RV Holding Tank Dump 1-2-3

By the RV Geeks
Dumping your RV's black and grey tanks might seem like a no-brainer, but we can't tell you how many times we've seen people who could use a little help with the basics.

Be sure to watch the video below. 

Properly dumping your RV's holding tanks requires a few simple procedures to help keep things odor-free and running smoothly. For everyday tank dumping, this video is the "express version" of our original "How To Dump & Clean an RV Black Tank." If your black tank really needs a super cleaning, you can watch the original, more detailed video here: 

If you're not having tank odor problems and just want a quick overview of basic tank dumping procedures, this new video gets right to the point. Many RVers seem to think their black tank is clean when they just empty it and flush out the sewer hose with water from the grey tank. Even those RVers who use a black tank flush system often don't utilize the most important piece of equipment necessary for monitoring the cleanliness of the tank: a clear sewer elbow.

But using a clear sewer elbow on your camper isn't enough. As we demonstrate, even a black tank flush connection still won't do the job unless used correctly. We'll show you how to be sure your black tank is really empty, keeping it clean and odor-free and making your motorhome, travel trailer or fifth wheel a nicer place to be.



RV Geeks offers basic DIY (do it yourself) RV service, repair, maintenance and travel tips from full-time RVers who have been handling most of their own maintenance since hitting the road in 2003. Be sure to confirm that all methods and materials used are compatible with your particular recreational vehicle. Every type of motorhome, motorcoach, fifth wheel, travel trailer, bus conversion, camper and toy hauler is different, so your systems may not be the same as ours. RVgeeks is proud to be affiliated with RVtravel.com.

While we're not RV technicians, we're very mechanically inclined and have learned a lot about RV systems over the years. We handle most of our own minor service, maintenance and repair work on our 2005 43' Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. We also maintained our 2002 39' Fleetwood Bounder Diesel during our first two years on the road.

We meet lots of newer RVers who are eager to learn some basics about maintaining and caring for their rigs. After more than 9 years on the road, we want to share what we've learned (some of it the hard way). We hope our experiences can help other RVers go DIY, saving some time, money and effort, while experiencing the satisfaction of a job well done. We do not pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But lots of things are the same on RVs in general, and diesel pushers in particular. Comments welcome!

RVer is impressed with portable waterless toilet

We recently wrote about a new water-less toilet called the Dry Flush. Most readers who commented on the article were not impressed. But one reader was, John Farr, who sent us this email:

Our travel is with a Casita travel trailer and has been limited by seasonal conditions. We bought the littlest and the lightest travel trailer we could find so we could camp out of the weather and have inside plumbing. It works wonderfully well in the right season. But high fuel costs hauling sludge around did not make sense and having it freeze up was worse.

So the idea of a functional Dry Flush had great appeal. I have used plastic bags, etc. but they were not easy to handle or dispose of. I read your article about the Dry Flush, then looked at their material and called the company. They made sense and have the financial backing to survive. So we ordered one and it arrived this week.

It looks good, it is solidly built, and one old man can pick it up and move it. So I set it in my bathroom (at our age we each have a bedroom and bathroom) and proceeded to start to use it. I will need to finish an entire cycle of a bag and remove it to tell you the entire story. Here is the first report:

After three days, there is no odor, and it is much easier to clean than a regular toilet. The unit has so many 'flushes" per series of bags so you do not flush it with each use. It is informative (polite discussion) to see just how much passes thru your system in a set period of hours. I am a big guy and have had a small bladder my entire life. So realizing how often I pee and the quantity has been interesting.

The unit is standard toilet high, 14 inches, which is a big improvement over the usual 10 to 12 inches in most RVs. Since the entire bowl inside has a Mylar fabric-type covering it is bigger than most RV toilets and you do not have to clean it! Bingo!

It comes with L brackets to fasten it to an RV. I do not think you would want it rolling around. However you can set it anywhere you wish -- the porch, guest room, etc. It runs off of electricity and has a rechargeable battery that runs off of 110 power or a RV electrical system.

For a cabin or even a second home, this would be tremendous and much easier than have to weatherize, buy into a sewer system or build a leach field.

As I finish this first bag I know what to study and see how Dry Flush really operates. My first impression is that this will be one of the hot new items of 2013 and it is a creative idea and well built unit to handle the job it was designed to do.

Dry Flush does away with holding tanks, smells, frozen plumbing

Imagine an RV trip without having to dump black water. No fooling with holding tank treatments. No getting bowled over by "toilet stink" on hot days. All these benefits are yours, says a Connecticut company, if you install one of their new Dry Flush toilet systems in your RV.

Dry Flush takes away the holding tank and replaces it (inside the toilet) with a 'waste disposal system,' that wraps up the waste after every flush in what almost looks like aluminum foil. After 15 flushes the containerized waste is removed from the toilet, a new containment cartridge (if you will) installed, and the filled up system is tossed out in the trash. Kind of reminds us of those automatic cat litter-box systems where you never have to touch a litter scoop.

The Dry Flush toilet has the appearance of many an RV toilet and operates on 12-volt power--not a lot of it, mind you, drawing 5 amps for the duration of a "flush" cycle, which appears to be just a few seconds. You can hook Dry Flush up to your RV battery electrical system, use a shore power adapter, or lug the thing and use it just about anywhere with an optional battery pack that gives 300 flushes.

Here are a few plus points: Since there's no water hookup required, you'll be able to get relief even in below-freezing weather. No spills, no stink, and the system is portable. Scaling in at a little over 20 pounds (without the optional five pound battery) its easy to move--we assume this to be "dry weight." 



On the other hand, finances will need a little consideration. The Dry Flush toilet itself retails for $585. Once you've bought the system, you'll need to keep up with the "refills" to keep it happy. Refills are sold in packs of three for $49.95 each. That's a $1.11 every time you "ascend to the throne," which if airlines charged us for use of the in-flight biffy might cause a bit of a stink.

Learn more about the system on the company website. Got questions or want to put  in an order? Call Dry Flush directly at 203-248-4440.

Gravity challenged? New toilet gives you a boost

If age and gravity are getting you down, Thetford may have an answer -- at least in one arena. Thetford is probably the "Number One" company for producing RV toilets.

So the latest news from Thetford is the introduction of "Aqua-Magic Residence," an RV biffy billed with "a contemporary look and residential-sized seat." Helping us get off and on the throne with ease, the new high profile model puts your seat on its seat 18" above the floor line. If you don't need the boost, the standard unit sits a bit shorter but scales in at eight and quarter pounds versus the taller unit's nine and a half.

Both toilets feature lids strong enough to sit on, a powerful flush, and single-pedal convenience. Like some other Thetford rigs, push the pedal half-way down to swish water into the bowl, all the way down to make it vanish. All this and two available colors, bone and white. Wow!

Get thee to your nearest Thetford dealer and ask for a test drive.

New invention eliminates need to dump holding tanks

If the invention by Namon Nassef takes off, you may never need to dump your black water holding tanks again.

Nassef, president of Nassef Engineering and Equipment Company, has developed a new way to dispose of RV waste that uses green technology to eliminate sewage from RVs.

The ThermalTreat Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Sewage Elimination System uses a small gallons or less sized tanks, grinds up the solids, and then dissolves the solids in the liquid. It then pressurizes this liquid and injects it into the hot exhaust gas of the engine. Steam and negligible minerals which come from the food people eat leave with the hot exhaust gas. The system is small, lightweight and uses no chemicals. It produces no odors, liquid, or solids to handle.

"We believe that there is a growing desire for environmentally friendly energy recovery methods to handle sewage," said Nassef. "It is our belief that when this technology is offered and demonstrated, the demand for it will be overwhelming since it is more efficient, cost effective and green. The current markets are huge -- valued at several hundred million dollars per year -- and the international market is immeasurable."

The ZLD processing unit without the EQ tank is approximately 12-by-18-by-24 inches -- the size of a medium suitcase -- and weighs less than 100 pounds. But, it can process approximately 300 gallons per day depending upon available heat simply using engine exhaust to treat and dispose of sewage with no liquid discharge.

Nassef predicts it will eliminate large holding tanks in RVs, thus giving designers more storage space for other needs, such as clean water or cargo. It also eliminates the problem of dumping sewage holding tanks when there are no convenient places to dump, he noted.
Advantages of the system include:

• No odors
• No liquid discharge
• Energy recovery
• Environmentally friendly
• Small/lightweight
• Operable worldwide
• Operable in all climates and harsh environments
• Quick start/stop or storage/use cycles
• Plug-and-play design for replacement or repair
• Potential water reuse
• No chemicals required
• No sludge to dispose

For more information visit www.thezld.com.

SOURCE: Nassef Engineering Equipment and RV Daily Report.

Freshen your RV toilet before you go with Poo-Pourri

Let's face it, walking into a bathroom right after it was just used by someone else can sometimes be a. . . well. . . a not-so-pleasant experience (as in STINKY!). Well, here is a brand new product invented by woman named Suzy Batiz that promises to make such a situation actually pleasant. That's what she says, anyway. The product's motto: Spray the Lu before number two and no one will ever have a clue. Check out this short commercial. We think you'll get a good laugh.

Keep holding tank odors down in summer's heat.

Grahambones on flickr.com

"I stink, therefore I am," says my philosopher. He lives under my RV, and travels everywhere with me. He is a rather nondescript fellow, about six feet tall, four feet wide, and a thin six inches thick. He seems to prefer a dark suit, in fact, every time I lay eyes on him, he's laying about, clad in the black skin of plastic suited to folks of his kind. Although he is never invited inside, from time to time he does--in an awful way--make his presence known. He is a windy fellow, and many of my associates simply state, "He's full of it." And so he is, for my friend the dark philosopher is a black water holding tank.

We've found these fellows usually make the most fanfare during hot weather. They can't really help it, it's just their nature. So what can we do to make summertime RVing as 'nose-comfortable" as possible? Here are a few tips:

Odor from black water comes from the naturally stinky nature of what we put down the pot. Some holding tank treatments deal with that by masking the odor with perfumes or other deodorants. Others deal with the smell by reasoning this way: Since the breakdown of the waste is what's causing the smell, stop the breakdown and you'll stop the smell. These "biocides" do just that: They kill all bacterial action in the holding tank, the wastes stop breaking down, and the odor, to some degree stops. How well these work in really killing the odor is rather subjective, and can certainly be affected by outdoor temperatures. The hotter it is, the worse the stink.

Some RVers tell us they don't use any sort of holding tank treatment at all. Almost universally among these we find that most thoroughly flush their black water holding tank every time they dump it, and few venture into hot climates. If you do chose to skip the treatments altogether, the consensus of RVers is to "get it out of there as quickly as you can, preferably in a week or less."

That's a tough assignment for some. Since it's not wise to dump a holding tank if it's less than three-quarters full, a rig with a large holding tank could go a LONG time between dumps. Our fifth-wheel's 40 gallon tank only required dumping every three weeks when we full-timed. On the other hand, since we were boondocking most of the time, we were pretty careful about how much water we used to flush. So, if you want to move-it-in move-it-out quickly, don't spare the flush water. Flush away to your heart's content and fill up that tank with water for a quicker release.

When it does come to treatments, we've lean toward the more "natural" kind, bacterial-enzyme treatments. We found them to be quite effective in keeping the odor down, and in keeping the tank free of build up. Ah, but when summer's warmth came, we did find some issues.

One foul smelling experience when the combination of heat and non-motion did "shut down" the bacterial action in our tank. That was bad! To get out of that problem we had to empty the tank and fill it completely with water and a large dose of baking soda. After 24 hours we emptied the tank, then started using it again with a fresh dose of bacterial-enzyme treatment. The odor was gone, and we were happily back in business.

Our experiences lead to warm weather holding tank tips: As we've already pointed out, the more often you dump, the happier you'll be. Here's the corollary: Keep moving! The more you stir up the contents of your holding tank (logically by driving) the less odor problems you can anticipate. Besides, the more you keep moving, the more of the country you'll see!

What about treating your gray water tank? Few RVers ever do much of anything about treating their gray tank. We recommend you abstain from pouring grease down the drain, but for the most part, a gray tank will give you few problems.

How to test for RV-safe toilet paper

By the RV Geeks
When we started full-timing more than nine years ago, we had never even been in an RV before, and didn't know much about them. When we heard that RVs required special "RV-safe" toilet paper. We didn't know exactly what that meant, but we assumed it must be listed on the package for some important reason. On our very first trip to stock up on RV supplies, we made sure to buy a few packs of this magical stuff.

It turns out that buying bathroom tissue manufactured and/or packaged specifically for use in an RV won't do much more than increase costs, and limit your choices to very few products, none of which you might be happy with.

At the time, we'd been using Costco's Kirkland brand toilet paper for years. We love Costco, and generally find that anything they sell to be both high quality and competitively priced. Without going into the gory details about what makes toilet paper good or bad, suffice it to say that many of us have a favorite brand. We like Kirkland, and wanted to know if we could safely use it in our rig, instead of the expensive, low-quality "RV-safe" stuff from the camping aisle.

The only consideration you need to worry about is whether or not your bathroom tissue will break down in your black tank. If not, too much of it could gum up the works.

Watch the video to learn a simple test to find out if the brand you prefer using in your stick house can also be used in your RV. This test works with any type or brand, both single-ply and two-ply, regardless of whether the packaging specifies "RV-safe" or not.

Be sure to confirm that all methods and materials used are compatible with your particular recreational vehicle. Every type of motorhome, motorcoach, fifth wheel, travel trailer, bus conversion, camper and toy hauler is different, so your systems may not be the same as ours.



RV Geeks offers basic DIY (do it yourself) RV service, repair and maintenance tips based on their experience as full-time RVers who have been handling most of their own maintenance since hitting the road in 2003.

While not RV technicians, they're mechanically inclined and have learned a lot about RV systems over the years. They handle most of their own minor service, maintenance and repair work on their 2005 43' Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. They also maintained their 2002 39' Fleetwood Bounder Diesel during their first two years on the road.

They do not pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining their own rig. But lots of things are the same on RVs in general, and diesel pushers in particular.

Thetford offers toilet rebates

Arguably one of the RV industry's biggest toilet manufacturers, Thetford, looks to be trying to get bigger. According to a news release, the toilet king is offering a $25 rebate to RVers who upgrade to one of their "permanent" toilets. What's a permanent toilet? Evidently those that bolt down in your rig--as opposed to "porta pots." The rebate-OK list includes:

Aria Classic or Deluxe II
Aqua-Magic V (with hand or foot flush)
Agua-Magic Style II or Style Plus
Bravura

Several of these are porcelain toilets, and notably high-end on the price list, but the Bravura is a more modest model both in terms of construction and price, we found for close to $150 by shopping around on the web. We personally have experience with this model, having installed one in our fifth-wheel a few years ago. It proved to be a good sit for our rig, and a good fit for--well, anyway.

You can download a rebate coupon at www.thetford.com.

The right way to maintain your RV's sewer holding tank

RV technician and author Mark Polk explains the proper way to maintain an RV's sewer holding tank, and why using the wrong chemicals is contributing to the closing of dump stations across America.




Mark has produced dozens of videos, books and eBooks about caring for your RV, including its holding tanks. Learn more here.

How to rinse and flush your RV's black water holding tank

Mark Polk shows you how to perform some simple rinsing and flushing procedures on an RV's black water holding tank to keep it clean, control odors and extend the life of the RV's waste water system. It also helps helps ensure the holding tank's monitors remain accurate and prevent costly repairs of clogged drains.