he shows up. I’d rather spend that money on cool gadgets or save it for a trip, but if our toilet isn’t working, life in the RV will be mighty unpleasant.
On a happier note, the Oxygenics shower head arrived yesterday, and I installed it. No biggie. Just a screw-on operation. Yes, the water pressure is stronger, but there’s no shut-off valve like there is on our old lame-o shower head. I think I can pick one up at Home Depot, though. Yippee. Another trip to the Big Orange Box. I’m getting tired of that place.
