How to Unclog an RV Toilet
When I bought my new (to me) Winnegabo Travato, I had a few bathroom issues, including the dreaded clogged RV toilet. Let me tell you. It was not pretty. It was pretty nasty.
I did a lot of research online, talked to my fellow RV owners and tried a lot of things that did not work to unclog my RV toilet. But finally found the one thing that did.
Where your RV toilet clog is and what is causing it will determine how to unclog it. I’ll outline what ultimately worked for me—after many failed attempts. I’ll show you what didn’t work for me, but might for you, if your clog is not the same as mine was. And I’ll also tell you how to prevent RV toilet clogs in the first place.
This is What I Did to Unclog My RV Toilet
The clog in my toilet was caused by toilet paper and human waste. (My own, thankfully.) What I discovered is that the waste system in the Travato is different than the one in my old RV Squeaky.
Squeaky is a 2000 American Cruiser Class B RV. Squeaky is unique because the grey and black tanks are combined. While this means that I have to be more conscious of my waste and dump more often, it also means that I did not have to worry so much about adding toilet paper to the tank or using lots and lots of water after number two.
The other difference between Squeaky and the Travato is that Squeaky had a drain pipe that dropped straight into the waste tank. The Travato has a slight bend in the pipe. This bend is where my clog happened. It was just about a foot from toilet bowl.
How I Unclogged my RV Toilet
Before I tell you all the things that did not work, here’s what did. I could tell where the clog was and what was causing it—toilet paper and waste. I knew that I just needed to push it through the spot where it was lodged, but how? If I was in my home I would have used a snake or a plunger. I was advised not to use either of these in my RV plumbing because they could destroy the pipe connections, which are not as strong as the ones in our homes.
I thought maybe I could get a flexible stick from the forest to push the waste through, but was worried it would break off inside and then I would be stuck with a much worse problem.
What I did, what eventually worked to unclog my toilet was I used a small section of a water hose.
Here’s How: First I shut off the water. I needed to open the toilet valve to fit the hose in. I did it holding the flush pedal with my foot, but there is also a tool to hold your RV toilet open.
I was able to gently push the clog through into the holding tank. I did not attach it to the water spigot because it was too far away for this short hose. Plus the shut off handle was far away and I didn’t want water flowing into my RV bathroom if things didn’t go as planned.
It was definitely a nasty job and not one I would want to repeat, but it worked. And I was so relieved to have free flowing tanks. This is the hose I used to do the job: (Which promptly went in the garbage!)
Basically what I did was add a small amount of water to the bowl and gently pushed on the clog with this hose until came free. I had on gloves and protective eyewear and thankfully I did. The trickiest part was removing the hose gingerly from the toilet. I tried my best to be sanitary about the process, but afterward cleaned my whole bathroom head to toe with a bleach solution.
If you have a clog similar to mine, where you know exactly where and what is causing the issue, this might be a method to try. Just remember to not push too hard, to not force things, as you may cause damage to your RV pipes. You certainly don’t want that.
What Else Would Work to Unclog my RV Toilet?
In my research about how to unclog my toilet, I discovered this Camco RV Swivel Stik. I am sure this would have done the job, and probably better than the hose length that I used. The only issue was, I didn’t have a Swivel Stik with me. I was in a remote location and the nearest Camping World was two hours away and I couldn’t get Amazon packages delivered to me.
I’d highly recommend getting one of these and having it on hand. I’ve since ordered one and use it frequently to clean out my RV waste holding tanks and my sewer pipes. Basically it is the same idea as the hose, only better. You attach it to a water source and insert it into your toilet pipes. The water sprays around in a circle, cleaning out all the debris and stuck toilet paper in your pipes and tank. You can turn the water on and off right at the handle. This will even clean the dreaded poop pyramid.
Other Ways to Unclog Your RV Toilet
These are some other things I tried that did not work in my particular instance, but may work for you, if it’s not as bad as mine.
Boiling Water
I heated a pot of water to near boiling, then poured it into the toilet bowl. The idea is, the force of the hot water can break up clogs. I tried this several times. As my block was not 100%, some water did seep down each day. (Yes, it took me several days before I got unclogged.) But it did not unclog. This is a good and easy first step to try. A word of caution: let the water cool a bit before trying this. I’d hate to see you melt parts of your toilet or pipes.
Tank Rinse
My Travato came with a black tank rinse system to flush out the holding tank. You simply attach a hose to this intake valve and run water through it. Note: Always use a different hose for any black water flushing than you use for your drinking water.
The tank rise is a great idea, but my clog was just below the toilet and above the area where the rinse reached. It didn’t help with this particular clog, but I do rinse the tank every 2-3 black tank flushes to keep the holding tank clean.
Dish Soap and Hot Water
I’d heard from some of my fellow RVers that using Dawn dish soap was a great way to clean tanks. Add a generous amount of dish soap (liquid, not solid) to the toilet bowl, followed by hot water. Let it sit for a while, and then attempt to flush. I even drove around a bit with the soapy mix, hoping it would help lubricate and break down the clog. Mine was too stubborn for this method, but again, it might work if your clog is not as bad as mine was.
Chemical RV Toilet Cleaners
I am a big fan of Happy Campers toilet treatment and regularly use it to maintain the health of my black tank. Happy Campers is great for toilet and black tank maintenance, but did not dislodge the clog.
There are RV-specific chemical cleaners available that can help dissolve clogs. I tried three different ones, recommended by my fellow RV camp hosts. I even let them sit over night. None of them did the job.
- I tried Liquify
- Camco TXT Max
- And Happy Campers
While all of these are great products for maintaining your black water tank and for digesting waste in your holding tank, they were not strong enough to clear the blockage I had created by using too much toilet paper.
Snake
The thing that did ultimately unclog my RV toilet essentially worked like a snake. A traditional household snake is usually made of flexible steel. I would not recommend putting a steel snake down your RV toilet, as it might damage your sensitive RV plumbing. But you can use something that is long and flexible, like the old hose that I used or the Camco Swivel Stick.
Suction Method
In my research when my tank was clogged I found this YouTube video where they create suction in the sewer hose and force it into the black tank. That did not work for me either. But, hey. It might work for you. (This can be harder to do as a solo traveler, as you need to hold the sewer hose up, while closing the grey tank and then opening the black tank.)
Hire a Professional
If none of the above methods work, it might be time to bring in a professional. Many mobile RV techs can help with a job like this. Or you can hire someone who specializes in RV black tanks like Royal Flush RV.
What I Do Not Recommend to Unclog Your RV Toilet
Drano: Could I have used Drano to clean my tanks? No. A chemical like Drano is too harsh for the plumbing inside my RV. I do not recommend using traditional home chemical clog removers in your RV. Avoid any cleaner that has hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, as these can damage porcelain, plastic and any other kind of pipe.
Plunger: I’ve seen mixed reviews about whether or not it is safe, or even effective, to use a plunger in an RV septic system. I decided to be cautious and forego the plunger because I didn’t want the build of pressure to cause the pipes to separate at the joints.
Conversely, I’ve also read that you cannot even build up pressure for a plunger to work in an RV toilet because of the design of RV septic systems. So a plunger might not even work at all or it might destroy your pipes. For this reason, I do not recommend a plunger to unclog your RV toilet.
Remember to always wear gloves and protective eye covering when dealing with a plumbing clog in your RV—no matter which end you tackle it from.
How to Prevent an RV Clog in the First Place
What caused my clog? Simply, too much toilet paper and not enough water. As I mentioned before, in my previous RV, my black and grey tank were combined, so I didn’t have to pay as much attention to how much paper I used or water I flushed. The grey water from the bathroom and kitchen sinks all made their way into the combined tank. Water is the number one thing that will keep your RV tank from clogging.
What causes RV toilets to clog?
The three main factors that cause RV toilets to clog are: not using enough water when you flush, using too much toilet paper and not using the right kind of toilet paper.
Use the Right Kind of Toilet Paper
For years I bragged that I just used regular Scott’s septic safe toilet paper in my RV. and I still stand by Scott’s. When my clog happened, I’d run out of Scott’s and bought a cheaper store brand TP. I am not sure if this caused the clog, but it probably contributed to it. For many weeks after the clog incident, I only used expensive RV specific TP . Now I am back to Scott’s. I am not convinced that you need RV specific toilet paper.
I would not recommend using any of the thick, soft toilet paper brands. Probably any toilet paper marked as “septic safe,” will be fine.
Use Plenty of Water
When flushing your RV toilet, be sure to use lots of water. Over at The RV Geeks they recommend using between ¾ to one gallon of water each time you flush solids. As I was trying to conserve water, I definitely wasn’t using that much per flush. Keep this in mind if you’re going to be camping off-grid or without access to water refills or tank dumps.
Don’t Flush Paper Down Your RV Toilet
When I told my fellow campground hosts, all of them much more experienced RVers than me about my stinky situation, over and over I was met with, “We never flush paper down the drain.” “You put paper down your RV tank? Stop.”
Frankly, I was surprised. Here I’d been RVing and using my toilet for five years, always using toilet paper and never having an issue with the tissue. But I followed their advice and put a small waste can in my RV bathroom and stopped flushing TP. I empty the garbage daily and it keeps the smells out of my RV.
Maintain RV Tanks
It’s also important to maintain your RV black tanks by regularly flushing out the tank and using good RV toilet chemicals. Read my article about the top RV Toilet chemicals here.
Of course all this advice is for a regular flushing RV toilet with a black tank. If you have a cassette toilet or composting toilet, you won’t have these issues.
Conclusion
My unfortunate RV clog set me on a learning journey I didn’t know I needed to go on. But now I consider myself somewhat of an expert in all things black and grey tank.
Don’t let an unexpected RV toilet clog put a damper on your journey. Toilet clogs are actually quite common, even if they’re not commonly talked about around the campfire. (Thank God!)
Remember that prevention is often the best course of action. Stay on top of your holding tank maintenance and you can minimize the risk of clogs during your travels. And if you do encounter a clog, you now know what does and does not work.
