Geo Method question

[_en_Plain_Air_]

I have wanted to try the Geo method for the Black Tank. The instructions I have found on line say to dissolve water softener and detergent in hot water and put in black tank. I heated on the stove top water with water softener pellets and laundry detergent until it was dissolved, then let the mix cool down. As the mix cooled, the sides of the pan developed a pretty thick 'build-up' of film that I think would obstruct the holding tank sensors, thereby defeating the purpose. Thinking the soap was the problem, I tried dissolving just the water softener pellets and waiting for it to cool down. gain, the heavy build-up on the sides of the coolpot. Neither solution felt 'slipery' like very soft water, as I would have expected based on the description of this method. I have NOT dumped any mix into the holding tank. For those of you with experience in Geo method, is this your experience? Are the water softener pellets (dissolved) the right water softener? Thoughts? Thanks!

[Michael_Fisher]

I wonder if maybe a lot of people are just over-thinking this; what we have been doing for more than 2 years is simply dropping Tide laundry pods into the black and gray holding tank; It has been been working just fine as far as cleaning and draining; for any odors we'd had in the past, we just drop in a Snuggles brand freshener pod into each tank- we have no odors and our gauges are reading a lot more accurate...

[lanerd]

nickthehunter wrote:
Just go to Walmart and buy black tank chemical in a bottle and be done with it. No mixing, no mess, no fuss.

If you do a little research here on this forum, you'll find that:

Black tank chemical in a bottle does nothing but mask the odor if (or when) you have a malfunctioning system and the odor of the black tank seeps into the rv. It does not clean the tank of residue left over after draining, it does not promote any type of resistance to future residue and will not do anything more than what plain old water will do.

The laundry detergent used with several gallons of water during traveling will indeed wash out the inside of the tank and insure all solids will be flushed out during draining. The water softener has two fold results. First it will soften the solids making it easer to drain and secondly, it will coat the inside of the tank making it slippery so that solids and tp won't stick to it.

Black tank chemicals are just waste (no pun intended) of $$.

Ron

[lane_hog]

Black tank chemical is snake oil....

We use liquid fabric softener instead of powdered softener. Same effects, makes the tank walls nice and slickery.

[nickthehunter]

Just go to Walmart and buy black tank chemical in a bottle and be done with it. No mixing, no mess, no fuss.

[AllegroD]

Use the liquids and do away with the heating process.

[lanerd]

Gonzo42 wrote:
I use the liquid Calgon which I get cheaply from Wally World. I order on line and pick up at the store. Very inexpensive. Plus I use powdered laundry detergent with very good results. YMMV.

If you use liquid Calgon, why don't you use liquid laundry detergent also? I personally use liquid Oxy-Clean along with the liquid Calgon.

Note to others who use different brands of water softener..... please note that not all water softeners are the same and will not have the same results. No need to go cheap, the price difference isn't that much and you can be assured that using the correct water softener will provide you with the results you're looking for.

Ron

[Bend]

OP-

If you are headed to colder climates, add 1/2 gal. of cheap RV antifreeze or a cup of your rock salt to the mix.

[Harvard]

There are 2 types of tank sensors;

1. The type that are not reliable are spot sensors that are screws that protrude through the side of the tank that rely on conductive current between sensors. These sensors tend to snag stuff and such!

2. The type that are more reliable are "capacitive" sensors that are two conductive aluminum strips that are located on the OUTSIDE of the tank wall. These capacitive sensors are less prone to problems when compared to type 1 sensors. IMO.

[brirene]

'en Plain Air' wrote:
...hoping our tank sensors will...read more accurately.

Don't hold your breath on that. Sensors are notoriously inaccurate no matter the efforts you use to clean them. You'll get a sense of how long you can go before filling the tanks, and recognize the signs that they are getting full. Good luck!

[Gonzo42]

I use the liquid Calgon which I get cheaply from Wally World. I order on line and pick up at the store. Very inexpensive. Plus I use powdered laundry detergent with very good results. YMMV.

[_en_Plain_Air_]

OP here. Thank you all so much for your input. I'll get the right products and give it a whirl. I'm hoping our tank sensors will stay cleaner and read more accurately.

[ktmrfs]

'en Plain Air' wrote:
I have wanted to try the Geo method for the Black Tank. The instructions I have found on line say to dissolve water softener and detergent in hot water and put in black tank. I heated on the stove top water with water softener pellets and laundry detergent until it was dissolved, then let the mix cool down. As the mix cooled, the sides of the pan developed a pretty thick 'build-up' of film that I think would obstruct the holding tank sensors, thereby defeating the purpose. Thinking the soap was the problem, I tried dissolving just the water softener pellets and waiting for it to cool down. gain, the heavy build-up on the sides of the coolpot. Neither solution felt 'slipery' like very soft water, as I would have expected based on the description of this method. I have NOT dumped any mix into the holding tank. For those of you with experience in Geo method, is this your experience? Are the water softener pellets (dissolved) the right water softener? Thoughts? Thanks!

water softener pellets are pure sodium cloride, TABLE SALT NOT water softener. water softener such as calgon is completely different chemical that acts something like what a water softener does.

AGAIN you do NOT want to use water softener pellets.

[MudChucker]

those water softening pellets you used are salt for water softeners. you want to buy the calgon water softener product or something similar.

calgon softener on amazon

we do similar and also use a basin to wash dishes and the soapy water gets dumped down the toilet to help fill up between dumps.

[brirene]

Charles Bruni's Geo Method page. I do it once a year or so.