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Old 06-05-2017, 01:20 PM   #1
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Noob Holding Tank Questions

Hello,

I bought a new Vibe & it's the first camper I've owned with holding tanks. I have a few basic questions:

I understand that I should add chemical/enzyme tablets & some water to the black/grey tanks at the start of our trip.

What if the black tank isn't 3/4 full when it's time to go home? Say, we've only used the toilet a handful of times in a weekend. Do I leave it as is? For how long? What if our next trip isn't for another month? Can I let it sit for that long? Let it sit all summer until it's nearly full?

Once I do empty the black tank, I add some water and drop in another tank tablet - that's it, right?

Does the same approach apply to the grey tank? If I'm not using enzymes/deodorants, it's ok to empty after every trip, right? Do I also need to add some water & a tablet after emptying?

Thanks for the help.
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Old 06-05-2017, 01:29 PM   #2
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Holding Tanks

ALWAYS empty your holding tanks (unless they were not used at all). If you only used the toilet a few times you should flush a few gallons of water before draining to help it drain out. After that drain your grey tank to help wash out the hose of body waste from the black tank. Finally, after you empty the "black" tank you should flush a couple gallons of water and put in some TST enzymes/deodorizer. Do this if you can at the campsite when you leave.....that way it sloshes around the black tank and cleans what was left inside (very little if anything)
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Old 06-05-2017, 02:09 PM   #3
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I disagree that you "always" empty your tanks.
We've gone a number of days, to various campgrounds, before dumping our black tank.
We use Odorlos, so never any smell issues.

We dump it at the end of the trip or if it's close to full.

The gray tank is a different story since it fills WAY faster than the black tank.
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Old 06-05-2017, 09:31 PM   #4
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I love a product called blue streak. It is a liquid that goes into a container and you connect to your toilet so that every time you flush some goes into the system. H pls break down the "stuff" and smells good. My wife loves it as well.
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Old 06-05-2017, 09:48 PM   #5
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A lot of us use the GEO METHOD for keeping our black tanks clean:

https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/
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Old 06-05-2017, 10:17 PM   #6
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I've left my black if I'm planing on being out very shortly later, like the next weekend, but I wouldn't ever let it sit for a month. If you don't think you have enough liquid, add some more. Simple as just stepping on the pedal for a little while.

And I'll add a second recommendation for the blue streak. With it I never have to worry about adding TST anymore. Automatically dispenses with each flush. I just use the blue streak chemicals, but I have heard of people who use the blue streak's dispenser with their own concocted solution based on the Geo Method.

For the grey, you can pick up a grey water version of TST, but usually you don't need it. I only use some in my spring startup and don't bother the rest of the year unless I notice it getting odoriferous. And then that's usually just my own fault for allowing too many food bits to get in there when doing dishes. Normally though, since everything going in the grey usually includes soap, (dish water, washing hands, showers) the soap keeps it fairly clean on it's own.
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Old 06-05-2017, 10:24 PM   #7
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My DW wipes ALL food off of the plates/utensils/silverware before washing, so we have very little "food" going into the gray tank. She won't even let me pour any unused soda out of a can into it!!
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Old 06-06-2017, 12:39 AM   #8
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I fill the not quite full black tank with leftover water from the fresh tank before dumping. I use the geo method on the theory of why dump expensive chemicals or enzymes down the drain when they don't have the time to work during a short trip. After dumping I'll add a couple gallons of water, then the enzyme to break down the bits and pieces that may remain. The next time out I'll dump before I setup to get a "fresh start". And start again with the geo method. May be a few extra steps, but it's what makes me happy. I'm not so obsessed with the gray.
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Old 06-06-2017, 05:44 AM   #9
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Meh, I've left stuff in there all winter. Who cares? I don't care. The tanks don't care. If you care, don't do it.
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Old 06-06-2017, 08:32 AM   #10
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Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

So, add water if necessary when it's time to dump. It's ok to let a partially-filled tank sit for a little while, but not too long. When in doubt, tell everyone to use the campground's crapper instead.

Finally, it would behoove you (me) to leave some water in the freshwater tank until after the grey/black tanks are drained & "primed".
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Old 06-06-2017, 11:38 AM   #11
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Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.

So, add water if necessary when it's time to dump. It's ok to let a partially-filled tank sit for a little while, but not too long. When in doubt, tell everyone to use the campground's crapper instead.

Finally, it would behoove you (me) to leave some water in the freshwater tank until after the grey/black tanks are drained & "primed".
It may also behoove you to leave some water in the FW tank in case you need to "use the facilities" on the way home!
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Old 06-06-2017, 11:55 AM   #12
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I always have some freshwater in the tank.
As mentioned. you never know when you might have to use the facilities, need water to wash hands (like after a tire change) water for in the radiator or water for the animals.

I don't worry about dumping the black tank if we have only been out for a night or two and are going out again in a week or so.

It's a holding tank and will hold everything perfectly fine without harm and can actually be beneficial (at the next dump) as the sloshing helps to further break things down.
If you use your favorite chemical it won't smell for at least a couple weeks.

I too use the blue streak (adds chemical during every flush) and the GEO method when we dump.
If we are not going to dump for a week or 10 days, I might add some blue AquaChem.
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Old 06-06-2017, 12:02 PM   #13
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I would add whatever amount of water is required to bring your black tank up to 3/4 full - then dump it.

As others have noted use the Geo Method. I use it and have not had odours. I dump 5 gallons of water in the black tank between trips. This will help to keep any stray solids from welding themselves to a dry tank bottom.

I use Walrex "Elemonate" tablets for my gray tank and it seems to work....no odours and we pour coffee and unfinished drinks down the sink (no food though)
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Old 06-06-2017, 12:02 PM   #14
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I really don't understand why you wouldn't empty the tanks when on the road. Maybe not at every campground, but certainly every couple. Why would you want to travel with the extra weight the waste water adds?
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Old 06-06-2017, 12:04 PM   #15
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I really don't understand why you wouldn't empty the tanks when on the road. Maybe not at every campground, but certainly every couple. Why would you want to travel with the extra weight the waste water adds?
On some rigs, depending on where the tanks are located and how the rig is loaded, full tanks improve tow-ability.
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Old 06-06-2017, 12:12 PM   #16
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I really don't understand why you wouldn't empty the tanks when on the road. Maybe not at every campground, but certainly every couple. Why would you want to travel with the extra weight the waste water adds?
Certainly every couple... but if we are only out a night or two you'll get maybe 15 gallons in the tank.
Why add 30 gallons to dump 15?

Hauling 15 gallons will never make any difference in my calculations whether it be weight or mileage.

That 'extra weight' logic always makes me think... I wonder... do these folks fill up their fuel tank if they are that worried about weight... why not just start out with a 1/4 tank and refill to a 1/4 tank when it runs low.
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Old 06-06-2017, 01:24 PM   #17
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Next....you need to ask "what's the best GPS?"
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Old 06-08-2017, 07:23 AM   #18
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Next....you need to ask "what's the best GPS?"
I was thinking more along the lines of, "What can I remove from my truck to improve its towing capacity?"
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Old 06-08-2017, 07:51 AM   #19
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I was thinking more along the lines of, "What can I remove from my truck to improve its towing capacity?"
Back in 1989, purchased this beautiful Dodge RamCharger. Two door, in it's day the predecessor to the "SUV/Crossovers" of today, built on a 1500 Dodge Pickup Chassis. 360 Engine didn't suck.

Since it would almost never be of use, took out the back passenger seat. 300 Plus pounds of weight.

Drove that truck for over 275,000 miles. Gotta think, save a little bit of fuel over those years.
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Old 06-09-2017, 05:17 AM   #20
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I always empty and rinse out my waste tanks before returning home. If the black tank isn't full, i'll fill it with water before dumping. There's a TA Travel Center not too far away and they have a dump station and rinse water that costs $5 to use.
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