Vinegar in black tank

[Preyou]

I have used vinegar and baking soda in the drains at my house to clear them. Can I use vinegar and baking soda in the black water tank to clean it out. If so how?

[bobbecky]

The question is, why? It’s a black tank that will always be nasty, so why clean it so you can just make it a black tank again? Just use a quality enzyme treatment between dumping and you should be good. Depending on how big the tank is, you would need maybe up to 50 gallons of vinegar, and then, what do you do with it when you are done?

[travelin texans]

A good squirt of dish of laundry soap with a couple gallons of water added to the tank after dumping works as good as any of the chemicals.
The best advice for the black tank is use plenty of water per flush.

[JRTJH]

Let's go back to "basic chemistry" for a second: Remember those "cloth diaper pails" ??? Remember that ammonia smell from urine in the diapers???

That ammonia smell is present from the uric acid in the diapers (pee)…

Vinegar, (acetic acid) when mixed with ammonia, produces chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is one of the agents banned under the "chemical warfare agreement".

Chlorine gas can cause coughing, watery eyes, irritated nasal and throat tissue and in some people with medical conditions, think lung disease, smokers and asthmatics, can cause a severe reaction or even death....

I wouldn't recommend mixing vinegar with black tank contents. There are much better chemical cleaners to use for that job......

[flybouy]

Water is the blank tank's friend, the more the better. As suggested a little Dawn will help after you drain and flush the tank add a few gallons of water and a good squirt of Dawn and it will agitate on the drive. A drop in tablet or liquid odor control if it's an issue. Never was a fan of the enzyme treatment while camping as there wasn't sufficient time before dumping. If it's going to set a week before the next trip it wouldn't hurt but I never found it necessary.

As a father of 2 girls (grown women now) with think long hair I used a shower drain hair catcher in the shower. That was a lesson learned from when they were very young. I would be picking hair out of the tub drain every month.

Regarding the kitchen sink, just keep in mind there's no disposal so don't wash "stringy" or fibrous things like corn silk down the drain. Wipe that material off the plates before washing. If you boil corn on the cob (sinful IMO, always grill it) don't throw the water in the sink. Take it outside after it's room temp and disperse on the ground.

[Preyou]

Thanks. Just needed confirmation.

[travelin texans]

There's one VERY important thing to remember.
When the RV is connected to a sewer system, whether at a campground or your home, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NEVER EVER leave the black tank valve open, fill & drain as needed. The issue created by leaving the black valve open will require dynamite not vinegar to cure.
I also agree with Marshall on the enzymes! If storing the RV for extended periods they may be beneficial, be sure to add plenty of water when using them, but for everyday use they aren't in the tank long enough to do any good. Most of the drop/pour in products are for odor control & don't do much to break up solids or paper, use if you think necessary.
Using overpriced RV specific toilet paper is not necessary either, I'm sure others will disagree! Any brand the states "septic safe" on the package & is not a bazillion ply will work just fine, again water in the black tank is your friend.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

There's one VERY important thing to remember.
When the RV is connected to a sewer system, whether at a campground or your home, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NEVER EVER leave the black tank valve open, fill & drain as needed. The issue created by leaving the black valve open will require dynamite not vinegar to cure.
I also agree with Marshall on the enzymes! If storing the RV for extended periods they may be beneficial, be sure to add plenty of water when using them, but for everyday use they aren't in the tank long enough to do any good. Most of the drop/pour in products are for odor control & don't do much to break up solids or paper, use if you think necessary.
Using overpriced RV specific toilet paper is not necessary either, I'm sure others will disagree! Any brand the states "septic safe" on the package & is not a bazillion ply will work just fine, again water in the black tank is your friend.

I disagree on the SEPTIC SAFE labeling. Take a sheet or to when trying any new toilet paper for the RV and put it in a glass of water and see what results after a period of time. Some will NOT dissolve. Don't ask me how I know as I am the master of the magic RV toilet wand!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

I disagree on the SEPTIC SAFE labeling. Take a sheet or to when trying any new toilet paper for the RV and put it in a glass of water and see what results after a period of time. Some will NOT dissolve. Don't ask me how I know as I am the master of the magic RV toilet wand!

Some of them that dissolve while just setting on the water will dissolve with a little agitation (no, I don't mean call it names and tout it not being worthy of wiping your, well you get the idea). Shake the jar a little and most will break apart. I've laid a sheet in the toilet, and it will set there intact until flushed and as soon as the water starts to move you can see it break apart.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

I disagree on the SEPTIC SAFE labeling. Take a sheet or to when trying any new toilet paper for the RV and put it in a glass of water and see what results after a period of time. Some will NOT dissolve. Don't ask me how I know as I am the master of the magic RV toilet wand!

As I said "others will disagree"!
After 40+ years rving, 10 of those full-time, the only RV paper we've ever used was the free package the dealers gave us when purchasing our last 2 5th wheels. Never had an issue using whatever the DW likes & have never had to use the "magic wand".
Even after traveling with my 4 granddaughters each during their turn traveling with us for the summer & apparently they had big booties cause they could sure go through a roll of paper quickly.

[JRTJH]

I've been using Scott's 1000 single ply in the trailer for (I'm guessing here) the last 10 or 12 years. I always use plenty of water and have not had an issue with odor or blockage/valve closure problems using this TP. It's strong enough to not break apart while wiping <YECHT> but does break apart in the tank. It still comes out the sewer port (viewed with the clear hose adapter) in clumps, but the other end of the sewer hose just shows "chocolate milk consistency" effluent.

I have no doubt, as Danny said, others will disagree and I'd suppose that's one of many reasons even WalMart has 50+ brands and types of toilet paper on the shelf... Everyone has a different opinion and, as that old saying goes, they all have "the exit port" and many of the opinons stink, but all of those exit ports "stink"...

Exit port on the sewer dump valve/connection.... What did you think I meant ????

[Customer1]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

As I said "others will disagree"!
After 40+ years rving, 10 of those full-time, the only RV paper we've ever used was the free package the dealers gave us when purchasing our last 2 5th wheels. Never had an issue using whatever the DW likes & have never had to use the "magic wand"...

I'm with you, we've used Quilted Northern Plush for years without trouble. I never even got the free pack of RV paper.

[Papa Smurf 54]

Water, water, water, and the TR BOWLIN BIO-GEO METHOD 3 STEP METHOD for maintaining your RV'S holding tanks,(trbowlin.com). The site offers a printable instruction guide download. Using this method is easy, less expensive, and easy ly obtained products from grocery stores, and big box hardware stores.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Let's go back to "basic chemistry" for a second: Remember those "cloth diaper pails" ??? Remember that ammonia smell from urine in the diapers???

That ammonia smell is present from the uric acid in the diapers (pee)…

Vinegar, (acetic acid) when mixed with ammonia, produces chlorine gas. Chlorine gas is one of the agents banned under the "chemical warfare agreement".

You're thinking of bleach and ammonia. To make chloramine gas, one of the components has to have chlorine in it, and neither vinegar nor ammonia do.

Ironically, I'm sure plenty of people would think nothing of bleaching their black tanks. To top it off, adding a lot of bleach to a little ammonia can produce other interesting byproducts, like explosive nitrogen trichloride!

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by LHaven

You're thinking of bleach and ammonia. To make chloramine gas, one of the components has to have chlorine in it, and neither vinegar nor ammonia do.

Ironically, I'm sure plenty of people would think nothing of bleaching their black tanks. To top it off, adding a lot of bleach to a little ammonia can produce other interesting byproducts, like explosive nitrogen trichloride!

You're right !!! I just asked my DW about the old diaper pails and she said, "No dummy, vinegar is what we used to pour into the diapers to break down the ammonia smell."

I'll chock it up to another senior moment ...

[dutchmensport]

As stated above, Dump your tank, add a little Dawn Dishwashing liquid, add some water, go for a drive. If you want a little extra boost, add a half cup of bleach. When you reach your destination, dump again, add water to flush out the bleach so it won't hurt the rubber or plastic on your valves by sitting long term, and your tanks will always be clean (as much as possible), your sensors will work correctly, and you won't have back-up smells when you push the peddle on your toilet with the bathroom ceiling vent fan running.

After that first initial clean, just add Dawn to your tank after every dump.

Vinegar is great on windows, it's a great antacid for heartburn and reflux if you can stand the taste, it's a magnificent cooling agent on sunburns, and an acid neutralizer, but it doesn't and won't help clean or eliminate odors from an RV holding tank.

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

Vinegar is great on windows, it's a great antacid for heartburn and reflux if you can stand the taste, it's a magnificent cooling agent on sunburns, and an acid neutralizer, but it doesn't and won't help clean or eliminate odors from an RV holding tank.

Yep, but when you add the olive oil to keep the toilet seal soft .... well you know what you got now.

Sorry gang, over tired and it's late and I'm old and I couldn't help myself I can't believe that I brought this up again

[Big 417]

The only thing you need to worry about when buying toilet paper for your RV is to get the kind your finger wint go thru . ...