Vinegar or Baking soda

Happy Camper or RV Digest they have enzymes that eats up everything inside your black tank. These 2 products are very good at cleaning your tank sensors!

Ditto on Happy Camper! The best I have ever used in all 5 of my motorhomes and 3 trailers! 46 years on the road!

TechWriter wrote:

RVChippys wrote:
Has anyone ever used white vinegar or baking soda to clean out the grey and/or black tanks?

Nope, mainly because vinegar, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide won't sanitize, but bleach will. Read this.

At room temperature only bleach will sanitize. Plus, you only need a 50ppm bleach solution (1/4 cup per 15 gal of holding tank capacity).

To sanitize like bleach but using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, you'd have to heat the liquid to 130 degrees F and use full-strength solutions -- that's 15 gal vinegar or H2O2 per 15 gal holding tank capacity. $$$

Use bleach.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^This is the best answer I've seen so far.

TechWriter wrote:

RVChippys wrote:
Has anyone ever used white vinegar or baking soda to clean out the grey and/or black tanks?

Nope, mainly because vinegar, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide won't sanitize, but bleach will. Read this.

At room temperature only bleach will sanitize. Plus, you only need a 50ppm bleach solution (1/4 cup per 15 gal of holding tank capacity).

To sanitize like bleach but using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, you'd have to heat the liquid to 130 degrees F and use full-strength solutions -- that's 15 gal vinegar or H2O2 per 15 gal holding tank capacity. $$$

Use bleach.

I would never use bleach in a black tank! JMHO

J-Rooster wrote:

TechWriter wrote:

RVChippys wrote:
Has anyone ever used white vinegar or baking soda to clean out the grey and/or black tanks?

Nope, mainly because vinegar, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide won't sanitize, but bleach will. Read this.

At room temperature only bleach will sanitize. Plus, you only need a 50ppm bleach solution (1/4 cup per 15 gal of holding tank capacity).

To sanitize like bleach but using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, you'd have to heat the liquid to 130 degrees F and use full-strength solutions -- that's 15 gal vinegar or H2O2 per 15 gal holding tank capacity. $$$

Use bleach.

I would never use bleach in a black tank! JMHO

Because . . . ?

I have read on this site that using bleach for cleaning RV toilets, sinks, pipes and holding tanks will cause you to have problems down the road. seal and gasket failure, cracked holding tanks and so forth. I believe in my manual it specifically warns NOT to use bleach. I don't have a scientific explanation of why. but I know bleach and certain plastics are a no no, It breaks them down. Good Luck and Happy travels!

^^^^ I would agree that you shouldn't use full strength bleach on toilets, etc, and I'm not sure why you would want to. As a fresh water tank and system sanitizer, in the recommended amounts, which are fairly minimal, it's effective, safe, inexpensive, and recommended. At least it is in my manual.

If your shower drains into the black tank, then you'll have soap in it to clean/soften. It does not have to be sterile of course.

We too like to put the RV to bed with spotless tanks. On our way home from our last outing, we drain all tanks, fill them with a little soap and drive to the last spot. The morning we leave for home, we drain and fill them twice and then fill them about a 1/3 of the way and put a little more soap in them. We stop at the last dump station before we get home and drain them. Once home, I take the want and completely clean out anything left in the black and then we store them open. We do put little screen caps on so nothing can crawl in. Probably way over the top for most, but that is the way we have been doing it for years.

flfulltimerwinnabago wrote:
I have read on this site that using bleach for cleaning RV toilets, sinks, pipes and holding tanks will cause you to have problems down the road. seal and gasket failure, cracked holding tanks and so forth. I believe in my manual it specifically warns NOT to use bleach. I don't have a scientific explanation of why. but I know bleach and certain plastics are a no no, It breaks them down.

Bleach (and even chlorinated water) is bad for PB (polybutylene) plumbing. In fact, it's so bad that there was a class action lawsuit in the late 1990's. PB is no longer used.

But just like there are a lot of different metals with different qualities, the same is true for plastics.

If you have PB plumbing (which is usually gray or black) in your RV, don't use bleach. In fact, if you plan on keeping an RV with PB plumbing, I'd replace all the PB.

On the other hand, typical RV plumbing is PEX or ABS. RV holding tanks are typically polyethylene. None of these plastics are adversely affected by sodium hydroxide (bleach).

What about bleach and "seals" or gaskets?

There are gaskets in each holding tank valve, but these gaskets are probably Santoprene which is also bleach resistant.

However, some RV toilets use a natural rubber seal, and bleach will degrade natural rubber. So don't fill up your RV toilet with bleach and let it sit.

Otherwise, bleach-phobia is a misplaced fear for an RV.