How to Properly Use RV Black Water Tank Chemicals

We get a lot of questions about how to properly take care of the black water tank, what to do with the toilet chemicals that type of stuff. So we're going to cover the five biggest mistakes that RV owners do with the sewage system or the black water tank. The first is not using the right chemical, you use an anaerobic type of a chemical in the black water tank. And that allows what we call the good bugs basically, to erodically eat or digest the sewage that's in it. Just very similar to your municipality. If you use the wrong type of chemical then it's going to create an anaerobic type of digestion. And that's where you get the rotten egg smell. And you get, it's just going to have a lot of problems with it. So Thetford, it makes a product that is designed to have the enzymes that the good bugs are going to need. So use the proper chemical. The second thing is using the proper toilet paper. Now a lot of people think I can just use a septic type toilet paper that would be good for a home. And we did a test. And you definitely want to use one that is designed for RV's. And it's going to break down faster. You don't want that stuff inside clinging to sidewalls, because what's going to happen is it's going to go up against the monitor to panel probes. And you're going to get a bad reading. Again, Thetford is one of the leading brands of the toilet paper that will dissolve in your waste system. The third one then is not properly cleaning the black water tanks when you're done using them or even in between. Now a lot of people like to use this, which is a black water flush valve. And it simply sits, it's permanently mounted to the sidewall of the blackwater tank positioned towards the monitor panel probes because you're going to clean those out. What happens with those probes is, you've got one power probe that comes in to one side, and then you've got one, two, three on the other side. So as the level rises, it arcs across and it tells you it's a third, it's two-thirds and full and so forth. You drain that down, you're still going to have some slime, you're going to have some sludge stuff stuck to the side of that tank. And that's going to give you a false reading. So by hooking a garden hose up to this, you get pressurized water that spins. Some of them are wands, cleans that whole thing out. If you don't have this on the side, and you can't install one. Then I would suggest using a wand which you stick down the toilet of the RV and clean it that way. And, another good product is just every once in a while. Use the tank blaster. This is just a product you can put in and blast the crud as you can see, on the side of that tank. And again, you just try to clean all that sidewall off so you don't get that false reading. Now, the fourth thing that RVers do is they empty their tanks too soon. You should not empty your tanks until they get at least half, some say two-thirds full. Which does a couple things, first of all, it allows the enzymes to work, to start the digest. The second thing is, that it allows that paper, the toilet paper to dissolve on the inside. You don't want to leave them open because you get what's called pyramiding. If I set up a camp ground and I leave that valve open. First thing is, I'm going to get some smell coming from the underground system up inside. But I'm also going to have the fluid drains fast and the solids stay and they just to pyramid and then you get some real problem. So that's not fun to deal with. And the last mistake that a lot of people make and it usually just the first for those that are slow learner, maybe the second time, is they leave their roof vent, or the vent coming out, above the toilet open when they open their toilet. Shut that vent off, you'll get those smells well from that black water tank will come right up through and you'll know it right away. So, little bit of preparation, the right product and you'll avoid the five mistakes that Rvers make in their sewage system.