Cleaning a black tank - what REALLY works

[HJLowell]

Originally Posted by steve52

Bacteria? Rid-X?
Stuff is not in the black tank long enough for bacteria to break anything down. It is a holding tank, not a septic system.

Very true
And science supports your statement.
Rid X feeds digestive bugs. In the proper environment only.
Chlorox and phosphate cleaners kill those digestive bugs.even if concentrated in a Septic tank system.

Rid X is designed for long term feeding and reproduction of bacteria over long term with lots of water dilution.
Our holding tanks are in a septic state.
Not biological.

[HJLowell]

Originally Posted by steve52

Not trying to be condescending. The water is what worked, the Rid-X did nothing.

Correct

[J-N-Lham]

MY black tank was pretty solid from PO when we purchased it. I'm with the Happy Camper folks. Start with the extreem at first then a scoop of regular after each dump. Good stuff, no odors breaks up solids quick.
We do use Dawn and Liquid Calgon in our grey tank via kitchen sink. Works great makes tank and lines slippery and has a nice smell when you walk in.
Oh and we do have a factory tank flush system, I do flush black tank every time after dumping.

[IC2]

Just because it was easy, I looked up the MSDS and what made up Happy Camper ($45/Amazon/64 treatments). One single enzyme that supports bacterial growth and breaks down ... stuff = monohydrate

Rid-x has three enzymes ($12, Home Depot, 1500 gallons/30 treatments 50 gallon black tanks) which are = A-Amylase, Cellulase and Subtilisin.

Not being a chemist, have no clue whether one is actually better then the other since they both do about the same thing - break down solids in the holding tank.

Heck, Dawn (not thei anti-bacterial version) and Calgon may be the best . Or maybe just hot water.

Use what works for you. Rid-x did what i needed for a reasonable cost as well as the convenience of ease of supply.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by IC2

Ray, I too made one up and used it very successfully on two past RVs. Unfortunately this 5er has a 45 elbow just below the toilet and another at the tank I only wish our city water pressure was higher, not 50psig as we are on the last, 4th from the end outermost run in our town.

A length of 3/4 inch PVC, a cap on the end with 4 holes and a female garden hose connector on the other end. It resides in my RV odds and ends of things I might have use for some day in the future. Or not!

Could you make a short (2-4") one to fit/screw on an old garden hose that will slither through the 45's?But you still only have tha 50 psi.

OR buy one of those Jetter hose's from Amazon on your pressure washer?

[LETMGROW]

No need to make a tank rinser. I use one of these using 40 - 60 psi. from my well pump.

Camco Flexible Swivel Stik Tank Rinsers - $16.99
Lynn

[IC2]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Could you make a short (2-4") one to fit/screw on an old garden hose that will slither through the 45's?But you still only have tha 50 psi.

OR buy one of those Jetter hose's from Amazon on your pressure washer?

I have to think about running one through that connection. There are at least two 90* fittings and a 'Y' plus the valve .... A yard sprinkler head might be adapted to a garden hose end with fewer fittings and length. Elderly hoses I have.

I like that Jetter but am not convinced that the tank Keystone supplied as OEM will withstand my 2700psi pressure washer. Several have reported tank failures on the Montana and Keystone forums

[IC2]

[QUOTE=LETMGROW;5005240]No need to make a tank rinser. I use one of these using 40 - 60 psi. from my well pump.

/QUOTE]

Might be worth a look. Thanks

[Roger G]

When people mention Calgon in the threads, they are referring to Calgon water softener. Calgon makes many products such a detergents, soaps, and Oder fresheners but it's the water softener that most are referring too. The water softener is difficult to find in this area but I see many other Calgon products on the shelf. I have a pressure washer rotating water jet that I use about once per year. The gray tank is always much worse than the black tank especially the smell.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by MSHappyCampers

H Dave! Everybody's got their own ideas on the way to clean a black tank. Here's what I do.

I have a built-in tank flusher. I connect the water hose to it and turn on the water at the same time I open the black tank dump valve. I'm watching the procedure through a 45 degree clear fitting. When the tank empties and there is just a small stream of water coming out, I close the dump valve and let the flusher continue. I wait 1-2 minutes then open the dump valve, letting the build-up drain. I continue to do this several times until the water coming out is completely clear. Then I close the dump valve and let the flusher continue for about another minute to leave water in the tank. Finally, I go inside, run water into the toilet, put in an application of Happy Camper tank treatment, mix it up good with the toilet brush, and flush. Job complete!

I have no way to look inside the black tank, but I figure if there's clean water coming out that dump then it's clean enough for me! We never have any odors and the Happy Camper seems to dissolve pretty much all the "stuff".

If you want to take it a step further, you can use a Jetter hose and nozzle with a pressure washer. Just open the dump valve, stick the hose and nozzle all the way up into the tank, start the pressure washer, and blast everything in there. Of course all that will be coming out the dump so you need to get somewhere that you won't be concerned with what you leave on the ground!

This is the one I bought. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

One additional suggestion. Put about a 3' length of sewer hose on the sewer outlet before you run the Jetter hose up into the tank. Then you can hold the end of the hose over a 5-gallon bucket to catch the "stuff" when you start flushing!

[carl.swoyer]

I have started using the hot water from the outside spigot in the udc.
About ten gallons and a day of driving with laundry detergent.

[marcum]

I have a 2002 Monaco Diplomat with 150,000 miles on it. I use a maserator for dumping. I've never flushed mu black water tank and don't intend to. You guys are making a big deal about nothing!

[cekkk]

For me, water flushing. Water hose down toilet, in the flushout and in the blackwater outlet. I do this annually and get a lot of TP residue. Of course it's easier if you have a place to do it.we have an acreage and lots of garden hose.

[Piros1]

Originally Posted by IC2

All good information. Thanks

Gary - I agree about being an oxymoron. I just don't want to suffer the 'enjoyment' of working through a brown haze of dripping sludge. Clean is a relative term as these tanks will never be spotless nor do I care if it is.

Joe - I like that sprayer. Might have to consider that o shove down the toiler.

O-B - I know what you are saying. Tilting on our 5er needs to be just the opposite due to where the tank outlet is placed. Good advice though as long as the RV owner knows where his tank outlet is placed.

Don - going to do that fill and drive with whatever wonder stuff I end up using.

Persistent - that's one of the concoctions I am considering on our drive home next Monday. For sure a gallon or two in the tank over the winter wont hurt as long as there is plenty of expansion room and the built in flusher is winterized.

I think it is your choice of what works. Most of us that have been RV'ing for any length of time have a system. Myself I never use chemicals of any kind in my tank during normal use, I found that they promote odors or in my case that is what I have experienced and have tried most that or out there.

What I do is when it comes time to empty my tank I thoroughly flush it after each tank dumping. When I am traveling home or between destinations and I know I have a place to empty when I get to my destination I fill the black tank half full and let it slosh around until we get there and dump the tank as soon as we arrive. I always put a few gallons in my black tank after emptying if I plan to use it. I have tried a product called Tank Commander from Walmart and it seemed to work but after doing my normal process it flushed out clean and just smelled like soap. Another product you can use is fill your black tank after empty and flushed to about 3/4 full and add a cup or two of Spick and Span depending on tank size and drive home and flush out. Spic and Span cleans just about any type of dirt off most anything.