How does an rv toilet work?

So you're just about to buy your first rv and you're wondering how their toilets work. Well, they work by siphoning your waste into the black tank. The black tank is just a big holding container that has a lid to seal in odors and prevent the spread of bacteria. You'll want to look for a model with an indicator that tells you when it's nearing full capacity so you can dump it out before it overflows.

One thing that really stand out with an rv toilet is the fact that it can be flushed several times. Because it's going to be used by a number of people each day, you'll want to make sure that the flushing system is as strong and durable as possible. When you flush your rv toilet, this is what happens. The black tank hooks up with the bowl through a pipe that contains an open valve. When you hit the pedal under your feet to flush, the water then flows from the tank into the bowl, creating a siphon. Some water remains in the bottom of the bowl to prevent any odor emanating from it. The tube that allows for this flushing action is surrounded by macerating blades that chop up solids and send them through a pipe where they're deposited into your black tank.

What is an rv black tank?

If you're an rv owner, there's a good chance that you've installed and use your black tank system already. A black or holding tank is part of the sewer waste system in your rv, and it is where all of the waste product from flushing goes until it is collected by a city sewage system or emptied manually.

If your rv does not have a black tank, that simply means that you're using your rv's grey tank as a holding place for waste. But to keep your grey tank from filling up too fast and putting strain on your rv's waste discharge system, you'll have to empty it out at a city sewage pump-out station (if available) or when the tank is just about full.

How do you clean an rv's black tank?

It is usually an easy job to clean an rv's black tank. First, you should close all the valves and then open the black tank valve. Next, you need to flush the toilet several times until it is empty of waste.

There are some other ways to esure that your rv's black water tank is clean. Sometimes there might be buildup on the tank's walls. In this case, you can use a stiff brush or an abrasive cleaning agent to remove the debris from the walls of your tank. You could also take some trash bags and place them on the black tank's floor. Then fill up that black tank with a hose using fresh water. Remember not to use any soap in the hot water tank system. Try to shake the tank around with the water and the trash bags in it.

How to empty your black water tank?

Emptying your black water tank is pretty straightforward. You just go to a designated dumping station, open the rv's holding tank lid, and pour the contents into it. If that wasn't simple enough, follow these steps.

1. Go to a designated dumping station in your area.
2. Locate your rv's holding tank lid and tip your black water tank to an angle to help gravity do its job into the dumps station. You'll know if this is happening because water will start spilling out from somewhere near the bottom of your black waste tank.
3. After all the waste have been emptied into the dump station, add clean potable water to the black water tank and repeat what you did earlier. This will ensure that you get all the solid waste with the extra clean water.
4. Next, make sure that your holding tank is closed and secure to your rv before leaving.
5. Clean up any spills you might have made. Wouldn't you be mad if the person before you left spills around for you to walk in?

Can you use regular toilet paper in an rv?

The idea of using regular toilet paper in an rv is a bad one, for many reasons. Regular toilet paper has too much cellulose in it and does not dissolve easily which means you'll have to manually remove it from the rv's holding tank. A roll of toilet paper is usually about 1,000 sheets, which when multiplied by 0.5 grams per sheet comes out to 500 grams. This ultimately means that your rv's sewer system will have to carry 500 grams of extra weight for each roll in the form of non-dissolving tissue. The good news is that there are toilet papers designed specifically for rv systems, such as Charmin's RV Toilet Tissue.

What about the different types of rv toilets?

You have the option of choosing what type of rv toilet you have depending on the type of rv you have. The different types of rv toilets are:

• The cassette toilet: this is the most common type of rv toilets and it consists of a black water tank where all the waste is stored. It is small and self-contained.
• Vacuum flush toilet: This rv toilet type is also self contained and it uses a vacuum to flush the waste to the holding tank.
• The third type of rv toilets is the composting toilet. The composting toilet is very popular as it is fully self-contained and is usually used by people who like to boondock.
• Porta Potti Toilet: This is a very popular type of rv toilet. It does not need any hookups whatsoever and it is very lightweight. The porta potti toilet consists of a portable holding tank with an opening at the top for individuals to sit on.

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped understand all you nbeeded to know about an rv toilet and also help you make the right choice for your RV toilet paper. Knowing as much as you can about your rv toilet is essential in keeping it running like it should.