Black Tank Question

[SunriseMtl]

Well I have read ALL the posts... lots of info here. We are going into our second summer with our motorhome and this time next year we will be going on an extended tour with it as my wife retires and I, being a really sh_tty golfer (pardon the pun) continue to work remotely. Next year more remotely than usual.
My sensors have not worked properly since buying the rv. Now I know they are 30 years old and have asked the RV tech in New Hampshire to replace them if he has time before we pick her up at the end of the week. But likely not to happen.
So in my reading here and watching every possible "tank" Youtube video I came across one that caught my interest. Kleen Tank was the company that was kinda reviewed. Well, the system they use was interesting. blasting the tanks with highly compressed water that apparently should be able to clean your sensors and "maybe" get them working again.
He does not recommend using chemicals in the tank and promotes a do-it-yourself mixture of pine sol and calgon bath beads and suggests keeping the tank adequately full with water and waste and that is all that is needed to have a happy, clean black and gray tank. He suggests routine flushing with a secondary valve setup, Rhino or whatever.
So like a good newbie, I have ordered my Pine Sol, Calgon bath beads and now I am soliciting opinions from the community.
Anyone doing this? Anyone use his service?
I figured I couldn't lose, the Pine Sol will find a use if not in the tank and maybe I can convince my wife to use the bath beads.
Cheers
Brian

[Morich]

Sensors are a pox on many folks and what to do is written about way too often with no real fixes far too many times.
One big difference can be what type sensors you have? There are simple bolts stuck through the wall and they get corroded and stop almost as often as the sun sets!
Clean them/ replace them and stick them in that muck and guess how long they stay clean? That's not real clean stuff we put them in!
Then there is a big improvement when we have pads that set on the outside of the tank but sense through the walls. Much cleaner for the electronics but still prone to getting funky as the walls get dirty? Hard to test through a S--- storm!
Lots of different ideas, but the best I've found when dealing with bad readings is using a tool on the end of a garden hose that is designed for cleaning gutters. With a swivel head and working through the stoiol, I have had "some" suucces in clearing paper stuck to the contacts or wall inside. I also use it to clear gutters, so don't feel too bad about it not working at times!
Enzymine powders meant for septic tank use seemed to do some good on one RV???
Rid-X seems like a cheap try, but certainly not a full throated recommendation!
I have found the little buggers do clean the inside of pipes when I have tried it and gone back to cut into pipes years later.

[Four Seasons]

I've been using a cup each, of Borax and Dawn dishsoap, with 2-3 toilet bowls of water to start the black tank... for about 6 years. Tank and sensors stay clean and work properly.

I did try Tank Blaster from Thetford one time, and it worked well - but it has to be left 24 hours in a full tank of clean water. I think the Borax and dishsoap method right after emptying, is a lot easier and more convenient - especially when traveling.

[Morich]

Did I mention the age of the RV and sensors seems to be a big factor in how well they work? All we have to do is keep trading RV every few years and never deal with those things that get old???

It works for a lot of folks who find out their knees are a problem!

[Ray,IN]

My MH has sat for6 months without dumping the black tank, when that happens I add water once a month to insure all solids are covered with water. Then when I get a chance to dump the tank I first run the tank sprayer for a while to agitate the contents.
Then when I dump I leave the spray running until the tank has slowed to a trickle. I fill the tank with fresh water and repeat the process. This usually cleans the sediment off the bottom of the tank.


We do not put TP down the commode, instead we bag it and throw the sack away each evening. Walmart plastic bags are great for that "recycling" use.

[Journey39n]

I have been full timing, going on 13 years now. Have used soaps, water softener beads, different commercial products over the years. My black tank sensors (on the outside of the tank) rarely change their reading of full. I just know, a dump is needed once a week. (have gotten to 10 days a few times, no issues) But the last year or so, I have quit using chemical products at all. Every three weeks, I throw in a packet of activated yeast after a dump with about a gallon of water. No bad odors, dumps fast and clean. Once in a while, I do run the internal spray function built into the tank, but truthfully, not very often. Everyone has their favorite methods, whatever works for you is the best.

[TravatoJohn]

According to a well trained septic guy I used at Jojoba Hills SKP park, who did nothing but clean out black tanks on rigs that sat for months. Be sure to charge up system with 5 gals of water and use a cup of Pine Sol. It’s a degreaser and solves all the problems along with using enough water. Buy it at Dollar General.
Give it a try. I did and it worked great. I’m sure it could be used in your grey tank.
Travato John

[Morich]

I'm thinking that it is not likely to have a real "magic" solution. One reason for thinking that?
We were fighting/discussing/ talking about the same problem when I started RV and we are STILL talking the same question!
I'm thinking if there was an actual solution that worked really well for everybody, it would be common knowledge by now but we all keep looking!

The only way to assure the sensors work? When I get a new RV, they may work for quite a few years but I do expect them to fail at some point!

[SunriseMtl]

Ok so I guess I should have posted the video I watched:
https://youtu.be/wr4TGBPyPe0

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by SunriseMtl

Ok so I guess I should have posted the video I watched:
https://youtu.be/wr4TGBPyPe0

I stopped watching when he stuck his foot in his mouth and said not to use any type enzyme product in the black tank. Science has already proved him wrong. In as little as 2 hrs. an enzyme product has began to work and break-down waste products.

[RocknRoll]

Actually, IMO the Kleen Tank method makes a lot of sense. Primarily, it is a holding tank and not a septic. They even suggest leaving the grey tank valve closed until full. Water, water and more water!

One thing I do that I haven't seen mentioned is after I dump at the campsite, I'll fill up a 5-gallon bucket with the remaining hot water in the shower and dump it in the toilet. Afterwards I'll then dump again at the station. Amazing how much the hot water loosens up any muck at the bottom. After that I'll put the remaining hot water in the tank (~3 gal) and drive to my next destination with it sloshing around.

Yes, it seems like a lot of extra work but in 3 years since I've had my TT, the sensors still work fine.

[tim myers]

Originally Posted by Four Seasons

I've been using a cup each, of Borax and Dawn dishsoap, with 2-3 toilet bowls of water to start the black tank... for about 6 years. Tank and sensors stay clean and work properly.

Plus one on borax and dawn. Started with the borax three years ago and to this day I have never noticed an odor from the black tank making its way into the coach.



I have the no contact sensors and they were horrible. I finally pulled the board and looked for bad solder joints. Found a couple that were suspect but no real WMD's.Re-installed the board and everything is working again. In truth I think just pulling the connectors off of the board and cleaning the pins is what did the trick.

[Stew57]

In my son's tt we installed electrical water valve in the line to the black tank flush. There is a switch next to the toilet. He leaves the drain valve open and uses tank flush whenever the toilet is used unless dry camping. Actually works pretty well but he rarely camps with out sewer hookups.
.