Using The Bathroom In Your Trailer

[jrudd1968]

Water in the tank is the correct answer! If you have not been doing that, you may have a build up of waste that has stuck to the inside of the tank and now you get the "mountain" quickly, even if you have water. You may need a good clean out of the black tank. One easy way to clean the "stuck on waste" is to dump a bag of crushed ice in the black tank right before you tow the trailer. The ice will move around in the tank as you travel and knock most "stuck on waste" loose. Good luck!

[Skatiero]

Is this why there is a hose Bibb next to our toilet? There is also a sprayer ther, which we get, but we don't know what the hose Bibb is. Is that stock? The original owners made some ingenious mods. The hose bibb pipe goes in under the bed and then down, doesn't look factory to us, but w e have no idea what it is for. Is it to battle poop mountain? We figured that was what the sprayer was for. Anyone?

[clancy_boy]

Get use to adding RID-X to your black tank a few times a year - I do when I set it up at home for an extended period with some extra water. Makes everything soft and liquid for the next time I dump. Cheap - little goes a long way - I buy the liquid, the powder kind gives me the creeps sitting there open in storage. Then again, my house is on my own septic tank and we use the stuff all the time to keep things "moving on down the line".

http://www.rid-x.com/index.shtml

[Mrs.Mod]

We've used a 'poop stick' too. Mr. Mod has a strong stomach, so it's his job. I'll tell him to leave water in the tank next time.

Also, I searched for other threads regarding toilet paper. I don't want to buy expensive RV toilet paper. What other brands are suitable?
Is the Costco Kirkland brand ok to use? We have TONS of that!

[danlehosky]

Call Richard Dreyfuss.

[danlehosky]

Seriously, Thetford has a spray wand you can buy. It does a very good job. Some 2012 units came equipped with it. You can also make one out of a spray attatchment hose, the kind that come with kitchen faucet.

Dan

[clancy_boy]

ANY toilet paper from ANY store that has "Septic Tank Safe" on the label is safe to use in your camper. A simple test is to places a few squares (unused would be good) is a jar with water, wait 3-4 minutes and shake a little. There should not be any pieces left except a cloud of dissolved paper. That will tell you how fast it breaks down in the tank.

It's the multi ply, pillow quilted, scented stuff that will get you in a bind (so to speak) when doing the flush and drain.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Mod

I don't want to buy expensive RV toilet paper. What other brands are suitable?
Is the Costco Kirkland brand ok to use? We have TONS of that!

Put a sample of the toilet paper in a jar, let it soak a few minutes and shake it up. If it disintegrates, it is fine for the RV.

We buy the cheapest "hecho en Mexico" single-ply rolls at our local supermarket. Dead cheap and it falls apart in water.

[Crusty]

Dometic calls those spray wands "Water Savers" and they really do save water when used correctly. You spray the water just where it's needed to clean the bowl so it can economize on water usage. I now think all toilets ought to have one plumbed in next to it. Use more water with the fecal matter and you won't get the black mountains under the throne. Also Scott Septic Safe tp breaks down easily and it isn't too rough.

[noreen&sal]

John Wayne TP. Rough, tough, don't take no crap from nobody. Sal.

[mandolindave]

Scott tissue breaks down fairly well and is easy to find at a grocery store.

Someone said that ANY tank additive will do. I don't agree!!!
I have a problem with famaldihyde ( sp ) It's not good on the environment
I use enzyme treatments. Ridex is cheap and is also available all over.

[clancy_boy]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Someone said that ANY tank additive will do. I don't agree!!!
I have a problem with famaldihyde ( sp ) It's not good on the environment
I use enzyme treatments. Ridex is cheap and is also available all over.

I said Ridex and ANY TP that is Septic Tank Safe

[mandolindave]

" I start the black tank with a couple of good flushes and tank deodorizer,digester. Any brand will probably do. " Sorry for the confusion

[Foiled Again]

Do also remember that newer Airstreams have gray tanks and generally much larger black tanks than vintage models. Mine has 30 gallons of gray & black.... now that's a lotta sh**.

When I don't have full hookups, I shower with the drain plug in, then bail water into a bucket and hence into the toilet. When the water gets too shallow to be easily bailed, I pull the drain plug. Dumping that much water certainly agitates & dilutes.

If you have a vintage unit with 10-15 gallon black capacity & you're using a blue boy for gray water, then adding a whole lot of water to the black tank isn't possible... but even a gallon or two should help. Speaking of slope on the tank - why don't they have a teflon coating on the inside? Or should we drain & spray with PAM? Eeeeeuh just grossed myself out.

Paula

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Do also remember that newer Airstreams have gray tanks and generally much larger black tanks than vintage models. Mine has 30 gallons of gray & black.... now that's a lotta sh**.

When I don't have full hookups, I shower with the drain plug in, then bail water into a bucket and hence into the toilet. When the water gets too shallow to be easily bailed, I pull the drain plug. Dumping that much water certainly agitates & dilutes.

If you have a vintage unit with 10-15 gallon black capacity & you're using a blue boy for gray water, then adding a whole lot of water to the black tank isn't possible... but even a gallon or two should help. Speaking of slope on the tank - why don't they have a teflon coating on the inside? Or should we drain & spray with PAM? Eeeeeuh just grossed myself out.

Paula

Paula,

Calgon powered water softener and a little Dawn will werk.....


Bob

[Pahaska]

Calgon bath beads work just fine. Just put a small handful in after you flush along with the usual chemical. A dash of Pinesol doesn't hurt, either. Both will aid in lubricating the seals on your dump valves.

[mandolindave]

The word chemical just doesn't sit well with me. My friend has been using
the blue chemical black tank treatment and fancy soft quilted toilet paper.
I use an enzyme treatment and Scott tissue. She had clumps of toilet paper when dumping, I had no evidence of toilet paper at all, as it all broke down.
She tried my method with out flushing ALL of the blue chemical out, and she had a smell issue. The toxic blue stuff inhibits the enzymes. I am guessing that is why some people are resisting the enzyme treatment. I want to leave a
cleaner planet for my kids, so that is why I am harping on it.

[mandolindave]

There was a study done on out houses. They dug a six foot deep hole, about
the same diameter of a telephone pole. They estimated that it a family of four could use it for a year, and then plant a tree there. They said that the effluent wouldn't get more than an inch away from the hole before micro organisms would eat it up, and basically turn it into fertilizer.
Anyone who has a septic thank knows not to put chemicals down the drain,
because it inhibits the waste from breaking down. Wally Byrum used to just dig a hole under his camper for dumping. If a dog crapped on my lawn, I wouldn't run out and put chemicals on it. I know my theories won't work at a campground or rally, but all those chemicals end up somewhere.
So people can keep talking chemicals, but please let me keep talking environment. Sorry if I offend anyone or the chemical companies.

[AIR-Quarius]

Can't resist this one...

Austin Powers bathroom - YouTube

[thecatsandi]

I start with five or more gallons of water in my holding tank after flushing. Ice cubes before towing do a nice jobs of scrubbing and breaking up stuff.