Stinky Tanks...., Nothing works. Options

[Pioneerclaims]

I have a six year old fifth wheel. The odor from the holding tanks is aweful!!! I have tried every chemical in Camping World's catalog. I have tried filling the tanks 1/3 and driving around so it will slosh loose any crud in the tanks, but it still smells aweful when I flush. Can you use Rid X in an rv?

Please advise.

[Glenn Norton]

I have a six year old fifth wheel. The odor from the holding tanks is aweful!!! I have tried every chemical in Camping World's catalog. I have tried filling the tanks 1/3 and driving around so it will slosh loose any crud in the tanks, but it still smells aweful when I flush. Can you use Rid X in an rv?

Please advise.

Try some borax. It is used to get rid of the bleach smell from sanitizing the freshwater system, so maybe it will work in the holding tanks as well

[joez]

Can you use Rid X in an rv?

Yes, you can use Rid-X but it probably will not help as the bacteria will not have time to work. You have a holding tank, not a septic tank. Your black tank should be vented out the roof. Sometimes those vents get clogged or are otherwise not working. This will cause odors. If you have an exhaust fan on when you flush, the exhaust will suck odors out of the tank sometimes.

Generally if the vent is working and the exhaust is not on, a good cleaning of the tank with an in tank flusher or one inserted through the toilet will help considerably. Because odors come from bacteria, you can also add a cup of bleach to the tank. This will kill everything. But you will need to dump immediately and many septic systems would not like the bleach you just dumped.

IMO, commercial deodorants sold for black tanks are smoke and mirrors, and they are obviously not working for you. We use the Geo Method (do a Google search) with lots of water, liquid laundry detergent and Calgon wetter. We never have odors, even when we store the unit when Fl wintering in the s&b with the rv tank 1/3 full of "stuff". Many use only water with great success and no odors. Good luck.

[Denali]

We have been fulltiming since 2002, and I have used quite a few stinky-tank solutions.

On our last motor home, we were getting gray tank fumes in the coach while traveling. I solved that with an RV 360 vent cap. There are other similar products, and they probably all work.

For routine black tank odor control, RID-X works very well, but it takes a few days before it starts working as a deodorizer if you wait too long between treatments (7-10 days, in my experience). Until recently, I used it continuously for 6-7 years. It is very inexpensive compared to products aimed at RVers. The liquid version works MUCH better than the powder version for deodorizing. I have no idea whether it actually aids in breaking down waste in an RV holding tank. Waste appears to breaks down pretty quickly no matter what product I have used.

To reduce or eliminate black tank fumes, I found that Pure Power works better than just about anything, works immediately, and is very inexpensive. I started using it exclusively about six months ago, when we met a lady in a campground selling it. It only takes about two ounces to immediately deodorize the black tank, and it's effectiveness lasts 7-10 days, like RID-X.

Another product that works as well as Pure Power is Odorlos, but it is several times as expensive. On the plus side, it's pretty easy to find in RV supply stores.

Hope that helps.

[lopenzani]

I have had success Happy Camper. In addition, pick up a Flush King. I was amazed the amount of waste that continued to come out after a couple of flushes.

Good luck!

[RanMan]

It sounds like you may have a build-up of waste in the tank. As mentioned by joez, you probably need to clean the tank thoroughly with a flushing tool. I use a Camco Swivel Stik (feed it thru the toilet into the black tank) about once a month to clean mine, even though it has a built-in flush system for the black tank. Install a clear elbow on the outlet of the RV and you will be able to see when it runs clear. You will be surprised at how much more "stuff" comes out. It may take a while if you've never done it before. Try to reposition it a couple of times so it washes different areas inside the tank.
Thanks too for the tips on deodorizers. I plan to try those.

[Kirk]

I have a six year old fifth wheel. The odor from the holding tanks is aweful!!!

I suspect that you have a problem with the plumbing vents in the RV. The gray tank is no better smelling than the black, and under each sink there is a vacuum breaking device called a plumbing vent which in time begins to leak and will allow sewer gas back into the RV. If you look up under the sink you can see it. If you wish, check out this page as it will explain what the problem is and how to correct it.

[rgatijnet]

I use Rid-X whenever our coach is not going to be used for awhile. I fill both the black and grey tanks and throw in a box of Rid-X in each. This takes care of any build up and helps to deodorize the tanks. I then flush the tanks when we are ready to get on the road again, and throw in a box of baking soda. If you really want to get rid of odors, granulated charcoal also is very good at odor elimination and works very fast. I would opt for Rid-X if you have the time to let the tanks set for a week or so, full of water, and undisturbed.

[grapeidea]

Consider the Geo method: https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

[TrailerParkBoys]

Try some borax. It is used to get rid of the bleach smell from sanitizing the freshwater system, so maybe it will work in the holding tanks as well

Where can you pick Borax up from?

[GandJ]

Where can you pick Borax up from?

And while we're on the subject, where do you buy Calgon? Our local Wally seems to no longer stock it.

[joez]

You can typically buy Borax and Calgon water softener in the laundry section of grocery stores (don't shop Wal Mart so do not know about them). If you are in an area with naturally soft water Calgon may be hard to find. You can order it online. One source is Amazon Calgon at Amazon

[GandJ]

Thank you very much. for letting us know Amazon has it. Also, was at Target today and saw that they stock 20 Mule Team borax in laundry supplies. Didn't know that was still made. Neat!

[Kirk]

Did you notice that Pioneerclaims didn't bother to come back?

[GandJ]

Oh, no. Another One-Post Wonder...they make one post and we wonder why they didn't come back.