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Having a bathroom in your RV is a very convenient feature that makes things easy when nature calls. However, it also comes with the responsibility of providing adequate care to the bathroom.
To ensure your RV bathroom remains in good condition, you might wonder if it is ideal to keep water in your RV toilet. Continue reading this article to find out the correct answer to this and other questions related to the hygiene of your RV toilet.
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Should You Keep Water In RV Toilet?
Yes, it is important to always keep water in your RV toilet except when you’re driving. The presence of water in your van’s toilet will help suppress any foul odor that might be coming from the black water tank.
Consistently keeping water in your van’s toilet will also make sure your toilet bowl remains clean and will conserve your water supply.
Is It Important To Have Water In Your RV Toilet?
Proper use and maintenance are required once you have a toilet in your RV. when these are properly done, you will be able to make use of the toilet conveniently without having to deal with any messy situations.
One of the maintenance practices that have to be regularly done is the provision of water in your van’s toilet bowl. The only moment you can keep water out of your toilet bowl is when you take the van for a drive to prevent the water from spilling all over the van.
There are numerous reasons why you should always keep water in your van’s toilet and the important reasons include:
1. It Repels Odor
RV toilets are designed differently from the ones used at homes. They did not have a direct connection to a sewage system and are structured to direct waste into the black water tank.
The black water tank is built to store the waste that comes from your van’s toilet and will have to be emptied personally by visiting the dumping station. When your van’s toilet is not properly used, foul odors will start coming out from the black water tank and your bathroom will smell so bad.
The presence of water in your van’s toilet bowl will suppress the foul smell coming out from the black water tank. This will make sure your van doesn’t smell bad as the odor has been blocked.
2. Keeps Your Toilet Bowl Clean
When your van’s toilet bowl is filled with water before being used, this will prevent solid waste from getting stuck in the bowl.
You will be able to flush the toilet easily without any waste remnants which will make your toilet bowl clean after being used.
3. Conserve Water
When your toilet is not correctly flushed and you have some waste remnants stuck in the toilet bowl, you will be required to use additional water to flush the toilet once again.
Keeping some water in your toilet bowl will act like a lubricant and prevent waste from getting stuck in the bowl which will help in conserving water in your van.
How To Keep Water In Your RV Toilet
Unlike the home toilet where the toilet bowl gets automatically filled with water, this process has to be manually done in your Rv. to add water to the van’s toilet, all you have to do is cautiously press down the flush pedal and make sure the pressure is minimal which will only open the valve just enough to provide the lower part of the toilet bowl with water.
It is also important to make sure the RV toilet seal is functioning correctly to effectively hold the water at the base of the bowl. When this is properly done regularly, you will not be disturbed by any bad odor in your van and you will be able to easily flush your toilet and keep the white bowl clean.
Can You Pour Boiling Water Down Into Your RV Toilet?
Yes, it is possible to pour boiling water into your van’s toilet when the toilet gets clogged which will prevent the toilet from getting flushed properly. You will also experience difficulty in opening and closing the valve and the bathroom might eventually get flooded which is a bad situation for your van.
To unclog your van’s toilet, you can boil water in a couple of pots and flush the water down the toilet valve when the water gets hot. You have to make sure the water is boiling when you pour it to make it effective and it is also advisable to be cautious when handling hot water.
When the hot water has been poured into the valve, you should leave it and let it be for a couple of hours or you can leave the toilet and let the water sit overnight. To make the hot water more effective, you can also take the van for a little drive which will help in shaking the hot water in the toilet.
When the hot water moves from the toilet valve to the black water tank, the hot water will dissolve anything that has been obstructing the toilet and your toilet will work perfectly once again. The hot water method is highly effective for clogged toilets.
How Long Should Black Water Stay In Your RV Tank?
The duration of times when you have to empty your black water tank will be determined by different factors including the size of the black water tank, the number of people using the van, and how properly you conserve the space in the black water tank.
Can You Use Bleach In Your RV Black Water Tank?
Yes, you can. It is important to always clean and sanitizes your RV’s black water tank after emptying the waste. This will help to prevent bacteria build-up and keep the tank away from bad odor.
Bleach is one of the perfect disinfectants that can be used for the job thanks to its effectiveness in getting rid of viruses and bacteria. However, it is advisable to be cautious when making use of bleach and make sure it is diluted with water.
The recommended amount of bleach that should be used is ¼ cup bleach which should be added to a gallon of water. This portion will be enough to clean and disinfect your tank without causing any damage to your van’s plumbing system.
How Can You Disinfect Your Black Water Tank With Bleach?
To disinfect your black water tank, you will have to make sure the black water tank has been properly cleaned after disposing of its waste. To make sure you are protected, it is advisable to put on gloves and a face mask
The disinfection has to be done when the tank remains coupled to the sewer hookup but makes sure the drain valve has been closed. Once this has been done, put the bleach portion inside your van’s toilet and let it be for up to ten minutes when you can now open the valve which will allow you to drain the bleach portion.
When the bleach gets drained, you will have to thoroughly rinse the toilet with clean water until the water from the valve gets cleared.
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Conclusion
Ensuring you keep water in your van’s toilet is one of the most important maintenance that is required by an RV owner.
It makes the toilet cleaning task much easier and prevents the presence of any foul odor in your van.