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A Beginner's Guide To Cleaning An RV's Gray Water Tank

May. 18 2021 Maintenance By Pete's RV Center Indiana

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An important RV maintenance task is cleaning the gray water tank. This tank contains washing water from the bathroom sink, kitchen sink, and shower, which should be washed out every two weeks and when you come home after a vacation.

We've gathered up the key steps to cleaning out your RV's gray water tank below. If you have questions or want to shop campers for sale near New England, visit Pete's RV Center Indiana. We are based in Schererville, Indiana, and also serve those in Indianapolis as well as Champaign and Decatur, Illinois.

Gather The Cleaning Supplies

Make sure you pick cleaning supplies that are made with an RV gray water tank in mind. Otherwise, you may not get an effective clean or could even cause damage to the camper. Check the owner's manual for cleaning supplies suggestions.

You will also need:

  • A hose that fits with the camper's gray water tank.
  • Rubber gloves to keep your hands clean.
  • Something weighted to keep the hose from moving around too much, such as a rock or brick.

Remove The Water Inside The Tank

Start by clearing out any existing water. You will need to:

  • Park the camper close to a dump station's disposal tank.
  • Make sure the hose reaches the disposal tank and has about five inches of slack.
  • Take off the cap from the RV's outlet port.
  • Hook up the hose to the gray water tank's relief valve.
  • Connect the hose to the dump station's disposal tank input. You may need to place the weighted object on the hose to keep it from moving too much.
  • Open the relief valve.

This should get the water flowing out of the tank.

Flush The Gray Water Tank

While the water is gone, there can still be microbes or food pieces remaining inside the tank. These can cause some unpleasant smells if not removed.

Some campers come with a flushing filter, which will do this process for you. Otherwise, you will need to do it manually. Here, you will run the bathroom sink taps, shower, and kitchen sink taps at full blast. If the tank is exceptionally dirty, you may want to pour a bit of cleaner into the drains.

Clean The Gray Water Tank

Double check that the relief valve is closed, then add cleaner. To get the cleaning product evenly dispersed, take the camper out for a drive. Try to tackle plenty of turns and hit a few hills to get the cleaner best distributed. When you return from the short drive, empty the gray water tank and do a final flush with fresh water.

Want more cleaning advice? Ready to shop campers for sale near New England? The experts at Pete's RV Center Indiana are here to help. Contact us or stop by our dealership in Schererville, Indiana. We also proudly serve those in Champaign and Decatur, Illinois, as well as Indianapolis, Indiana.