Flushing your black water tank is one of the worst parts of owning an RV or motorhome. This process is gross and tiresome for any recreational vehicle owner. Unfortunately, it would be best to flush the black water tank to stay hygienic.
No matter what you do, flushing your black water tank will be an unpleasant experience. However, you can minimize your issues by following several tips during your flushing session.
Please continue reading to learn about Forest River Blackwater tank flush and how it’s done. In addition, we will give you several tips for flushing your black water tank so that you don’t have as many mishaps as you could otherwise.
What is Black Water?
When you own an RV, black water refers to the wastewater that drains from your RV’s toilet. So, black water consists mostly of human waste. Your Blackwater tank plays a crucial role on the road so that you don’t have to visit rest stops every time you need to use the bathroom.
The Frequency You Should Dump RV Waste
Even though dumping out your Blackwater tank is gross, it’s essential to owning an RV. The frequency at which you dump your black water tank depends on how many people use your RV and how fast your tank fills up.
For most people, you’ll need to flush your black water tank every month.
Even if your black water tank doesn’t fill up within a month, it would be best to flush it to stay hygienic. Otherwise, all your human waste will sit in your RV and make it stink. It’s not safe to be around human waste that often.
Refusing to flush your black water tank once a month can also make you feel sick. If you have guests over while you travel, they will be repulsed by the smell of your RV. Eventually, the smell of your black water will waft throughout the entire vehicle.
Forest River Black Water Tank Flush
Now that you understand the importance of your wastewater tank, it’s time to discuss how you should flush it. Our tips will make this process easier for you than it would be otherwise.
When you follow these guidelines, you don’t have to worry about black water spilling out during the emptying process.
Keep Your Valve Open While You Dump Blackwater
Most modern RVs require you to keep the valve open while dumping black water to ensure it flushes out. Otherwise, your RV will have a suction that won’t allow black water to empty it from the receptacle.
However, if you own an older Forest River RV, you may need an air pump to get the black water out.
To determine which method works for your Forest River RV, it would be best to check the manual before emptying your tank. If a valve is available for you to open, this is a sign that the first method would work best in your situation.
Use Your Gray Water
Despite the names being similar, Blackwater and greywater are entirely different things. Your black water tank refers to the waste you flush from your toilet, while your grey water tank talks about the wasted water from your sink.
This water also usually has plenty of soap from washing your hands or dishes.
The easiest way to flush your black water tank would be to use the water from your grey water tank. This water is already sudsy and can be an efficient way to flush your black water tank without using up all the available water you have.
Clean Your Forest River Toilet
Before you flush your Forest River Blackwater tank, you should clean your toilet. Your toilet could have plenty of waste you need to eliminate during flushing.
If you don’t clean your toilet before flushing your RV’s black water tank, you can still notice a gross smell wafting around your vehicle.
Ensure All Connections Are Secure
The scariest part of dumping your Forest River black water tank is potentially getting some of the black water on you during the process.
The best way to avoid this problem is to ensure that you would secure both hoses before dumping. If your hoses are loose, you should tighten them, so you don’t have to worry about any leakage.
To play things safe, you may also want to wear a set of clothing that you use for this task. You don’t want to get black water on nice clothes. You should only dump your black water while wearing clothes that you’re not afraid to get filthy.
Check Valve Before Driving Away
You’ll need to open your RV black water valve before flushing your Forest River tank. You’ll also need to close your valve before driving away.
People make this most common mistake when dumping at their black water tank because they’re anxious to get away from the area.
How Important is Flushing Your Forest River Black Water Tank?
You must flush your Forest River black water tank if you want to keep yourself hygienic and healthy. While most parts of RV ownership seem glamorous, this is one of the ugly tasks you’ll have to handle.
If you feel like this task will make you too queasy, you can hire someone to dump the Blackwater tank on your behalf.
However, it would be much more financially sound to dump the black water tank independently. Even though this task is gross, it’s easy and quick.
Final Thoughts
Before you dump your Forest River black water tank, you’ll want to ensure that you keep your grey water reservoir. Using your grey water tank to flush out your system is the easiest way to keep yourself hygienic and keep your RV smelling fantastic.
You should flush your Forest River black water tank once a month to ensure that you keep everything clean.
It would be best to flush your system instead of just dumping the black water so that you can clean out your tank and make your RV smell better. If you don’t flush your system entirely, you can still smell your black water tank after dumping the contents.
