Black tank after emptying

[Opa 1]

I have read on some Facebook conversations about after emptying the black water tank some put in a 5 gallon bucket of water and a cup of dish soap plus whatever good smelling oder control you choose.

I knew about putting a couple gallons of water and the oder control stuff but never heard of the dish soap and 5 gallons. I trust this forum much more than anything on the Facebook. I look forward to your answers

[gkainz]

I suspect you may be referring to the GEO method of black tank sanitation. Google it for any number of hits and variations. I use cheap liquid laundry detergent and liquid water softener (Calgon).

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by gkainz

I suspect you may be referring to the GEO method of black tank sanitation. Google it for any number of hits and variations. I use cheap liquid laundry detergent and liquid water softener (Calgon).

This is what I do as well. The fabric sotner seems to make the water sheet off leaving lfewer minerals left behind. Minerals make things stick to it. I don’t measure 5 gallons but hold down the flush pedal long enough to aproximate the volume. Some folks insist on Dawn but I beleive and brand detergent will work. I typically use some lemon scent dish detergent from the dollar store.

[dutchmensport]

What you heard is (almost) completely correct. You do NOT need to purchase a bunch of RV "chemicals" to put in your black tank. Water and laundry soap, or Dawn Dishwashing liquid (and anything or powder you use for laundry) will aid the black tank, help keep it clean, and keep odors at bay. Be VERY conservative when using bleach. It's OK to use bleach, just make sure the bleach is removed (dumped) from the tank. The bleach itself won't hurt the tank, but if left to sit in the tank, it will (over time) deteriorate your slide valve and then it will start leaking. If you use bleach or a bleach solution, just be sure to dump shortly.

Now, the thing those folks on Facebook probably did not say was.... AFTER you add the extra water and the laundry soap or dishwashing liquid, you need to take the camper on the road. The sloshing of the soap water solution will splash around inside the tank, washing the sides and the top. Once you arrive at your next destination, dump the tank immediately and all the crud that was sticking to the inside of your tank will now flush on out.

You need to do this every time you move from one location to another, without fail, and your tanks will never have any odors, will always be relatively clean, and your tank level sensors will work more accurate.

If you are sitting stationary, like at a season site, you can still still do the same thing, add some dishwashing liquid or some laundry soap after every dump. It's not a perfect world but it does help and it really is just as effective as expensive black tank RV chemicals only a lot cheaper.

If you think about this for a moment, consider doing a #2 in a toilet. What happens? More so than not, anything touching the sides of the bowl is going to leave "streaks" and stuff stuck on the sides. Right? Now, you push the flush handle and what happens? Water comes flowing in, circling round and round and then everything goes down the drain. What's left? ..... well? ... OK, lets talk real world here, as gross as this is....

Depending on the "texture" of the #2, even after flushing, more times than not, it's still stuck to the side of the toilet bowl. But, you just flushed your toilet? Didn't the force of the swirling water clean the sides completely ... um ... more times than not ... no. What do you do next? Get the toilet bowl brush and scrub it off and flush again.

Now... Think about the black tank on your camper. It's just nothing but a gigantic holding tank... the same thing as the holding "bowl" of your toilet. All that #2 in the tank, sticking to the sides, to bottom, the top (from splashing water when you flush the toilet), sticks too.

Do you honestly think simply pulling the valve and draining the black tank is going to create enough force of the sides and walls of your black tank to wash all that #2 skid marks off? Even if it's been soaking? Think about the inside of your toilet bowl? Now! What do you do with your toilet bowl? Add some cleaner and a brush!

The same is what's needed in your black tank ... something to wash the sides of the tank, something that disolves the black streaks, the hanging dried #2, and then something with enough force to flush it out the drain valve.

Now that you have been completely grossed out, you can see why laundry and dishwashing soaps work well. If you don't believe it, test it in your own toilet bowl in your house first. You may never use toilet bowl cleaners again (unless you have lime and rust).

Good luck!

[Camping family]

Question when your camper is parked at the house or wherever you keep it. Do you keep some water in your tank along with any deodorants

[GHen]

The dish soap or fabric softer works great before dumping. If I’m going to be using it for a week before dumping I add Borax. It’s supposed to help the bacterial breakdown. If it’s breaking down, it doesn’t smell much. If it’s not breaking down it will stink bad.

Reminder: General rule is never mix bleach with any other chemical. It’s somewhat unstable and will release all its chlorine if high alkaline detergent (like auto dishwasher detergent) is added as an example. Ammonia and bleach are very very bad together.

I think a black tank that is around 1/4 full or more is a happy tank. Since most tanks are sloped away from the toilet and toward the valve, If it’s dry, the poo drops and then drys and creates the poo pyramid. If won’t happen as often if there is some water under the toilet.

[Opa 1]

So after dumping it is ok to add the water and dish soap or fab softener then sit in tank until the next time we go camping then dump after or during trip then repeat

[GHen]

Originally Posted by Opa 1

So after dumping it is ok to add the water and dish soap or fab softener then sit in tank until the next time we go camping then dump after or during trip then repeat

Sounds like a good plan. I try to dump only when it’s nearly full to get a good flush.

I will sometimes not dump when getting ready to leave a site, but dump as soon as I arrive at the new spot, so it’s been mixed good during travel.

[dutchmensport]

Originally Posted by Opa 1

So after dumping it is ok to add the water and dish soap or fab softener then sit in tank until the next time we go camping then dump after or during trip then repeat

Won't hurt a thing and will actually keep the tank smelling better. Yes, it's OK to do that. As long as it's not freezing weather, you can leave some water in the tank also. Actually, this is a good thing to do because it keeps the dump slide valve from drying out, cracking the rubber, and then leaking. Keeping some water in the tank is a good thing. Add the soaps, water softeners, whatever and you'll be OK until the next camp out. Keep the dump valve wet all the time.

Remember, you can easily have 2 or 3 gallons of water sitting in the black tank drain line and the actual tank could be completely empty. That's why some folks say to add 5 gallons, considering how much goes into the drain line between the bottom of the black tank and the dump valve.

[travelin texans]

Personally would NOT use bleach in the waste holding tanks! A small amount in the fresh water to sanitize is ok.
I would not use PineSol either, the black tank liquid smells bad enough without adding a hint of pine!!
Any laundry or dish soap will work & add Calgon or fabric softener if you like, no need for expensive rv specific tank cleaners or digesters.
FYI only use "septic safe" toilet paper, no more than 2 ply, rv specific tp is not necessary, then hold the pedal for about 5 Mississippis when flushing #2.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Camping family

Question when your camper is parked at the house or wherever you keep it. Do you keep some water in your tank along with any deodorants

After I'm done dumping, I always "prime the pot" with a few gallons of water and a deodorant pod. So when it's sitting idle at home, that's already been done. Also, if you get used to following this ritual, you'll never forget the deodorant.

[Opa 1]

Thank you all. As usual great advice to follow

[Opa 1]

One last question on this topic how much laundry or dish soap do you add Facebook said 1 cup of soap. That seemed excessive but?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Opa 1

One last question on this topic how much laundry or dish soap do you add Facebook said 1 cup of soap. That seemed excessive but?

If I have problems with the tank, and I'm trying to clean it, I use 1 cup of Dawn and 1 cup of BORAX powder.

If I have a "relatively clean tank" and I'm just maintaining "status quo" then 1/4 cup of Dawn and 1/4 cup of BORAX powder.

I have used other dish detergent products, but keep going back to "blue Dawn" as the one that seems to work best for me. That's not to say other products are not effective, rather "IMO, just not as effective"....

[Opa 1]

I love this group. Never fails to answer my questions. JRTJH thank you for this clarification

[Mic]

all this talk about #2
kindda make me glad I aint no plumber

.

[jxnbbl]

With the detergents...does anyone use dishwasher detergents. I don't know the composition of these, but a little of that powder VS just dish soap seams to break down baked on foods....wouldn't be surprised if it worked well cleaning the black tank.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Mic

all this talk about #2
kindda make me glad I aint no plumber

One of my top pals was a plumber. Told me a story about a day when two calls came in, one a freshwater leak, the other a plugged motel loo. His kid quickly snapped up the freshwater leak job. The apprentice that got the loo job found the blockage to be a wad of $600 in smallish bills, and got to keep it. His kid was grumpy about it for weeks.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by jxnbbl

With the detergents...does anyone use dishwasher detergents. I don't know the composition of these, but a little of that powder VS just dish soap seams to break down baked on foods....wouldn't be surprised if it worked well cleaning the black tank.

I've used Dawn dish soap in every rv that I've ever owned since they started putting toilets and holding tanks in them and I will continue to do so until I can't get the Dawn or I die... which ever comes first

[dutchmensport]

Question was asked above "How much?" I think trial and error is the best answer. Think about how much you'd use in your kitchen sink to wash dishes (what? just a squirt in the water)??? Now convert that squirt in proportion to 5 gallons of water.

When I add to my tanks, I give the loo a good heathy squirt, but I also do that after ever dump too. On a different forum, someone posted they put a bunch of Dawn down the loo and when they reached their destination, bubbles were all over the floor of their bathroom when they came back up through the toilet. Well, I have some serious questions about that happening, especially since the bottom of the toilet has a slider valve and a water tight seal. Still, it made me think about how much is too much.

So, thinking in terms of the proportion you'd use for washing dishes, well,.... that's about right.

About bleach? If bleach water sits in your tank for a duration, I think the bleach can dry out and even deteriorate the dump slide valve seal. But for those of us who have washing machines installed in our campers, are we to never use bleach again? Think about that?

When it comes to bleach, I think there is a huge difference between adding a 1/4 or 1/2 cup to 5 or 10 gallons vs adding 1 gallon of bleach to 5 or 10 gallons of water. Yes, the 1 gallon proportion will do some serious sanatizing!