Holding Tank Chemicals

[mike_t]

New to trailer camping.If I stay at a full hookup camp ground do I put anything in the tank or will it just drain out?
Also.Should I put anything in the tank while traveling to slosh around to help clean then dump it once were set up.:?
Thanks
Mike

[Wishbone51]

Also, some put a couple of bags of ice down the loo, as this is supposed to cause a scrubbing action as you drive down the road..

A couple of tips.. After draining, make sure you put some water back in the black tank.. I put 5 gallons (mixed with a cup of liquid tide and a capful of liquid calgon.. really smells nice!).. Don't want stuff left at the bottom to dry up.. Also many newbies freak out that their tank isn't draining all the way, because the gauge shows 1/2 full .. Don't trust the gauges. They regularly get stuff stuck to them causing a false reading. I have pretty good luck with the GEO method + ice.

Also, if you have a tank sprayer built in, you can connect a hose to it, and it creates a violent (maybe rotating?) spray inside, to help get everything out.

[Dusty-NZ]

mike.t wrote:

Dusty-NZ wrote:
I have a difficulty with multiple chemical sensitivity.

Any thing perfumed is out.

Bleach is out.

Bacteria in the tank is normal, bacteria activity breaks down the effluent , given enough of the right bacteria , there is no smell.

I achieve this by using an Oxygenator, purchased from the supermarket , in the laundry detergent isle.
I use ECO STORE brand as it has no perfume (deodorizer), it is in granular form , like sugar , and a spoon or 2 occasionally does the trick.

Regards,

occasionally ??

Mike , I have a combined grey/black 400L tank, this lasts about a month normally, I add some oxygenator after perhaps 2 weeks if some odor is evident .

Your mileage may vary 🙂

[mhbell]

Here is a link to what I have used for over 10 years and it works great. similar to the GEO Method but I feel it is better.
Click Here for Link
Mel

[powderman426]

mike.t wrote:

powderman426 wrote:

mike.t wrote:

powderman426 wrote:
Boy I sure wish I were so rich that I had money to throw down the toilet. But sadly all I can afford and have used in campers since the seventies is some water. In all that time I have never had a problem with my holding tanks. But if it makes you feel good you can continue to throw money away. On second thought why not send that extra money to me and I promise I will make better use of it than you have. :B

Is this for me?

This was pointed at anyone who uses chemicals in their holding tanks. The point I attempted to make is putting chemicals in tanks is like throwing your money away.

Again new at this.So these chemicals don't do anything?Again new here just trying to learn.What do we do so as not to have to use these chemicals?

Sure these chemicals do something. They make a ton of money for the companies that make and sell them. Like I stated above, I use enough water to keep things liquid. The tanks are not a septic system but simply holding tanks. I have never used chemicals and never experienced a problem with flushing tanks or odors with the possible exception of don't leave the ceiling fan on when you flush the toilet as it will quickly draw odor.

[CincyGus]

The truth of the matter is there are about as many opinions on what to do, how to treat the holding tanks, as there are license plates pulling said campers.

Some just use water.

Most all will tell you not to leave the black tank open because you want plenty of water in this tank to break down solids and prevent build up or drying out of solids, some times referred to as the "poop pyramid".

Most will tell you to leave the gray tank closed also to allow you to have "cleaner" water to rinse the tank hose after dumping the black tank. Some say leave it open and then close before a day or two before you leave to build up enough to rinse the hose after the last black tank dump and prior to storage.

Some use RV toilet chemicals.

Some use the "Geo" method mentioned above.

Here is the "CincyGus" method. You'll notice similarities to most of the above 😉

I put a couple of gallons of water in each tank prior to leaving for the trip by holding down the flush valve on the toilet and running a little water in each of the sinks. This makes sure I don't have a dried out "P" trap that will allow tank smells come back into the camper during my journey as I often leave a roof vent open to cool the camper when it's hot. I add a cap full of liquid Calcon water softner and a handful of the cheapest power laundry detergent I can buy at the dollar store to the black tank.

This foams up a bit and swishes around the tank on my trip to the campground. Coats the sides and is supposed to prevent anything from sticking to the sides of the tanks.

When camping with full hook ups, I leave both tanks closed. I monitor the tanks and generally the gray will fill first. When it does, I decide how much I should drain Maybe all, maybe half) based on how full the black tank is. If it's less than half full, I'll drain it completely and close it again. My goal is to have at least a 1/2 to 3/4 a tank of gray water to flush the hose when I do finally have to drain the black. The main reason being, a hose that has had a black tank drained that is not rinsed with gray/fresh water can stink, especially if some particles are left in the hose. If you have very tight, secure fittings, you might not have an issue.

Same method when camping without hookups and using our tote or a dump station. I want to be able to run a good 10-20 gallons through the hose any time I have finished dumping the black tank.

Once done, I put a couple of gallons back in the tanks, put my water softner and detergent in prior to the ride home and I'm getting the benefit of a good sloshing cleaning of my sensors and tanks during the ride home. That stuff stays in the tanks until the next time we go camping.

Works for me, have no smells, always have a clean dump hose, never had a clog or "Pyramid" and might spend $10 a year for the above. If I'm throwing it down the toilet, I'm ok with that. I've spent more on a crappy meal before.

[mike_t]

powderman426 wrote:

mike.t wrote:

powderman426 wrote:
Boy I sure wish I were so rich that I had money to throw down the toilet. But sadly all I can afford and have used in campers since the seventies is some water. In all that time I have never had a problem with my holding tanks. But if it makes you feel good you can continue to throw money away. On second thought why not send that extra money to me and I promise I will make better use of it than you have. :B

Is this for me?

This was pointed at anyone who uses chemicals in their holding tanks. The point I attempted to make is putting chemicals in tanks is like throwing your money away.

Again new at this.So these chemicals don't do anything?Again new here just trying to learn.What do we do so as not to have to use these chemicals?

[mike_t]

Dusty-NZ wrote:
I have a difficulty with multiple chemical sensitivity.

Any thing perfumed is out.

Bleach is out.

Bacteria in the tank is normal, bacteria activity breaks down the effluent , given enough of the right bacteria , there is no smell.

I achieve this by using an Oxygenator, purchased from the supermarket , in the laundry detergent isle.
I use ECO STORE brand as it has no perfume (deodorizer), it is in granular form , like sugar , and a spoon or 2 occasionally does the trick.

Regards,

occasionally ??

[powderman426]

mike.t wrote:

powderman426 wrote:
Boy I sure wish I were so rich that I had money to throw down the toilet. But sadly all I can afford and have used in campers since the seventies is some water. In all that time I have never had a problem with my holding tanks. But if it makes you feel good you can continue to throw money away. On second thought why not send that extra money to me and I promise I will make better use of it than you have. :B

Is this for me?

This was pointed at anyone who uses chemicals in their holding tanks. The point I attempted to make is putting chemicals in tanks is like throwing your money away.

[mike_t]

352 wrote:
Sometimes stuff gets stuck down there. Reach your arm down the hole as far as you can. When down to the max feel around for anything chunky. Grab it and squeeze it between your fingers until it gets smaller then dump some water in it (After you pull your arm out of coarse}. Do this once a month for regular maintenance. Wash your hands before cooking. I do have a self help video available. Hope this helps

You my friend must have mighty long arms.I would never have thought of that

[mike_t]

powderman426 wrote:
Boy I sure wish I were so rich that I had money to throw down the toilet. But sadly all I can afford and have used in campers since the seventies is some water. In all that time I have never had a problem with my holding tanks. But if it makes you feel good you can continue to throw money away. On second thought why not send that extra money to me and I promise I will make better use of it than you have. :B

Is this for me?

[Dusty-NZ]

I have a difficulty with multiple chemical sensitivity.

Any thing perfumed is out.

Bleach is out.

Bacteria in the tank is normal, bacteria activity breaks down the effluent , given enough of the right bacteria , there is no smell.

I achieve this by using an Oxygenator, purchased from the supermarket , in the laundry detergent isle.
I use ECO STORE brand as it has no perfume (deodorizer), it is in granular form , like sugar , and a spoon or 2 occasionally does the trick.

Regards,

[Denlor]

We use the Geo method but also have a wand which connects to a water hose and after draining the black tank and then the grey tanks use the wand about once a month. It is inserted into the toilet after supply water in shut off and spray it around in the black tank until you get about 1/3 full then drain again. Then we do Geo and are good for another while, you don't have to do it this way but we find it keeps every thing working and clean. Also have sewer solution for draining and cleaning holding tanks. Works great but slower (more efficient though).
good luck and fun camping

[powderman426]

Boy I sure wish I were so rich that I had money to throw down the toilet. But sadly all I can afford and have used in campers since the seventies is some water. In all that time I have never had a problem with my holding tanks. But if it makes you feel good you can continue to throw money away. On second thought why not send that extra money to me and I promise I will make better use of it than you have. :B

[352]

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