2023 I19 Waste Tank Treatment Recommendations

[cactusjk]

Lots of older threads out there on this topic. We are new to RVing and the I19. Looking for recommendations for both black and gray tanks.

We definitely do not want to use pods.

Couple of products that seem to be highly recommended include:

Happy Camper
RV Digest it
TankTechsRx Probiotic RV Tank Treatment
Tank Blaster

Not sure if one of a combination of these work best?

[AKNate]

Happy Camper does seem to be recommended a lot and I don’t doubt that it works, but I’m leery of the stuff stuff since they are so cagey about what it actually is. They used to claim it was organic, but had no actual certification saying so. Now they admit it’s not organic. They used to have an FAQ on their website of “What is Happy Campers?” where it said it is made of “nine trace elements and two heavy elements”. Now they’ve deleted that and just don’t say.
The antidote for ingesting it is still a chelating agent though, which makes sense for heavy metals.
They no longer sell or ship it to California, so I’m guessing whatever it is made from is banned there.
According to the SDS for it, under EU law it has to be labeled “Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment” and “Do not empty into drains”.

I’ve been using the Walex Bio-Pak myself, which you can get at any Walmart. I just cut the pod skin and dump the product into the toilet, since we have a macerator and I heard stories the coating could gum it up over time.

[cactusjk]

Wow - Happy Camper sounds pretty bad from all that!

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by cactusjk

Wow - Happy Camper sounds pretty bad from all that!

No, not really. We converted to Happy Camper a few years back and can say that we don’t ever get any bad smells. We do also have a Camco Cyclone Sewer Vent Cover on top of the black tank pipe so I really don’t know which one is working or a combination of both. Being in the Pest Control industry - to read and understand the SDS & Labels, really requires a darn degree. Ten different people can read it and get 10 different opinions on it. California wants to ban everything including generators and gas lawn mowers so I would take them not allowing Happy Camper to be shipped there with a grain of salt. To be honest, during the camping season I don’t think that we let our black tank sit for that long before dumping it so I don’t think it even matters what we put in it and more of a feel good situation about it.

Go with what you like and experiment to see what you prefer. I do agree to avoid putting in the pods if you have a macerator pump as it can cause a build up that will cause issues IMHO.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[cactusjk]

Totally agree. We are out of CA.

Pretty much decided on Happy Camper and TanktechsRX.

Originally Posted by StogieMan

No, not really. We converted to Happy Camper a few years back and can say that we don’t ever get any bad smells. We do also have a Camco Cyclone Sewer Vent Cover on top of the black tank pipe so I really don’t know which one is working or a combination of both. Being in the Pest Control industry - to read and understand the SDS & Labels, really requires a darn degree. Ten different people can read it and get 10 different opinions on it. California wants to ban everything including generators and gas lawn mowers so I would take them not allowing Happy Camper to be shipped there with a grain of salt. To be honest, during the camping season I don’t think that we let our black tank sit for that long before dumping it so I don’t think it even matters what we put in it and more of a feel good situation about it.

Go with what you like and experiment to see what you prefer. I do agree to avoid putting in the pods if you have a macerator pump as it can cause a build up that will cause issues IMHO.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by cactusjk

Lots of older threads out there on this topic. We are new to RVing and the I19. Looking for recommendations for both black and gray tanks.

We definitely do not want to use pods.

Couple of products that seem to be highly recommended include:

Happy Camper
RV Digest it
TankTechsRx Probiotic RV Tank Treatment
Tank Blaster

Not sure if one of a combination of these work best?

Some good thoughts on subject from The Fit RV:

https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tech/com...-new-formulas/

[cactusjk]

That is a great article! We are in AZ and will probably not hookup during our stays.

Based on that we need to rethink the tanktechRx.

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Some good thoughts on subject from The Fit RV:

https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tech/com...-new-formulas/

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by StogieMan

No, not really. We converted to Happy Camper a few years back and can say that we don’t ever get any bad smells. We do also have a Camco Cyclone Sewer Vent Cover on top of the black tank pipe so I really don’t know which one is working or a combination of both. Being in the Pest Control industry - to read and understand the SDS & Labels, really requires a darn degree. Ten different people can read it and get 10 different opinions on it. California wants to ban everything including generators and gas lawn mowers so I would take them not allowing Happy Camper to be shipped there with a grain of salt. To be honest, during the camping season I don’t think that we let our black tank sit for that long before dumping it so I don’t think it even matters what we put in it and more of a feel good situation about it.

Go with what you like and experiment to see what you prefer. I do agree to avoid putting in the pods if you have a macerator pump as it can cause a build up that will cause issues IMHO.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Like I said, I don’t debate that it works. I also agree about California - you can’t buy a cup of coffee there without a warning it may kill you. Still, their utter lack of transparency about what you’re buying and their ever shifting statements about it, including apparently false ones, makes me not want to buy it.

[cactusjk]

Fully understand. If I use Aqua Max what odor eliminator is recommended?

Originally Posted by AKNate

Like I said, I don’t debate that it works. I also agree about California - you can’t buy a cup of coffee there without a warning it may kill you. Still, their utter lack of transparency about what you’re buying and their ever shifting statements about it, including apparently false ones, makes me not want to buy it.

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by cactusjk

Fully understand. If I use Aqua Max what odor eliminator is recommended?

We have a macerating toilet so we never worry about smell - there’s never an open connection to the tank - so I can’t speak to what’s good or not for that. That article boxter linked had some good info on the different categories of treatments. The basic problem is smell comes from waste decomposing - specifically anaerobic bacteria. You’ll never have significant aerobic decomposition in your holding tank since there’s no aerator, so anaerobic decomposition is what will happen. The only way to stop the sewage from smelling is to add something that kills all the bacteria, which often is some nasty chemical that isn’t good for things downstream once you dump your tank. As the article also mentions, the tank treatment chemicals that were banned in California weren’t actually banned at the behest of environmentalists, like is often the case there, but RV parks because the treatments were destroying their septic systems.
In short, there’s many safe and effective ways to break down waste, but I question the environmental safety of any product that is truly effective at eliminating oder, because there’s only one way to do that and it’s to kill everything.
Some say to just manage oder with a fan when you flush, but fans can create negative pressure, which can actually draw sewer gas from the holding tanks when the flush valve opens. Ideally a reverse fan that could create positive pressure ought to stop smell from escaping the tank while flushing, but again I’m just speculating - I have a macerater and don’t have the problem. I instead worry about things like a malfunctioning “full” sensor not allowing you to flush.

[Joseph Sessa]

Originally Posted by AKNate

Happy Camper does seem to be recommended a lot and I don’t doubt that it works, but I’m leery of the stuff stuff since they are so cagey about what it actually is. They used to claim it was organic, but had no actual certification saying so. Now they admit it’s not organic. They used to have an FAQ on their website of “What is Happy Campers?” where it said it is made of “nine trace elements and two heavy elements”. Now they’ve deleted that and just don’t say.
The antidote for ingesting it is still a chelating agent though, which makes sense for heavy metals.
They no longer sell or ship it to California, so I’m guessing whatever it is made from is banned there.
According to the SDS for it, under EU law it has to be labeled “Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment” and “Do not empty into drains”.

I’ve been using the Walex Bio-Pak myself, which you can get at any Walmart. I just cut the pod skin and dump the product into the toilet, since we have a macerator and I heard stories the coating could gum it up over time.

I appreciate your comments about the skin of packets but being more of a scientific thinker I would like to know if there is data on the skin gumming up or just guessing by those submitting the information? Thx

[DaveG]

We have been using HC and Dawn without issues. The MSDS does not reveal much other than dangerous to aquatic life. For the fish we won't be throwing what we have away anytime soon

https://www.happycampersworld.com/wp...17/11/MSDS.pdf

[geo]

I understand you want to avoid pods, but the best product I have found is Walex Bio-Pak Natural Black Tank Treatment. It’s an enzyme based formula that has a pleasant fragrance and is very effective at breaking down waste and toilet tissue.

There are other enzyme based drain cleaners and septic tank treatments that may be as effective.

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by Joseph Sessa

I appreciate your comments about the skin of packets but being more of a scientific thinker I would like to know if there is data on the skin gumming up or just guessing by those submitting the information? Thx

I’ve wondered that myself. I assume someone has had the issue for the story to be out there, but how common it is I don’t know. I suspect those who have had an issue flushed until the pump was dry and left it that way. If the pump is kept submerged all the time it seems like it shouldn’t be an issue. We spend months at a time on the road though and that pump failing would be a serious problem, so I figure better safe than sorry. It’s next to no work to slit the packet open with my pocketknife and only dump the contents in. I don’t want to be the one to scientifically discover how many packets it may or may not take to gum up the pump.

[tkowalyk]

Originally Posted by cactusjk

Lots of older threads out there on this topic. We are new to RVing and the I19. Looking for recommendations for both black and gray tanks.

We definitely do not want to use pods.

Couple of products that seem to be highly recommended include:

Happy Camper
RV Digest it
TankTechsRx Probiotic RV Tank Treatment
Tank Blaster

Not sure if one of a combination of these work best?

We have been RVing for 30+ years and would not recommend Happy Camper. After all the positive reviews, we switched from Aqua Chem to Happy Camper - after 1 season, we had to have our black tank dropped and the sprayball replaced.

The Airstream dealer said it was most likely caused by Happy Camper - their recommendation is to use Aqua Chem.

We have been using Aqua Chem for decades without incident.

[jrwayne]

Hi everyone,

We've been using tanktechs Rx since our airstream was new. (2018) Never a problem. On a couple of occasions there would be a slight odor in the shower but a capful of tank techs took care of that immediately. Granted we have a macerator toilet, but there is never a problem with the black tank. No sensor problems and doing a tank flush is clean and easy. I can't recommend it enough.

[airmaine]

IMO, say what you will about California's tough environmental laws, but keep in mind that microplastics in lakes and oceans are real problems for chains of life, which affect humans who, face it, are the cause. Heavy metals deposited in lakes and streams from many sources can result in biomagnification of the toxic substances...the science is real.



Reference: https://www.maritimeaquarium.org/sin...xoCgT0QAvD_BwE


PFAs, or "forever chemicals", found in products from food packaging to foams in fire extinguishers is a just realized threat. I appreciate a thread that discusses these things from time to time.

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by DaveG

We have been using HC and Dawn without issues. The MSDS does not reveal much other than dangerous to aquatic life. For the fish we won't be throwing what we have away anytime soon

https://www.happycampersworld.com/wp...17/11/MSDS.pdf

You’d never see the issues yourself. Most municipal water systems discharge into rivers or the ocean with fairly minimal treatment. They certainly aren’t removing heavy metals or likely whatever else is in there. The SDS (MSDS) says specifically don’t put it down the drain, which is exactly where your holding tank eventually goes. And the “dangerous to aquatic life” you mention, it says is a long-term effect so it doesn’t just go away.

[fwjumper]

Treatzall. Works great. Good odor control. Zinc Sulfate and Sodium Chloride (salt).
Small BB sized pellets, no smell.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ingredients here:
https://trademarks.justia.com/904/07...-90407614.html

[Atwebs]

Pick one, don't mix. Unless you are a chemist and can reliably predict how chemicals will react, mixing is a recipe for disaster. If you need to change what you are using, do it after you've had a complete clean out and rinsed until the water runs free.

We've used Happy Camper with good results but we can't get it anymore (we are in California) so we've switched to Thank Tank which does seem to work pretty well.

I far prefer a powder to either tablets or liquid. Tablets may or may not dissolve completely (we've used them in the past) and liquids can spill, even when secured and put away properly.