This may seem obvious, but NEVER leave your black tank gates or pulls open while you are camping or using your RV’s holding tanks. We should all know that. But what about your gray tank’s pulls?

What’s wrong with leaving your pulls open?

When your holding tank release pulls are open, the tank’s contents are evacuated through your RV’s waste system and out the sewer hose attached to your RV. When your tanks are 90% to 100% full, the liquid forms a vortex in your tank, helping to wash away all of the waste material inside. A full tank empties better than one that is a third or half full.

But leaving a tank pull open allows water or liquid to seep out, leaving any solids behind. In a black tank, that means human waste and toilet paper pile up, creating a mound that will soon clog your black holding tank and cause a back up in your waste system. Yuck!

But there’s no waste in your gray tank

That’s not exactly true. Your gray tank contains soap, grease, food waste, hair, and other stuff that washes off of you at the sink or during a shower. One time, that all starts to stick together into clumps. Plus, your gray tank is the perfect environment for mold growth, especially slime mold.

By leaving your gray tank’s pull open, the water or liquid drains out, leaving this debris behind. It’s not as dire of a situation as leaving your black tank’s pull open, but it can still cause a stinky gray holding tank and even cause build up over time.

When you can leave your gray tank pull open

What about doing laundry in a clothes washer? Even low-water use washing machines can create a fantastic amount of waste water. It’s okay to leave your gray tank’s pull open when doing laundry.

The post Should You Leave Your RV’s Holding Tank Pulls Open or Closed? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

What do you use in your RV’s bathroom, one- or two-ply toilet paper? Is it the $8-a-roll stuff you get from Camping World? Quilted? Scented? With lotion? Which is best for your RV’s toilet and waste system? It’s a popular topic and one we’ve tackled before. But let’s talk about it again.

We’ve cleaned literally thousands of black holding tanks. We’ve seen just about everything you can imagine. And if there’s one thing we know, it’s what comes out of tanks.

The jar test

You’ve seen the videos on YouTube. Little jars filled full of water and different types and brands of toilet paper. Sometimes they shake the heck out of them. Other times, they just sit there. All are intended to show how toilet paper breaks down in water.

The problem with the shake tests is that no RV will ever experience the amount of shaking and turbulence a hand-shaken jar does. Well, maybe if it’s tumbling over a high cliff! But these tests are worthless for that very reason — it’s not a realistic representation of what happens in your holding tank.

And the tests where the jar just sits there? Well, there is some turbulence that happens in your black tank: Water flushing down the toilet and into the tank, the black tank sprayer you use to rinse your tank, and even just the jostling around from driving down the road.

So what do all of these jar tests mean? Nothing.

It’s a holding tank, not a septic system

We’ll say it again: Your RV’s holding tanks are not a septic system. They simply hold what goes into them until you empty your tanks.

But what about those tank additives? The enzymes, biological agents, and chemicals intended to break down what is in your black holding tank do exactly what is intended. But by doing that, they create a tank full of thick, sticky mess. It’s what is making your tank sensors misread, keeping your tanks from draining quickly and completely, and eventually causing smells and odors.

What’s the solution?

Believe it or not, it does not matter what type of toilet paper you use in your RV. One-ply, two-ply, quilted, or scented. RV-type or not. Use what you want, just make sure to follow a simple rule: Use plenty of water.

1. When you use the toilet (we’re talking #2 here), flush down another bowl-full of water.
2. Add enough fresh water to your holding tanks so that you are emptying them when they are 90% to 100% full. A full tank empties better than one that is a third or half full.
3. When you are done emptying your holding tanks, add three to five gallons of fresh water to them to give them a “fighting chance” (also called “priming the system”).
4. Turn on your black tank’s sprayer or rinse system when emptying the tank. The extra turbulence and water will help the emptying process.
5. As you are traveling down the road with your RV, keep three to five gallons of fresh, clean water in your holding tanks. It will help keep things lubricated in your tanks.

In conclusion

It does not matter what type of toilet paper you use. Simply making sure you use enough water during use of your toilet too keep the ratio of water-to-waste high.

The post Toilet Paper Revisited: One Ply or Two Ply in Your RV? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

Honestly, there’s nothing worse than shower drains. We’ve cleaned hundreds of black tanks over the years and while they and — surprisingly — some gray tanks are enough to make us get up and walk away and catch our breath, an RVer asking us to look at their shower drain ranks up there with going to the dentist, buying a new car, and putting our dog down.

Plus, when it comes to horrid smells in your RV or coach, the shower drain is what we ask about first. Most RVers feel the way we do about what’s in the drain, but that’s where rotting hair, globby soap, and skin and other bodily debris can get trapped and start making trouble. Even poor construction practices with your RV can result in excess plumber’s putty around the drain, which is very sticky and can fall down into the drain and trap debris.

That’s why regular and thorough cleanings of your shower drain are so critical. Here are some tips to consider when it comes to your RV’s shower drain.

Plungers

Household plungers can damage the delicate structures, piping, and drain in your RV shower. They also can cause a build-up of pressure — something your household plumbing system doesn’t experience — which can damage seals in your tanks. This can also happen to the seal in your toilet if you use a plunger there.

Some newer RVs have a HepVo Waterless Valve in place of the traditional P-trap. This fitting contains an internal, rubber diaphragm that prevents backflow of air and water into your shower. It may also be in your bathroom and galley sink. In fact, with the HepVo valve, using a plunger can cause the one-way valve to be sucked backward. Replacement entails severing the PVC drain line, a very painstaking and potentially costly repair.

Snakes and other physical clog removal tools

The common household metallic snake is a coiled, tension cord that you feed into your drain and then spin or revolve, usually by means of a handle at one end. You should avoid these at all costs in your RV. Should the snake snag onto a soft rubber seal or gate valve in your holding tank, it can rip it up, damaging it to the point of needing replacement.

Some RVers have long, plastic, double-barbed plumbing snake. It looks like a whip (usually orange or yellow), made of pliant, but still hard plastic. Each side of the snake has barbs or hooks on it, the idea being that putting this down your drain will grab anything in there for you to pull it out.

Just as with plungers, if your RV has a HepVo or other brand of checkvalve, you want to avoid anything damaging down your drain. If you’re unsure of what’s down there, avoid tools that can make the situation worse.

Clog-dissolving chemicals

Using household clog-dissolving chemicals in your shower (or other) drain, like Liquid Plumber, Drain-O, or other digesters is not recommended. The chemicals here — mostly lye and sodium hypochlorate (bleach) — cause chemical reactions that dissolve organic matter. Small shards of aluminum are usually included in the mixtures, creating a strong reaction that generates heat at near-boiling temperatures. The heat speeds the decomposition process.

This process can soften and even break PVC pipes. And these chemicals can eat away at the glue holding your waste system together. They are also very damaging to soft rubber and plastic, such as in your gate valve and gate seals.

Finally, these chemicals are very caustic and cause skin, lung, and other soft membrane damage (like in your eyes) through corrosion of organic tissue. And if there’s any of this chemical left behind, adding a cleaning product late can create toxic fumes.

Regular cleanings

Really, the best solution is to regularly clean out your RV’s shower (and others) drain by hand. It’s a smelly, gross, and messy job, yes, but removing the drain cover and using something like a doctor’s hemostat (you can get them at flea markets, some hardware stores, and online. They’re a great addition to your RV Tool Kit.

The post Shower drain woes appeared first on Kleen Tank.

We’re asked all the time: Aren’t my tank sprayers enough? The simple answer is, no.

All modern RVs have an onboard tank spraying system in their black tanks. It consists of a standard garden hose connection, bringing city or RV park water to your RV, a PEX line from there what travels to your hold tank (typically, the top, but sometimes the side) and ends with a nozzle protruding into the holding tank.

In most RV’s the spray system sprays in a fan-shaped pattern, though some systems have a spinning head. The nozzle head is typically metal, meaning that corrosion can become a problem long-term.

But there’s no substitute for the power of hydrojetting that comes from a professional holding tank cleaning.

Does the spray system get my tank clean?
No. It simply acts as a rinsing mechanism. The relative PSI from the nozzle head is between 100 PSI and 150 PSI, mainly from the reduction in the PEX tube and further through the nozzle head. Especially large RVs, like 5th wheels, where a tank (or second tank, like at a rear bathroom) is farther from the water inlet may experience even greater loss of pressure as the water travels to the black tank.

What about my gray tanks?
You’re out of luck there, unless an after-market spray system has been installed. There are some on the market, namely the Camco Tornado Rotary Tank Rinser and Camco Quickie Flush. You would need to have access to the tanks, something that can be difficult depending on the layout and architecture of your RV. It may require removing the belly pan on some RVs.

What is hydrojetting?
Using a heavy-duty, electric commercial water pump, we send a special, flexible wand up your RV’s sewer pipes, past gate valves, and into your tanks. There, water is pumped in at 1,500 PSI through proprietary nozzles. Water at this pressure scrubs the tank surfaces clean and breaking up built-up gunk, residue from enzymes and other tank additives.

Any clogs or mounds of waste (like in hard-to-rinse tank corners or along the front tank bulkhead) that can’t be removed by your tank rinser are easily broken up and ready to be pulled out during the rinsing step of our cleaning process.

It’s what we call hydrojetting and only authorized All Pro Water Flow dealers like Kleen Tank have it.

Do we use heated water or chemicals?
No, just plain water. We could heat the water, but it travels through the system at such a fantastic flow rate that it would have little effect on anything in your tanks. Likewise, chemicals aren’t needed as nothing is in your tank long enough to be dissolved or affected.

What happens next?
After the cleaning step, we remove the wand and cleaning head, and install a backlash valve between your RV’s sewer pipe fitting and the flexible sewer hose. There are two main types of backflush valves — both accomplish the same task — but we prefer the Valterra Flush King Back Flush Valve as it seems more durable and effective, compared to the Camco version.

What should I do ongoing?
Once you’ve had your tanks professionally cleaned (once a year is recommended — full-timers may need it twice a year), we recommend some simple steps:

• Empty your holding tanks when they are 90% to 100% full. If they aren’t that full and you need to empty them, add water either through your flush system (for your black tanks) or inside the RV, by opening the water taps in your shower or galley.
• Turn on your black tank spraying system when emptying your black tanks. That extra turbulence and volume of water will help keep things moving along.
• Use a backflush valve like the Valterra Flush King once every second or third tank emptying. It will help to keep your tanks clean between professional services. Use it on both black and gray tanks.

If you have questions about your holding tanks, RV waste system, or would like to schedule a hydrojetting cleaning service for your RV’s holding tanks, either locally or at a rally, let us know!

The post How does hydrojetting work? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

For most RVers, there are usually three options during winter for those in the northern states: Winterize your RV and store it for the colder months, travel in it and stay someplace that’s a lot warmer (like Texas, Florida and other southern states), or just suck it up and live in it during freezing temperatures.

Here are some things to consider if you’re in option number three or if temperatures where you are about to plunge for more than just a couple of days.

Disconnect the city or outside water line
Most modern RV’s bays and tanks have heaters in them or. at least, are heated through ductwork. But that fresh water coming in from your RV park can freeze up as it travels from the supply (which is often heated or insulated). If you can, fill your fresh water tank and use water from that. Otherwise, there are some heated potable water hose options available on Amazon.

Insulate plumbing lines
This may be a bit extreme, but there are plenty of examples in various online forums and Facebook owner’s groups talking about how heat to the bays seems to stop working or not be adequate.

Adding foam pipe insulation to exposed pipes in your bay may seem a bit extreme, but it’s easy to add (and remove), and could provide a good, cheap insurance policy in extremely cold weather. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? Amazon.com has the foam insulation for 3″ pipes and 1-1/2″ pipes.

Portable space heaters
There’s plenty of discussion and resources online as to the best, favorite, etc. space heaters. Obviously, safety is a prime concern here, so features like a tip-over turn-off, automated thermostats, exhaust venting, hot or unsafely exposed heating elements, etc.

Some RVers have put small portable heaters in their plumbing bays. This isn’t really an optimum solution as they aren’t constantly monitored and dangerous conditions and problems could arise.

Skirting your RV
This is an important cold-weather strategy for winter RVers. There are “professional” or commercial insulating/skirting kits available on Amazon.com or you can use sheets of rigid foam insulation, held together and sealed at the seam with insulation tape. Some RVers also add bails of hay around the base of their RV (outside of the foam insulation sheets) for added protection.

With just a little forethought, you can head off freezing problems when living in your RV during cold, winter months.

The post Tips for Living in Your RV During Cold Winter Months appeared first on Kleen Tank.

We’re not full-time RVers by any means, but we do put quite a few miles on our Airstream travel trailer (“Ginger,” named after our first Collie) and towing vehicle (“Big John,” a massive F-350 named after John Wayne). In fact, in 2018, we booked nearly 15,000 miles, mostly from a big trip from Illinois out to California (by way of Goshen, Indiana and — twice — Shawnee, Oklahoma).

Being frugal RVers, we’re always looking for a free — or low cost — place to stay, especially if there are great views, fun nearby attractions, and something interesting and unusual to see. Here are five types of places that are no- or low-cost and meet at least most of those criteria:

Harvest Hosts
Okay, this will be our little secret, right? For the bargain-basement price of $49 per year (until December 31st, then the prices raise to $79 a year), you get to overnight at wineries, farms, brew houses, museums, and other odd and interesting places of interest — FOR FREE! There’s even a new add-on (for a few bucks more a year) to overnight at some golf courses.

At the time of this writing, there are nearly 500 places to stay overnight in the U.S. with more added monthly. We’ve stayed at fantastic breweries and wonderful wineries. They’re free — and rarely is there electric or water hook-ups — but all they ask is that you patronize (i.e. buy something) their business.

Want to lock in the $49 annual rate for as long as you’re a member? Just click here and use our discount code.

Casinos
On our trip out to California, these provided our most frequent overnight stop option. The experiences were so good, in fact, that next to Harvest Hosts, our go-to overnights are now casinos (rather than the old, broken down, off-the-highway RV parks).

Two favorites were the Route 66 Casino RV park just west of Albuquerque, New Mexico (spacious sites, wonderful desert views, great amenities, casino food and drinks pretty decent, pricing not bad) and the Downstream Casino RV Park on the Oklahoma-Missouri border. This last one features electric and water hook-ups, a dump station, and shuttle to the casino (really exceptional restaurants, BTW) and — get this — is ABSOLUTELY FREE! All you need to do is join the casino’s Members Club and get 24 hours of free camping. You can see how two people — you and your traveling companion — can make this a good, multi-day deal.

Large retail chain stores
Everyone knows that most every Walmart is a great place to stay overnight for free. Just check with the store manager and be sure to follow some RVing etiquette (don’t unhook, no chairs or awnings, no generators, etc.).

Other great stores are Cabella’s, Bass Pro Shops, Lowes, and Home Depot. Be aware that some municipalities have ordinances that prohibit overnight RV parking, so check ahead.

Restaurants
Some restaurants are glad to have overnight RVers, especially Cracker Barrel. Even some fast-food chains such as McDonalds, Arby’s, and Burger King provide secondary parking lots with spots for overnight RVers.

Just be sure to ask the restaurant manager if you can stay, where the best place to park is (don’t interfere with traffic), and be sure to eat your meal (or meals) there.

Truck Stops
Definitely at the bottom of our list — but still worth consideration — are roadside truck stops. They have their own advantages (easy to find, get to, fuel is right there, there’s usually a restaurant and convenience store) and disadvantages (all-night noise, all-night lights, danger of theft). We’ve stayed at Flying J’s with pretty good results.

The post Five best places to overnight with your RV appeared first on Kleen Tank.

Today is the third part in our series of questions and answers from this year’s rally seminars. We met hundreds of attendees at the sixteen rallies we did and had some great questions asked. Be sure to check out Part One and Part Two if you missed them. Otherwise, here we go (and there are five bonus questions this time, making ten total!):

Q. Can I use the GEO method of keeping my holding tanks clean?
A. The GEO method is a mid-1970s sort of “home-brew” method of keeping your RV’s waste holding tanks clean. The basic idea was to create a mixture of Borax (a water softener), Calgon (or another detergent), and bleach (along with water, to dilute the mixture). This was used as a tank additive in lieu of enzymes, bacterials, or harsh chemicals, such as formaldehyde.

The basic concept is sound, however, Borax is a very harsh alkaline chemical that can corrode metal parts (such as the sensor nubs in your tanks). Detergent should be avoided in black tanks (it’s hard to not have it in your gray tanks!) as it can reduce the slipperiness of plastic holding tank surfaces over time. Finally, bleach is highly corrosive and will eat away soft rubbers and plastic, such as are found in your tank’s valves and seals.

A better option to Borax is Calgon, which is not nearly as corrosive. Adding Pine-Sol or another pine oil cleaner to the solution is preferred, as it has disinfectant qualities and strong odor-masking properties. For the “recipe” to formulate your own tank additive, please visit this link.

Q. How good of a job does my black tank flush system do?
A. Your RV’s black tank flush system sprays water in a “set” pattern at approximately 100PSI-150PSI (due to the reduction in hose size and spray nozzle opening). While this is better than nothing, it doesn’t have enough force or volume to remove sticky waste on the surfaces of your tank, nor can it adequately remove build-up against the front (downslope) wall of your tank, where waste collects.

That being said, be sure to turn on your black tank’s flush system while emptying the black — the extra turbulence from the flush system will help to move waste out of your black water holding tank.

The only way to get your holding tanks truly “factory clean” is through the process of extremely high (1500PSI) water pressure and the continued use of adequate water usage and a tank solution to keep them that way.

Q. Why do my gray tanks smell worse than my black tank sometimes?
A. For one thing, no current RV manufacturer includes an in-tank rinsing system for their gray tanks like there is in the black tank. This lack of a rinsing process means that waste only leaves the tank when it is emptied. Many RV owners leave gray tank valves open all the time, further promoting the lack of complete tank emptying (waste mounds up or is left behind and begins the process of decomposition).

Additionally, a lot of RV owners do not add any sort of tank additive to their gray tanks, thinking incorrectly that they are only intended for black tanks. Adding to the problem is the likelihood that RV owners are not using enough water in their tanks (either before emptying or a part of a “priming the system” action after they have been emptied and before using them again).

Q. Everyone says that I should empty my black tank before my gray tank. Is this right?
A. Ready for a revelation? No! Do not empty your black tank before your gray one(s). But here’s the catch: Open your gray tank pull just a little bit, allowing some of the (relatively) clean wastewater to coat the sides of the sewer hose first. Then, close the gray tank pull, drain the black tank (turn on your built-in flush system during this process — more turbulence!), close the black tank pull, then drain the remaining gray tank(s).

Why do you open the gray water tank pull first? The relatively clean water in your gray tank “sticks” to the interior surfaces of your dry(ish) sewer hose (the “slinky”), creating a barrier. When the black tank wastewater then travels down the hose, it is likely to travel at a faster speed (there’s already a barrier of “clean” water on the interior of the hose). Following up with the gray tank water will completely clean the inside of the hose.

We know, it sounds weird, but it’s physics!

Q. Should I leave water in my holding tanks when I am not using my RV?
A. If you are leaving or storing your RV for a short period of time (a few days to a couple of weeks), then it is okay to leave water (not waste!) in your holding tanks. In fact, 3-5 gallons will help keep things lubricated and you’ll be ready for traveling to your next destination or continued use of the RV where it is located.

Longer term, no, we do not recommend that you keep water in your tanks, and, certainly not any waste. If you are in an area where temperatures could drop below freezing for any amount of time, you can see the danger of allowing any liquid to freeze and potentially damage waste system components.

Q. Can I use Dawn or another detergent in my holding tanks?
A. Your RV’s holding tanks are basically large, plastic boxes. Detergent, like Dawn, should be avoided in black tanks (it’s hard to not have it in your gray tanks!) as it can reduce the slipperiness of plastic holding tank surfaces over time. As the tank’s surfaces become less slippery, waste will have a tendency to stick to them. This is especially true if you are using an enzyme, biological, or harsh chemical that breaks down waste into a thick, sticky, pancake batter-like mess.

Q. What’s your opinion of macerators in my RV’s sewer handling system?
A. Macerators have pros and cons. One of the cons is that they tend to be complex pieces of machinery that can break (especially the impellers) from time to time. Also, pumping out waste through the small (1″ to 1-1/2″ in diameter) hoses can take longer than through a standard 3″ sewer hose. You also lose the vortex or “tornadic effect” of emptying the tank due to the slowness of the waste leaving vs. through the larger diameter sewer hose. On the pro side, macerators seem more convenient and are certainly a less-messy way to empty your holding tanks.

From our perspective, cleaning holding tanks with a macerator attached or built-in can be difficult (resulting in more time, and thus a higher cost) or, sometimes, impossible.

Q. How often should I empty my holding tanks?
A. Whenever they need to be emptied — or you need empty them (when you’re about to travel, for instance)! The key here is to make sure to empty them when they are 90%-100% full of water. This allows sufficient down-pressure from the full tank of water or liquid to create a vortex or “tornadic effect” in the tank, driving liquid and waste out of the tank (as opposed to a slow seep, leaving solids behind).

Also, remember to “prime the system” by adding 3-5 gallons (depending on the total capacity of your tank) to each holding tank after emptying and prior to using again.

Q. Can you sanitize your holding tanks?
A. Well, there’s no way to — or reason why you would — sanitize your black and gray holding tanks. They are designed to hold human, food, and other waste which is, by definition, not sanitary.

There is a process to sanitize your fresh water holding tank and you should follow it religiously. It involves introducing a mild solution of household bleach into your fresh water holding tank and water plumping system, letting it sit for a period of time to sanitize, quickly getting the bleachy water out of your holding tanks, and rinsing with fresh, clean water (to remove any trace bleach which can affect the taste).

Q. Why do RV sales centers, salespeople, and manufacturers and vendors of enzyme-, biological-, and chemical-based tank solutions say you should use those over your methods and recommendations?
A. It’s a good question, and probably the one we get asked the most. For one thing, there’s an ignorance in the industry: Everyone is frustrated that tank sensors don’t read accurately, but few realize that adding tank additives that break down waste is what is actually creating the problem (the tank’s contents becomes a thick, sticky, pancake batter-like mess).

We’ve cleaned nearly 1,000 holding tanks on hundreds of RVs, from travel trailers to fifth wheels to motor coaches. In every case, we can tell when tank additives are used. What slowly comes out of an “empty” tank is a river of sludgy and smelly mess. Every time. Looking for a better alternative? Try our recommended solution. Click here for the recipe.

Well, that’s it for our three-part series on questions and answers from our 2018 rally seminars. If you have any other questions we didn’t cover here or in Part One or Part Two, please feel free to contact us via email or telephone (815-508-3878).

The post RV Holding Tank Questions, Part Three appeared first on Kleen Tank.

Miss Part One in our series of rally seminar question and answer articles? You may want to take a look at that blog entry too! Here are five more questions we commonly get asked.

Q. How do I clean my gray water tank sensors?
A. It seems gray tank sensors work about as well as black tank sensors! The reasons they don’t work are pretty similar: There’s a build-up for waste or other matter on the sensors in the tank, preventing accurate readings. Our special tank solution — a simple mixture of Calgon, Pine-Sol, and water — will work in your gray tanks too, helping to keep them clean and, in most cases, keeping working sensors reading accurately.

Q. How do you keep a black tank from smelling?
A. Black (and gray, for that matter) tanks smell because they contain human and other type of waste in them. The most you can do is mask the smell. Even adding enzymes, bacteria, or harsh chemicals that break down waste only make that same smelly mess just a tank-load of sticky, smelly waste. Our special tank solution contains Pine-Sol, a good disinfectant AND a great odor masking ingredient. Give it a try.

Q. How do I unclog my RV’s toilet?
A. That’s a messy situation, to say the least. Many RV owners will use an RV toilet cleaning wand, a long (24″ to 30″) tube of plastic that connect to a garden hose and has holes in the end to spray water down the toilet and into the holding tank. While this may work in some cases, many RV toilets have a bend in the waste pipe or longer drop into the tank. Plus, using these flush wands could introduce human waste into the interior of your RV. Yuck!

Kleen Tank has special equipment to clear mounds, clogs, and other obstructions. You may want to contact us for this special situation — a complete tank cleaning is also part of our process to clear the problem.

Q. What can I use to clean my RV toilet?
A. We presume the question is about the surfaces of the toilet, specifically the bowl. While you should never introduce bleach or other harsh cleaning chemicals into your waste system (they can break down soft rubber seals over time), there is a good way to keep your toilet clean.

First, be sure you are using enough water in the bowl. Follow each bowlful of waste with a bowlful of water. And we like to add another half bowl of water to the toilet to act as a seal against smells coming up from the holding tank.

Second, our special hold tank solution has Calgon in it which will keep all the surfaces of your RV’s waste system slippery. Yep, even the toilet bowl.

Finally, you can use a cleaning wipe to quickly clean the toilet bowl. Use gloves, of course, and never flush down the wipe into the holding tank — just throw it away.

Q. Can I dump my gray water directly onto the ground?
A. We know people who have done this in extreme circumstances (like book docking or when their gray water tank filled up before a honey wagon could come or they could visit a dump station). In general, it’s not a good idea and may even be prevented by state or local laws. Plan ahead to eliminate the need to have to do this. Use the RV park’s facilities and shower, wash dishes in a bucket and dump it down a dump station drain, or try to use bathroom facilities when you are in town.

We’ve got more questions from rally seminars to share with you in the coming weeks. Come back to read more and be a smart RVer!

The post More rally seminar questions appeared first on Kleen Tank.

A large part of our business happens at RV manufacturer and owners club rallies. In fact, this past year, we attended a record-breaking 16 rallies, from Indiana to Oklahoma to Iowa and even California. We estimate we’ve traveled nearly 15,000 miles this year, attending RV rallies. And at each one, we put on at least one (sometimes two!) seminar, usually on RV holding tanks.

At our seminars, we go over the construction, purpose, and function of RV holding tanks (which ***are not*** part of a septic system), have plenty of show-and-tells, hand out a convenient and helpful study guide, and answer plenty of RV owner questions. Today, we’re publishing the first in a series of those questions — with our answers for every RVer to benefit from. Here we go!

Q. Can I use two-ply toilet paper in my RV’s toilet?
A. Well, we put this question first as it’s probably one of the most popular ones we get! The truth is, as long as you are using enough water in your toilet and holding tank, you can use whatever toilet paper you would like. One-ply, two-ply, quilted, or scented. There’s no need to use “RV toilet paper” and certainly not any that costs $8 a roll. Remember, your holding tank is not a septic system, so things don’t need to — nor should — break down. Doing so (promoted by enzymes, bacterials, and harsh chemicals) causes the tank’s contents to become a thick, sticky slurry, sticking to tank surfaces (including sensors) and generally making tanks drain very slowly and never completely.

Q. How often should I replace my sewer hose?
A. The answer really depends on how often you use it, but generally speaking, with fairly frequent use, sewer hoses last about three to five years. It’s always a good idea to keep a spare on hand — and even an extension. We like to keep the old one as our spare and replace them fairly frequently. Old sewer hose’s plastic can degrade, making them brittle and subject to cracking and splitting.

Q. Can I leave my gray tank’s release valve open all the time?
A. Ah, another frequent question. We recommend that you leave all (and, for certain, your black tank’s) tank release valves closed until you are ready to empty the tanks. Why? If you leave the valves open, water or liquid slowly trickles out, leaving behind solids. Even though these may be small (as in gray tanks), they can accumulate over time, creating mounds and piles of rotting waste. The only time we might leave open a gray tank valve would be while we’re doing laundry. However, unless you’re using more than your gray tank’s capacity, keeping the valve closed during this time is a great way to achieve 100% capacity before emptying, ensuring a nice “clean flush.”

Q. How often should I empty my tanks?
A. As often as you would like! There’s no right or wrong as to when (other than being full!) or how often you should empty your RV’s holding tanks. The only word of advice is that you empty them when they are 90%-100% full. By doing this (even, adding water to get the level up), the tank’s liquid content will create a whirlpool (tornado) effect, pulling waste from the tank as it quickly empties. Emptying a tank that is less than 50% full will result in a slow seepage, where waste is left behind.

Q. How often should I have my holding tanks professionally cleaned?
A. At least once a year, unless you are a full-timer, in which case we recommend twice a year. Look, your black tank’s spray system can only do so much. At roughly 100-150 PSI of pressure, it sprays in a set pattern that never completely cleans the inside of your black tank. Only our process, using 1500 PSI (that’s ten times!) pressure can truly get your holding tanks “factory clean.”

That’s it for this round of questions. Come back again for another five. In the meantime, please be sure ask any questions you may have and be sure to attend our seminars (they are a bit different, from year to year) when you’re at a rally we are attending.

The post Questions from Summer Rally Seminars, Part 1 appeared first on Kleen Tank.

First, those tank additives — biologicals, enzymes, or chemicals — are doing exactly what they claim to: They break down solids and other waste in your holding tanks, especially the black tank. Given the right conditions and time, anything in your tank turns into a thick sludge — that’s also very sticky, like pancake batter.

So, think about it. Your holding tank is a big, plastic box. There’s a fair amount (we hope) of water or, at least, liquid in there. You introduce waste and solids, such as toilet paper. In what situation would that holding tank empty faster, more completely, and better? Full of water with solids suspended in it or full of that soft, sticky, broken-down mess? Yep, the water with solids suspended in it.

But we’re told we need to add something to our tanks, right? Yes, we are told that. By RV dealers who don’t know any better. By tank additive manufacturers who want you to buy their product. By RV rally vendors who want to make a sale.

The truth is, the only thing you need to add to your tanks is water. And lots of it. And then dump with some frequency, probably more than you do now. Your RV’s holding tanks are just that — holding tanks — not a septic system. It is not intended for you to have stuff in there for long, encouraging it all to break down with chemicals, enzymes, and other additives.

How do we know tank additives are bad? Because we’ve cleaned nearly a thousand holding tanks and EVERY time a customer uses additives to break down waste, what comes out during our cleaning is a literal slow-moving river of sticky, messy and smelly slurry. A healthy tank is one that empties quickly (because solids are suspended in water), completely (because nothing is sticking to surfaces, especially those darned sensors), and without problems (clog and mounds are eliminated because tanks are completely emptied more often).

If you must use an additive, we recommend a simple mixture of Calgon bath beads (a water softener) and Pine-Sol. The water softener breaks the surface tension of water in the tank, preventing anything from sticking to tank surfaces and sensors. The Pine-Sol is a disinfectant with strong odor masking properties, it will keep your tanks smelling better.

How do you make this solution? Easy! Take an empty gallon (128 ounce) bottle or jug. Add in 40 ounces (5 cups) of Pine-Sol (or something similar, like Pine Power). Pour in 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of Calgon (we like the bath pearls, but liquid or powder is fine too). Carefully fill the gallon bottle or jug with water (it will foam a lot, so go slowly and allow the foam to settle). Shake thoroughly. Pour in 1/2 to one cup of this mixture into your black tank each time, after you empty it. You can also use 1/2 cup in your gray tank to keep it functioning well too.

Use whatever tank additive you wish. Or not. But if it’s a biological, enzyme, or chemical, be sure to schedule more frequent tank cleanings — you’ll need them to get your tanks clean and your sensors working properly again.

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