RV Tank Guy
RV Tank Problems?
I Fix Them!
Fast, clean, professional RV tank cleaning and clog solutions from black tanks to struvite nightmares.
(806) 202-4736 call or text
[email protected]
About me
My name is Barry. I had been vacationing in remote Colorado for a few weeks and all of a sudden, I encountered my first "poop pyramid" in the black tank.I soon discovered that most plumbers refuse to work on RV plumbing. Also, when in the middle of nowhere, any tools I were about to need were not available to buy or rent, and most of the other campers in the local parks could only give some really sketchy and questionable advice. I was on my own!It was at that moment, I discovered a need for this type of service. When I looked online for any services in the area, I found none. Not only that, there was no one within 300 miles of my hometown that I could find either. This is when the seed was planted to become a service provider.During my research, I ran across a few companies that provided training and support if I were willing to pay a rather hefty fee to join their networks, which I was actually willing and able to do. As it turned out, it seems that there was not much interest on their part in spending a lot of time developing my area as they could only see "working men" in campers here and not many recreational RVers here. Well guess what???? Working people staying away from their homes in RV parks all around need this service too.With this lack of enthusiasm, I could only imagine how much help and support my fees were going to purchase, so I decided to proceed without them.Therefore, any support from you would be greatly appreciated and would be considered a win-win situation for both of us.
If your RV tanks aren't clean, your trip won't be either. Book now.
Black Tank Cleaning
The black holding tanks are usually the tanks that get the worst rap. While they are definitely gross and NO ONE wants to deal with the problems that arise here, they are really not all that bad as long as they are properly maintained.
The problems obviously start with the smells. The odors can be quite rank after things sit in this tank for a few days, especially if it is warm outside.When I started RVing in late 1999, the salesman didn't really want to spend much time on tank care. He just said to dump it when it was full, there is the hose and there is the valve. Good luck!So, I spent the next several years just dumping and dumping. It's not really the thing people like to discuss around a peaceful campfire while away from all the things at home.Then, in my next camper we found a tank rinser. This was supposed to be cleaning the tanks with some kind of sprayer in the tank, or so I thought. Turns out, while it does spray some, it is still only at the same pressure of the local water supply. Also, it can't quite get the corners and far sides of the tank where the sensors are normally located. It is of course better than nothing, but why did I have my poop pyramid problem? There must be more.....Hydro-jetting!!!!! Finally a solution that covered everything. Water under a fine high pressure spray of up to 1500 psi which is over 10 times the pressure of what the manufacturer provided tank rinser puts out. It is enough to spray over 6 feet and reach the darkest corners of any RV tank. When combined with the volume flow and a backflush system, you can achieve an almost factory fresh reset of your tank health. (However, I still wouldn't drink it!)The benefits are of course a healthy tank, odors eliminated, most tank sensors working again, but most importantly, peace of mind!
Black tank clog? Don't risk an overflow — I’ve got you covered.
Grey Tank Cleaning
These are usually considered the little brother tanks to the black tanks. After all, it's just shower water, dish water, and clothes washer, right? Well, sort of...While that is all that is supposed to be in there, it can be pretty unpleasant. SMELLY TOO! Shower rinse water also contains lots of soap, hair particles, skin particles, and other things. Dish water also has food, grease, soap, hair, rotting food particles and lots of other stuff. Washing machine rinse water also has soap and anything thing else that could have gotten on the clothes.To make things worse, a lot of people actually leave their dump valves open which is one of the absolute worst things they can do. Dawn dishwashing soap will dry out the seals if no water is left in the tanks, leading to premature failure. The internal environment is perfect to grow mold and also to allow any food particles and grease to rot. You really want that stuff out of there, and dumping only full tanks goes a long way toward fixing this, but falls short of a good hydro-jetting once every couple of years or so.Another thing is that open valves allow for sewer bugs to get back up inside your RV!As bad as the black tanks are, most usually the smells in an RV are actually coming from the grey tanks. It can really be quite stomach turning.Again, Hydro-jetting is a really good way to clean these tanks too. It will almost always get your sensors to working again.
Grey tank smells and drains slow? Let's fix that before it ruins your weekend.
Water Heater Rinse
Water heaters never want to be left out and need attention too. Two things to maintain here are the rinsing and the anode rod.Water usually has an amount of calcium dissolved in it. These are the same deposits that get on faucets, shower doors/curtains, and spots on your car. As the water is evaporated or heated, the calcium is left behind creating these deposits. These deposits are often times loosened and break free to fall into the bottom of your heater tank. These need to periodically be flushed out.The anode rod is a "sacrificial" rod. They are softer and easier for the water to attack than the rest of your tank, thereby offering a layer of protection. These rods should be inspected about every 6 months and replaced of necessary. They are available at most home repair stores and all over the internet at a pretty small cost compared to replacing the heater itself.
Mineral buildup kills heaters — rinse it out before it costs you.
Clogged Tank Lines
Clogged lines are no fun at all!! A lot of the times, the line is not actually clogged, but a pyramid has formed directly under the outlet of the toilet. Can you say "poop pyramid" without holding your nose and gagging?This usually happens due to a lack of water. While all sewer parts are supposed to be slanted downward toward the drain, some are not, some are perfect, and some are slanted too much. In a house, this goes into a large pipe. Where an RV differs is that the tank is not a round pipe, but more of a flat bottom on a slant.This condition creates the opportunity for the water to literally wash *around" the solids rather than to push them out. This will eventually cause a solids buildup directly under the toilet outlet in the tank and stop it up. This is the famous poop pyramid that happened to me.I have never seen a tank rinser with enough pressure and directed spray strong enough to get rid of these once they form.
Hydro-jetting and backflushing are a really good one-two punch solution to remedy this. Unfortunately, there is an upcharge for these, so do not wait to get one before you call.
Tank clogged? Don't risk an overflow — I’ve got you covered.
Sensors Not Working
Tank sensors can lead to a false sense of security. Most of us who have been RVing for any length of time realized very early on that these are completely unreliable after the first few trips. There is usually nothing wrong with them except they get caked up in environments that are nasty to begin with. Pretty poor design, but maybe the best the manufacturers can do?Anyway, a good cleaning is almost always what they need to start working again. But just like a cement slab in Texas is guaranteed to crack, these freshly cleaned sensors are almost guaranteed to fail again. Over the years, I have come to understand that a working sensor's value in not necessarily in determining a fluid level in the tank, but more of an overall indicator of your tank health.Keeping your tank valves closed and filling it until full before dumping are the best things you can do on your own. Having your tanks hydro-jetted annually if you use your RV a lot, or every 2-3 years will assist keeping things flowing well.
Don’t trust a blinking light — trust clean, working sensors. Book now!
Struvite Buildup
Struvite stones are similar to kidney stones in humans that are formed from magnesium ammonium phosphate. In your body, these stones can lead to significant health issues if left untreated. Your holding tanks are no different.These deposits form on the insides of your black water tanks. They are hard. Removing them is difficult. Simple rinse and dump solutions will not remove them. It can build up taking up precious volume in your black tank. It can also break loose clogging up your piping. They will eventually clog up your whole line much like plaque in an artery.Hydro-jetting is about the only thing that will work short of replacing your tank, which can cost a pretty penny. It's not something you really want to tackle on your vacation.
Ignoring struvite? That’s a clog bomb waiting to go off. I’ll take care of it.