Black tank chem recommendations, please

[PleinAirCedar]

Hello all,
I am going to be using the toilet in my 2018 17B for the first time in a couple weeks. I've always camped somewhere there was a bathroom available and used the 17B's bathroom as a storage closet. Any suggestions for a black tank chemical that works. I've been reading about failures of odor control over 80°, flies and other horror stories.

I would prefer it to be biodegradable so I can dump into my septic system at home if I can't find an RV dump station within 50 miles of my home, which is doubtful.
thanks, everyone!

[steve dunham]

Odorlos !

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've been using Walex Porta-Pak. after dumping and flushing and closing things back up, add enough water to cover the bottom of the tank (a couple gallons at most?) then drop one in. if you don't add that water, it will all end up in the bottom of the drain pipe which is downhill from the tank.

[PleinAirCedar]

Thanks for the fast reply. Do you have to use Odorlos every time the toilet is used? Thanks. Never used an RV toilet before, I always used the bushes or a vault toilet.

[PleinAirCedar]

Any other tips for smooth toilet operations. (pardon the pun)

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by PleinAirCedar

I would prefer it to be biodegradable so I can dump into my septic system at home if I can't find an RV dump station within 50 miles of my home, which is doubtful.
thanks, everyone!

Key Points:

Some companies who label their products as "organic," "safe," or "natural" actually put loads of caustic chemicals into these products. There is sometimes no proof or transparency to validate these claims.

By no means to all manufacturers do this, but we simply suggest that you look deeper into the products you use rather than simply believing the label at face value.

The term "organic" can easily be misleading on product packaging. Most cleaning products are not regulated by the USDA. Some companies may even use "organic" to reference the fact that the ingredients simply came from the earth, which is true of many poisonous items as well as safe ones!

The term "natural" is also often not regulated, so you should look deeper into these claims before believing the label.

The term "safe" is often the best term to look for. This generally means the product is safe for humans, animals, and the environment.

For example if you look at Material Safety Data Sheet for one popular 'Organic' product 'Happy Camper / Healthy Boater' you'll find that it is actually toxic to fish.

[gbaglo]

Happy with Odorlos. You add a few ounces and a gallon of water to the black tank after you've emptied the tank. No need to add more. Enzymes break down the material.

[Mike Lewis]

Another vote for Odorlos.

[padlin]

Happy Camper

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by PleinAirCedar

Thanks for the fast reply. Do you have to use Odorlos every time the toilet is used? Thanks. Never used an RV toilet before, I always used the bushes or a vault toilet.

Any of these things, use once per fill/dump cycle. If I'm alone, I can go a week using the RV toilet and shower in my 21 exclusively. My wife can fill the grey tank in a couple days (ok, so when I'm alone and dry camping, I skip full showers, and just take a sponge bath with a quick rinse

Walex portapak can be used in septic systems in 'normal' quantities (like 1 pack in a holding tank) without any issues, but if you were to dump gallons of pure Portapak into your septic system it might make it a little unhappy. They also make "BioPak" which is an enzyme based 100% septic safe, but IMHO, its not as effective a deodorant.

Whats in Portapak is very similar to whats used in porta-potties, many of which end up pumped into a septic system (Walex makes porta-potty supplies, concentrates sold in 50 gallon drums).

[Mucram]

Maybe it’s cuz my @#$&& doesn’t stink but I have not used anything in 3 yrs of ownership. Not had any issues with odor.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by padlin

Happy Camper

Second vote for Happy Camper - been using it for years.

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Campers.../dp/B007S0LDME

[salmo7000]

I just got home after boondocking for 10 days in my 19. Used the 19’s toilet exclusively. I flushed a scoop of Odorlos along with a gallon or so of water before leaving. I also made sure to add sufficient water each flush, keeping the word “slurry” in mind as an objective. It was super hot the whole time I was gone, but I did not detect any odors from the black tank. From what I could tell, it worked fantastic. When I dumped the tanks, it appeared that everything exited very efficiently. Nothing scary happened whatsoever!!

[LRL]

For the past three years, we've essentially added nothing to the black tank other than the requisite waste and water. I've rinsed it a time or two with plain water, but that's essentially it. We've never had odor problems (we always keep a water seal in the toilet bowl, of course).

[CADreamin]

Another vote for Happy Campers. We used it in our houseboat for 10+ years and now our trailer. (Note: The houseboat rental companies on Lake Shasta, where 112º+ temps in the summer are common, all use Happy Campers for good reason -- it works!) We've tried Unique RV Digest, Bio Pak and Tank TechRx but came back to Happy Campers in the end. Have not tried Odorlos but looking at the reviews, it seems to work quite well.

[Effie]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Happy with Odorlos. You add a few ounces and a gallon of water to the black tank after you've emptied the tank. No need to add more. Enzymes break down the material.

Works very good for us.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by PleinAirCedar

Hello all,
I am going to be using the toilet in my 2018 17B for the first time in a couple weeks. I've always camped somewhere there was a bathroom available and used the 17B's bathroom as a storage closet. Any suggestions for a black tank chemical that works. I've been reading about failures of odor control over 80°, flies and other horror stories.

I would prefer it to be biodegradable so I can dump into my septic system at home if I can't find an RV dump station within 50 miles of my home, which is doubtful.
thanks, everyone!

Keep in mind there are two dump stations in Delta. Confluence park is
listed as free.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Happy with Odorlos. You add a few ounces and a gallon of water to the black tank after you've emptied the tank. No need to add more. Enzymes break down the material.

Yes another vote for Odorlos ! PT

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Second vote for Happy Camper - been using it for years.

Well, I will have to give a thumbs down for Happy Camper. While in very hot Big Bend I needed to triple the dose. And I needed to pre-dissolve it in a gallon jug before adding it to the black tank. One time I was lazy and it formed a rock-hard seal in the bottom of the toilet.

--
Alan

[PleinAirCedar]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

Keep in mind there are two dump stations in Delta. Confluence park is
listed as free.

Thanks for the tip on the free dump station at Confluence park. That is about 35 miles from my house and definitely do-able after camping somewhere west of home.