We have been waiting for this storm to hit since late last night and so far we have been lucky. Just watched the forecast though and the storm is covering about two states so we will get hit before 9:00pm tonight. It hit 82f here today so we turned on the front AC to cool things off a bit. We’re so used to it being cold and having to run the furnace!
I woke up to a toilet no longer holding water in the bowl, hey, why not right? For those of you with queasy stomachs skip to the last paragraph. I broke out my disposable sewer hose gloves and opened the ball valve and what do I see, well, what looked like a VERY full black tank. I checked out the panel and it says 2/3 full, like it did earlier in the morning. So I go dump the gray and then black tank and check the panel and both show as empty. I open the ball valve again and it still looks full, great. I have nothing to stick in there to try and free everything up so I grab a stick and free everything up, I think. I added some chemical to clean the tank and dissolve the paper that should have dissolved near instantly.
I grab a handful of the tp and add water to it and sure enough, it falls apart. So where did this non-dissolving stuff come from? My first guess, the various shops the rig has been in over the past few months since our last camping trip, I really don’t know. On to the problem of the water not holding in the bowl, I put on the disposable gloves and “feel around” and tried to shape the gasket so the ball valve will create a seal again and it works, for about 6 hours after which I had to do it again.
I guess after 12 years this gasket has had it so I need to research how to replace the gasket and I’ll do that when I get the time. Other than the black tank issue though it was a very quiet windy day. Lots of branches hitting the roof. So tonight we will watch some bad TV on RTV “Retro TV” and relax.
Tomorrow I promised to help the owners of the campground set up their kayaks and canoes before we head back home. Unless it’s storming of course, if it is I’m guessing they won’t be taking them out until the weather clears.
We took a long walk yesterday and we’ll be posting details and pictures soon, here is a tidbit, we found a snowmobile partially up a tree and abandoned.
10 comments:
Hope the storm you encounter is nothing like the tornado we endured while we were at the Sun N Fun Air Show in Lakeland, Florida. It was intense and are very grateful we are all okay...no harm done to us...only our work tent...no damage on our home.
Now we are traveling up to Cincinnati, Ohio and we are not looking forward to this "major" storm in our path.
BTW...we did skip that paragraph of the yucky detailed.
Sounds like an interesting day Erik, to say the least! It's been very windy here too. Garbage blowing around everywhere. I heard that it's supposed to storm tonight.
Now you need to get all these kinks worked out so the next trip will be more relaxing!
Love Di ♥
Stu turns our water off and uses petroleum jelly around the valve and seal to help it keep the water. Ours is only 3 years old but will need replacing soon, too.
When we picked up our Lazy Daze they said twice a year to turn off the water and spray the ball valve with Pledge and work it back and forth a few times...about like the petroleum jelly fix. Might be too late for your current valve but could try it when you get the new one in. Hope the storm is not too bad.
I noticed you said you dumped the gray and then the black tank. Husb always empties the black water first followed by the gray water to wash out the sewer hose. When we get ready to leave an area, we dissolve 20 Mule Team Borax in water, dump it in the tanks & dump a bag of ice in the toilet to clean the tanks' sensors as we drive down the road -- just a couple of tidbits for you. Be safe!
Erik have you tried applying a liberal amount of petroleum jelly to the seal to act as a stop gap until you replace the seal?
Ditto on the black first then grey. Also, do you make sure to have at least 2/3 of the black tank full before dumping each time? If you don't, that could be where the 'accumulation' is coming from. :)
I always dump black first, however in this instance I had no intention of dumping black until it was 3/4 full. Unfortunately I saw the level in the toilet itself while the sensor was laying 2/3 full too late.
Since I had already dumped the gray it was too late to go in order. ;) The gray tank is once again near full so I'll have plenty to flush the hose with when we leave today, I should have been more clear when I posted.
I agree on the petroleum jelly, but the CG store doesn't have any so I'm going to give it a try when we get the rig home tonight.
Hope you don't have problems with the storm.
I hate cleanning the toilet, let alone trying to fix it! YUCK is all I can say!!
Kevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
The fun we have with these rolling homes!! During our first trip out my parents traveled with us...four in a 30 ft 5th wheel. The toilet would not flush...tried lots of things and people in the park tried lots of suggestions. But the final result was a new toilet. And using the park bathroom till then!! Seems everyday is a new experience!
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