# Let's Talk About Toilets!



## CalifRVers (Oct 16, 2009)

If you haven't already heard, we are brand new to RVing, so everything about maintaining an RV is new to us.

When we walk down the aisles at Camping World we are overwhelmed by all the products out there. Which ones work, which ones don't, we don't have a clue and Im sure Im not alone in saying I hate wasting money on products that don't work.

We were told by the service department where we purchased our Outback to use enzymes in our black water holding tank, but after reading several articles online we realize that each individual RV owner takes a different approach.

So I would like to know what has worked and what hasn't worked when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your Outbacks toilet and holding tank(s).

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What do you use to clean and sanitize your toilet bowl?
Do you use chemicals or enzymes in your holding tank? If so what brand?
Odor control products?
Do you have your own home made method to clean and maintain your holding tank(s)?
Thank you for the toilet talk!


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

We've had our outback for two seasons now. We always use the green drop ins with the water softener/detergent mix you can find on multiple posts here and would clean the bowl with a bleach type cleaner. Everything was going well until we started having really bad smells coming from the black tank. I would drain the tank, dump a couple five gallon buckets of water down the toilet to rinse it out and still the bad smell. I changed from the five gallon buckets to using a hose wand and still the smell was awful.

Finally I installed a turbo tornado rinser and use it with a clear 45 degree elbow on the dump valve. Wow did that make a difference. The first time I used the combination, I drained the tank like normal but because of the elbow, I could see what was coming out. I then turned on the tornado and just let it run. A bunch of paper came out that wouldn't come out with only gravity working on it. I just left it running (we were in a camp site with sewer, not a dump station) and the real surprises started. A few minutes later the water quit draining then the dam let lose and another bunch of paper came out. In a few more minutes it happened again. This went on over an over again. After about ten minutes with nothing new I finally shut off the water. All total it was about an hour.

It looks to me like paper would just float around until it would catch on the sloping sides of the tank. From there, when the water drains out it just sticks there unless you flush it out. The turbo tornado was pretty cheap at Amazon and wasn't hard to install once I got over the fear of cutting into the underbelly of the trailer. You can, of course, get one installed by your rv dealer too.

Here is the post with installation pictures. I'll never be without one of these again.


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## CalifRVers (Oct 16, 2009)

Thank you for the input!

I need to find the recipe for the water softener/detergent. If I understand our Outback correctly we have the built in rinser installed in the interior of our black water holding tank, Im assuming it does the same job the Turbo Tornado does? At least I hope it does.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

There are many versions of tank rinsers. The turbo just happens to spin like a sprinkler. Your rinser should have a connection on the outside of the trailer. Buy yourselves a garden hose to use for the black water tank only. Even though there should be a back flow preventer on the rinser, I would never trust it enough to attach my fresh water hose to it. I think I bought my hose at home depot primarily because it is grey and it is easy to remember which hose is for what use.

You can find the recipe by doing a search on the word "calgon". Most people use calgon if they can find it. I haven't located it in my area so I use the White King fabric softener.


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

I use this for my chemicals: click Seems to control orders well, as long as you clean your tank between outings. I use the hand version the Turbo Tornado that thefulminator uses. Not as easy, but still works.


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## bbwb (Apr 4, 2008)

We have the Tornado flush on our black tank and thought that it was cleaning our tank thouroughly...not necessarily. We have had the issue this last year of our black tank valve not sealing 100% (opening the sewer cap would give make me do a quick step so as to not fill my shoe), so at each campsite when packing up to leave, I would run the Tornado for quite a long time thinking that I would knock loose the piece of paper that is blocking the valve. After our final camping trip, we cleaned the toilet, flushed the tank at least (to full)6 times, used the wand down the toilet just to make sure we were clean. The valve still felt like there was an obstruction. Well, my next idea was to fill the black and Grey tanks with about 10 gallons each and leave the valves open between them to let the sloshing water during travel remove my valve obstruction. When I got home and pulled the cap off (yes, I did close both valves) I was surprised to see how the clear water had turned brown








I even made a copper pipe extension with a 90 degree bend and end nozzle to run up the sewer pipe to try and back flush my black valve...even more (pardon the pun) crap came out








Well, long story short, even though you have the Tornado, it will not clean the tank 100%









We use to use the green chemical (T12, 4oz bottles or something like that available at WalMart) and found that it did not stop the odors very well. We now use a liquid by Thetford (again a WalMart find 8 oz bottles) and this stuff works well.

Good luck with your search.

bbwb


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I have a tornado and a flush king. They work well I guess. I also will take two 5 gallon bucket of ice and dump it down the hole with some tissue digester. I do this before I leave the house. The Ice scrubs the inside of the tank and the tissue digester breaks it all down. I also clean the tanks throughly after every trip. I use the green drop in enzyme things and so far have not had any smells, even in the summer when the tank is "cooking"....


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

CalifRVers said:


> If you haven't already heard, we are brand new to RVing, so everything about maintaining an RV is new to us.
> 
> When we walk down the aisles at Camping World we are overwhelmed by all the products out there. Which ones work, which ones don't, we don't have a clue and Im sure Im not alone in saying I hate wasting money on products that don't work.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately the best odor control may involve a dietary change







Sorry had to do it.......... I used to only let the women in my household use the toilet......... me and the boys would use a bath house........ that way when she said it stunk i would reply i thought the three of you were Rose Buds









I use the purple stuff


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## Lmbevard (Mar 18, 2006)

I use a combo enzyme/bacteria treatment but like everyone else said the most important thing to do is to make sure the tank is cleaned out completely. In the perfect world the chemicals would dissolved everything so when you opened the valve everything comes flying out and leaves a clean fresh tank. Don't work. I have it nice in that I have my own personal dump station at the house so after each camping trip I can spend some time while cleaning the camper out, flushing the tanks. I use a flexible turbo wand that you put done the toilet to get it clean and use a clear elbow so I can see when it's clean. I had started getting odor problems until I started this. If you start with a clean tank and only camp for weekends, I don't think you would really need chemicals as long as you clean out the tank after each use. I use the above treatment because I tend to camp for longer periods of time, up to 2 weeks without dumping. But in that case we try to use the bathhouse as much as possible to save water and space.

One thing I would avoid is buying the chems from Wal-mart. I haven't had any luck with any of the things they have.


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

This is what we do and have had pretty good luck. We use and abuse our toliet because we often camp in places where there are no bath houses and I have dug enough holes in my day to make it to China:

1. Ice is a wonderful thing. For short trips we will add ice on the way there and on the way back. It breaks up solids and knocks stuff off the side of the tank. We always add ice for the trip home. We usually try to stop at the dump station close to our home so that the ice has plenty of time to do it's job.

2. We always fill our tank(s) before we empty them. The more full it is the better stuff comes out. We always travel with a 7 gallon water jug and use it to top off both tanks for the ride home. Again, the sloshing of the trailer helps break things up and when there is a lot of liquid in the tank it tends to pull more of the solids out with it.

3. Treatments - now this varies, but we are fans of the water softener / detergent method. This is what we use during our "peak" camping season. During the off months we use chemicals.

A couple times a year we go to the dump station with our wand and our back flush thingy and spend a good hour (go during off times) back flusing and cleaning out the tank. So far we have had pretty "clean" back washes with the using the methods above!

Good luck to you!


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I use only the blue stuff that has formaldehide in it. I have tried the natural stuff, formaldehide free, and the orange stuff. None of it worked to keep the smell down in the summer. I will dump ice cubes and bleach in the tank before I leave for the campground, and I will dump when I get there. Then I add 8 oz of blue stuff, and about a gallon of water. With that I am good for about 2 weeks without any smell at all.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

john7349 said:


> I use this for my chemicals: click Seems to control orders well, as long as you clean your tank between outings. I use the hand version the Turbo Tornado that thefulminator uses. Not as easy, but still works.


X2! We use the Thetfords, too - 4 oz. each in the black tank and the gray tank after dumping and rinsing well. (I use a wand type rinser - like yours, but I just stick it down the toilet into the tank.) We also put a capful of Calgon liquid water softner in each tank at the same time, and then follow up with a few gallons of water. (We get the Calgon at Walmart, in the detergent section.) Then, while we're driving home, the solution sloshes all around and because the Calgon makes the sides of the tanks slick, anything left inside doesn't stick and gets pretty pulverized from all the agitation. Some folks put the remainder of the ice from a cooler down the toilet and let the ice scrub the inside of the tank on the drive back home.

I also use a Flush King when I dump my tanks. I can see when "stuff" is coming out of the tank exhaust, but more importantly, when it is no longer coming out. By opening the black tank valve, closing the Flush King gate valve, and then opening the pressure water valve (garden hose connection), you can back fill the tank and the piping, then let it dump. After 2-3 backfills and flushes, it's pretty darned clean. Then we add the Thetfords and the Calgon and a little water.

We've done it this way for three seasons and never had an odor problem.

Just my $.02.

Mike


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## bonseye (Oct 16, 2007)

We have had 8 years of playing with combos of chemicals.....our new Outback has the flush king and I love it. I have had two other campers without it and what a difference.

1. I empty the black tank and let the flush king run for about 5 minutes. I stay by the pull and will close it for a minute to back fill and pull it to empty the tank. I will repeat this quite a few times....until the water runs clear. The first few times you can still see paper that had stuck in the tank.

2. Chemicals....I use the drop in packets and in the hot weather use two. I make a mixture of Calgon and Laundry Detergent.....this has worked amazing. We never have issues with odor any more.

Hope this helps.....


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