Are those black tank cleaning wands worth it?

GMT830 wrote:
One of the easiest ways to keep the black tank under control is to let if fill as much as possible before dumping. That will allow the solids to soften and breakdown as much as possible.

If you are just doing weekends and don't use the toilet much and have another trip planned soon, just leave it and dump next time. If you must dump, hold the toilet fill valve open and let the tank fill while you are doing other chores packing up to to go. When we left our last trip of last season I wentso far as to tip the trailer sideways and uphill to get a thorough drain. After the initial drain I closed the valve and put another 15-20 gallons water in and rinsed again. It was pretty clean by that point.

Do not add bleach to the tank, especially mid-season. It will kill the bacteria and slow down the breaking of solids.

I will repeat it again though, don't drain the black tank until it's full. Save you all kinds of problems

The tank is a HOLDING tank not a septic tank. The degree of solid break down is minimal at best and not the intent of a holding tank. The breakdown process is a long term proposition that occurs in septic tanks. One can use bleach as the enzimes that do the breakdown of solids are likely nonexistent in a holding tank. However, as referenced above, have a look at the GEO method. Environmentally friendly, no harsh chemicals and very effective. Have been using the method for years with perfect results. The key to the GEO method is the Calgon. It makes the tank surface very slippery and therefore the solid adherence is minimized. A substitute for the Calgon is 20 Mule Team Borax. You will understand the slippery comment when you mix the Calgon or Borax in water before pouring in the tank. You can purchase a sprayer that attaches to the waste out flow that will allow you to rinse both tanks, sort of.