Can I put a little baking soda in my TT toilet?

[TnCamperMama]

Please don't laugh , but my toilet in our new to us 06 Hornet stinks to holy hell! We can't hook it up to water to flush it out until we take our first trip in a few weeks. I was wondering if I could sprinkle a little baking soda just around the rim of the toilet or a little in the tank. IDK what the previous owners used to help with the smell, but I got a good reccomendation on the pod things from an older camper pro at my local Walmart. I'll be buying them for this summer. If I can't put baking soda in it, can I put some plain white vinegar? I'm new to ownership, so please don't laugh. I just want the funk smell gone. I know to expect some, but its kinda bad! Thanks.

[tatest]

Sure you can, but it likely won't help with the smell. Baking soda helps by adsorbing molecules from the air (as does activated charcoal, more effectively). Dump the soda in the toilet, it will just dissolve, no adsorption.

I put sodium borate and laundry detergent in mine, not so much for smell as to help dissolve stuff and keep it suspended.

[waynec1957]

If you dump baking soda in the black tank, which by itself shouldn't be a problem, be careful what you else put in it. You could end up with a brown fizzy bubbling out of the toilet.

Something I do 2-3 times a season (starting when I de-winterize), is mix two capfuls of liquid water softener in hot water and pour it down the toilet followed by two capfuls of laundry detergent. I ran across this idea here when we bought the camper and have used it ever since. I don’t generally mess with dumping chlorine bleach down the toilet because of the fumes, but I have in the past.

Edit: I should have mentioned I add the water softener and laundry detergent after rinsing and dumping the black the tank.

[joelc]

If you have an odor problem it is from a reason. If you bought your unit new and have been using chemicals in the toilet to break down the solids, then you might have a problem with your breather pipe that goes to the roof not venting. If that is not the case I would put some chemicals in the toilet, drive around for awhile with the tank about 1/2 full of water and then dump. You can add baking soda if you want. It is great as an order eliminator, but will not break down the tissue and solids.

[Dog_Folks]

We had the problem and bought the trailer new, so we know the common holding tank mistakes were not made. We had a slight odor and got one one these in WalMart: Cyclone It worked great.

The other posts here stating that something is wrong if you have odors are correct. Keep Looking. We had an undiscovered minor leak below the floor.

But the Cyclone worked great in the meantime also.

[352]

Sure you can use baking soda. Just don't put any regular soda down there or you will have a fuzzy but.

[Old-Biscuit]

I imagine you are confused by now :B

*Toilet has two seals. Floor flange seal (toilet/floor gasket) and a bowl seal (inside toilet bowl) Bowl seal needs a liquid in bowl to properly seal. Cold temps...pour enough RV anti-freeze into bowl to cover seal. (or olive oil). Check in a couple days to make sure it hasn't leaked out of bowl.

*Black tank.....should have some liquid in it (even cold weather) so any 'stuff' in tank stays wet and doesn't stick/build up. RV anti-freeze in cold weather

*Grey tank.....should have a little liquid in cold weather. Pour RV anti-freeze down sink drains (kitchen/bathroom) and down shower drain....enough to fill 'P' traps and overflow a bit to grey tank.

*Under kitchen & bathroom sinks (inside cabinet) will probably be a 'vent' This are 'air admittance valves' that are on a short stub pipe just after 'P' traps. They are for venting when draining grey tank (keep 'P' trap from being sucked dry). They can wear out and not close......stink for grey tank can come back inside RV thru them. Just screw onto stub pipe.......replacements at hardware store couple bucks each.

All waste tanks (black & grey) have vent pipes......they go from top of tank up thru walls of RV to roof and have vent caps on them to keep rain/debris out of vent pipes. The vent pipes can get plugged.....then tanks don't drain like they should and odors from tanks can come back inside RV-----if the normal/regular vapor barriers aren't working (toilet bowl seal/air admittance valves/'P' traps)

You can use baking soda in your tanks (toilet/sinks/shower)followed with a little white vinegar (home made drain cleaner).

You can use ANY toilet paper that is 'septic system' safe. You don;t need to use expensive thin cheap made expensive RV toilet paper.
Use what you use at home.

Enjoy your 'new' RV and have fun!
Don't over think/over analyze. IT's just an RV. Similar to you home just on wheels.

[Racefan1]

Your in an area where it is currently above freezing. Put any type of detergent in the black tank that has a anti bacterial agent (pinesol, mr.clean,lestoil) Then add a tank full of water. That will take care of the smell. But also check your vent, just in case. Dump at your first campout.

[myredracer]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
And, when you start using you camper make sure you use the right type of bathroom tissue

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

I did the TP in water test once. Found out that one of the major RV brands doesn't disintegrate whatsoever, even after 24 hours. I think it was Thetford IIRC, but not 100% certain. There are no industry regulations or standards for labeling TP as "safe for RVs" so just because it says so, don't take it for granted.

One Costco brand disintegrates and one doesn't. It's a LOT cheaper and if you want to use it, I'd do the test to check it out. There's a regular grocery store one that works great, can't remember it it's Scotty or Cottonelle or another one, but it does break down just fine for RV use. We sure don't like having to pay the mafia-inspired RV TP prices...

[CavemanCharlie]

And, when you start using you camper make sure you use the right type of bathroom tissue

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

[wrenchbender]

I use baking soda in both tanks regularly.Only use bleach in the grey tank if required.

[rockhillmanor]

First of all just so you know, there should NEVER be ANY smell coming from the tanks.

Did the people you bought this trailer from have it parked permanently in a park?

If so, some leave the black tank valve open all the time and there is not enough water to move the sewage out and it creates what we all call "a mountain of poop" in your black tank.
I hope for you that this is not the case.

For the quick fix until you can get out to a CG is fill up several gallon water jugs and schlep them out to your RV and pour them down into your black tank and add this:
Be sure to read the label and that it says powerful odor control. There are 2 kinds on the shelf and look alike but the one marked natural doesn't do squat. Find at any Walmart.
I'd put 2 bottles of it in. This stuff actually 'Break down Waste' others do not. I use this stuff regularly.


For the gray tank put a gallon of water and any quart size liquid lemon cleaner from the grocery store.

Pour water down all sinks and the shower AND.....put water in the bowl of toilet when done. P-traps Need to be filled and toilet with water to create a seal just like in you home.

THAT should get you to the CG without you and the DW gagging!
Good luck. Once you get over this oops you should be fine.

Don't forget the

[bigB42]

fill toilet bowl with rv antifreeze or windshield washer fluid odor should not come in ken

[Sea_scape]

If the trailer has not been used for a long time, make sure there is water in the p traps for the sinks amd shower (the up down pipe in the drain line under the sink). If it is dried out odors can come out that way.pour water into the sink if there no freezing, rv antifreeze if a chance of freezing.

In some units the bathroom sink may drain into the black tank. Gray tanks can also cause odors.

[Fred_n_Jo]

If there isn't any liquid in the toilet bowl then there isn't any seal to keep the tank's odors from getting into the RV. If you are still in freezing temperatures you could use some pink RV antifreeze, some windshield washer deicer liquid, or some vegetable oil.

[xteacher]

If it's not your vent, you may have accumulated solids in your tank that need some help, er...being dislodged. A black tank flush wand connected to a garden hose (not your drinking water hose, of course) is what we used on our black tank when we had our TT b/c we didn't have a built in tank flusher. We used it after we dumped the black water tank. How to Use A Flush Wand. I also moved the wand up and down a little (careful doing this!), as well as side-to-side. You can get one at any RV store. This is best done at a full hook up campsite, as people will not be happy waiting for you to do it at a public dump site.

In case you didn't already know this, always keep the black tank valves CLOSED while camping until dumping to avoid the dreaded pyramid effect of solids, which then harden like concrete. We also kept the gray tank valve closed the last day of a trip to be able to use the gray water to help flush the sewer hose out after dumping the black tank. Keep the grey valve closed and the black valve open when flushing. After several minutes*, close the black tank valve and open the gray tank valve to flush out the sewer hose before detaching it from the camper.

*You can buy a clear connector (attaches to the camper on one end and your sewer hose on the other), so you can see when nothing more is coming out when flushing. TMI, I know...

Some people swear by this: The next time you go out, put a couple of large bags of ice (or several small bags) in the empty black tank, then drive to your campground and empty it when you get there. The ice helps dislodge solid matter that may have built up in the tank.