Community Forums

montana4two · 08-15-2013, 07:53 AM

All these things are fine and dandy, if you are moving around. We have been in the same spot for 4 months (without septic hook-up) and have started to get odors. Yes I'm doing the dawn-calgon thing but the odor still persists. So any suggestions for the non mobile people?

**CLIFFTALL** · 08-15-2013, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montana4two

All these things are fine and dandy, if you are moving around. We have been in the same spot for 4 months (without septic hook-up) and have started to get odors. Yes I'm doing the dawn-calgon thing but the odor still persists. So any suggestions for the non mobile people?

Give the slinky a good soapy cleaning. They don't call it a stinky slinky for nothing.

jackfish · 08-15-2013, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montana4two

All these things are fine and dandy, if you are moving around. We have been in the same spot for 4 months (without septic hook-up) and have started to get odors. Yes I'm doing the dawn-calgon thing but the odor still persists. So any suggestions for the non mobile people?

I'll say it again, Happy Camper, and it will only cost you $16.00 to try the smallest container sold. For a grey tank, mix two teaspoons (45 cents) with water in the kitchen sink or shower and wash it down into an empty tank. Empty tank when at least half full. For the black tank, mix four teaspoons (89 cents) in two gallons of water and pour into an empty tank. No need to use extra water to flush or down the bathroom sink. Empty tank when at least half full. Happy Camper contains minerals and micronutrients that lubricates tank surfaces, liquefies waste, including breaking down toilet paper, and controls odor by promoting aerobic bacteria, killing anaerobic bacteria. It is biodegradable and does not kill the beneficial bacteria in your tanks. If you buy a larger quantity it is cheaper (53 cents per 40 gallons of black tank capacity). Every other holding tank treatment, home-grown or on the market, is more expensive and will not work as well. Period.

Barbaraok · 08-15-2013, 03:20 PM

What do you mean no septic? How are you dumping your tanks? Are you using a blue boy or having them pumped out. And no, you don't need to spend money, just use plenty of water and don't dump/ have them pumped out until they are almost full. Are you sure you don't have a nest or something in your vent pipe, or that the pipe hasn't slide down into the tank? A Run some water down and see if cleaning out the vent pipe doesn't help.

And we have spent 4 months in Arizona in the winter, never moved the coach, and no, we didn't have any problems. But we use LOTS of water. Are you limiting the amount of water in order to stretch out the days between dumping/pumping?

Barb

Dr4Film · 08-15-2013, 03:24 PM

Some people just like wasting good money by throwing it down the drain. If I could have collected every dollar that people have wasted on stuffing those special chemicals or whatever into either their grey or black tanks, I would be diving a brand new top of the line Custom Newell Motorcoach plus I would have enough leftover in the bank account to take care of my fuel and insurance expenses for the rest of my life.

I agree with Barbaraok, chances are the ones that are having problems ALL the time are the ones that are NOT using their RV's enough.

I've been full-timing for over 11 years now and have been living in the present coach for almost 10 years. I started out using chemicals for odor but quickly learned that it was solely because I wasn't using the right method for keeping the tanks cooking and flowing correctly. Since that time I have not had even one little hiccup in maintaining the tanks nor do I use anything to keep them clean. They are holding tanks, similar to the septic tanks that people have at their houses. I don't think they regularly clean them. They might pump them out every 8-10 years or so but truthfully if they were ever to clean them they actually would be destroying the needed bacteria to keep them working correctly.

If your tanks are having problems due to neglect and improper usage, then there are methods or people that have specialized equipment to help you get them back to square one.

Just my opinion.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

TdogKing · 08-15-2013, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbaraok

Oh for pete sake. It is a HOLDING TANK. It holds grey water (kitchen sink, shower, sinks) until you dump. It will always be 'dirty', so just dump it, use plenty of water, try to keep large food particles out, and throw some baking soda down the drains once a month or so. That's all you need to do. You don't need to spend money on chemicals for either holding tank, just put extra water in so they are 2/3 or more full before dumping and then dump!

Barb

I Agree ! I've been RVing over 30 years and don't understand spending all that extra money on nothing.....like most have said "It's a holding Tank not a Septic System "

Mattapoisett · 08-16-2013, 05:11 AM

Full timer here, water, water,water,,,,,,never had any problems. :-)

montana4two · 08-16-2013, 08:56 AM

I guess trying to find the balance between having to use the blue boy every other day because we are using "water, water,water" is what we have to do. We have been full-timing for 3 years but this is the first time we have not had full hook-ups for this length of time. So thank you for all the advice. I will continue to experiment and maybe after 11 years I will also have the right recipe for success