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Old 08-17-2016, 12:29 PM   #1
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Grey tank operations - best practices

We have a 2015 Escape 19. Upon emptying the grey tank, what is the best method for ensuring no subsequent buildup on the sensors or in the tank? We have been putting clean water in the tank together with dish soap and have had no problems. However this approach uses up tank capacity before you even start camping.

What are "best practices" that work for you?

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Old 08-17-2016, 12:35 PM   #2
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Odorloss is for black and grey tanks.
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Old 08-17-2016, 01:07 PM   #3
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TankTechsRX | Totally Green, Totally Clean!

Visit TankTechsRx.com and spend some time reading the site and watching the videos. It is a "probiotic" (friendly bacteria) product and if the claims are true it may be all you will ever need. I intend to use this product when I get my trailer but I have no experience with it. At least you'll learn about what is going on inside those tanks.

Normal dish detergents like Dawn are high sudsing products so if you put it in your tanks and drive around they will create a lot of suds in the tank. The suds can stick to the top of the tank, won't dry out and grow mold.

Dishwasher detergents contain bleach and will kill the bacteria and mold but don't use them if you are spending money on a bacteriological product like TankTechsRX or Odorlos.
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Old 08-17-2016, 01:40 PM   #4
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Probiotic Microorganisms | Effective & Beneficial Microbial Solutions | Probiotics | Sustainable Community Developement | SCD Probiotics

Go to the FAQ site on the TankTechsRx site and look at the MSDS sheet. It is from SCD Probiotics in Kansas. Apparently the stuff is not only harmless but if you accidentally ingest some instead of dying you may end up feeling better
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Old 08-17-2016, 01:55 PM   #5
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I've tried many of the products you can get over the last 10 years, as well as the GEO method, and even driving around with ice cubes. Darn sensors don't seem to care what you use, if they are the cheap ones.

The only issue we've run into other then the sensors, is the grey can stink near as bad as the black. When we dump the tanks we put chemicals into both, with the grey getting a half of what goes in the black.

FWIW, we're currently using Happy Camper. https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Campers.../dp/B005XEFADU

Something to keep in mind. Depending on how your unit is plumbed, if you put the chemical in the tank right off, it goes down the dump pipe, and stays there.

One of the clear elbows lets you know when the tank is clean, kind of gross, but at least you can tell what's going on if used once in a while. That's how I noticed the chemicals were just sitting in the pipe.

Mine has a back wash, but they make them as with just the clear elbows.
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Old 08-18-2016, 04:35 PM   #6
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Thanks for the input!

Some great advice here. Thanks so much.
I am comfortable with how to manage the black tank - it is the grey tank that I find challenging. Currently I put dish soap into the empty tank, then a few sinkfulls of water. The idea being that it will slosh around and keep the sensors clean. And I believe it works. The problem is that this procedure fills 1/3 of the tank before we start camping.

Sometimes the grey water smells and putting a bacteria friendly product down the sink makes sense. But it seems to me, I should mix it with one sink full of water so that it is not concentrated in the dump pipe. But will this approach keep the sensors clear?

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Old 08-18-2016, 05:28 PM   #7
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The only thing I;ve heard of that actually works to keep the sensors working, is replace them with a type that works.

Of all the things I've read about folks trying, I'd say folks claim the the GEO method works the best. https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

I only tried it for a couple weeks and didn't notice it being any better or any worse then the rest, but it may well take longer then I tried to see any results. I gave up on it as I didn't want to carry the ingredients with us.
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Old 08-18-2016, 05:34 PM   #8
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Thanks Bob
I have not had any problem with my sensors. The method I have used till now is after draining the grey tank, adding dishwashing liquid plus 3 sinks of clean water. Besides the occasional smell, the downside is the grey tank is now 1/3 full. What I am looking for is a solution where my sensors continue to work and I have an almost empty tank to begin with.
It seems to be an elusive goal.

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Old 08-18-2016, 05:36 PM   #9
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I drain and rinse both the black and gray water tanks with some water when at the end of a trip.

If the trailer has been sitting (like no trips) for a while, it's possible the water has evaporated out of the "P" traps and sewer gases are coming into the trailer. Just dump a cup or so of water down the drains, that fills the P traps.

Use the water/tanks as usual.


Works for me.
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Old 08-18-2016, 05:52 PM   #10
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Dave, why don't you just hold off adding anything to the grey until you have something to put in it? like when you take a shower or some such.
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Old 08-18-2016, 07:01 PM   #11
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Thanks Bob
I have not had any problem with my sensors. The method I have used till now is after draining the grey tank, adding dishwashing liquid plus 3 sinks of clean water. Besides the occasional smell, the downside is the grey tank is now 1/3 full. What I am looking for is a solution where my sensors continue to work and I have an almost empty tank to begin with.
It seems to be an elusive goal.

dave
Bleach OR TankTechsRX | Totally Green, Totally Clean! OR the other bacteria stuff but not together.

Dish soap and water softener are not disinfectants and they aren't friendly bacteria products so while they will emulsify the oil and mold inside the grey tank, the stuff is still there causing the stink, and according to TankTechsRX | Totally Green, Totally Clean! the grey tanks often can smell worse than the black.
The premise of TankTechsRx is that the probiotic (friendly) bacteria will take control in the tank and thrive on the organic matter, digesting the oil, mold and stinky bacteria and will continue to work and multiply as long as you keep feeding them dirty water. Since it is a bacteria product I would think that even with a small amount of water in the holding tanks the product would aerosolize and find a food source unlike a soap which would collect in the drain hose. Go to the site and read the questions and answers. They guarantee that it works and an 8 oz bottle is less than $20.00 delivered. That would easily last a season or two used in both tanks. Just don't kill it with bleach, iodine or lysol.
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Old 08-18-2016, 07:15 PM   #12
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You mention probiotics need organic matter to thrive, is shower water considered full of organic matter? we don't dump dirty dish water down the sink so there's really no foodstuff in there. Does that defeat the purpose of probiotics?

Earlier this week my dentist was trying to get me to start using probiotics, and not in the rv.
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Old 08-18-2016, 07:44 PM   #13
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You mention probiotics need organic matter to thrive, is shower water considered full of organic matter? we don't dump dirty dish water down the sink so there's really no foodstuff in there. Does that defeat the purpose of probiotics?

Earlier this week my dentist was trying to get me to start using probiotics, and not in the rv.
Follow the recommendation of your dentist and the probiotics will end up in your black tank

If the tank stinks it is full of organic matter which the probiotics will digest, it just will take a few days. If there is nothing to eat the bacteria will die but there will always be some in there because the inside of the tank is dark and wet and a great breeding ground for mold.

The soap you use, skin, dirt you are washing off and body oils are all organic matter.
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Old 08-18-2016, 08:00 PM   #14
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OK, this may be too much information but if you want to know about friendly flora (probiotics) go to :The Fecal Transplant Foundation

Apparently there are many serious illnesses which may be caused by an imbalance of bacteria where the bad ones Cdiff. gain control and overpower the good. Kind of like stinky black and grey tanks and plugged up septic tanks. Get the greater ratio of good bacteria and they will overpower the bad. Fermentation vs. putrefaction.
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Old 08-18-2016, 08:23 PM   #15
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OK, this may be too much information but if you want to know about friendly flora (probiotics) go to :The Fecal Transplant Foundation

Apparently there are many serious illnesses which may be caused by an imbalance of bacteria where the bad ones Cdiff. gain control and overpower the good. Kind of like stinky black and grey tanks and plugged up septic tanks. Get the greater ratio of good bacteria and they will overpower the bad. Fermentation vs. putrefaction.
Good discussion, but I'm trying to prepare dinner and read the forum at the same time. I suppose I ought to stop reading for awhile.......
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Old 08-18-2016, 08:33 PM   #16
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I think smells don't just come from the holding tanks. Upholstery (spilled food) rug runners... more spilled food (milk?), pets?, unwashed refrigerator, even dirty laundry can stink up a trailer. Fortunately all those can be taken care of without a whole lot of work.


Open the windows, air the place out (and put those dirty socks in a sealed tote in the tug)!
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Old 08-18-2016, 09:41 PM   #17
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Why Add TankTechs Rx to the Galley Tank? (Grey Tank/Galley Tank are the same on an Escape)
Galley tank odors have ruined more RVing activities than the black tanks ever do. After cleaning thousands of holding tanks from across the nation, TankTechs.com has learned that the most frequent source of offensive odor in an RV is the galley/gray Tank. Galley tanks are the perfect environment for grease and mold growth as well as E. coli bacteria. Galley tanks typically are vented under the sink with a special cap to prevent tank gases from entering the RV. Nothing stops the gases from entering the coach through dry sink or shower traps. The industry recognizes this issue and is experimenting with new collapsible sink traps to stop the odor back flow. Not only are the odors offensive and annoying, but mold odor can be dangerous. TankTechs.com, the originator of TankTechs Rx, strongly recommends that galley tanks be treated, especially in motor homes while traveling. An open window can create a vacuum in the tank and pull the gases out of the tank to the open window, filling the coach. PLEA FROM TankTechs Rx TO MOTOR HOME OWNERS: Even if you leave your galley tank open when camping with full hook ups, ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH ENOUGH WATER IN THE GALLEY TANK TO KEEP THE BOTTOM WET AND TankTechs Rx IN THE TANK TO COMBAT THE MOLD AND ODORS. It will clean as you go, keep you safe and get the tank ready for the next stop!

Above is from the Q & A at the TankTechsRx.com site
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Old 08-18-2016, 09:48 PM   #18
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It's kinda like your home. Traps full of water prevent sewer gasses from permanenting your home. I don't care how stinky the tanks are... if that air can't make it's way to the trailer, who cares? Do you know where the vents are for the black and gray water? Certainly NOT under the sink of my trailer. Maybe your brand, but not mine. I keep the valves closed in my trailer until it's time to dump (even with full hookups), none of those gases make their way into my tanks. YMMV
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Old 08-18-2016, 09:56 PM   #19
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Why Add TankTechs Rx to the Galley Tank?
I think probably so TankTechs can make money. Are you on commission?
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Old 08-18-2016, 10:15 PM   #20
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Speaking of bad smells-- I can still detect some kind of odd odor when I open a compartment in my trailer that has been shut for a while, the main culprit being the storage area under the bed of my 21. After two years, could this still be outgassing from fiberglass or foam liner adhesive curing? I wouldn't think so, but I haven't owned a fiberglass trailer before.

The black holding tank is under the bed, but it isn't leaking as far as I can tell (thank God). I can detect bad odors, but I have problems distinguishing one bad smell from another, thanks to spending a few years raising pigs earlier in life. My sense of smell has shorted out.
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