Operation Black Friday Black Tank Poopsicle Thaw

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Sadly, that was NOT a typo!

Last winter was my first winter with CeeCee, my 32 foot motorhome. John and I had owned a travel trailer for a few years prior to purchasing CeeCee and I had learned how to winterize it myself. Last winter, I waited until the last minute, black and gray tanks had been emptied, but I stood outside in 16 degree weather with sleet pounding on my face as I tried to unscrew the cap to release the water from the water heater tank. Then, I had to run to the local RV store three times to buy the adaptors that I needed to be able to winterize the lines myself before the temperatures dropped into the single digits. CeeCee was eight years old, and must have been taken in to a facility to be winterized each year because otherwise, the adaptors I needed would have been there. This past spring, when I filled the tanks and ran water for the first time, I stood like a nervous teenager on prom night… hoping that there would be no leaks. There weren’t.

I promised myself that this winter would be different. And it has been! Different, but NOT better!

This year, I didn’t wait for the temperatures to drop so low before emptying the water heater and running antifreeze through my lines. It felt balmy to be doing it at 27 degrees with a gentle snow falling! But I had neglected to dump the black tank. I have an arctic package on CeeCee, which means that she has tank heaters. This means that I can turn on heating pads to keep the lovely contents of the black tank and gray tank from freezing. It does not, however, keep any liquids in the drainage pipe that runs from the tanks to the sewer station on CeeCee from freezing. That 10 foot length of pipe is exposed to the elements. We had used the water in late October for my daughter’s weekend birthday get-away. I had checked the temperatures and according to the extended forecast, the black tank would be fine to dump after using CeeCee for my family Thanksgiving on November 17th, just like I did last year. Except, it wasn’t.

So, when I went to the state park to dump for the final time, in early November, I had to use a hair dryer to thaw the release valves, I pulled the first of two valves and waited to hear the common “shwoosh” sound of the contents of the black tank gushing towards the drainage cap. I listened, but all I heard was a slow, “glug……..glug….glug.” Not good. When I pulled the final valve, the

contents should have come flowing out through the sewer hose and into the dump, but….well….. there was nothing. Not even a drip. Nothing. I stared at it and felt the fear of what may be happening in the pit of my stomach. That night was expected to get down to single digits and I knew that anything that had slowly glugged into the drainage pipe was now stuck there to freeze into a solid poopsicle, even with the tank heaters running. And the pressure of the poopsicle could burst the drainage pipe, but I would have no way of knowing if this had happened until it would thaw out.

I live in Northern Wisconsin. Spring thaw isn’t scheduled until April or May. I cannot have CeeCee plugged into the outlet of my garage with the extension cord running across the area we need to plow all winter. I have a trip to Texas planned over Christmas, but with a keen eye on the daily maps showing high temperatures of the day… I have a plan for today!

I call today’s mission Operation Black Tank Black Friday: Poopsicle Thaw!

In the southern part of the state it is expected to get into the upper 40s today! Well above freezing! And, the

low overnight is also expected to stay above freezing. Therefore, on this Black Friday, I will be driving south in CeeCee, doing a little Black Friday shopping while the black tank drainage pipe thaws. If it doesn’t thaw before nightfall, I will stay overnight in a truck stop and try again in the morning.

I have a 24 hour window people… wish me luck!

If you would like to go RVing, here’s Everything You Need To Know!