How can we clean our tanks while driving?

garmp wrote:
Super info, especially for a nubee like me. Much appreciated!
Are the fresh water treatment/sanitation suggestions also?

I think one of the biggest mistakes that many RV owners make!

Guilty as charged!

Is to completely empty their tanks at the campground, then drive home and let the RV sit for weeks or months. As the tanks drain, a small layer of sludge, slime, waste, etc. remains on the walls and sensors which then hardens over time.

From this point forward, we plan to empty both tanks as usual, then fill the toilet and bathroom sink two of three times each from city water hookup, and ride home with that mixture to rinse off the walls and sensors.

We will use the results of this post to determine the chemicals to all to the first fill ups.

We will only do the complete empty on the last trip before winterizing!

ncrowley wrote:
I would use Happy Camper Extreme. It is specifically made for cleaning the tanks. You will need one container for each tank. You put the container into he tank, fill it to half, and then drive around for while and dump when you get to your destination. Many people have had success with it.

We also use the regular Happy Camper in the black and grey tanks regularly.

X2!

Super info, especially for a nubee like me. Much appreciated!
Are the fresh water treatment/sanitation suggestions also?

After all these years of RVing, I just dont worry about it anymore. It really doesn't have much impact on me if they aren't sqeuaky clean and I rarely ever check the level indicators. I do occasionally (maybe twice a year) flush the black tank but other than that, I just dont bother with it.

lanerd wrote:

janstey58 wrote:
We use a bag of ice (for roughage) and water and Dawn dish soap to slosh the black tank while driving.

Check this out for the truth about ice cubes in rv tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6acEmqvcw

The video is done with a large amount of solids. Of course a mix of those solids and ice cubes will coat the tank walls. A real test would be to start with a flushed tank that only has the usual film on the walls. When someone is making an effort to thoroughly clean the tank, he would be smart enough to dump all the solids possible before attempting to do a final cleaning.

My holding tanks are a bit smaller, but I do the type of cleaning you are talking about all the time. The important thing is to get enough water in the various tanks so the water actually sits in the bottom of the tank. Remember, 2 or even 3 gallons of water can fill the drains from the bottom of the tank to the slide release valves. So as long as you have enough water to fill the drain pipes, all you need is a couple inches or so of water on the bottom of the tank.

The secret is not so much the type of chemicals you put in the tanks, it's the amount of water that is allowed to slosh and beat the sides and top of the tank, including the sensors. Movement inside the tanks is what you need.

For the size of your tanks, perhaps 10 gallons or less will do the trick. Add your choice of chemical (if that be bleach, or laundry soap, or valve lubricant, or dishwashing liquid). It's the pulverizing of the water while the trailer is bouncing down the road that will do the cleaning.

The cleaner you can get the tanks BEFORE hitting the road, the better this will work too. So if you have full hook-up, fill the black tank a couple times completely, and flush it. Use a tank wand, use your black tank flusher, or anything you can do to get rid the inside of all "nasties" before hitting the road. This is probably more important than the type of "chemical" you use.

Once the tank is flushed as good as you can get it, then add the water, a bit of "chemical of your choice" and hit the road.

Personally, I use just bleach, and once I reach home or the next destination point, I make sure I flush the bleach out, so it won't harm the slide valves by sitting long term. My tanks never smell, and my sensors (seem) to work pretty good ... in all 3 of my campers, and my current camper is now 4 years on the road with us.

One thing to consider...
How long is the 3” drain pipe.
No use putting in two gal. of water if the pipe holds five gals.

janstey58 wrote:
We use a bag of ice (for roughage) and water and Dawn dish soap to slosh the black tank while driving.

Check this out for the truth about ice cubes in rv tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH6acEmqvcw

During the initial flush at home... tip the RV 4" to 6" toward the drain to get everything possible out.
I find the rest is then unnecessary.