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Daniel6001 · 06-24-2012, 03:34 PM

I'm new to the whole RV thing have recently purchased a Winnebago RQ 33. My question is what is the best chemical to put in the holding tank. I have purchased some orange stuff called Camco but it doesn't seem to be working to well. Thanks in advance for your help.
Daniel

OnNTwo · 06-24-2012, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel6001

I'm new to the whole RV thing have recently purchased a Winnebago RQ 33. My question is what is the best chemical to put in the holding tank. I have purchased some orange stuff called Camco but it doesn't seem to be working to well. Thanks in advance for your help.
Daniel

Which tank? Black, and Gray or fresh?

AFChap · 06-24-2012, 03:42 PM

Plenty of water is all I have used for the past 6 yrs/60k miles of full timing. A couple of times a year I will use anything (normally a Camco product) that contains coconut oil to help lube the seals.

slick60 · 06-24-2012, 03:54 PM

Use plenty of water and be sure toi keep plenty of water in the bowl. Never had a problem except in hot weather and on the road when the water in the bowl might get low.

rgvtexan · 06-24-2012, 03:56 PM

X2 on lots of water.

Dave78Chief · 06-24-2012, 04:18 PM

Since you are new, let me rephrase the "be sure to keep plenty of water in the bowl" statement. Just like a house toilet, you have to maintain water in the bowl to act as an air seal. Keeps the oders from coming back in the rig. Actually, all drains (sinks and tub) also have "P" traps that require water to be in there to act as a air seal to keep the oders where they belong.

Dave

kalynzoo · 06-24-2012, 04:22 PM

Out here in the heat of Southern California I find that Thexford "blue" with formalin is the only product that keeps the odor down for a few days at a time.
Tried other eco-friendly products but they don't seem to hold up to the heat...110degrees average high 90's.

jauguston · 06-24-2012, 04:26 PM

What are your expectations? What do you expect it to do?

Jim

cb1000rider · 06-24-2012, 05:54 PM

Daniel,
When we're going to let the rig sit, we clean the tanks pretty well. Several flushes of full water, often a 1/4 tank of water, then 30 lbs of ice, flush it all, bleach it once and you're good.

Driving while partially full, I'll refer to above.

bsirby · 06-24-2012, 06:23 PM

I have much better control of odor using water than when I was using chemicals. Flush with plenty of water and be sure to add a little extra to the bowl to keep the odors down.

toadog · 06-24-2012, 06:27 PM

We find the chemical smell is worst ,good vent made a big difference.

Davdeb1 · 06-24-2012, 06:34 PM

I can't say how this works in the heat, but the GEO method worked well for us, some Calgon water softener, Dawn dish detergent, and some bleach. Do a search, no chemical smell at all.

WeatherTodd · 06-24-2012, 06:37 PM

need to check your tank vents as well. Most of the factory ones are totally inadequate.

RickO · 06-24-2012, 07:05 PM

Welcome to the forum.

All great advice so far IMHO. If you search on this topic you'll find more reading material than you can possibly get through.

Many will swear by a certain chemical additive and many (including me) use either a common dishwashing liquid or nothing but water. What ALL good plans will include is using LOTS of water in your black tank.

If you start with a relatively clean black tank, and use a lot of water while it fills through normal use... and you're still getting odor inside the coach, you may well have a clogged vent.

Best of luck.

Rick