Draining holding tanks
by Brian Johanan
on Draining your holding tanks is usually one of the last things accomplished before leaving a campsite. Our campers that are available for guests to rent have three holding tanks.
A freshwater tank ensures water safe for consumption is available without a water supply. The holding tank will have a water pump located inside to push water to all the different plumbing ends.
Gray/Grey tank will hold all water coming from a sink or shower. Depending on the size of your unit, you may have more than one grey holding tanks.
Everyone’s favorite holding tank is black water. Blackwater tanks will hold all human waste.
On our travels, we will share with you some tricks of the trade we have learned.
- Do not leave the handles open while connected to sewer service. Wait until you have 2/3 of a tank full or leaving the campsite. Gravity is your friend while emptying the tanks.
- Empty your black tank first, then your grey tank. Greywater will be cleaner than what is flowing through your black tank. Use your greywater to flush out the tube connecting your camper or RV to the sewer drain.
The camper in this video is our 2021 Coleman Lantern 17B. It does not have an external valve for flushing the black tank. Some camping units or recreational vehicles do have an external valve for flushing. You connect a water hose at the dumping station to rinse the black tank after draining. If you do not have an external valve, you will continue to put clean water into the black tank by holding the handle for the toilet open after dumping.