Our Advice Archives | Kleen Tank http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/category/our-advice/ The only environmentally-safe RV holding tank service Wed, 03 Jul 2019 20:30:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.12 Should You Leave Your RV’s Holding Tank Pulls Open or Closed? http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/should-you-leave-your-rvs-holding-tank-pulls-open-or-closed/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:24:51 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1168 A lot of RVers leave their gray holding tank pulls open. Is this a great or even good idea? You may not think it’s a big deal, but you could be asking for trouble. Read on to find out why. This may seem obvious, but NEVER leave your black tank gates or pulls open while […]

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

]]>
A lot of RVers leave their gray holding tank pulls open. Is this a great or even good idea? You may not think it’s a big deal, but you could be asking for trouble. Read on to find out why.

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.

]]>
Traveling with your RV’s holding tanks http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/traveling-with-your-rvs-holding-tanks/ Thu, 28 Mar 2019 03:08:23 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1112 What should you be doing with your RV’s holding tanks when you’re traveling? This article goes over best practices to keep your frustration level down, your tanks healthy, and problems minimized. You know how to take care of your RV’s holding tanks at the RV park, but what do you do when you’re on the […]

The post Traveling with your RV’s holding tanks appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
What should you be doing with your RV’s holding tanks when you’re traveling? This article goes over best practices to keep your frustration level down, your tanks healthy, and problems minimized.

You know how to take care of your RV’s holding tanks at the RV park, but what do you do when you’re on the road? Keeping your holding tanks healthy and free from problems while you’re traveling requires just a bit of thought and planning. Here’s what you need to know.

Empty and flush, flush, flush.

Valterra Flush King Back Flush ValveYou probably know this already, but the first step when traveling from one RV park to another (or, even, back home) is to empty your RV’s holding tanks. Be sure to get them as full as you can (90% to 100%) with waste and water (add more water to raise the level to full) and then empty them into the RV park’s waste sewer system, either at your site or a dump station (review the correct dump station etiquette).

After that, be sure to flush out both tanks — black and gray. Your onboard rinse system may help for the black tank, but almost no RV has this for the gray tank. A better solution for flushing and rinsing is the Valterra Flush King Back Flush Valve, something we use every time we do professional cleanings for our customers.

Now that the tanks are empty and flushed out….

It’s time to fill those tanks back up again, at least a little bit.

Assuming you are able to dump your holding tanks at your next destination (like another RV park or resort) or along the way (maybe close to your home if that’s where you’re going and you have no dump facilities there), it’s a good idea to travel with some fresh, clean water in your holding tanks (both black and gray).

Depending on your holding tank capacity, dump three (for smaller tanks) to five (for larger tanks) gallons into each tank, either through your black tank spray system (this may take up to 15 to 20 minutes) or (the faster way!) by dumping a bucket of water down your toilet and shower and/or galley drain.

Why do we add back in water?

That three to five gallons of water in your tank helps to loosen up waste as you travel with your RV. There’s really not enough agitating motion to break up mounds, clogs, or clumps, but you may get one final rinse while you’re off onto your next adventure.

We also recommend that you put four ounces or one-half cup of our special Tank Cleaning Solution into both tanks. You already know not to use enzymes, harsh chemicals, or biological agents — those just make matters worse. The solution we recommend can be made cheaply, helps to keep your sensors reading properly, and minimizes odors. Get the recipe for the solution by clicking here.

What to do when you get to your destination.

If you’re off to another RV park or resort, the first thing you do after getting set up is empty those tanks one more time. Sure, you’re just dumping out (relatively) clean water, but it’s a good practice to get into and anything loosened while traveling won’t be sitting around in your tanks for a few days.

When the tanks are empty, be sure to “prime the system” by once again dumping three to five gallons of fresh, clean water into each tank. This gives the tanks a fighting chance and helps to increase the water:waste ratio.

The post Traveling with your RV’s holding tanks appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Getting your RV’s waste system ready for the RV season http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/getting-your-rvs-waste-system-ready-for-the-rv-season/ Thu, 21 Mar 2019 03:11:22 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1115 The snow is melting. It’s rainy more often. And temperatures are on the rise. Yes, RVing season is just around the corner for those of us who aren’t full-timers. What do you need to do to get your RV ready for new travels? Read on. If you’re like us, you’ve got cabin fever in a […]

The post Getting your RV’s waste system ready for the RV season appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
The snow is melting. It’s rainy more often. And temperatures are on the rise. Yes, RVing season is just around the corner for those of us who aren’t full-timers. What do you need to do to get your RV ready for new travels? Read on.

If you’re like us, you’ve got cabin fever in a big way. We want to get out, into the outdoors. Sit around a campfire on a chilly evening and tell stories. Break out the chili and flannel shirts. Go for walks through the woods. And start planning our weekends away.

But before we do all that, there’s a bit of de-winterizing and preparation your RV’s waste system needs to get it back in top-operating condition and to reduce problems the rest of the year.

Dewinterize your fresh water system.

This one is probably pretty obvious. If you live in a cold winter weather area, you did all you needed to last fall to get your RV’s fresh water system winterized. You drained the tanks and lines of water. You may have blown out the system with compressed air. Or used RV antifreeze to protect against freezing temperatures.

If you used RV anti-freeze, start by connecting your house or city water to your RV and flush out as much of that pink stuff as you can from pipes, drains, holding tanks, etc. After that’s done, fill your RV’s fresh water tank and flush that through the system. You may need to do this a couple times. FYI, this is also a great time to sanitize your fresh water system — and it will rinse away that RV antifreeze at the same time!

Flushing out the holding tanks.

Valterra Flush King Back Flush ValveEven though you’re running fresh water through your holding tanks as you dewinterize your fresh water system, a smart strategy to clean out your holding tanks is to do a few back flush rinses once you’ve dewinterized. How do you do that?

Easy! Using the Valterra Flush King Back Flush Valve, rinse out your black tank two to three times (until the water coming back out runs pretty clear). You may only need to do this once or twice on your gray tank(s).

Getting everything lubed up.

Camco drain valve lubeNext, lubricate the pulls and valves in your RV’s waste system. We recommend 3-in-1 Silicone Lubricant. Drip a few drops on your holding tank’s pulls, working them back and forth until they move easier.

You may also want to dump a cup of Camco Drain Valve Lube down your toilet and shower drain to lubricate the gate valves in each your holding tanks. This lubricant contains coconut oil and is safe for your tanks and the soft rubber and plastic parts inside the waste system.

Don’t forget the hot water tank.

You drained your RV’s hot water tank (if it has one) when you went through the winterizing process last fall. Now is a great time to give the tank a cleaning and inspect and replace the anode rod, if there is one.

Camco water heater flush wandUse a tool like the Camco RV Water Heater Flush Wand, to clean out the hot water tank. Connect the wand to a water supply hose (never a garden hose), turn on the water, and move it back and forth and around inside the tank. It will do a good job of flushing out sediment.

RV water heater anode rodInspect the anode rod, if your hot water tank has one. If you see the bare wire (like a coat hanger) near the threads or a lot of pitting in the anode, it’s a good idea to replace it. There are 9.5′ anodes for Suburban-brand water heaters and 4.5” anodes for Atwood water heaters (make sure your RV is at least two years old — installing an anode rod in an Atwood water heater will void its warranty).

The annual, professional cleaning.

Finally, if you’re in our service area of coming to one of the rallies we’ll be attending this spring or summer, be sure to sign up for service to get your holding tanks cleaned. It’s fast, economical, and the best way to get your holding tanks “factory clean.”

The post Getting your RV’s waste system ready for the RV season appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Toilet bowl cleaners: Good or bad? http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/toilet-bowl-cleaners-good-or-bad/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 03:20:42 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1119 Do you use Lysol or Clorox to clean the toilet bowl in your RV? If so, you should stop this practice and it is likely damaging your holding tank and waste system components. Find out the safe alternatives and why these types of chemicals do more harm than good. One of the most common questions […]

The post Toilet bowl cleaners: Good or bad? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Do you use Lysol or Clorox to clean the toilet bowl in your RV? If so, you should stop this practice and it is likely damaging your holding tank and waste system components. Find out the safe alternatives and why these types of chemicals do more harm than good.

One of the most common questions we get at our rally session seminars is what to do about cleaning toilet bowls: Can household chemical cleaners be used? What about disinfectant wipes? And do those long, snake-y hoses that spray water do anything? Let’s take these three questions one at a time, but first, let’s talk about how your RV’s waste system is different than your house’s.

Most mid- to upper-level RVs contain porcelain toilets. It’s only the entry-level and older RVs where we see the plastic, eco-toilets still being used. In fact, if you have one of these plastic pieces of junk, it’s actually pretty easy to remove them and install a porcelain one, such as the Dometic 320 Series RV toilet.

The differences between household toilets and those in RVs are pretty minimal. Both are designed to flush waste from their bowls down a disposal pipe. Most RV versions have a pedal that does the flushing using pressurized water (either via your RV’s pumping system or park water pressure), while household toilets have a reservoir that fills up and holds water, providing sufficient volume and pressure to wash waste away.

However, RV toilets flush water and waste down into your black water holding tank while household toilets quickly move it out of your home’s plumbing system to either the city sewer system or a septic system. Your RV’s holding tanks contain the water and waste until they are emptied. It’s important to note that your RV’s holding tanks are not a septic system — that’s why there is no need to add enzymes, chemicals, or biological agents that will break down waste. Doing so can be the cause of many common problems and frustrations.

Household cleaning chemicals.

Many RVers think they can use the same cleaning chemicals used in their home in their RVs. This is not the case. Cleaners such as Lysol and Clorox have high concentrations of bleach and other harsh chemicals. Exposing your RV’s plumbing systems — especially soft rubber and plastic seals — to these chemicals can accelerate their wear and degrade their composition. Degraded seals can result in tanks that leak waste into the pipe system — a frustration many RVers have experienced when they take off the cap of their RV’s sewer system pipe and they are met with a mess.

We do not recommend the use of harsh chemical cleaners to clean your RV’s toilet. A good alternative is Ecos Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It’s made of plant-derived ingredients and free of lye, phosphates, mineral acids, and chlorine, and does a good job of cleaning. The cedar oil and very mild citric acid eliminate water stains, wipe away mold and mildew, and leave behind a pleasant and fresh cedar scent.

Disinfectant wipes.

Usually, we say it’s okay to use disinfectant wipes if you are careful not to get too much cleaner into the holding tank. Using plenty of fresh water during cleaning is always a good idea and helps to dilute any chemicals that may be in the holding tank. It’s also a good idea to empty your black tank as soon as you have cleaned the toilet bowl and rinse it out with your onboard tank rinser.

A good plant derivative-based cleaning wipe to use are the ones from Green Works. Although they claim to be biodegradable we do not recommend that you allow them to go into your black holding tank and, instead, dispose of them — as you would any cleaning wipe — in the trash.

What about that long snake-y hose thingy?

Many RVers ask us about those long wands or hoses that go down through the toilet bowl and into (they hope) the holding tank. In some RVs — our Airstream travel trailer, for instance — the toilet is placed directly over the black holding tank and anything flushed down goes right into the tank. In most RVs, however, there’s a pipe — usually, one that has at least one bend in it — that conveys waste to the black tank.

These hoses or wands are designed to have a garden-type hose attached to them, then they are put down into the toilet. Water is turned on and holes in the wand or hose spray water out, supposedly cleaning the pipe and/or toilet.

Our opinion? They’re incredibly messy and usually ineffective. First, you have to bring a water hose from outside the RV into your bathroom. Next, you attach that to the hose or wand, which is down where human waste is (you know what we’re talking about). Reversing the whole process (bringing up the wand and carrying it out of the RV) means you could touch something or someone with a waste-covered wand. Extremely unsanitary, at best.

Other cleaning methods.

Cleaners that use hydrogen peroxide — common in many non-bleach cleaners — are probably not a good idea in the long term. At high concentrations, they can eat away at soft rubbers and even some plastics.

Vinegar, or acetic acid, is also mildly acidic and should be avoided as it can pit the surface of some synthetic rubber seals. Vinegar-based cleaners which, if combined with bleach, create toxic chlorine gas which, when combined with water, creates hydrochloric and hypochlorous acids. Not good stuff.

Baking soda — or bicarbonate of soda — is an alkaline substance, on the other end of the pH spectrum from acids such as vinegar. Although not nearly as caustic as vinegar and other similar acids, it could eat away at soft rubber seals just as acids can. It can be used as a cleaning agent, however, if you use sufficient clean water to dilute it and be sure to empty — and flush — your black water holding tank after cleaning the toilet bowl.

Rubbing alcohol or isopropanol can cause stiffening of plastics such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), making them more likely to crack or even break when stressed. It will also decrease the life of these plastics, especially if they are exposed to extreme cold and hot temperatures.

The post Toilet bowl cleaners: Good or bad? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Stop playing tug of war with your holding tank sensors http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/stop-playing-tug-of-war-with-your-holding-tank-sensors/ Tue, 19 Feb 2019 14:00:14 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1107 Today, February 19th, is National Tug of War Day, which is an odd “holiday” for sure but may be relevant to how you feel about your relationship with your RV’s holding tank sensors. Let’s see if we can give you an advantage and win the battle! Many remember the childhood game of tug of war. […]

The post Stop playing tug of war with your holding tank sensors appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Today, February 19th, is National Tug of War Day, which is an odd “holiday” for sure but may be relevant to how you feel about your relationship with your RV’s holding tank sensors. Let’s see if we can give you an advantage and win the battle!

Many remember the childhood game of tug of war. Two teams grab a long rope and start pulling. Who wins? Well, whichever team gives up or, more likely, topples over and falls to the ground.

A little tug of war history

You may be surprised that the game of tug of war has national and international federations that sponsor worldwide tournaments. And there are rules … lots of them. Tug of war is an ancient game and there is evidence that is was played in ancient Greece, Egypt, and China. Also known as rope pulling, tugging war, and war of tug, it remains today a popular sport today that pits the strengths of two teams against each other and is practiced in some form in almost every country in the world.

The sport is played by both men and women, and historically was part of the Olympic Games between 1900 and 1920, but has not been included since these dates, despite attempts to bring it back. There are many variations of tug of war around the world including Sokatira in Spain’s Basque Country, Japan’s Tsunahiki, Indonesia’s Tarik Tambang, and Korea’s Jul Parigi.

Waring against your holding tank sensors

If there’s one common frustration with RVers, it’s their holding tank’s sensors. You would think something so common could be engineered to work correctly. Sure, the SeeLevel sensing system, which uses ultrasonic technology to read the tank’s waste level, is pretty accurate and common on most high-end, modern motor coaches.

But when it comes to any other kind of sensors, there’s certainly a love-and-hate — or tug of war — relationship that we all seem to have.

What causes the problems?

We hate to keep beating a dead horse (since we’re full of colloquialisms today!), but the most common cause of tank sensors not reading properly is the waste that is inside the tank. Huh? Yep, it’s the waste inside the tanks that the sensors are designed to read that is actually causing them to read incorrectly.

Most RVers use tank additives — enzymes, bacterial agents, harsh chemical concoctions — that are doing exactly what they are intended to do: break down waste (feces, vomit, toilet paper, and anything else degradable that goes into your toilet) into a more liquid form.

The hope is that the now more-liquid waste will exit the holding tank better, faster, and more completely.

That’s not what happens

But your holding tank system is not a septic system. Those tank additives are working, yes. Just as they are intended. But they are creating a thick, sticky slurry that is adhering to and gumming everything up: holding tank surfaces, drainage pipes and hoses, and, yes, your tank sensor probes.

Think about it: what would drain better out of your holding tanks?

A tank full of thick, sticky slurry, that moves at a very slow rate due to its consistency, adhesiveness, and greatly increased density, or a tank full of mostly water with solids suspended in it?

The tankful of water and intact solids, of course, would drain better and more completely.

So what do you do?

There are some “best practices” that you can do to get your tank sensors reading properly again — and keep them that way.

First, you need to get all of that old waste out of your tanks. Kleen Tank’s proprietary hydro-jetting cleaning technology uses the force of 1500 PSI water pressure to blast out any built-up and old waste lurking in your holding tanks and waste system pipes. Having this service performed regularly is critical to get your sensors back in working shape — and keeping them that way.

Next, stop using those enzymes, bacterial agents, and harsh chemical solutions. They are just making the situation worse and countering the intentions of your RV’s holding tank system — to serve as a way to store waste and water until it can be safely and completely removed.

Also, use more water in your RV’s holding tanks:

  • Use an extra toilet bowlful of water after you flush down any solid waste.
  • Empty your tanks when they are 90% to 100% full (add water to get the volume that high).
  • Turn on your black tank’s flush system while emptying to increase turbulence.
  • Use a tool like the Valterra Flush King Reverse Flush Valve to keep your tanks clean between professional servicing.
  • “Prime” each tank by adding a few gallons of fresh water back into each tank once you’ve emptied them.
  • Be sure to add three to five gallons in each emptied tank before traveling to your next destination.

Finally, be sure to schedule regular, professional cleanings by Kleen Tank or any of our sister All Pro Water Flow companies. Your efforts will only get so much waste removed from your holding tanks. A professional service like Kleen Tank has the technology, experience, and ability to get your holding tanks “factory clean.” Full-time RVers should have this service done twice a year while other RVers are fine with having it done annually.

Keeping your holding tank’s sensors reading properly doesn’t have to be an eternal game of tug of war. There are ways you can get an advantage and win the battle.

The post Stop playing tug of war with your holding tank sensors appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Shower drain woes http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/shower-drain-woes/ Tue, 12 Feb 2019 22:42:34 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1101 The drain. It’s important for many reasons in our RVs. But when it comes to problems with water backing up, not draining, or even bad smells, the drain is often times the culprit. Find out what to do — and not do. Honestly, there’s nothing worse than shower drains. We’ve cleaned hundreds of black tanks […]

The post Shower drain woes appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
The drain. It’s important for many reasons in our RVs. But when it comes to problems with water backing up, not draining, or even bad smells, the drain is often times the culprit. Find out what to do — and not do.

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.

]]>
Better RV dump station etiquette http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/better-rv-dump-station-etiquette/ Wed, 30 Jan 2019 17:21:49 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1093 “No one told us about dump stations!” We hear it all the time when we’re giving our RV rally seminars. It’s something that doesn’t come naturally to newbie RVers. Unless you’re a sanitation engineer, getting comfortable with sewer water and bodily waste is a bit of an acquired habit. Sure, at your campsite, you just […]

The post Better RV dump station etiquette appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
“No one told us about dump stations!” We hear it all the time when we’re giving our RV rally seminars. It’s something that doesn’t come naturally to newbie RVers.

Unless you’re a sanitation engineer, getting comfortable with sewer water and bodily waste is a bit of an acquired habit. Sure, at your campsite, you just connect the sewer hose and yank on the tank pulls when your sensors say your holding tanks are full. Knowing what to do at a dump station; that’s a bit different (yes, it is!).

These RV dump station tips make emptying your holding tanks easier.

Keep waste in its place

At your campsite, you might be a little cavalier with your hook-up habits. A bit of water or waste draining on the ground? No worries, it’s grass, it’ll absorb (don’t do that, please). And when you pack up to leave, you may think it’s okay to let any liquid in the sewer hose to just drain out. Well, stop that too.

When you’re at a dump station, you need to pay extra attention to what you are doing. People and pets could be walking through the area. Dump stations usually have concrete or asphalt pads that don’t allow easy or fast drainage.

So be sure to go slow and methodically:

  • Keep tank pulls closed until everything is hooked up
  • Make sure your sewer hose doesn’t drain anything on the ground
  • Double-check that all fittings and connections are tight
  • Drain each tank thoroughly
  • Rinse all pipes, hoses, and fittings, allowing water to go down the dump station drain

We recommend that you install a gate valve between your RV’s sewer pipe and the flexible sewer hose. Adding in a 3- or 4-inch piece of clear plastic pipe before this gate valve is a good idea too — you can see what’s waiting for you before you start opening pipe covers or pulling holding tank pulls. The Valterra Twist-On Waste Valve is our pick and add the Camco 3.5″ Sewer Hose Adapter for the complete package.

Don’t spread germs

Use tight-fitting, undamaged hoses, fittings, and other sewer tools. Disposable gloves (we recommend using two types at once) and anti-bacterial hand sanitizer or wipes are always a safe plan. It’s a good idea to wipe down any contaminated surfaces before you pull away.

If you do spill anything on the ground, use the dump station’s water supply hose to spray down the area and drive any waste or water into the drain hole.

Dump in the right order

You dump black first and then gray, right? Wrong! Follow this Pro Tip:

  • Briefly open your gray tank pull. Just a second or two. This will coat the interior of the sewer hose with (fairly) clean water. Close it after a few seconds.
  • Then, open the black tank pull. Allow the tank to drain completely. Close the tank pull.
  • Open the gray tank pull(s). This will clean out your RV’s waste pipes and sewer hose.
  • Be sure to use the dump station’s non-potable water supply hose to rinse out your sewer hose, being careful to get all liquid into the station’s drain.

Make a clean, fast getaway

The best thing you can do at the dump station? Get done quickly.

Others may be waiting for you to finish, even if they aren’t lined up behind you. If you’re weekending in a state or national park that doesn’t have full hook-ups, believe us, people are watching the dump station for an opportunity before heading home.

Dumping doesn’t have to be a hassle

Remember, waste is a part of RVing. Follow these easy tips to make your experience better for you — and everyone else! If you have any other questions about RV holding tanks, waste systems, or proper care of your RV’s holding tanks, let us know!

The post Better RV dump station etiquette appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Tank additives, yes or no? http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/tank-additives-yes-or-no/ Mon, 07 Jan 2019 20:40:37 +0000 http://rvholdingtankcleaning.com/?p=1083 Tank additives. It’s one of the age-old questions in RVing. What kind is best? Are there alternatives? Do I need them at all? Here’s our “professional” take on this oftentimes controversial topic. If you’ve been RVing for any amount of time, doubtless you’ve had, heard, or wondered about holding tank additives. Most of the time, […]

The post Tank additives, yes or no? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>
Tank additives. It’s one of the age-old questions in RVing. What kind is best? Are there alternatives? Do I need them at all? Here’s our “professional” take on this oftentimes controversial topic.

If you’ve been RVing for any amount of time, doubtless you’ve had, heard, or wondered about holding tank additives. Most of the time, the question comes up when people are complaining about their holding tank smelling bad, sensors not working, or just wondering what they can do to make things work better.

What is an additive and what’s it doing in my tanks?
Almost every commercial tank additive promotes, as its first advantage, the ability to break down waste in an RV’s holding tank. In fact, that’s where the problem starts.

Your RV’s holding tanks are big, somewhat squarish plastic boxes. The exact size, configuration, and capacity vary from RV to RV, but for the most part, they are rectangular, with sharp corners, a frontward-sloping bottom (so waste can “fall” to the front of the tank), and an exit hole cut or drilled into the front bulkhead.

Adding a tank additive with its main intent to break down the holding tank’s contents gives you one thing: A big, plastic box full of a thick, sticky mess.

Think about it: What would drain better/faster/more thoroughly? A tank full of mostly water, with solids (human waste, TP) floating in it or a tank full of broken-down sludge, almost like a sticky pancake batter? The tank of water with suspended solids.

And it’s those same corners and front bulkhead where dissolved waste can collect and be nearly impossible to dislodge. Same with the tank sensors — that broken-down, sticky mess in your tanks is coating the sensors and making other things (more mess, TP, etc.) stick to them.

Your tank solution is the problem. It’s doing exactly what it is intended to do. And the unnecessary byproducts are that you are having problems with your tanks and sensors.

Do we know what we’re talking about?
We’ve cleaned over 1,000 tanks in our six years as authorized All Pro Water Flow dealers. That’s a lot of tanks. Small-, medium, and large travel trailers. Fifth wheels of every size and configuration. Motorhomes from $25,000 bargain lot bank possessions to million dollar beauties fresh from the factory.

We can always tell when an RV owner uses a tank additive that breaks down waste. When we clean their tanks (because they have a problem, such as misreading sensors, offensive smells, slow-draining tanks, etc.), what comes out of the tank is a slow, thick, slurry-like mixture. Every time.

So what should you do?
There are a few things you can do right away:

1. Stop using tank additives who’s main purpose is to break down waste.
2. Use more water in your tanks, by adding 3-5 gallons right after you empty them and flushing down an extra toilet bowlful of water after each use.
3. Top off your tanks with clean water before empty them, trying to get to 90%-100% capacity.

Our solution
Now, everyone likes to put ***something*** into their holding tanks. It’s what we’ve been taught by RV dealerships. It’s what the online forums, discussion groups, and Facebook Pages are all saying. We hear “good advice” from other RVers (who, very likely, still have problems). And we see vendors and other manufacturer’s reps at rallies hawking their latest potion.

What we recommend — for those seeking something to put down their tanks — is a variation of the GEO method. This homemade solution — which can be mixed for just $5 for 50 tank treatments — is a combination of Pine-Sol and Calgon water softener.

The Calgon breaks the surface tension of the water, preventing the holding tank’s contents from sticking to the plastic walls and surfaces of the tank. The Pine-Sol is an ammonia-based disinfectant, killing harmful bacteria, viruses, etc., and also imparting a strong, antiseptic smell (a lemon- or other pleasant-scented mixture will help with this). For the exact mixture, download our “recipe” for free by clicking here.

The post Tank additives, yes or no? appeared first on Kleen Tank.

]]>