Black water tank additives QUESTION

We have used this combination in our Black tank for years. A mix of Calgon bath soap and Tide clothes detergent about a cup of each. When we had our T/T.That kept the gunk off the sensors and kept the tank clean. We now use a product called "Happy Camper" in our 5'er, Its a very good product, and doesn't harm the enviroment. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!! .

I never add anything but a fair amount of water. Nothing will be in my tanks for very long anyway. It is not like your septic system at home where enzymes are needed to break down the solids. If it makes you feel better, drop a five dollar bill in there every so often.
....and I got that bit of advise from this site! ;)

healthier and cheaper???????? IS SOMEBODY drinking out of your black tank?
bumpy

X2 on the Geo Method for routine maintenance. Happy Campers Holding Tank Treatment for more serious problems. Using lots of water is the key.

Reality is it's all marketing. Probiotics and other additives are just money makers that do nothing.

Every time you sit down, you are adding a dose of "probiotics" along with the nutrients they love.

Go to a commercial waste treatment plant and ask. They don't add probiotics or anything else. It will break down on it's own. Same thing if you have a septic tank system at home. Adding magic powders doesn't do anything.

That said, 2-3 days on a weekend trip...you will be draining the tanks long before it can break down (with or without probiotics). Even at a week, the breakdown won't do much.

Biggest thing you can do is use plenty of water with the solids deposits and make sure the tank gets at least 3/4 full before dumping (run extra water before pulling into the dump station if needed). That ensures enough water so that the solids are carried out with the liquid.

If the solids are sitting in a pile under the toilet pipe in 1/2" of water, when you open the valve the solids stay right where they are. Done repetitively, the top of the pile will dry out and eventually can reach high enough to block the toilet outlet pipe.

lovemy5thwheel wrote:
I would think that it would be healthier and cheaper than buying black tank additives

When actively being used, you don't need to put anything in there....except maybe something to keep the odor under control.

You don't WANT stuff to start actively "breaking down" because that produces a lot of unpleasant gasses. Leave the breakdown for AFTER you dump it.

And.....mixing products may negate the positive benefit of some of them. In particular, mixing a probiotic product with detergents for example.

Leave the home-made chemical cocktails for after dumping when the tank is mostly empty and won't be used for a while.

A holding tank is NOT a waste treatment plant and it isn't a septic tank. So comparisons to those systems is not even relevant. A holding tank is just that - a holding tank. If you've got no smell problems, just continue using a lot of water with each flush. If you've got some smell problems, then there are many products you can use. It isn't rocket science and it isn't a big deal.

And despite what is said above, commercial waste treatment plants often add chemicals to sewage to precipitate out the phosphorous (tertiary treatment) that is present in sewage and isn't removed through the aerobic biological process.

lovemy5thwheel wrote:
Question: If probiotics are good in the holding tank and some of the RV stuff has them in them, can we just add our over the counter probiotics that we take to our holding tank? If so how much would you add. I was thinking of Dawn, Water Softner and Probiotics. I would think that it would be healthier and cheaper than buying black tank additives

I think the pith of your question is, would it be helpful to add the probiotic capsules that you already take, directly to your black tank. To which I would reply, you are already adding those probiotics every time you use the toilet. It would be silly to drop capsules into the black tank, in my opinion. Either way you add them, directly or post digestion, they are not going to do a thing for your black tank.

All you really need is plenty of water. We use the pillows you drop in, simply because they are cheap, easy, and simple. I'm not sure there is much benefit, but I am sure they don't hurt anything. Geo method and the like is no better. How could they be better, when there isn't a problem to solve? And I don't need the complexity or mess of several liquids. Drain the tank, close the valve, open the toilet and run some water, and drop a pillow. Done.

I believe the absolute best maintenance you can do to your black tank is to drive with some contents. Try draining your black tank when you arrive at your next destination, instead of just before you leave the previous. It's called agitation! And it liquefies the contents better than any additive. Even better than tank rinsers.

I have been using WATER only lately even with the temps over 100. I start with I am guessing 3 gallons or so water. I dump tank and flush twice every Sunday. No different odor compared to using treatment of several different types.