Putting stuff in the black and/or grey tanks?

[NekkidFish]

I saw where someone posted about putting dish soap and borax in one of the tanks, but when I asked about it, the person must not have seen it and never replied.

Are we supposed to put stuff in the tanks before each trip out?

If so, what?

Thanks! Jules

[NekkidFish]

Thanks Gang!!

[2Ambros]

We use The Geo Method also, works great !

[IAMICHABOD]

Go with the 39761, you can't go wrong for the price. Had one years and nothing has gone wrong and has held up.

I also found This a great addition to see when it is all clear when rinsing the tank.

And for a short run or just a bit more I also found This very useful and easy to store.
Then use the Geo Method to make things flow quickly and helps keep the tanks cleaner.

[NekkidFish]

Okay, we just picked it up, and if it weren't raining so hard and freezing outside, I'd be more excited! LOL

Is the the Rhino hose I should get? 39761

Or, should I get this one, which is more expensive, but doesn't get as good of reviews. 39861

Thanks bunches!

[deltamaster]

NekkidFish wrote:
Thanks so much for all of the great info! Deltamaster, I have a box from Amazon sitting on my porch almost every day. I am a Prime member and buy a ton from them, including all of my paper supplies, vitamins, etc. 🙂

Sounds like YOU are my job security through he holidays!

Amazon hires work campers at several warehouses starting in September to enhance their staffing. It is physically demanding but th pay is better than most and they treat us fairly well.


As to the tanks. what paulcardoza wrote is quite true... do not fret over or spend a lot of time thinking about the tanks. Water and regular dumping as needed should be all you need.

Heck, I met a couple of people when I was working in camp grounds that did not allow any use of the RV bathroom except in an emergency and then only #1 and NEVER #2!

Why in the world would anyone spend so much money to buy a small hotel room on wheels and never use it to it's full potential?

If you buy a tool you use it. Buy a hammer, screw driver or a car and you USE it. Same for the RV. Use it, dump it and use it again and ENJOY the fact that you have it and ENJOY using it and the things that having it offer.

[NekkidFish]

Thanks so much for all of the great info! Deltamaster, I have a box from Amazon sitting on my porch almost every day. I am a Prime member and buy a ton from them, including all of my paper supplies, vitamins, etc. 🙂

[paulcardoza]

@NekkidFish

My advice:
RhinoFlex Hose
Lots of water
Any TP

RELAX and don't agonize over your black tank. Just dump when 3/4 or more full. Use the tank flush every few dumps. FORGET about the tank level sensors, as trying to keep them working takes waaaay too much time away from enjoying your camp time. The toilet will "burp" as the tank gets close to full.

Spend as little as possible on stuff to throw into your tanks.

[deltamaster]

jfkmk wrote:

NekkidFish wrote:

gbopp wrote:
Toilet paper: use anything that is marked 'septic safe.'

Don't waste your money on RV Toilet Paper. It's a rip off.

Super! We are on septic here, so that's all we use.

Any tips on the sewer dump hose?

Don't get a super cheap hose, nothing worse than when they leak. We bought a rhino flex and really like (at least as much as you can like a sewer hose). It comes with end caps for both ends and is rigid enough to keep its shape. I always rinse the tanks at least once after dumping and the hose doesn't stink after 3 years.

By the way, amazon is a great place to purchase rv supplies like this.

Yes! Buy from Amazon! I am working there right now and can use the money... I need the job security! They sell or their third party sellers sell just about anything including things you really did not want to know they sell! Some of the stuff I pull out of boxes to scan in to the computer!

It seems the third party sellers using Amazon's fulfillment service has really taken off the past couple of years. In 2010 we had few FBA cartons to process. This year it seems like at least half if not more of the cartons I open are FBA. That means if the item is FBA it ships from the same place as the stuff you buy directly from Amazon. It is all kept in the same warehouses.

[deltamaster]

NekkidFish wrote:
Two other related questions.

1. What kind of toilet paper are we supposed to use?

2. Do you have any tips and tricks regarding the (I don't know what it's called) ... the waste hose you use to dump with? Does it get gross?

Thanks! Jules

TP... Scott from Walmart

Dump hose... if you are careful and pay attention you will NOT get "stuff" all over the place. Just make sure the connections are on properly and that you dump the dirtiest tank first.

Black first, then kitchen then shower... or in my case I only have two tanks so it is black, then gray. Always take a shower or two before dumping the black tank so there is plenty of gray water to flush the hoses.

Some people suggest when you are someplace for an extended period of time to leave the gray valve open and let it continually drain. Personally I do not do that. I keep them both closed and the dump hose hooked up all the time. It really is nothing to step outside and pull a couple of valves and then close them when you are finished. Takes me about 7 or 10 minutes on two full tanks.

Also make sure there is a nice slope from the tank drain to the dump hole so that things flow smoothly like at home. Not too much slope but not too little either. Also do not let it curl up or anything like that. When you are ready to leave the camp site, dump as described and then disconnect from the dump outlet first and hold the hose up. Then move it from under the rig and lift it to allow whatever is left to drain in to the camp ground hole fully before removing it. THEN remove it from the hole after it has all drained as much as possible.

I have never gotten stuff on my unless I screwed up and after all it is just stuff and washes off with soap and water. I keep orange shop hand soap in the compartment next to the dump valves for cleaning up afterward. I also have an outside shower right over the dump valve area which is really handy for cleanup.

[deltamaster]

dewey02 wrote:

NekkidFish wrote:
Thanks for all the info. We pick it up tomorrow, and I can't remember what it is called, but I do know it has some sort of cleaner/agitator thing installed to help clean the tank(s).

Off to read some of the stuff y'all posted about.

Hugz! Jules

If you have a black water flusher already installed, you are ahead of the game. They work pretty well at getting the blobs of paper and solids flushed out of your tank. Just watch a video on you tube to see how to use it.

Speaking of paper. I used to use the "Special" RV paper until I found out the less expensive single ply Scott tissue from Walmart is just as safe as the "RV" stuff. My rig is turning eleven years old this month and I have not had any problems with the OEM level sensors. They work fine, although they are not all too accurate (never really have been even when new, but that is the way with OEM sensors) they do get the job done and give a good indication of dump time.

[deltamaster]

2gypsies wrote:
There are many expensive bottles of 'stuff' out there meant to clean your tank. For the past 16 years of full-timing - using our tanks every day, all we use is plenty of water. Never had any problems.

Aside from the laundry detergent and Calgon water softener I put in after last dump I have done the same for the last 9 years.

We were newbies when we bought this thing and the dealer told us all about the "Blue stuff: and the "Green stuff" and we opted for the green because it has no formaldehyde. We used it religiously the first couple years but after a few times forgetting it seemed to have no ill effects so we stopped and have had no problems since.

I had the rig sitting for about a year recently and it looked like there was some sort of something on the bottom of the black tank so that is why I dropped the soap and water softener in it.

I used two caps-ful of Calgon and two caps-ful of soap in a gallon of steaming hot water, well shaken. I poured it in the toilet and let it stand for about a half hour to clean the toilet bowl, then flushed.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

We have several of the products for sale on the shelves for the grey tank and nothing worked. We are full timers. We then tried 1 cup of Dawn Platinum and 1 cup of Borax after every dump with about a gallon of water and now we don't have any grey tank odors.
For the black tank we use Thetford Campa-Chem Original.
We like the Full Timers product but we can't find it for sale anymore.

[Old-Biscuit]

Use whatever TP your bottom likes.
Toilet drain line to tank is 3". Black tank dump line is 3".
Fill toilet bowl full when flushing #2 and dump black tank when almost full/full.


Sewer hose.....
Buy a Rhino Hose/fittings
Drain black tank first...use in tank flusher (get clear adapter for drain line so you can see how/what comes out)
Then drain grey water so it flushes out sewer hose

[CavemanCharlie]

gbopp wrote:
Toilet paper: use anything that is marked 'septic safe.'

Don't waste your money on RV Toilet Paper. It's a rip off.

I wouldn't go quite that far. Some of that fancy toilet paper is more like cloth and could cause problems. Here is a video that explains how to test for the right type of toilet paper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDLXXRVe2pc