I changed to these early this year and thought they was the cat's *** but it turns out they are trouble! I have discovered that the "plastic bag" that is suppose to dissolve in water is not doing so and they are just dumping out with the solids. I had one snag on the inside of the dump hose and that is how I found out they don't work, it still had the blue powder inside it as a clump of blue paste. So today at work I took one and tossed it into a 5 gallon bucket half full of water and at the end of the day it was still floating on top, not dissolving at all! Watch out for these...........

I use TST toss ins. I never found them totally intact but but noticed the outer pouch gets slimy and sticky if it gets wet. I have also noticed partial pieces of the outer bag stuck in the sewer hose when disconnecting. I like the convenience so I keep a pair of shears in the bathroom. I cut the bag and dump contents into the toilet. I put the bag in the trash. I suspected it was a problem but this is the first post I have seen about it. Good info.

I had wondered about that. Thanks for the heads up. I tried the dry packets you pour in to the tanks too. The dust /fumes from the powder got in my nose. I probably didn't do it correctly but they are off my list, too. I'll just stick to the liquid.

Lots of posts on this subject. You really need to educate yourself on how dangerous these things are. Not only to your plumbing system, but to the enviroment.

I start them in a bucket with half a gallon of really warm water. It takes about one minute for it to dissolve before adding to the tank. Then I use that bucket to add about five gallons of cold water (and rinse the bucket).

I use a brand called Porta Pak. Just tested it in a mason jar. Less than 5 mins it was dissolved, and no trace of the plastic bag.Mike

Heads up if you use Aqua-Kem "toss-ins" | Good Sam Community

Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Aug 16, 2015
TechWriter wrote:
Old-Biscuit wrote:
TechWriter wrote:
Old-Biscuit wrote:
IF you smell either FIX what is broken.

. . . or ??

Before you start rooting around looking for something to fix, just dump some bleach down the black and/or gray tank.

No need for expensive deodorizers.

WHY so you can smell bleach....yuck!
If it's a choice between bleach smell or sewage smell, I pick the former.

Choice should be no smell

Gotta a smell...something is broken. Find it/Fix it.
Maybe. But before you get out the hammer and duct tape, shrink the stink with some bleach.

Fix the source of stink vs masking it

Folks make RVng complicated when they aren't
And some folks don't read very well.

Seems to be lack of comprehension vs reading ability
creeper
Explorer
Aug 16, 2015
Old-Biscuit wrote:

My point is you should NOT smell anything....poop/chemicals etc. unless something has failed.
Mechanical vapor barriers are designed into grey/black tanks and drain lines.

Understand what those vapor barriers are/how they work........fix them if not functioning correctly.

Just like a HOUSE.......vapor barriers stop odors. DO you use chemicals at home to mask drain line odors.
NO.....why not
House has water in toilet, toilet floor flange seal, 'P' traps, roof vents and some even use Air Admittance Valves and the drain lines are connected directly to sewer/septic systems w/o any valves in between so your neighbors poop could stink up your house but it doesn't.

Same as the RV. Gotta a smell...something is broken. Find it/Fix it.

Folks make RVng complicated when they aren't

It's not like a house. A house is not bounding down the road at 60mph with changing pressures. A negative pressure can move gases past p traps and why you often have smells when moving down the road. Kinda like when you open your window and that important paper gets sucked out the window.

If not for negative pressures and expanding gasses you'd never smell anything. An open vent, an open window, an A/c return coming on can change the pressures and pull odor through a p trap that is sloshing around or in from the sewer vents on the roof.

That's why those sewer vent contraptions work so well, they make sure the venting system is working properly and help alleviate negative pressure issues.
lanerd
Explorer II
Aug 16, 2015
IndyCamp wrote:
Typical RV.net.

The OP says:

Heads up if you use Aqua-Kem

The thread is then filled by posters talking about why chemicals are not needed, as if the OP was torn about whether or not to use chemicals. :R

This forum is a gathering place to provide and receive information pertinent to the rv subject matter of individuals. If a person is not aware of information that could be helpful in their daily rv lives, it is considerate of others to inform them of such.

In this case, the poster obviously uses Aqua-Kem every day; which is totally not required. You'd be surprised at number of people who are totally unaware that they don't really need chemicals in their black tanks. They think that having an odor is normal and therefore chemicals are required to cover up that odor, when in fact, they actually need to find out how/why the odor is getting from the black tank into the living area of the rv as something is not working as designed.

Finding/repairing the source of the problem/procedure is only to the benefit of the rv owner. Masking the odor can be utilized in the interim until the problem can be repaired. Using chemicals constantly is just plain not necessary and is a total waste of good money that should be spent on finding and repairing the problem.

So, before you condemn those who offer good advice, you should step back and think about this.

Ron
EsoxLucius
Explorer
Aug 16, 2015
If black tank contents are not in it long enough to be digested (whatever that means) then why does it's contents have an odor? The fact is that human waste begins to decompose immediately just from the bacteria it contains, and any residual bacteria in the tank. Using products that accelerate decomposition, especially aerobic activity, can reduce odor in the tank (regardless if it escapes or not), and liquefy waste to facilitate ease of dumping. Bleach is the worst thing one can put in their black tank.
hotbyte
Explorer
Aug 16, 2015
lanerd wrote:
...
In this case, the poster obviously uses Aqua-Kem every day; which is totally not required. ...

Ron

Where is obvious the OP is using Aqua-Kem daily?
myredracer
Explorer II
Aug 16, 2015
owenssailor wrote:

Thanks for this informative post.
Sewage is not in the RV tank long enough to be digested. It is a holding tank.
Water and lots of rinsing works well.

Excellent post by lanerd.

Has anyone ever come across a test of RV chemicals in a holding tank to determine if the chemicals actually cause the tank contents to break down? I have done some searching on the internet and found nothing. I highly doubt that the RV chemicals actually do a darn thing for the limited time the holding tank is used before dumping.

If there people are using the chemicals in part to mask odors, then something is wrong. Basically, without some scientific testing that shows that RV chemical treatments actually break down the sewage in an RV holding tank, then it's a total waste to use the.

RV owners get sucked into using a number of useless products, like "RV safe toilet paper" that costs way more than household TP that will break down. Some "RV safe" TPs don't even break down at all and are a total rip.
Scooter86
Explorer
Aug 16, 2015
Personally op, I would go fill your tanks with water and then give them a good flush. Preferably when there is nobody in line to use the dump station. I use the geo method, no smell issues and it is certainly no more difficult than dumping the other chemicals in your tank. Whatever method you decide to use, water and a lot of it is the key. I always keep 5 gallons in the black tank, and use a clear elbow when dumping. I try to time it so at least every 3rd trip I can keep flushing the black tank till the water is mostly clear with no "chunks" without holding anyone up at the dumpstation. For the record, we dry camp a lot, sometimes at sites with no dump capabilities. I have had a weeks worth of stuff in the black tank that sat for a month and didn't stink up the rv and no chemicals used.
Our_Place
Explorer
Aug 17, 2015
Wow this thread has gotten way out of hand, now I'm sorry I posted it. We don't get to use our camper very often and when it's not in use it is in an inside storage building. I use the chemicals in our tank to help prevent ANY CHANCH of nasty smells occurring and getting me kicked outside.
mowin
Explorer
Aug 17, 2015
Our Place wrote:
Wow this thread has gotten way out of hand, now I'm sorry I posted it. We don't get to use our camper very often and when it's not in use it is in an inside storage building. I use the chemicals in our tank to help prevent ANY CHANCH of nasty smells occurring and getting me kicked outside.

Don't be sorry. I get smells every time I flush. Plain and simple "s**t stinks"... I've tried everything out there even the geo method. Nothing stops poop from stinking. Were seasonal, and use or rv every weekend. I dump and flush my tank every Sunday.
EsoxLucius
Explorer
Aug 17, 2015
mowin wrote:
I've tried everything out there even the geo method. Nothing stops poop from stinking.
Even Happy Camper? It actually tackles odor and costs as little as 53 cents per 40 gallons of black tank capacity. http://www.5starhappycamper.com/index.html