Tank mantenance

[Seann45]

I came across this and thought a lot of new people might benefit from it... and some of the old dogs as well...
http://www.newrver.com/holdingtank.html

[hammerdown]

Thanks for the info, I never thought about using a water softener to clean the tanks.

[mustang]

we used the water softener laundry detergent this past week. we had already drained and rinsed out several times until the water ran clear from the black tank so it appeared clean then we put about 1/3 tank water and the softener./detergent and drove the TT and drained again and the water was not clear again. So we will use this method a few times during the camping season because it seems to me it did clean out waste left behind with the just rinsing method.

[wiscampsin]

That's pretty close to the GEO method I've been using for years on 3 different campers with excellent results.

Link:http://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

[RustyFairmount]

Originally Posted by wiscampsin

That's pretty close to the GEO method I've been using for years on 3 different campers with excellent results.

Link:http://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

My last camper was a Winnebago Access 31c. It was previously a rental unit, so as you can imagine it was not well maintained during it's short time operated by muggles.

Almost immediately I noticed that the head would "plug up" after just the first evening camping. It drained down into a 90 degree elbow, then into the black tank where there was some sort of obstruction. The tank would read empty, but the bowl would be full of waste unable to go down. Yuck. This happened multiple times during our first season.

I reasoned that the muggles probably didn't have enough water in the black tank to start, and the solid waste probably built up into a pile near where the waste entered the tank. I used 1 cap of liquid water softener and 1 scoop of laundry detergent with 1/2 tank of water on the way to the campground. I dumped upon arrival.

I did this three times consecutively and never had a backup problem again. The detergent and water softener broke the waste free and let it drain out of the tank.

I definitely recommend the GeoMethod.

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by RustyFairmount

My last camper was a Winnebago Access 31c. It was previously a rental unit, so as you can imagine it was not well maintained during it's short time operated by muggles.

Almost immediately I noticed that the head would "plug up" after just the first evening camping. It drained down into a 90 degree elbow, then into the black tank where there was some sort of obstruction. The tank would read empty, but the bowl would be full of waste unable to go down. Yuck. This happened multiple times during our first season.

I reasoned that the muggles probably didn't have enough water in the black tank to start, and the solid waste probably built up into a pile near where the waste entered the tank. I used 1 cap of liquid water softener and 1 scoop of laundry detergent with 1/2 tank of water on the way to the campground. I dumped upon arrival.

I did this three times consecutively and never had a backup problem again. The detergent and water softener broke the waste free and let it drain out of the tank.

I definitely recommend the GeoMethod.

Muggles leave the black tank open as they do not know better... this of course makes for the dreaded "mountain of poop" under the john. Best thing for this is 10 gallons of HOT water down there. Let sit then add more hot water to try to soften it up.. A power washer down the toilet also helps but watch for spray back..

[RustyFairmount]

Originally Posted by Seann45

Muggles leave the black tank open as they do not know better... this of course makes for the dreaded "mountain of poop" under the john. Best thing for this is 10 gallons of HOT water down there. Let sit then add more hot water to try to soften it up.. A power washer down the toilet also helps but watch for spray back..

The Winnebago head was right over the wheel well and made a 90 degree turn into the black tank. A power washer wouldn't navigate the turn. Even using a flexible flush wand was inneffective. But great suggestion on adding HOT. I bet that would have solved the problem quicker.

The idea of sprayback...ewww!!!!

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by wiscampsin

That's pretty close to the GEO method I've been using for years on 3 different campers with excellent results.

Link:http://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

After reading about the GEO method I am not too sure about it... it might keep YOUR tank clean... but most dump stations I see are on a septic system and what would the bleach do to that?

[David472]

Originally Posted by Seann45

After reading about the GEO method I am not too sure about it... it might keep YOUR tank clean... but most dump stations I see are on a septic system and what would the bleach do to that?

You are correct Seann45. Too much bleach in any septic system will cause it to stop working.

[RustyFairmount]

Originally Posted by Seann45

After reading about the GEO method I am not too sure about it... it might keep YOUR tank clean... but most dump stations I see are on a septic system and what would the bleach do to that?

I'm stunned. I swear when I read the GeoMethod 2 years ago, there was no mention of bleach. I re-read it, and sho 'nuff, it mentions bleach. How could I have forgotten that?

I hereby withdraw my endorsement of the GeoMethod. The water softener and detergent are fine in my opinion to help loosen gunk and cleanse the tank when there's a problem (like a "stuck" sensor). But there's no good reason that I can think of to dump bleach into the black tank.