Fixing the sewer

Of all the things on a camper, what would you expect to fail for first timers on their first cross country venture?

The sewage tank of course. They call it the black water tank. It is that.

The gauge inside the camper insisted the tank was three-quarters full, even though I had emptied it at a previous campsite, just before I left. It could not have been full, but I thought I would empty it here, just to prove the faulty gauge wrong.

So, after the I connected the drain hose and opened the valve, I heard the familiar whoosh, then nothing. The hose was full, and I wrestled to drain it. Nothing. No more would drain and I strongly suspected now that the tank was still three-quarters full.

Bob, the manager of the Palm Beach Traveler Park, was more than willing to assist after I went begging for help. He fiddled and tugged valve handles, and ultimately suggested that I would have to crawl under the trailer, dismantle the bottom and check to see if the valve was actually opening. I will admit here that I thought he was definitely wrong. Why would that valve not be working?

The gauge could be broken already, he offered, and I had a pang to just ignore this and move on. Then I thought that if the gauge was correct I would be in for a big surprise on some back highway.

A call back home to the dealer drew advice agreeing with Bob's. I would have to crawl under the trailer and dismantle something I have never even seen from the bottom before. Lucky for me I bought a socket set before I left home, and had a battery operated drill in my complement of tools.

I could see the vale after removing only a part of the bottom. I had Bernie tug on the handle. It was working perfectly. So the bottom went back on after I lost only just a little blood.

Now Bob suggested that we stick a hose down the toilet to flush the tank. I admit I trusted Bob's advice much, much more now, but . . . down the toilet?

"Are you serious," I asked.

"To flush the tank," he emphasized, seriously.

"Flush the tank," I mumbled incredulously, quietly, secretly hoping some guy would just appear and say, "I'll flush the tank. I love doing that."

He didn't appear.

"How do you flush this tank," Bob asked.

Then it hit me with a flash. This trailer is equipped with a flush connection on the outside of the trailer over there near the drain valves. You normally use the flusher after emptying, and since I hadn't emptied, I hadn't used the flush connection.

Bob and I huddled around the connection and the tank valve, and in three minutes or so after connecting a hose to the connection, we flushed the tank and it emptied. Whatever was plugging it I did't want to know about it.

I was very happy, and I was going to offer Bob a handshake, but I didn't figure that it would be sanitary.

After washing quite throughly, Bernie and I went to her brother's place, where a glass of wine was waiting.

Bless Bob of the Palm Beach Traveler Park.