Fleetwood American Eagle 2006 Owner's Manual page 79

Plumbing Systems and Holding Tanks
Draining the Holding Tanks
The holding tanks terminate in a valve arrange-
ment that permits draining each tank separately.
The valves are called knife valves. A blade closes
the opening in the sewer drain pipes. The blade is
connected to a T-handle and cable assembly
mounted in the utility compartment. Pull the T-
handle to release the contents of the tank(s).
During self-containment use, the sewer line is
securely capped to prevent leakage of waste
material onto the ground or pavement.
Do not
pull the holding tank knife valve open when
the protective cap is installed on the pipe.
Always drain the tank into an acceptable sewer
inlet or dump station.
Drain the holding tanks only when they are at least
%-full. If necessary, fill the tanks with water to %-
full. This provides sufficient water to allow com-
plete flushing of waste material into the sewer line.
Whenever possible, drain the holding tanks before
traveling. Waste water and sewage in the holding
tanks reduce the carrying capacity of the motor
home. See the
Motor Home Loading
chapter.
During extended or semi-permanent hookups to
sewage systems, waste materials will build up in
the tank and cause serious plugging if the tank
valves are continuously open. In these cases,
keep the valves closed until the tanks are %-full,
and then drain into the sewage system.
The holding tank drain valve outlet is to be used
with a removable termination fitting that locks
onto the outlet with a clockwise twist. Clamp the
sewer drain hose to this fitting. A protective cap
should remain in place when you are not drain-
ing the tanks.
A.
WARNING
Holding tanks are enclosed sewer systems and as
such must be drained into an approved dump station.
Both black and gray water holding tanks must be
drained and thoroughly rinsed regularly to prevent
accumulation of harmful or toxic materials.
v"1
NOTE
1
Local or state regulations may prohibit highway travel
unless the holding tank outlet is securely capped.
To drain the holding tanks:
1. Attach the sewer hose to the holding tank
outlet. Insert the end of the hose into the
sewer or dump station inlet, pushing it firmly
far enough into the opening to be secure. In
some cases, adapters may be necessary or
required between the line and the inlet.
Arrange the sewer hose so it slopes evenly.
2. Drain the black water holding tank first.
Grasp the handle of the black water knife
valve (the large one) firmly and slide the
valve open with a quick, steady pull.
3. Allow enough time for the tank to drain
completely. Rinse and flush the tank
through the toilet. When the tank is empty,
push the handle in to close the valve. Run
enough water (up to five gallons or so) into
the tank to cover the bottom. This will aid
the break up of solid wastes, and reduce
"pyramiding" of waste material.
4. To drain the gray water tank, repeat the steps
above using the small knife valve. This tank
is drained last to aid in flushing the outlets
and hose. The gray water knife valve may be
left open in a semi-permanent hookup.
5. See the tank flush system instructions in
the next section if your recreational vehicle
is so equipped.
6. Remove the sewer hose and cap the outlet.
7. Rinse out the sewer hose with fresh water
and remove the sewer hose from the dump
station.
8. Replace sewer or dump station covers.
A
CAUTION
The sewer drain valve must be open when using the
black tank flush inlet.
07-5