Chemicals in the gray tank???

[Tundra 2014]

I put a scoop of Happy Camper in it w/ a gallon of water. Helps keep anything from sticking and keeps sensors functioning. Putting a little Dawn in would do almost the same thing. I have had a little better luck w/ the Happy Camper.

[FlaNative]

FWIW, one of the issues for rv tanks (and home septic as well) is the grease that makes it down the drain, even while using hot water to help it drain. What we do is take a paper towel and wipe the remaining food particles and grease from the dishes/pots and pan before we wash them in the sink. We had the problem of sticking sensors before we started doing this, but now that's not much of a problem anymore. Using the paper towel method takes time and effort, and it uses up paper products so that may be a factor for you to consider. I can't say for sure that that will solve all the issues with holding tanks but it does help.

Additionally, we put Dawn in the tanks as well (about 1/2 cup per tank). Dawn does a good job of keeping things clean. Another consideration is keeping the drain valves lubricated. Any harsh cleaner will tend to may a drain valve stick after a while. To prevent a sticky valve, we use Drain Valve Lube by Camco as directed, especially if we're not camping for any length of time.

Anyway, just my two cents worth!

[FlaNative]

Sorry for the second post!
And yes we do use tank deodoriser by Thetford to help keep the odor down!

[sfsgm]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

If you did that at our permanent site you would be asked to leave immediately with no refund. It kills the friendly biota in the resort's septic tank.

Washington state parks are asking people not to use tank cleaning products.

[Mountaineer1954]

Originally Posted by A2pfunk

I stumbled upon the idea in a different thread and I am curious what folks think.

Is it worth putting some tank chemicals into the gray tank once in a while to help break down the food/hair/debris that finds its way down the drain? I don't have issues with odor, but I DO have an issue with how long it takes the gray tank to drain. When I first pull the handle, I get the big rush of water. But then it slows to a trickle and takes FOREVER to actually drain. It will sound like it is all done, but if I close the valve, wait a few seconds and reopen it, it will start back up again. Not sure if maybe there is some buildup of sludge or something that might be slowing the drain, but it is annoying.

Thetford Gray Water Treatment

[Beerstud]

Mine wasn’t reading correctly so I dumped a cup of downy and a cup of dawn down the drain (I used outside kitchen sink) but I’m sure shower would work as well with 10 gallons of water and let it slosh for a 2 hr drive. When we emptied the grey tank was empty and seemed to work well.

[azdave]

I’ve used TankTechs in my black and gray tanks. Prevents sludge buildup and odor.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Had a gray tank go sour on me on our old Jayco, never put Chem in it. From that day on, I put a bottle of the Blue Stuff in the toilet and I put one down a sink drain. NEVER had a tank problem after that thru that trailer till 2017 and our Cherokee that we sold two months ago.

[BOO-BOO-IS-IN-CAMP]

every time i dump my tanks
GRAY OR BLACK
i dump a 10oZ ? of pooooo eater ..
And a Gal of water send it down after the eater ...

[TonyCOCR]

I ALWAYS wipe all of the grease and food debris off of the dishes with a paper towel before actually washing them in the sink. I ALWAYS dump the tanks and put the good smelling liquid (TRT?) with a few gallons of water and some Dawn in the grey and black tanks. The drive home seems to keep everything sparkling clean!

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by A2pfunk

I feel like the majority of our gray water is actually from washing dishes in the sink with Dawn dish soap. Maybe I should just go overboard and put a TON down there. Thanks for the idea!

Before we started making a special effort to wipe food stuffs off the dishes that gray water got pretty disgusting. Especially foul when I was at a place that I could drain some gray onto the ground. I did and it smelled worse than the black. Lemon tablets in the sink drain before boondocking now. On hookups, not so bad because we run lots more water down and the dump is sealed tight.

But always some dish liquid in both tanks.

[Batjac]

The problem with the dumping of your gray tank is you have the plastic knock out laying in your tank. I just went through the same thing. If you crawl under it you should see a hose clamp around where the PVC pipe goes into the tank, take the gray dump valve apart then the hose clamp and wiggle the reducer bushing out and clean out the tank and all obstructions and put back together. You will need butyl tape to wrap around it before putting it back in the tank. It's not a bad job. Here is a pic of mine apart with the knock out that came out.

[Irene D]

Originally Posted by TowPro

The manual for my last camper said to use products like draino to clean out tanks

From my owner's manual: Always use deodorizing agents specifically designed for use in holding tank systems and a good biodegradable tissue paper. These products are available directly from your dealer or any store that sells camp supplies.
Never use chlorine or caustic chemicals such as drain opener or laundry bleach in your toilet.

[3greywolves]

You stated that the gray water starts to drain quickly and then slows down and if you shut the valve and reopen it , it does the same thing over again. Sounds like your vent pipe may be clogged or it may have been installed incorrectly. I would check that out.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Batjac

The problem with the dumping of your gray tank is you have the plastic knock out laying in your tank. I just went through the same thing. If you crawl under it you should see a hose clamp around where the PVC pipe goes into the tank, take the gray dump valve apart then the hose clamp and wiggle the reducer bushing out and clean out the tank and all obstructions and put back together. You will need butyl tape to wrap around it before putting it back in the tank. It's not a bad job. Here is a pic of mine apart with the knock out that came out.

It's disappointing that the assembly workers are too lazy to reach in the tank, extract that piece, and drop it on the floor before they attach the reducer. Same with the floor cutouts.

This perfectly fits the OP's description of the problem. The tank drains fine until that piece of plastic floats over and covers the opening. It's this kind of slovenliness that gives RV manufacturers such a bad reputation.

[efrulla]

I use ELEMONATE in my grey tanks. One after each flush with some water to keep things fresh and another when we first use the unit. Might be overkill but it works for me

[Robert Wolbert]

So keep in mind , if your drain line has a sweep much like a trap the gray tank has a 1.5 line versus the black line 3”. Gray tank empties much quicker with no restrictions

[Freetyme]

I use a couple oz of camco tst orange in the bath and galley sinks at set up. Necessary? can't say, just something I've always done. I figure soaps, shampoos probably leave a film behind in the main grey. Even being careful, I think more digestible material goes down the galley tank and think it especially serves a purpose there.

[sherman12]

Over the years you see this topic come up often on this, and, other forums. I really don't know why I continue to read through the threads when they come up again, but now that I'm retired I have a litlle more time on my hands.

So from reading the topic so many times, I have become a fan of Happy Camper tank treatment, Amazon for about $20. In 14 years of RV'ing this camping season is the first that I started to treat my grey tank with any kind of treatment. Tablespoon of Happy and a gallon of water after dumping to slosh around the tanks (black too) so its in there for next outing, seems to keep things fresher and working well.

If you think about soap, Dawn fan too, just look in your home bathtub after a shower or bath, or your kitchen sink after washing the dishes, and there is quite a ring of soap and oily scum left behind. Times this every time you shower and do the dishes in your rig and I'm convinced that there has to be a good amount of scum build up in the grey tank too.

I think the dishwasher drop in tablets do a nice job of cleaning things up in the tanks as per a previous post is that dishwasher liquid or tablet do contain a small amount of acid in the product. That is why some kitchen products are deemed "not dishwasher" safe, such as fine china, crystal or real silverware.

[HappyCamper1962]

I use this in my black tank as well as my gray tank. For the black, after dumping, I toss a pack into the toilet, drop it down, add about a gallon of water. Good to go. For the gray tank, I puncture the plastic covering and lay one over one of the kitchen sink drains, then run the hot water over it until it is dissolved leaving the plastic coating in a ball, just pick it up and toss it out. I always keep a bag or two of these pods in the camper. Easy to use and smells great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1