Maintaining and Dumping RV Tanks
This was one of the most intimidating things when we started living in our motorhome, Rhiannon. Just the thought of a black tank was utterly disgusting and I was sure we would buy a composting toilet the second we had to dump. Although it's not our favorite chore, it's become pretty routine over the months. Don't get me wrong, I still really want a composting toilet! It's just the $965 that holds us back.
Maintaining RV tanks is really not as bad as you might think, as long as you're mindful of what you're putting down the drain/toilet.
This week, we're sharing what black and grey tanks are, the products we use to maintain our tanks, and a step-by-step how to dump and rinse your tanks. We've also included some habits we find helpful to keep odors down and your tanks flowing.
Black and Grey Tanks
Unlike a sticks and bricks home, your waste (poop) doesn't just magically disappear when you flush or wash it down the sink. It goes into holding tanks located within the RV. You've got one grey tank and one black tank.
Grey tanks hold grey water (go figure). This includes anything going down your sink or shower drains. It usually consists of soapy cleanish water that doesn't smell. Depending on use, grey tanks typically fill up faster because of showering, doing dishes, laundry, etc.
Black tanks hold black water, which is your toilet waste, aka sewage (gross). This stuff is smelly and gross no matter what chemicals you add, but you can keep that smell from inside your RV. It's really just unpleasant on dumping day, and only lasts for 10 minutes or so.
Products We Use
We use products made for RVs. Maybe we're suckers, but they haven't failed us yet (knocking on wood now).
Rapid dissolving toilet paper is meant for boats and RVs, because it breaks down faster than that soft thick Charmin we all know and love. We like Scott Rapid Dissolving toilet paper. It's around $3 for a 4-pack at Wal-Mart or you can get it in bulk from Amazon for about the same price.
To reduce smell and help break down black water waste, we use Rid-X Liquid. This stuff is great! It's a natural cellulose enzyme that breaks down solid toilet waste, including paper. Many black tank treatments contain formaldehyde, which is a preservative. Who wants to preserve their poop!?! Rid-X costs around $13/bottle from Amazon and Wal-Mart and is good for 16 treatments (around 4 months).
*UPDATE: We can no longer find Rid-X for RVs. We have found a product we like better though! It’s Unique RV Digest-It. This stuff works the same way Rid-X did, and it comes in liquid (which is what we use), pods, or powder.
You'll need a sewer hose and a clear attachment, so you can see if there are any clogs when you are dumping. It's also good to see when the water runs clear as you're rinsing the black tank. You can get a hose with the clear attachments, but these are the ones we went with.
Sewer hose support keeps the hose off the ground and keeps water draining down. I thought we could go a while without the hose support. I was wrong. If you're at a site with sewer hookups, it's kind of a must (at least we think so). Otherwise, your water just sits there until you lift the hose and force it into the tank. Not fun with black water...
How to Dump RV Tanks
Dumping the tanks is necessary about once per week, depending on how many people are using the bathroom. If you're at a site with sewage hookups, you can leave your grey tank open. We typically close the grey tank about two days before we dump, so the grey tank fills to about 1/4-1/2. This way, on dumping day your grey water can rinse out the hose after the black water has gone through.
Wait until the black tank is 3/4 full before dumping. If you gauges don't work (like ours) about 1 week for 2 people as a rule. I've read you can clean the gauges by putting a bag of ice down your black tank and driving around with it. We haven't tried this, so I can't say whether it works or not. If you know any tricks, leave it in a comment below!
Step-by-Step How to Dump:
Good Habits to Remember
There are a few habits we've learned along the way that help keep tanks from smelling and clogging.
Keep a good amount of liquid in the black tank - we usually fill the toilet with a bit of water after each use, so it creates a smell barrier. Also, if too much solid waste is in the tank, it can clog and won't dump well.
Rinse your black tank after dumping. Either use your black tank flush or pour a bucket of water down the toilet to rinse the tank.
Limit the amount of toilet paper used.
Wait until the black tank is at least 3/4 full before dumping.
Clean the toilet bowl (and flush ball) regularly. In such a small space, odors from the bowl will creep up faster than in a larger room.
Never leave the black tank open! The liquids will drain out leaving a solid mound of poop in you tank.
If you're camping in freezing temperatures, check out our Winter Camping post on how to keep your tanks and hose from freezing.
Never put feminine products down an RV toilet and don't let your guests do it either!
You can add a bit of Rid-X to your grey tank once in a while for odors or to break down buildup.
That's what we've learned about our RV tanks so far. Do you have any tips to add or questions? Leave us a comment below and don't forget to subscribe at the bottom of this page.