pronstar

I use the Flush King as well. Great product.

One statement about the Geo method makes me wonder...

The water softener makes the solid waste let go from the sides of the tanks. If you've ever taken a shower in softened water you know that after rinsing the soap from your body your skin will feel slick. That's because all the soap rinses away with soft water. Softened water also prevents soap scum from sticking in the tub. Get the connection? With softened water gunk washes away instead of sticking. The same thing applies to your RV's wastewater tanks.

This isn't what happens at all.
Soft water doesn't prevent soap scum from sticking to anything...
Soft water lacks the magnesium & calcium ions that combine with soap to make soap scum in the first place. It doesn't "stick" because it's never created.

The lack of soap scum on your body is why you feel "slippery" with soft water. The "squeeky" clean feeling you get with regular/hard water is, in fact, soap scum.

So I'm not completely sold on the whole soft water thing.
But the main point of using plenty of water is fdefinitely valid.

Busboy

Interesting Idea, I'm going to give the soft water treatment a try. I have an in tank flush head on my black but the gray seems to have problems remaining clean.

hubmonkey

I have done the GEO method without any bleach. I use the Calgon water softner (powder kind) and coat my tanks veery few trips. I also use tank chems when I am not doing the geo thing. I also have a Camco reverse flusher that I use as well.

The main key is dumping with a full tank. My routine incase anyone is interested...

If I am camping close to home, I never dump at the campground. Why you ask? Because there is a Flying J about a mile from my house and I can take my time there and not feel rushed when someone pulls up behind you. My local FJ has 3 dump stations. Also the bouncing around on the way home "Breaks Up" the "Chuncks"...

Hook my camco flusher on, then my hoses. Open the Black tank. Good thing about the camco and flushking are they are clear and you can see what is happening.

Drain the black tank, then back fill the tank with the camco flusher. Pull than handle and wha-la. Clean tank. ( may take a couple of back fills but you can see when the water is clear with the Camco)

About every three trips I dump 2 gallons of hot water with the calgon water softner disolved in it. Drive it home and store it.

The other two times I out a couple of gallons of water in it and throw some thetford self disolve packets in it.

Do the same for the gray tank...

Hub

Busboy

I put a 3 inch cross over dump pipe with a shut off on the trailer so I can dump from either side and plumbed in a 4 inch dump system at home, I got fed up looking for a place to dump late in the season when most dump sites have closed down for the winter.

supr

For what it is worth, I never throw toilet paper in the toilet. We put it in a waste basket beside the comode. This keeps that sruff from getting cuaght up coming out.

Hankpac

A waste basket next to the toilet? Not good. Clean up after urinating is no big deal, but feces-soiled paper in a waste basket means it is going into the trash, and that is not suitable for fecal disposal. Ask your public health or sanitation dept. Feces is supposed to go in the hopper.
If you are worried about paper clogging your tank, use readily biodegradable paper, single layer, unscented, without so-called "Strength".
Even baby wipes down the hopper will be ok, since the key, as noted by all the experienced persons who posted above: fill the tank with water before draining. Even partial disgestion of only a day or two, will make all the difference in draining, if the tank is plumb full. filling with a hose makes it go faster.
It's worth the effort, since that small effort and time prevents huge headaches.

duner

WHAT? even a caveman knows better.

junkman1946

Having been previously employed in the R.V. repair business, Ive unplugged my share of holding tanks.Almost without exception it was the paper that did them in. Use ONLY 1 ply bio-degradable R.V. paper. Using 2 ply is akin to flushing bedsheets down your toilet. Also if your family is predominately females they use twice as much paper. Use more water to flush. No disrespect to the ladies intended. Frank.

HayHauler1

These little guys are what we use. Plumber friend of mine gave me the first tub of bugs... Works like a champ! Just had to stop using the anti-bacterial hand soap, killed the good bugs too.
Bio-Clean
Buy from local plumbing supply. I am not associated with johntheplumber.com at all. Buy locally.

We dump the black water tank, then while I am dumping the grey water, the wife is dumping the bugs and 4 toilets of water to provide the sloshing action that others have mentioned.

Hay

lastchance

Man,,, the morale to this thread should be very careful when you take a dump and remember to flush,flush,flush

Hankpac

I should mention: when we camp in improved sites, we use the toilets provided.
When we camp in the woods, men go outside.
I dig a nice latrine some distance away (following the US Army's "Field Sanitation" manual spec's).
Cuts down on usage, and water use, and spares batteries.

Busboy

Ha! just try and get the wife to use THAT in the middle of the night........

Hankpac

I don't. Like I said, the MEN go otside. Of course after dark, when the boogy man is out, and the bears are sniffing around I use the inside facility.

ptgarcia

Man, I bought my own trailer so I wouldn't have to do that anymore!

Danavilla

I've been RVing 25 years and have never reverted to using "the woods" although I do use the park's public restrooms at times. This is our third RV and we've never had a problem with the tanks. Keep them dumped and rinsed out as much as possible.

Dan