Black Water Holding Tank Holds Only 11 Gallons

I just measured the number of gallons of water my black water tank holds. Mine only held 11 gallons to fill it to the bottom of the toilet bowl. I thought it held 15 gallons. Any advice or comments on my missing 4 gallons?

Thanks,

Keith

[scrubjaysnest]

I don't know what you have but the Electro Magic only holds 6 gallons. The Curve is about the same.

[B_and_D]

You shouldn't be filling your toilet that full. It holds approximately 6 gallons. I read somewhere that it can damage the pump motor to overfill it.

I think you’re thinking I have a different toilet. I’m in a 2011 elkmont with a flush toilet that has a 15 gallon back water tank. Thanks for the help though.

[Bailey'sMom]

Originally Posted by kingzinko

I think you’re thinking I have a different toilet. I’m in a 2011 elkmont with a flush toilet that has a 15 gallon back water tank. Thanks for the help though.

Given that there are so few Elkmont postings, it might make sense to include a reference to "Elkmont" somewhere in your post.

I know you posted it under the Elkmont section, but I suspect most of us just click on new posts to refresh our list, and therefore don't really pay attention to what section of the forum it was posted to. I know I wondered myself when I first read it last night, and only after reading your post just now, I actually looked to see the file path name and saw you did post in Elkmont section.

[B_and_D]

It would also help if you put in your signature line the model of TM you have and the year.

[scrubjaysnest]

Now that we know what you have the previous owner may have been one those who kept the dumps open when using full hook ups. This can result in a big pile (pun intended)of solids remaining in the tank. It may require one of the wands that are used to clean out the tank.

An old RV trick for loosening solids in a black tank, if that is the issue, is to add a few gallons of water and a good squirt of blue Dawn dish liquid to the tank. Don't overfill the tank; you want it to slosh around. Take the trailer for a good drive, or do this before each driving leg on a trip. When you arrive at your next stop, dump the tank and then flush with buckets of water dumped into the toilet bowl. Repeat until the fluids exiting the tank are clear, or nearly so.

Some RVers say add a couple of bags of ice before the driving leg to act as an abrasive. Never tried that. Dawn and a good slosh works well.

It is important to use a clear waste hose connector at the drain. It's the only way to tell if your flushing attempts are successful; you need to be able to see. The bucket method is also better than flushing the toilet. Buckets hold two to five gallons of water, depending on what you have, and can be dumped into the toilet bowl faster than a flush. It will help break up solids and toilet paper, the latter often being the bigger problem.

Thanks for the advice. Ill try cleaning my tank with ice and dawn when I take it out next time.