How to Clean a Class C Motorhome Toilet Tank

A Class C motor home rests on a cutaway truck or van chassis with the cab still attached. The body of the recreational vehicle extends over the cab, which makes a Class C easy to recognize. These differences from a Class A motor home notwithstanding, Class C and A models are a lot alike. They feature slide-outs, wood cabinetry and on-board fresh and gray water---as well as black water or toilet tanks---that may be cleaned by the vehicle's owner. Learning how to clean a Class C motor home toilet tank is easy and requires only a limited set of tools.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Garden hose Sewer hose Rinse wand Sewer chemicals
Garden hose
Sewer hose
Rinse wand
Sewer chemicals

Step 1

Verify that the toilet tank drain valve is closed and hook up the garden hose to a water spigot. Insert the hose into the open toilet and fill the toilet tank with water until you reach two-thirds of its holding capacity. Turn off the water. This ensures proper liquefaction of human waste and toilet tissues, and it prevents solid buildups that might clog the drain valve.

Step 2

Attach the sewer hose to the toilet tank drain valve. You do not need tools, since the connector simply clicks or screws into place. Connect the other end of the sewer hose to the black water drainage pipe of the dump station. In some cases, this is little more than a hole in which you place the open end of the sewer hose. Make sure it is inserted sufficiently deep to avoid spillage.

Step 3

Open the toilet tank drain valve. The liquefied waste now drains out of the toilet tank via the sewer hose.

Step 4

Attach a rinse wand to the garden hose. As the toilet tank's contents are draining, insert the rinse wand into the black water tank via the open toilet. Turn on the water and direct the concentrated spray from the wand to the sides of the toilet tank's interior. Spray it down until you do not see any waste clinging to the tank's interior. When you are finished, turn off the water, remove the rinse wand from the toilet, and disconnect it from the garden hose.

Step 5

Close the black water drain valve. Now that your Class C motor home toilet tank is free of human waste, you need to avoid future solids from building up. Insert the garden hose into the toilet, turn on the water and fill up the toilet tank until its bottom is covered with water. Turn off the water and remove the garden hose from the toilet.

Step 6

Add sewer tank chemicals. These chemicals aid in waste liquefaction and also provide some deodorization.

Step 7

Clean the sewer hose. If you empty your gray water tank after the toilet tank, your sewer hose will get a good flushing that removes any human waste that might have gotten stuck. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to rinse out the sewer hose with fresh water from the garden hose, to avoid any bacterial buildup and subsequent smells.

Tips & Warnings

Dedicate one garden hose for toilet tank flushing duty and use another hose for washing the rig, watering plants or any other uses. This avoids bacterial contamination from any fecal material with which the toilet hose came in contact.

You may be tempted to deal with a smelly toilet tank by dumping a bottle of bleach down the toilet. This is a bad idea, because the bleach may---over time---affect the rubber seals that keep the drain valve securely closed.

Resources

Article Written By Sylvia Cochran

Based in the Los Angeles area, Sylvia Cochran is a seasoned freelance writer focusing on home and garden, travel and parenting articles. Her work has appeared in "Families Online Magazine" and assorted print and Internet publications.

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