Holding Tank Treatments?

We have been using Happy Camper for years. Never had any odor and use a scoop in the black and grey tanks.

Order it off of Amazon.

I try avoiding any kind of apple juice that has citric acid. Not looking at the ingredients label on the one jug I bought, I began pouring it down the RV Jon to see if good for the black tank smell. It turns out it worked surprisingly well. So now I look for the citric acid type juices. You have a choice of apple cherry peach etc.

I pour about a third of a quart down there.

Old-Biscuit wrote:

mitw44 wrote:
It's a holding tank, not a treatment tank. Use lots of water. Or, if you want to get fancy, use some dihydrogen oxide.

Could use dihydrogen monoxide, hydrogen hydroxide, hydronium hydroxide or even hydric acid.

All are readily available, fairly inexpensive, odorless, colorless and is one of natures best solvents


I highly recommend its use

Agree but be careful, they are fatal if inhaled.

" I had to replace the bathroom ceiling vent/fan and replaced it with a Fantastic fan that reverses. This helps keep odors down by pressurizing the bathroom and forcing air out the vent pipe."

To me that is a great way to suck odors into the rV since the roof vent is most likely close to the bathroom vent.

Simple solution is not to have any fans running when you push down the flush pedal.

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
I ask everyone to open and read techwriters forward about disinfectants in septic systems.

Yes, you should read it too. I don't know where you got your info from, but it wasn't from my article (Household Chemicals and Septic Systems).

Here's the pertinent info from the article on bleach and septic systems (page 3, top left) . . .

Disinfectants are considers safe for both septic systems and groundwater as long as they are used in concentrations listed on the product labels. For example, more than 2 gallons (256 oz) of hypochlorite bleach or 5 gallons of pine cleaner would be needed to kill most of the bacteria in a 1,000- gallon septic tank.

For a 35 gal RV waste tank, that's no more than 1 cup of bleach. However, even if too much bleach is used . . .

It would then take 45-60 hours for the bacterial populations to recover from a lethal dose of hypochlorite bleach . . .

And if you're still not convinced, then just let the bleach sit a day or two before dumping your tank.
Diluted bleach degrades in about 1 day.

I ask everyone to open and read techwriters forward about disinfectants in septic systems. The NY study clearly states a 1 in 500 part concentration of 5% calcium hypochlorite bleach to water will kill all effective bacteria in the system, and require 2 days ( household use ave. 300 gal/day in a 3 br home per sdcl 41 governing wastewater under EPA ) of no incoming disinfectants to recover.

The average daily discharge from as measured from rvs by the EPA is under 30gal/ person/ day plus 15 gal. for laundry. less for dry campers, or those on w/e sites. With that calculation in mind, 2 persons RVing on a FHU site produce 90 gal. a day of wastewater. The 500-1 destroy ratio then translates into 23.04 oz. of household bleach / day. Thats the destroy level.
Then there are the chloramines, effects of Quaternary disinfectants that sublime into the leach fields ultimately into the aquifer. That is in fact .
If each camper were to use 1/4 of that level of bleach, 3.5 oz. / day / person the ultimate effect to septic systems requires them to be doubled in tank gallonage.
We do. You pay for that oversizing now, we all will suffer in water quality someday when the results get down into the aquifer.
Again, No bleach in septic systems. Do your homework, The SD SD DENR has made me do mine.
Max

if all you do is go out for a weekend and dump your tanks on the way
using nothing but water is fine

but if you dry camp aka boondock for a week or two, at least until your tank is full
you are likely to practice water conservation and in the summer time, that poop tank is going to stink, with out some kind of additive

if yours does not under 'those conditions', your biology is radically different
or your nose doesn't work

wa8yxm wrote:

brianosaur wrote:
Most rv holding tank treatments state they break down waste and paper.

I do not know if it is "MOST" or not but I do p with Many, and Many do not, they only claim to control odor,

EVERY SINGLE ONE of these in an Amazon search for black tank use "claim" they break down waste.


Only a rare few are only deodorizers and they are only for grey tanks.

SoundGuy wrote:

OldShu wrote:
GeoMethod for Black and Gray tanks. No bleach.

GeoMethod & Bleach

TechWriter wrote:
You should read your own web article.

Why? All OldShu is saying is he prefers The Geo Method except for the bleach part ... same here, I Geo the tanks when I service them but no bleach. Once that's done I prep the tanks with Dometic Sealand Clean 'n Green ...

Thank You Sir.

I just reload the detergent and softener with about 2-3 gal water after dumping and let it slosh around during transport. Occasionally put some Therford valve lube in to keep the dump valves free. No sensor issues after 2 years.

http://www.campingworld.com/thetford-drain-valve-lubricant-20-oz?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&scid=scplp4179&sc_intid=4179&affiliateid=6313&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7e_izpCc2QIVWDuBCh2Ohg-mEAQYAiABEgLv8fD_BwE

OldShu wrote:
GeoMethod for Black and Gray tanks. No bleach.

GeoMethod & Bleach

TechWriter wrote:
You should read your own web article.

Why? All OldShu is saying is he prefers The Geo Method except for the bleach part ... same here, I Geo the tanks when I service them but no bleach. Once that's done I prep the tanks with Dometic Sealand Clean 'n Green ...