What is the better black tank chemical

[chrismoore701]

Went to cabelas this past weekend. I usually get the TST treatment, but noticed the CampaChem. What do you guys use out there. Seems like the TST is a treatment where the CampaChem is more of a deodorant. Are they essentially the same thing?

[Jopopsy]

I use AquaKem (Aqua Khem?). It works. It has formaldehyde in it and a heavy shot of deodorant. The formaldehyde is why it works so well. There are two camps for formaldehyde; each to their own.

[njburn]

I've had good luck with Happy Campers. Hard to find in stores so I buy on Amazon.

[2nOZ]

We’ve had really good luck with the liquid aqua-chem.

[Bob and Brenda]

We use Happy Camper and have had ok results. Be careful when ordering this on line. We had the top come off part of the way in shipment and had alot of loose powder in shipping container. Happy Camper would not accept responsibiliy for the problem and would do nothing.

[Camper_bob]

Happy Camper hasn't worked well for me at all. Perhaps it's the heat.

The TST orange worked better for me, so for now I'm going back to that.

I will be moving back to my own mix soon though. Using Calgon, Borax and Dawn. Perhaps some Pine Sol every now and again.

For a while I made a mix containing vinegar, Calgon, baking soda and Pine Sol IIRC, and it worked pretty well. It was just a bit inconvenient to do that every time.

That's the nice thing about the packaged products; they're convenient. But for the amount of stink I get, I'll deal with a little more inconvenience...

All my seals and vents work properly, so I only get the stink when I open the toilet valve. It's especially bad if it's opened when cruising down the road as somehow a backpressure is created while we're in motion.

[Jopopsy]

I also didn't have much luck w/ Happy Camper. Plus mixing it prior to flushing it is a pain. I like the convenience of the one shot bottles.

[jloco]

I'm currently using TST.. I don't know that there's a big difference with most of them. They key is to use plenty of water in the tank and don't dump until 100% full. Even if it means adding water if you want to dump.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by jloco

I'm currently using TST.. I don't know that there's a big difference with most of them. They key is to use plenty of water in the tank and don't dump until 100% full. Even if it means adding water if you want to dump.

+1

I routinely add LOTS of water to my tank before I dump it. And whenever possible, I use my tank flush to fill up the tank at least twice for a good rinse. 3x if I can swing it.

[chrismoore701]

Here is a pic of the two (2) products I picked up. Are they essentially the same thing? Or does each have a purpose? can I mix them?

[NorCal Eagle]

Aqua-Kem. Been very pleased with it. Usually buy it from Walmart, 1-gallon for around $25.

[cekkk]

Water, lots of it and freshened often. I may or may not toss in a tab of something if we're going to be towing.

[DonaandDon]

nuGEN

[JFlightRisk]

Originally Posted by chrismoore701

Here is a pic of the two (2) products I picked up. Are they essentially the same thing? Or does each have a purpose? can I mix them?

To answer your question, you can use both, but I wouldn't at the same time.
We've used quite a few different chemicals over the years. TST, Potty Tabs, Walex, Aqua Chem, Odorlos, and now Pure Power Blue.

You need to try a few, and see what works best for you. There are as many brands out there, as there are RV owners. Factors like how hot your climate, how long you camp at a time, how many of you in the camper, do you frequent full hook up sites or not. Do you boondock most of the time.

Of all the brands we've used, for us there's not a lot of difference, because we are weekend campers , 3 or 4 days at mostly full hook up sites. The longest we've stayed anywhere was two weeks.

[Tunce the traveler]

[QUOTE=Camper_bob;783821

I will be moving back to my own mix soon though. Using Calgon, Borax and Dawn. Perhaps some Pine Sol every now and again.

.[/QUOTE]

X2 on this mix. I add this mix before I leave the house and let it do it’s job for an average drive of 350 miles. I then dump and rinse with a 5 gal. bucket. At the end of my 10 week travels I do the same routine for the trip home and dump at my house.

[LuckyDuck]

I use Campa Chem — easy one-use bottles. Works well for us.

[Flyrotor]

I have never used any chemicals in the holding tanks and I’ve never had any problems whatsoever, no fowl odors or anything.

When I had a popup I had a canister toilet and used chemicals and I swear the chemicals made it stink much worse.

My current trailer came with some samples when I bought it 7 years ago, I never even opened the bottle.

[mikegray]

I use Camco TST Ultra-Concentrated Orange Citrus Scent RV Toilet Treatment Drop-Ins.
https://amzn.to/2N3YVat
Mike

[Bayoutalker]

I've tried most of the ones mentioned with so-so results. In the Southeast Texas heat the smell was hard to control. I live in my rv with my wife and we dump our black tank once a week. By the end of the week it was starting to smell pretty bad.

That is until another camper told me what he used. It was the same as a couple of others above said: Borax, Calgon and Dawn. I use the cap for the Calgon as a measure and put 1 each of the Calgon and Dawn and 2 of the Borax. Since then I've had no smell by the time I flushed the tank. It has a couple of other advantages. First it is cheaper to use than the other stuff. Second it is easy to find, just go to the laundry section in any grocery store.

[Sisilija]

Dawn and PineSol for me. Never had a problem.