Dropped Item in Black Tank

[sdunn4]

I inadvertently dropped a plastic “Aqua-Kem” bottle cap into our 2015 SS Agile Roadtrek black holding tank while flushing and draining after a recent trip. The cap floats but repeated filling and draining of the tank does not surface the cap. I tried our DEPSTECH-View snake camera to try and find it but no luck. I don’t want to get the cap lodged in the black tank outlet or damage the macerator pump. I really don’t want to remove the pump and get into the tank discharge if I can avoid it. Any ideas to solve this problem? Is there a clean out port on the black tank prior to the shutoff gate valve? It’s pretty tight quarters underneath the van so I would need to find a way to lift it.

Thanks for any and all ideas!

Steve

[mkguitar]

in my van the toilet is easily removed which allows access to the tank from above


I had to replace a seal a few year ago it was not a tough job and allowed for a real thorough cleaning



if you think it could be lodged down below, is there a way to push water back up your macerator hose to push the cap back into the tank ?


mike

[sdunn4]

Thanks for the reply! I actually have a plan to resolve things. I realize now there’s a good sized clean out plug on the suction of the macerator pump between the gray and black tank isolation gate valves. See picture attached. Hopefully a little flushing and dumping will solve my problem! I’ll let you know how it works.

Steve

[hbn7hj]

Tapping on the tank with a hammer will bounce the cap around till it bounces down to the opening. Lifting the rear end helps. I used that to remove a dropped toilet hold down bolt. Life gets tough when we are stupid!

[sdunn4]

Thanks- good information! We were successful in dumping the black tank and retrieving our bottle screw-on cap; it was the final thing to drop out, just as the water we filled with was subsiding. Now that I know the clean out is there I feel better about any dropped items in the future.

I do feel kind of dumb though- could have just slid under the van and looked before posting….

Thanks for the feedback.

Steve

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by sdunn4

I do feel kind of dumb though- could have just slid under the van and looked before posting….

Not at all. We all get a little panicked when something like that occurs that can ruin a trip. But if necessity is the mother of invention, then motivation is it's second cousin. You were motivated to check underneath and know have a greater knowledge of your sewer system that you might not otherwise have if not for a bottle cap.