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Old 09-30-2014, 09:18 PM   #1
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Wink My first post...and it's about poop

Hello,

My husband and I currently own a 2005 StarCraft Antigua. We've owned it for three years, and for the whole time the camper has been stinky, particularly from the bathroom. I have peered down into the black tank and I'm quite sure there is a good sized poop mountain in there, and it's probably been building for the 7 or 8 years the camper was owned before we had it. I've tried most of the normal tricks to break it up, and the smell has improved. But....it's still there just a little. We have even banned going #2 in the camper and just head for the shower house when he have to.

Fast forward to today, and we just ordered a new 2015 33RLDS. Besides not doing our "doody" in the camper, what else will minimize odor? We are debating not even throwing toilet paper in the black tank because if I am correct in what I have read, it can build up and smell too? We did order it with a black tank flush. I'm not keen on the idea of driving for weeks/months with a tank full of pee either.

And yep, I'm a psycho when it comes to smells.
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Old 10-01-2014, 04:49 AM   #2
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If you treat your blank tank properly, you will not get odours from it. We are on our 3rd RV and have never had an issue with the tank. Key ingredient, water and lots of it, and never, never leave your blank tank open when camping. Wait until it's full or 3/4 full and then empty. If you don't have a built in blank tank flush system, buy yourself a blank tank rinsing wand. Camping World sells them. Why would you, when you have the convenience, and cleanliness of your own toilet go use a public washroom. That is one of the benefits of owning a RV. Buy a good toilet paper that breaks down quickly, like Angel Soft. If I put anything in the tank at all, it is a natural product, like RIDX, which I use maybe once a year. Add lots of fresh water and drive to your next camping site. The swishing around of the water and RIDX in your tank help clean it. Dump when you get to your site. If you flush out your tank after each dumping you will not have an issue. For Pete's sake, use the toilet, just do it correctly. There is lots of information here and other RV forums about how to use your tank wisely and keep it clean and odour free.
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Old 10-01-2014, 05:39 AM   #3
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One thing people never think about is you black tank is pretty much a port-o-potty. You must keep water in it so the solids don't just sit there and dry. When your done camping for the weekend, dump your tank, but be sure to put 3-4 gallons of water in it during storage, and add about a cup or two of water to the toilet itself to keep the seals from drying out. I found out if I fill my toilet full of water before I flush, it is right at 1 gal of water, so fill your toilet 3-4 times and there is your 3-4 gallons

Last thing is the best way I found to clean my tank is find a camp ground with water and sewer. Fill your toilet all the way up with water and let sit and then flush, repeat often. this will clean everything out. Worked great for me.

good luck
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Old 10-01-2014, 05:55 AM   #4
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We have a 33RLDS and never have any odor issues. It comes with a factory installed flush so just use it enjoy poops in the privacy of your own camper !!
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Old 10-01-2014, 06:19 AM   #5
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We have a Mississippi Flush Rule - #1=3 Mississippi - #2=6 Mississippi. (apologies to any viewers from the great state of MS)
The Geo Method has been successful for us so far.
https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/
I also make sure I have a couple gallons in the tank for the trip home and do one last dump into a bucket when I arrive. That allows the road trip to do a bit of cleaning.
This takes patience, practice and carefulness since it is essentially dealing with a toxic substance. I pour the effluents directly into my septic tank stand pipe and thoroughly sanitize the bucket.
I add some water and Geo ingredients before closing the trailer up.
My next trip will include a bag of ice to really scrub things down before winterization.
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Old 10-01-2014, 06:46 AM   #6
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We have a Mississippi Flush Rule - #1=3 Mississippi - #2=6 Mississippi. (apologies to any viewers from the great state of MS)
The Geo Method has been successful for us so far.
https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/
I also make sure I have a couple gallons in the tank for the trip home and do one last dump into a bucket when I arrive. That allows the road trip to do a bit of cleaning.
This takes patience, practice and carefulness since it is essentially dealing with a toxic substance. I pour the effluents directly into my septic tank stand pipe and thoroughly sanitize the bucket.
I add some water and Geo ingredients before closing the trailer up.
My next trip will include a bag of ice to really scrub things down before winterization.
Hey, great article, thanks. I use the laundry soap idea, but not a combo of ingredients mentioned here. I'll be trying this out for sure.

Thanks to all others who responded too.
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Old 10-01-2014, 06:59 AM   #7
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The reason you get a mountain of poop in the black tank is someone had left the black tank valve open at the campground.. NEVER DO THIS.... always wait till the tank is near full and dump.. if it isn't and you need to dump before going on the road fill the black tank with water then dump.. Doing this I have never had a problem with my black tank.. I never use those RV chemicals in the tank they are detrimental to the ecology of your tank... if you must use something in the tank then get a box of septic tank treatment from a hardware.. but it needs to be in the tank for days...
I just watched a video on ice in a black tank and it does little to nothing for cleaning a tank... think about it .. it is slippery and sits on top of water... so how would it clean your tank? Here is the video link
http://vimeo.com/107203617
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Old 10-01-2014, 08:46 AM   #8
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As mentioned I rinse, and rinse and rinse. And when I think I've rinsed enough I do it one more time...
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Old 10-01-2014, 09:06 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seann45 View Post
The reason you get a mountain of poop in the black tank is someone had left the black tank valve open at the campground.. NEVER DO THIS.... always wait till the tank is near full and dump.. if it isn't and you need to dump before going on the road fill the black tank with water then dump.. Doing this I have never had a problem with my black tank.. I never use those RV chemicals in the tank they are detrimental to the ecology of your tank... if you must use something in the tank then get a box of septic tank treatment from a hardware.. but it needs to be in the tank for days...
I just watched a video on ice in a black tank and it does little to nothing for cleaning a tank... think about it .. it is slippery and sits on top of water... so how would it clean your tank? Here is the video link
http://vimeo.com/107203617
Cool video (had to mute the music after a couple of minutes).

I would love to see the same experiment with a tank that has had the Geo method. The idea is that the Calgon creates a more slippery surface. My intent if not to attack poo mountain. If that has happened, the situation has already gone wrong.

This does make me wonder what would happen is a bit of abrasive was added to the ice...
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Old 10-01-2014, 09:09 AM   #10
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The whole point of having an RV as opposed to a tent is the conveniences it provides. You have a toilet, so you should use it! And I can't imagine using it but then putting the used toilet paper in a trash can? Yuck!

Just follow the advice others here have given. Use lots of water. Dump when you have a least 3/4 full tank. Use chemicals is you want to. We also dump out dishwater down the toilet to save room in the grey water tank. Beside adding additional water to the black tank (a good thing) I think the soap in the dishwater also helps break up the solids.

Good luck and happy camping!
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Old 10-01-2014, 10:55 AM   #11
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I used my toilet this year and there was no smells at all....I simply followed the advice of others on here and it works. I also have the same trailer as your new one, great floor plan. Enjoy!
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Old 10-01-2014, 11:05 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seann45 View Post
The reason you get a mountain of poop in the black tank is someone had left the black tank valve open at the campground.. NEVER DO THIS.... always wait till the tank is near full and dump.. if it isn't and you need to dump before going on the road fill the black tank with water then dump.. Doing this I have never had a problem with my black tank.. I never use those RV chemicals in the tank they are detrimental to the ecology of your tank... if you must use something in the tank then get a box of septic tank treatment from a hardware.. but it needs to be in the tank for days...
I just watched a video on ice in a black tank and it does little to nothing for cleaning a tank... think about it .. it is slippery and sits on top of water... so how would it clean your tank? Here is the video link
http://vimeo.com/107203617
Great Video and it shows just how ineffective ice is...I just keep lots of water in mine so that it does not allow a lot of build up....as per the advice of many on here!
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Old 10-01-2014, 06:12 PM   #13
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Ever think of a composting toilet?
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Old 10-01-2014, 06:28 PM   #14
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Old 10-01-2014, 08:36 PM   #15
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As any water is the enemy of our aluminum and fiberglass walls....not enough water is the enemy of our poop tanks.
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Old 10-02-2014, 08:55 AM   #16
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This is going to sound crazy, but, we don't put solids in our toilet. We also have a flushing system on our Greyhawk and I flush the black tank about every 5 days we are on the road. This makes dumping tanks fast and not unpleasant. I'ts just something we have gotten used to.
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Old 10-02-2014, 09:20 AM   #17
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Dumping tanks might be unpleasant but the thought of using, and worse, letting my kids use, the campground toilets is much more unpleasant to me for a whole host of reasons. So not to use my campers crapper not only sounds crazy, to me it IS crazy
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Old 10-02-2014, 09:28 AM   #18
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Fear not solids in the tank. Yes, there is risk, but it is not that substantial if the rules above are followed - especially keep some water in the tank.
Personally I will use the park restrooms but that is more as a courtesy to my family. It is a very close environment.
I would prefer my kids use the camper toilet though since I like to know that the surfaces they are touching have only our germs on them. I have my own habits that protect me but they are a bit too young to be paranoid enough to maintain the same germaphobia I have developed through years of media exposure.
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Old 10-02-2014, 11:25 AM   #19
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Some good info. We don't poop in ours though. All the campgrounds we have stayed have surprisingly had clean bathrooms.
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Old 10-02-2014, 11:33 AM   #20
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This is going to sound crazy, but, we don't put solids in our toilet. We also have a flushing system on our Greyhawk and I flush the black tank about every 5 days we are on the road. This makes dumping tanks fast and not unpleasant. I'ts just something we have gotten used to.
I don't think it sounds crazy. To us, it's just nasty to drive around with a tank full of feces in our camper. Maybe because the campground we use is very clean and the bathrooms are nice, it doesn't bother me to use them. I don't know, but it's our choice and we are sticking to it...unlike poo on the bottom of a black tank. (Haha, see what I did there??)
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