Possibility of fresh water contamination? ..after a toilet 'explosion'?

[michemoo]

Hi, I am new here.. also new to the RV life.. I dove in head first and living full time in an Imagine 3250BH in our backyard while we renovate our house (which is completely gutted so we rely 100% on our trailer)

We have learned a lot in our first 6 weeks, this last week realized we were not properly maintaining our black tank (rinsing every time and just started using a tank cleaning solution a couple weeks ago, also dont think we were using enough water to waste ratio).. it seems this week we had the dreaded poo pyramid.. while my husband was out of town for the week.

I did loads of research and decided to purchase the Unique Septic System Digester, added it to the tank Thursday, and also increased water ratio. I minimized our toilet usage and waited until Saturday to try my next attempt at emptying the black tank - it worked! was so happy to see the brown water flowing out !! As it started to trickle, I then started the rinse, let it go for 20 minutes.. all seemed to be working.

I then emptied each of our grey tanks. afterwhich I decided to do the black water rinse again, since we hadnt been doing it as often as we now realized we should - and are going to be out of town for a week - wanted to get it as clean as possible before leaving it in the triple digit summer heat of sacramento. But after about 5 minutes there still was not water coming out .. though the water seemed to be going in fine thru the flush valve. Suddenly I heard water gushing from the roof of the trailer, so I turned off the rinse immediately.

Figured I should go check the bathroom to make sure it wasnt coming out the toilet.. and as I did, it exploded water (wasnt clear water) straight up out of the toilet all over me and all over the bathroom.. 3 hours later after cleaning and showering myself with the garden hose that is on our spigot in our yard.. I was traumatized and exhausted.

I have 2 questions:

1 - is there any way that the black water could have contaminated our fresh water? seems the pressure pushed water and smells out into our kitchen sink, and shower drain maybe? I am airing on the side of safe and not using the fresh water.. my husband (still out of town) thinks I am over-reacting and that there is no way our fresh water is contaminated. Any seasoned pros out there have opinion or experience to share?

2 - why did the toilet explode in my face like a fire hydrant? and how do I ensure that NEVER EVER happens again?


Thanks in advance,

Overly Traumatized Rookie RV Mom

 

[NB Canada]

Your fresh is safe. Has nothing to do with the waste system
You overfilled the tank. Don’t do that

Always leave the black valve open when rinsing or get a gauge to measure how much water you put in
I add 25 gallon of water each rinse then dump


2021 Imagine 2400 BH
2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew

 

[michemoo]

thank you for the quick response.

I had the black valve open when rinsing, but water started coming out from roof (presume the black tank vent) versus the dump line.. which had me thinking that maybe the clog I cleared somehow clogged again when I stopped the initial dump+rinse, and then started the rinse again.

Perhaps I dont yet fully understand the rinsing, if black valve is open and rinse is on, shouldnt water come out the dump line into sewer hookup? vs the roof and toilet?

 

[michemoo]

when you add the 25 gallons of water with each rinse -- you use a water meter? does the water flow out the whole time or does it build up and then flow, regardless of black valve being open?

 

[alias100]

I am guessing that the "water" volcano happened when you stepped on the flush pedal of the toilet. That opened the valve at the bottom of the toilet and the "water" came flying up because you had been adding water to a closed tank by hooking up a hose to the Black Tank Flush inlet, building up the pressure in the tank. The "water" was going up the vent drain to the roof, but when you stepped on the flush pedal the "water" found an easier exit from the tank. Hope that makes sense.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

First off. You're not the first (and not the last) to have the waterfall of poo from the roof. It's but fun, but mistakes happen. RVing is a different life. It's part of the experience.

I will say, make sure you get up on the roof and wash the roof and RV off.

To help your questions...

1 - is there any way that the black water could have contaminated our fresh water? seems the pressure pushed water and smells out into our kitchen sink, and shower drain maybe? I am airing on the side of safe and not using the fresh water.. my husband (still out of town) thinks I am over-reacting and that there is no way our fresh water is contaminated. Any seasoned pros out there have opinion or experience to share?

No. But it's not hard to sanitize the fresh water system if you want a little peace of mind.

2 - why did the toilet explode in my face like a fire hydrant? and how do I ensure that NEVER EVER happens again?

I would guess your drain was clogged so what happened is that you pressurized your black tank, but the vent pipe was providing a way out. When you opened the toilet valve, that pressure found a easier way out, as disgusting as it was.

I would suggest getting a flow meter for when you are flushing. This way you can monitor the amount of water going into the tank and catch something like this early. You would have known there was more water going in, than coming out. Cheap investment and really is worth it. I use one for filling up the fresh tanks, too.

Full-time Traveling Family ,'21 Momentum 395MS-R, '21 F450 King, 2000watts solar, Dual Victron MP-II 12/3000 2 x 120v, DIY 15kwh LiFePo4 battery with Daly BMS

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

Hi, I am new here.. also new to the RV life.. I dove in head first and living full time in an Imagine 3250BH in our backyard while we renovate our house (which is completely gutted so we rely 100% on our trailer)

We have learned a lot in our first 6 weeks, this last week realized we were not properly maintaining our black tank (rinsing every time and just started using a tank cleaning solution a couple weeks ago, also dont think we were using enough water to waste ratio).. it seems this week we had the dreaded poo pyramid.. while my husband was out of town for the week.

I did loads of research and decided to purchase the Unique Septic System Digester, added it to the tank Thursday, and also increased water ratio. I minimized our toilet usage and waited until Saturday to try my next attempt at emptying the black tank - it worked! was so happy to see the brown water flowing out !! As it started to trickle, I then started the rinse, let it go for 20 minutes.. all seemed to be working.

I then emptied each of our grey tanks. afterwhich I decided to do the black water rinse again, since we hadnt been doing it as often as we now realized we should - and are going to be out of town for a week - wanted to get it as clean as possible before leaving it in the triple digit summer heat of sacramento. But after about 5 minutes there still was not water coming out .. though the water seemed to be going in fine thru the flush valve. Suddenly I heard water gushing from the roof of the trailer, so I turned off the rinse immediately.

Figured I should go check the bathroom to make sure it wasnt coming out the toilet.. and as I did, it exploded water (wasnt clear water) straight up out of the toilet all over me and all over the bathroom.. 3 hours later after cleaning and showering myself with the garden hose that is on our spigot in our yard.. I was traumatized and exhausted.

I have 2 questions:

1 - is there any way that the black water could have contaminated our fresh water? seems the pressure pushed water and smells out into our kitchen sink, and shower drain maybe? I am airing on the side of safe and not using the fresh water.. my husband (still out of town) thinks I am over-reacting and that there is no way our fresh water is contaminated. Any seasoned pros out there have opinion or experience to share?

2 - why did the toilet explode in my face like a fire hydrant? and how do I ensure that NEVER EVER happens again?


Thanks in advance,

Overly Traumatized Rookie RV Mom

I'm sorry that you had the misfortune to experience the "exploding toilet". You are not the first, and you won't be the last. As was stated above, either the black tank valvue was closed (most likely scenario) or the black tank exit was blocked.

The first thing I do when I'm flushing the tank is to make doubly sure that the valve is open. Once the flood of black water starts to slow down, without closing the valve, I turn on the flush and let about 10 gallons in via the flush input (as a side note, make sure that you are not using your fresh water hose to connect to the flush port on the Natilus panel. I've never heard of it happening, but it is remotely possible to contaminate the fresh water hose that way).

My next step is to CLOSE the black tank valve and continue to add water to the black tank via the flush valve, until I have 5 gallons of water in the tank, then I open the valve again, turn off the water and let it drain. If it's still not clear, I will close the valve, add another 5-10 gallons, and open the valve again. I continue this process until the water coming out of the black tank is clear.

I use this to measure the amount of water I add to the tank: 2 Pack - P3 P0550 Water Meter | Measure Watering Use in Gallons or Liters |Fits Standard Garden Hose https://a.co/d/abPmUzM.

I follow the adage of two is one and one is none, for critical items (and this I view as a critical item).

If you are abolutely sure the black valve is open, then you have a blockage at the black tank exit. This might be a little harder to resolve. Get help for this part...

Make sure the black tank valve is closed and get a 5 gallon bucket and fit it under the dump port with the cap of the dump port off and no sewer hose connected. Next, open the black valve and see if anything comes out. If it "dribbles" out, then you probably have a blockage. If nothing comes out, the cable MAY have become detached from the valve. (To fix this, you will have to drop the underbelly coroplast and check.)

If you are getting a trickle of black water coming out, the is the fun part, NOT. I recommend using a hand powered plumbing snake so as not to damage the plumbing and SLOWLY work it up the black outlet. As soon as you have more than a little trickle, pull the snake out and have your helper close the valve. Hook up the sewer hose again amd open the valve and see if the tank begins to empty. Once you have the tank empty, add approximately 5 gallons of water to the tank and see if that flows out. Next would be to get a "toilet wand" and, going through the valve in the toilet, spraying the black tank all around. You are going to have to continue doing this until adding 10 gallons of water to the black tank, flows out the full width of the sewer hose.

To monitor the dump progress, I also recommend a 45° clear elbow like this one: Camco RhinoFLEX Clear 45 Degree RV Sewer Hose Swivel Fitting- Allows You to See When Tank is Empty, Odor Protection; Durable and Secure Connection (39847) https://a.co/d/cOeZJAn.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, ask the forum and many of us will offer type-written help and advice.

Best of luck to you!

 

[WhittleBurner]

I'm sorry this happened to you, but had to laugh (you will too one day) because we had a simular explosion a few years ago under different circumstance caused by park employees who had no business playing with our water manifold at the outside connection. It added up to many hours cleaning.

Also be aware there may be a vent behind the toilet depending on your floorplan that could let some of the stuff drip down (remember that old saying sh** goes downhill) to the coroplast that may need cleaning as well.