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I have a black tank about 2/3 full of toilet paper from this past weekend when I should have told people not to put it in the toilet. Today, I flushed the tank, poked at it with a stick through the toilet to try to break it up, flushed some more, etc. I can now use it because some of it did flush out. (I have one of those flushing systems for black water tanks that I hook a hose to on the outside of my vehicle while leaving the black water valve open and the sewer hose stuck into the dump station. It sprays the inside of the tank pretty well.)

I know I need to not let it dry out, but it was 100% full and I had to get the level down a bit so there was enough space for me to use it today and tonight. I added about a cup of the blue liquid "Full timers" because it did say on the bottle it would help dissolve TP. I also put in as much water as I dared and will add more tomorrow morning before I leave.

I am driving about 250 miles tomorrow, so I am hoping the motion will stir things up a bit and help the process. I figure when I get to my new campground tomorrow night, I will dump and use my sanitary system flush again.

Any suggestions on what else I could add? (And yes, next time, I will warn my guests more strongly and ask them to toss paper in the wastebasket.)

I would think that putting water and driving that far should break it up pretty good. The next time you have that many people staying with you I would bite the bullet and unhooked mid visit and go to the dump station. Oh, and make them help.

Martha

I have heard some of the gals on here suggest putting a bunch of ice cubes in the tank just before driving and they will loosen everything up in there as you drive. Might be worth a try!

Thanks. I did dump halfway through, but the toilet paper did not have time to dissolve and sat there in the tank.

I hate to tell people not to toss it in the toilet, but I guess I will have to do that next time. I think my son and daughter-in-law know the problem now. I discovered it just before they left and had to tell her no more TP.

I hope my two little granddaughters did not drop anything down there, but they usually barely bother with toilet paper at all! But they are getting to the age (3 and barely 5) where they sometimes close the door and want "privacy" although that often means they are up to no good!

Hopefully the sloshing will help. And by the way, do you know how hard it is to get ice cubes these days? It all seems to be this crushed stuff and in small pieces.

Judy, I'd be inclined to add some hot water down there -- maybe your dish water. If you can do that and then take a drive somewhere to swish things around it might help. I'm wondering if a honey wagon might be able to help get stuff sucked out, too. If those all aren't options, you might see if there's some sort of dissolver that you can add. I remember getting something once for a friend's tank, where the paper was stuck in a kind of elbow (lousy plumbing!). It worked! But I don't remember what it's called. I'm sure if you Google it you'll come up with something ...

Good luck!

Laura

I'm wondering what kind of toilet paper you use. It should be dissolved. Especially if they were flushing with enough water. But it's a matter of time with the water ... sounds like they overuse toilet paper, no matter what kind. I put tp down my toilet when I'm hooked up to full hookups most of the time - but if I do, I make sure I use more water. I do admit I'm getting more used to just using my tp garbage (separate from regular garbage can) most of the time though, just cuz I do spend so much time without those hookups. And yes, your guests can be taught to do things differently.

Good luck getting it all dissolved. Time and lots of water will do it ... sorry you're having this mess to deal with.

I can tell a nasty tale about some folks putting paper towels down a friends 5th wheel toilet and getting it completely clogged. Then friend was trying to unclog it and the hose (open) from the rv to sewer burst all over him. So, yes, things could be worse.

Hopefully after you drive today and then use the tank backwash, the rest will come out. Otherwise just repeat the process until it does. When my dd and gdd came to Alaska for 3 weeks with Grandma last summer, I had no problem explaining how the RV system works, and part of making the tanks last longer and easier to empty was putting all paper into the bathroom trash (A covered trash can lined with plastic bag). The trash got emptied daily or right away if it was really "messy." They had no problem with that, and the gdd probably thought it a novelty.

I don't worry what kind of tp I buy, because it doesn't go in the tank.

I use a TP designed for septic systems, right now the Scott's single ply, and I just don't have that kind of problem. And when I have to really take care of business, I may use a little more TP than normal. And all my TP goes into the tank. The secret is water. It's a balancing act since I have such small tanks.

Liz wrote:I don't worry what kind of tp I buy, because it doesn't go in the tank.

..
I "treat" myself to that mighty fine Charmin Ultra Soft stuff in the Mobile Marlin since it doesn't go in the tank.
My friends who camp with me are given the NOTHING IN THE TOILET THAT DIDN'T PASS THROUGH YOUR BODY speech right away.

That Charmin is far more plush than what I use at the house (septic system and heavy clay soil...)

I've heard that the Charmin Extra Thick/Soft/Cushy is quite bad on septic systems.
I don't know first hand, but I'm not going to chance it.

ON EDIT: That's what I use at the house - Scott's single ply
..

Agreeing with Maggie here; I use Scott for old
small septic system at ranch and find that it is
better than some RV paper for traveling too.
That said very little
goes into my 10 gal black tank.

Wasn't it Sharon who said you could use a lot of different brands of TP but to test them first by putting a few sheets in a glass of water and see how fast and how much they dissolved. So test your fav brand and see if they would work just as well as Scott.

Redetotry wrote:Wasn't it Sharon who said you could use a lot of different brands of TP but to test them first by putting a few sheets in a glass of water and see how fast and how much they dissolved. So test your fav brand and see if they would work just as well as Scott.

Several of us have said that over the years. And it's definitely the truth. Some of the rv specific brands are worse than some stores generic brands. But basically, if going in the tank, you need one of the best - Scott is one - and single ply is (in all tests I've seen) better than double. But I did see a double ply beat out an rv specific one.

You know, I don't really pay attention to type/brand of TP I use in the trailer. I think that's because I'm really careful to put LOTS of water into the black tank -- not just when flushing, but adding dish water too. I don't use a "slinky" hose, either. A good friend introduced me to the "Sewer Solution" and it's so easy it's stupid. It might be a little water-intensive, but the principle is that everything is macerated by using high-pressure water -- including TP. There are no mechanical/electric parts like many macerators, just water. Another nice thing about it is that I can leave my gray tank open all the time when camped and then just dump the black when I'm ready to leave. The water jet takes care of everything, and I don't have to worry about a gross hose when I'm done. AND they're really, really sturdy -- don't have to worry about splitting or pinhole leaks. I still carry a slinky-type hose for those times I have to use a central sewer, but much, much prefer my Sewer Solution.

Laura

Would putting some Rid-X in the tank help break down the paper?

dpf wrote:Would putting some Rid-X in the tank help break down the paper?

From the Rid-X website:
RID-X® has not been tested on recreational vehicles (RVs). therefore we cannot recommend using it in RVs.