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Old 03-28-2008, 06:11 AM   #1
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A friend has been using houshold bleach in his tank instead of the stuff sold by RV people. I'm wondering if this is really a safe practice?It seems that bleach and ammonia from urine are not a good mix. I've used apple cider vineger in my boat and that works well
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Old 03-28-2008, 06:11 AM   #2
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A friend has been using houshold bleach in his tank instead of the stuff sold by RV people. I'm wondering if this is really a safe practice?It seems that bleach and ammonia from urine are not a good mix. I've used apple cider vineger in my boat and that works well
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Old 03-28-2008, 08:18 AM   #3
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I think the clorox might damage the rubber seals.
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Old 03-28-2008, 08:33 AM   #4
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We have one of those litle air flow things that go on the vent pipe and have ceased using any tank treatments. No problems, no odors.

We had a problem when driving with the grey tank at 3/4+ stinking up the motor home, much better now.
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Old 03-28-2008, 08:53 AM   #5
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Chlorine can be damaging to gaskets, seals, rubber parts, etc. I ruined an expensive backpack sprayer over a year-long period by spraying a diluted bleach solution to keep my sidewalks and pool deck clean at the old place in Florida.

We never use any chemicals or additives of any kind in our tanks and have never had any issues of any kind with the tanks.
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Old 03-28-2008, 09:44 AM   #6
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Many of us do not use any chemicals, but if I did, I would only use products made for that purpose, never a home brew.
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Old 03-28-2008, 10:22 AM   #7
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Best thing for a holding tank is water and lots of it.

Typically I do not use any chemical any longer, we haven't had any odor issues since we stopped.

I when I dump and flush the tank, if the sensors do not read correctly I will put in a bit of Envirochem, and that will fix them usually within a day or two. I view most of the chemicals on the market as pouring lots of money right in the sewer. We have had more luck by just using the tanks with nothing but water and regular dumping (when full of course).

Over the last year I have really taken a look at what I spend my money on as far as cleaning chemicals also. It is amazing how much you can save, and how effective the simple things do work. Don't get pulled into the mass marketing, and feed the all the hype, for most jobs the Keep It Simple approach is usually the best.

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Old 03-28-2008, 10:25 AM   #8
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The only time we use any chemicals in the holding tank is in hot summer months when we are on a site with no sewer dump. After several days the vent pipe can give off a strong smell that's not camper friendly to other campers around us.
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Old 03-28-2008, 12:28 PM   #9
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I have been using the GEO method for the last few months. It works very well, is very inexpensive and makes the coach smell like freshly cleaned laundry.

Now if I could just fix Gulfstreams lousy plumbing...but I am working on that one.
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Old 03-28-2008, 04:05 PM   #10
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by quikduk:
I have been using the GEO method for the last few months. It works very well, is very inexpensive and makes the coach smell like freshly cleaned laundry.

Now if I could just fix Gulfstreams lousy plumbing...but I am working on that one. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What is the GEO method?
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Old 03-28-2008, 04:29 PM   #11
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Finhawk:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by quikduk:
I have been using the GEO method for the last few months. It works very well, is very inexpensive and makes the coach smell like freshly cleaned laundry.

Now if I could just fix Gulfstreams lousy plumbing...but I am working on that one. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What is the GEO method? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Geo Method Tank Cleaning
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Old 03-31-2008, 07:58 PM   #12
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We've used Eco-Save since day one. It is just a bacterial additive something like Rid-X only faster acting. On hot days the black tank smells like wet dirt and that's about as bad as it gets.
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Old 04-01-2008, 01:19 AM   #13
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Finhawk is correct that bleach and urine are a bad combo. The fumes are toxic and it causes problems with the seals. The GEO method is a strategy that essentially uses a commercial water softener to keep the tanks cleaner. Hard water tends to form sludge faster so the GEO method supposedly prevents the build-up of solids in the tank. The problem is that the GEO method is a little tedious to maintain. Most folks that start out with the GEO method quit after a while and either use a commercial tank additive or none at all.

Until we all have glass tanks, we'll never really know what works best. In any case, as long as you flush out your tanks every so often, it probably doesn't matter what you use. Just a thought.

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