Grey (s.b. Fresh) water tank sanitizing

[terrapin]

Hi there
I just bought a Isata 3 2020 (ver.1). And I just have one valve for filling my grey tank and city water attachment. Since it has that screen/filter cover the female end of where you attach the hose ...how do you add your desanitizer? I want to clean the tank since it’s new. I also have in the pass with my travel trailer used the dilute bleach combo but now just read that should because the bleach with hurt the valves and recommend the mixture of dawn/softener (which I thought was the mixture for the black water tank?...

[Bill Davis]

Originally Posted by terrapin

Hi there
I just bought a Isata 3 2020 (ver.1). And I just have one valve for filling my grey tank and city water attachment. Since it has that screen/filter cover the female end of where you attach the hose ...how do you add your desanitizer? I want to clean the tank since it’s new. I also have in the pass with my travel trailer used the dilute bleach combo but now just read that should because the bleach with hurt the valves and recommend the mixture of dawn/softener (which I thought was the mixture for the black water tank?...

I use Dawn for both tanks. Keeps them clean and deodorized. That’s all I’ve used for years without issue.

[Jfkmk]

Terrapin, I think you’re confusing several tanks.

You want to sanitize the fresh water supply tank with a bleach solution. Does your rig have a gravity fill (a wider port with no threaded end)? If so, that feeds the fresh water tank and that is where you add the bleach solution. If not, you probably have a valve that would allow you to Divert the water supply to the tank. Put the bleach solution in the hose and fill the tank.

The gray tank is the waste from sinks. No need to do anything to this, it’s just soapy water.

The black tank is for bodily waste. Lots of folks use the dawn/softener in the black tank to keep odors down. Add the dawn/softener through the toilet.

Don’t add the dawn/softener to your fresh water tank unless you want to have some memorable camping experiences for all the wrong reasons.

[itat]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new Isata.

You don’t need to sanitize or “desanitize” your grey tank. You just need to keep it somewhat clean. The best you can hope for is to keep it clean enough that the tank level sensors will work. The best way to do that in a grey tank is to use a degreaser product. I’ve used a combination of Super Clean degreaser and dishwasher liquid soap. You can use the “Geo Method” (water softener and detergent) in the grey tank as well.

The only way to put something in a grey tank is through a sink or shower drain. There usually isn’t a flushing system (with an external water inlet) on grey tanks.

Here’s a tip: To prevent bits of foods and excess grease from getting in the grey tank, wipe your plates, pots, etc. with a paper towel before washing them in the sink.

[nomad297]

If you really do want to clean the gray tank:

Depending on the size of the tank and the strength of a commercial kitchen degreaser, I would put a few gallons of water into the grey tank, then pour a gallon or two/three of degreaser into it, then fill it the rest of the way with water. Let it soak for as long as possible, then let it rip. Afterwards, fill it a couple of times with water and dump it.

I’ve done it before and was really surprised by the color of the water that came out when I dumped the degreaser and water. Lots of food particles and slime that were probably in there for years came out as well.

Bruce

[terrapin]

Yeah sorry mixing them up!
Yes trying to sanitize the fresh water tank and I don’t see another valve

[itat]

In that case, Jfkmk answered your question. You’ll just need to figure out how to switch between “city water” and “tank fill”.

[milkman55]

Read this thread

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nk-181287.html

[Isabelle]

I see lots of you recommend Dawn/water softener...what do you mean by water softener? Water softener salt? I have problems with the smell from the septic tank...even after it's been emptied and flushed out, it still really smells REALLY bad every time I flush the toilet...any suggestions? Thanks.

[milkman55]

Dawn is not a water softener, but a detergent. I use Dawn and Calgon liquid which is a water softener. The purpose is to make the sides of the tank slick so nothing sticks.

I also have been adding a deodorant drop in to combat smell, but I just ordered Happy Camper Organic Black Tank additive which all the reviewers seem to swear by. Supposedly liquifies everything in the tank and renders it odorless, we will see.

I will still use the Dawn/Calgon mixture to keep the tank slippery to empty.

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Campers...ef_=ast_sto_dp

[Jfkmk]

Originally Posted by Isabelle

I see lots of you recommend Dawn/water softener...what do you mean by water softener? Water softener salt? I have problems with the smell from the septic tank...even after it's been emptied and flushed out, it still really smells REALLY bad every time I flush the toilet...any suggestions? Thanks.

Isabelle, is your bathroom vent fan running when you flush? If so, it will suck out the odors from the tank, as the toilet is open to the holding tank. Unlike your home toilet, there is no trap to prevent odors.

[itat]

Originally Posted by Isabelle

I see lots of you recommend Dawn/water softener...what do you mean by water softener? Water softener salt? I have problems with the smell from the septic tank...even after it's been emptied and flushed out, it still really smells REALLY bad every time I flush the toilet...any suggestions? Thanks.

Isabelle, welcome to the forum. The water softener treatment is called the “geo method”. Here’s a link:

https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

We use this every time we dump the tanks. Two capfuls of liquid Calgon and one cup of detergent mixed in about 2 gallons of water. We put the solution in both the grey tanks and the black tank. For the detergent part, we use a liquid laundry detergent for the black tank (for cleaning) and a liquid dishwasher detergent in the grey tanks (for degreasing).

We also supplement the geo method treatment in the black tank with RV Digest-It holding tank treatment to breakdown the solids.

[Isabelle]

Originally Posted by Jfkmk

Isabelle, is your bathroom vent fan running when you flush? If so, it will suck out the odors from the tank, as the toilet is open to the holding tank. Unlike your home toilet, there is no trap to prevent odors.

No. The vent is open, but the fan isn't running. I was able to find the Happy Camper additive and ordered some. Hopefully, it will fix the problem. Thanks for your feedback!

[itat]

Isabelle, I used the Happy Camper powder once and found it didn’t dissolve well in cold water and caked on the seal in the bottom of the toilet bowl. So I’ve used the liquid RV Digest-It instead. I would suggest you either try warm water with the Happy Camper powder or come up with a funnel to get the gritty solution past the seal in the bottom of the toilet bowl.

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by itat

Isabelle, I used the Happy Camper powder once and found it didn’t dissolve well in cold water and caked on the seal in the bottom of the toilet bowl. So I’ve used the liquid RV Digest-It instead. I would suggest you either try warm water with the Happy Camper powder or come up with a funnel to get the gritty solution past the seal in the bottom of the toilet bowl.

The Happy Camper needs a lot of mixing and a few buckets of water. I try to break up any clumps before adding water to the bucket.