Table Salt in Gray and Black Tanks?????

[rondeb]

We are currently staying in a very hard water area. We DO NOT use our Fresh water tank but last year our gray and black tanks got a hard water residue on them and would not register correctly. I got them cleaned up and am hoping to prevent the same thing again from happening.

My question: Has anyone used table salt possibly pool salt directly in the gray and black to keep hard water from forming?

Does anyone see a drawback to this?

Thanks in advance

[rondeb]

Has anyone used a product like TSP to keep the hard water our or to clean the gray and the black tanks? I was wondering if you used TSP and filled the tanks half way on our way home, would it keep them cleaned

[camperforlife]

wa8yxm wrote:

camperforlife wrote:
I occasionally use a natural enzyme product that we use to clear the prophy paste out of dental suction lines and it keeps the sensors working and the tanks odor free. Never had much luck getting them to work before I decided to use the enzyme.

INFO please on the name of the product and is it sold only to dentists? or can anyone buy it and if so where?

It is called Bio Pure Evacuation Cleaner and is available readily from multiple sources with a Google search. It is not a restricted product and was originally developed to clean sludge from municipal treatment plants. Because of the size of packaging it is not cheap. If you do your research and plan on buying it, PM me first and I will give you some advise.

[wa8yxm]

camperforlife wrote:
I occasionally use a natural enzyme product that we use to clear the prophy paste out of dental suction lines and it keeps the sensors working and the tanks odor free. Never had much luck getting them to work before I decided to use the enzyme.

INFO please on the name of the product and is it sold only to dentists? or can anyone buy it and if so where?

[rondeb]

Thanks everyone. I use calgon now, but was hoping that salt would work as it would be a lot cheaper. We had a problem last year and yes the tank read 2/3 when empty (gray) and the black reads 3/4 even when empty. I put gallons and gallons of vinegar in both black and gray on our way home last year- used ice etc. let sit when we were home and finally it cleaned everything. I am just trying to prevent the same thing from happening. We don't really need the guages to work correctly, but I like for them to be working. LOL

[camperforlife]

I occasionally use a natural enzyme product that we use to clear the prophy paste out of dental suction lines and it keeps the sensors working and the tanks odor free. Never had much luck getting them to work before I decided to use the enzyme.

[RaenMark]

I found the gauges on our previous rigs to be pretty good, but they were both new and hadn't been used. Our current one the gauges don't read right, but I'll get over it. I've used the Geo method for a couple of years and like the way it works. Normal household items and nothing harsher than what you use in your laundry. Read somewhere a suggestion that you do the Geo method, fill the tanks to 3/4 and drive a good distance, like a 100 mile trip or more and then dump. Don't remember who it was, but he said it cleaned his gauges after a couple of trips like that. Just my $0.02 worth.

[wa8yxm]

Incorrect gauge readings on the RV waste tanks simply mean the tanks have been used... Many report that they only work right if the tank is brand new and never been used or if the tank is high pressure cleaned.. Once you use it, back to reading 2/3 full even when empty and known to be empty.

TST and other companies make toilet chemicals which you do not need, and they make a version of the same useless chemicals with "Sensor Cleaner".. I have compared several different brands where this is done.. THE only difference between the jar, box, bag or bottle "With sensor cleaner" and the one without is ... Table salt.. That's the magic ingreadent.

Fact,, If the water in the tank is PURE (In which case it's not a waste tank) it will not conduct electricy.> SALT, is added to fix this.

[fla-gypsy]

Dog Folks wrote:

sch911 wrote:
Personally I wouldn't spend a dime trying to keep the tank sensors working. They're a lost cause in most RV's. Still it's pretty easy to tell when things are full. I don't need them....

+
X2

X3

[2oldman]

Jayco23FB wrote:
I have a friend who uses Calgon water softener in his black and gray tanks. He says it keeps the tanks clean as there is less residue when you empt.. Has anyone tried this?

Yes, it's called the Geo method.

Also..
Geo method.. will it hurt my plumbing?
Geo - can't find Calgon 07

[Jayco23FB]

I have a friend who uses Calgon water softener in his black and gray tanks. He says it keeps the tanks clean as there is less residue when you empty the tank. I tried it last year and it seemed to work OK. I know when you mix the product with water it seems to make it more slippery and soap foams up better. Has anyone tried this?

[Old-Biscuit]

Shearwater wrote:
Table salt will not affect hardness. It is used to regenerate the ion exchange resins in water softeners but that is a different chemical situation. Diluted vinegar is effective if you let it sit for a long time. A solution of citric acid would be more effective.

Correct.

If you want to limit the amount of scaling in your RV (water heater, faucets/screens, toilet water valve and waste tanks which are the least of scaling problems!) get and use a portable water softener for RV.
On-the-Go and FloPur are two brands.
Easy to use....limits hard water problems.

[TexasShadow]

waste of time and energy. you'll quickly learn to guestimate your usage.

[CA_Traveler]

The main purpose of the sensors is for the salesman - "And you have this monitor to check tank levels..."

We use just the water pump and the fresh water tank level to determine usage.

[K_Charles]

2oldman wrote:

rondeb wrote:
I got them cleaned up and am hoping to prevent the same thing again from happening.

It's like trying to keep grass from growing.

If you use enough salt you can stop grass from growing.

[imgoin4it]

I also would not spend much money to keep the sensors working, but why even consider putting salt in the tanks. Some salt residue ends up in water from a water softener. Reson beads in a water softener attract minerals which become attached to the beads and are removed from the water. Salt is then used to flush and clean the minerals from the beads. Salt will do nothing but corrode just about everything it comes in contact with including the sensor probes so do not put salt in the waste tanks.