Black tank chemicals, Happy Campers, TST, Aqua Kem ???

[rvgrammady]

I just got back from a trip and several people discussed toilet chemicals.

OK which do you use?

I travel single and my black tank can last up to 7-8 days or more depending if there are facilities on-site or not.

I have used TST and Aqua Kem before and never noticed any orders but my sensors are not reading very accurately. Many people say use Happy Campers and it cleans the sensors..

Opinions please..


Tks Dy
In Northern Calif

[RayChez]

Nobody said that the smell would come into the motor home. The traps prevent the smell from coming in, BUT! when you dump and apparently some do not care about there neighbors. It stinks up the whole Resort. Simply disgusting that some folks just do not want to spend on something that dissolves solids and cuts down the smell because Enzymes eat up all the waste and keeps the sensors working.

[John_S_]

The vacuum breaker and p traps keep the smell out. The black tank will come up when you flush if you are using an exhaust fan and no open windows but if it is not running then nothing really comes up. I just use water and after I dump add a bit of dawn dish soap in to clean the bowl with water as we drive then we flush it and keep going.

[Blaster_Man]

The P traps in your faucets/shower prevent odors from coming from the tanks into RVs. Chemicals have nothing to do with it...water only. If you want something to help evacuate the tanks, concentrated dish soap (Dawn) will help.

[J-Rooster]

I've never used chemicals in my black or gray tanks! I use RV Digest in my black tank it eats everything up in the black tank via organisms that digest everything in the tanks.

[Mody_n_Domy]

I use the single pack laundry soap and use 3 of them I dump the soap out of each package. I mix them in hot water in the bathroom sink which goes to the black tank. The only thing I know its doing is lubricating the valve. As far as black tank smell goes I use a 3 inch hose and allow a trap in the hose and that stops the sewer gas from the campground to back up into my system.

[Blackdiamond]

Another happy Happy Camper user here.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

we haven't found anything that will clean the sensors. We use Thetford Campa Clean in the small bottles. We use 2 bottles for our holding tank (read directions). No odor.

[Oasisbob]

As posted previously we have NEVER used chemicals. Never felt the need and have envirnmental concerns as well. Previous poster mentioned wanting waste to break down quicker. I had the unpleasand experience of having to empty my black tank into buckets to dump at home after a two day outing with five people. I was surprised how quickly the waste broke down on it's ownusing no cgems. Save your money. Save the envirnment. Water only. Try it and see

[bshpilot]

+1 (more) for Water.

My experience is much like others have stated - chemicals aren't really necessary if you have a tank washer (i installed some TORNADO Tank Flushers ) & use a lot less water cleaning/flushing our tanks now.

IMO the chemicals are only masking the odor at best....and the odor is non-existant in our coach.
The only time we've ever experienced any odor issues is when we've been "curb side" at my MIL's for 6 weeks and the tank got VERY full...and even then the only sign of odor was when we drove down the road to a rest area to dump the tank.

I installed a tank washer on each tank & a couple of QD (quick disconnects) connections that were easily accessible....i carry a short length of hose w/ the matching QD fitting - my short length of hose has an on off valve on it - just connect the hose to the water supply and let it run for a couple of minutes.

[DutchmenSport]

Water, water, more water. That's pretty much it.

[bluegypsy]

Cheapest, smelliest laundry detergent (whatever's on sale), and Borax (about a cup of each) in the black tank. That and plenty of water. My modification of the "geo" method, which I believe has been discussed on this forum before.

[wa8yxm]

I use Hydrogen Hydroxide (HOH) or if you wish to simplify H2O Yes, that is WATER.

Found the chemicals do not do much for the black tank.. Found the black tank is not as stinky as most feel it is (Gray however is another story) Best thing is to keep the dump valves closed till time to dump. The real stink is in the ground and if you leave the valve open it can come up to annoy you.

[scbwr]

Another vote for Happy Camper!

[10forty2]

I use a combination of the small bottles and the water softener/Dawn detergent mix. When I dump, I flush the black tank thoroughly using the built in flush connection. Then, once empty, I mix two gallons of water softener/Dawn with hot water and put that in the toilet and flush. I also put one small bottle of the toilet chem in and let it do its thing. I use Calgon lavender-scented water softener....makes the coach smell nice. No black tank sulfur smell, (sensors don't work, but they never have), and everything that comes out when I dump the next time is liquid. Maybe a bit more work up front, but I plan to keep my RV a long time and I feel like a little bit of work along the way is worth it.