Can't find Calgon powder

Tried the Geo Method and Calgon when we first started RVing. Went to the watera nd flush method. Works for us just as well and my sensors always work. Dump a little Thetford with 2-3 gallons of water after last rinse and before heading home. We still when heading home and NO issues or smell while in storage.

I always found the powder at WM.

I can only find the liquid Calgon water softener not the powder. How much liquid = a cup of powder?

Thanks, Ron

FrankShore wrote:
Google Is Your Friend

Frank at the Laguna shore - you're blowing smoke!.:R

Do you ever go to a brick and motor store - like a market?..

Well aware that Calgon *powder* has been available via whatever on-line retail service you like (Amazon, etc.).....

However, if I just need a (as in "one") box of Calgon powder......*where* in LAGUNA BEACH (or other local environs) in Orange County (CA) can you walk into a store and buy a box of Calgon powder??.:@

For sure not at:
Ralphs, Stater Brothers, Vons Pavilions, Albertsons, Wally, Target, etc.

But they do have liquid Calgon..;)

~

Well,I'm not a chemist,and I don't stay in HOLIDAY INNS :) so I can only surmise that you have a super strong concentrate mixed like that-something that you won't have in a black tank once you add 3-5 gallons of water and a cup of detergent .
We have friends that steadfastly refuse to add ANYTHING to their tanks and rely on plenty of water and flushing after dumping.
So......if it works for you,why change?
Good Luck, Mike

popeye

I also use the Geo method, and have for ~10 years on all of our MH's with great results. I use liquid Calgon in both black and gray tanks, and use a bit of detergent in the black tank, although I'm not religious about that. I have never actually seen the crystals in the tank, but the rigid mass in the bottles I prepared made me nervous. The detergent may indeed prevent that?

Thus the addition of 1 cup detergent .
You have to look at the whole picture not focus on a perceived negative.
This system is all that had ever been used in our 1990 Cub Hybrid tanks and the couple that bought it this spring said they were going to continue it.
No build up that was detectable and the sensors still work after 24 years of hard use.
Good Luck, Mike

Here's a bit more information about Calgon and 20 Mule Team Borax (Previously posted):

Super Washing Soda, White King & 20 Mule Team Borax: Precipitating water conditioners, they bind the minerals in the wash water but minterals can redeposit if not rinsed out really well. Can cause minerals to build up on fabric and the inside of your washer. They can also be irritating to skin if not rinsed very well.

Calgon: Calgon is a non-precipitating water conditioner and binds the minerals into a solution that does not redeposit on clothing or the inside of the washer. It must be added to both the wash water and the rinse water for highest effectiveness. It is more gentle to clothing and skin. It is also more expensive to use.

I pre-mixed White King powder in water bottles, when liquid Calgon was not available, to add to my holding tanks. The powder solidified into solid crystals that completely filled the bottles and could not be removed. I did not want that mixture in my holding tanks.

drillagent wrote:
Will they work like ice while they dissolve to break up the solids?

No, they don't work like ice. A recent post shed a lot of skepticism on the ice method.

Plain water and 3 days is your best best for dissolving solids, but it seems to be a hard sell around here.

... we were told NOT to use a lot of detergent since detergent or soap will develope a film that will make your tank sensors useless, ...

The GEO method specifically calls for the original Dawn..

Ok, so I've read multiple places that using Calgon powder water softener helps clean the black tank. But I can't find Calgon powder. All Walmart has is the liquid. Will that work? How about water softener pellets? Will they work like ice while they dissolve to break up the solids?

Adding water softener does NOT break up waste solids in a holding tank. Nor will it control odors. All it will do is soften your "waste water" and foul your sensors. :R

Using detergents like Dawn that are concentrated in a holding tank in a moving RV, FOAM up, which will render your gauges DOA.

Holding tank chemicals that have been used for eons in Marine and RV holding tanks are sold for a reason. Control odor, actually break down waste to eliminate any clogs that can and do happen when gravity dumping thru a 4 inch pipe. Just saying. mystical mystery treatments found on the internet for holding tanks are just that!