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Old 08-30-2020, 07:34 PM   #1
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Gray Tank Question

Do you use a treatment in your gray tank? Just got back from 16 nights on the road. When we traveled between campgrounds we were getting a sour smell in the trailer, from the gray tank. I had some orange packets that said they were good for the gray tank, so I tried them and it seemed to eliminate the problem. Do you use a treatment for the gray tank? If you do, what do you use?
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Old 08-30-2020, 08:05 PM   #2
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We do when it starts to smell, something like 1/2 the usual dose we put in the black. The gray can smell as bad as the black at times.
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Old 08-31-2020, 05:49 AM   #3
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I use a product called Elemonate (Made by Wales) in the gray tank. By its name it obviously is citrus based.
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Old 08-31-2020, 10:16 AM   #4
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Yeah mine definitely gets some funk too, especially in hot weather and longer trips. I’ve tried adding the same treatment as the black tank (Odorlos), but I’m not sure it helped. My last trip I totally drained the gray tank and then flushed it with fresh water. Even after the second flush, there was still some weird stuff in the effluent. Third time I added bleach, 5 gallons of fresh water, and let it sit for a few days. That seemed to completely get rid of the funk.

I’m headed out in a few days and am planning to add a cup of bleach before leaving, hoping that will work!!
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Old 08-31-2020, 12:11 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by rmitch View Post
Do you use a treatment in your gray tank? Just got back from 16 nights on the road. When we traveled between campgrounds we were getting a sour smell in the trailer, from the gray tank. I had some orange packets that said they were good for the gray tank, so I tried them and it seemed to eliminate the problem. Do you use a treatment for the gray tank? If you do, what do you use?
So far no. I am pretty careful about what goes in. This is not the place to get rid of anything but soapy water. On rare occasions a little meat juice or tiny food scraps get in but we are pretty diligent about keeping things out and so far no smell. I like the bleach idea but a half cup is a bit extreme! A couple of tablespoons should do the trick. I guess the higher amounts are ok if it goes in a proper septic or dump station but it would kill your grass if you dumped there!
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Old 08-31-2020, 12:38 PM   #6
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So far no. I am pretty careful about what goes in. This is not the place to get rid of anything but soapy water. On rare occasions a little meat juice or tiny food scraps get in but we are pretty diligent about keeping things out and so far no smell. I like the bleach idea but a half cup is a bit extreme! A couple of tablespoons should do the trick. I guess the higher amounts are ok if it goes in a proper septic or dump station but it would kill your grass if you dumped there!
Absolutely! My gray water when I cleaned it went into my septic system. But the words "gray water" were not accurate. More like "GREEN". And there was some serious funk and solid and filamentous grotoskity that came out in the effluent. I have no idea what it was, I thought I was pretty careful with what went down the drain. No food, no dairy products, no toothpaste, etc. I think a whole new ecosystem must have grown in the absence of light, and it was pretty scary! Not to mention smelly. In any case, I don't want to risk a similar situation after my trip next week! OK, maybe I'll put a little less bleach in
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Old 08-31-2020, 12:39 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Ian and Sue View Post
So far no. I am pretty careful about what goes in. This is not the place to get rid of anything but soapy water. On rare occasions a little meat juice or tiny food scraps get in but we are pretty diligent about keeping things out and so far no smell. I like the bleach idea but a half cup is a bit extreme! A couple of tablespoons should do the trick. I guess the higher amounts are ok if it goes in a proper septic or dump station but it would kill your grass if you dumped there!
Glad to see your comments. There's been so many comments in the past that might lead a person to think that managing odors from the tanks requires a chemical engineering degree. We've never ever added anything to our grey tank and I've never been aware of any odors. The black tank, once in a while gets a shot of an odor fighting material, but not on any regular basis.

So newbies shouldn't think that managing the tanks is a full time job.

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Old 08-31-2020, 01:06 PM   #8
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Glad to see your comments. There's been so many comments in the past that might lead a person to think that managing odors from the tanks requires a chemical engineering degree. We've never ever added anything to our grey tank and I've never been aware of any odors. The black tank, once in a while gets a shot of an odor fighting material, but not on any regular basis.

So newbies shouldn't think that managing the tanks is a full time job.

Ron
Thanks!

I do put a bit of the emulsifying/odor reducer stuff in the black tank after each dump out but nowhere near what the bottle says....if it starts to stink I dump out or add a bit of the chemical. I do use a wand to flush out the black once in a while which helps to keep solids from building up and the sensors working...sort of. Yes it is sewage...not rocket science! Be careful, wear disposable gloves, keep your mouth shut(I do wastewater treatment...don't ask me why I know but it ain't what you want when something splashes!) , and buck up you will get used to it ....yes it is a bit nasty but rest assured that everyone's is...just do the dump station thing and move on! If you can master the COVID requirements you can master this!
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Old 08-31-2020, 01:10 PM   #9
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Are the traps in the sink/shower dry? I don't understand how you'd smell the gray water if the traps held water. Unless the vent to the tank is plugged.

Be careful using bleach. It's hard on gaskets, seals and the dump valve. I'd be inclined to use whatever is used in the black tank. In fact I do, I use a liquid and rinse the bottle out in the kitchen sink.
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Old 08-31-2020, 01:21 PM   #10
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Wouldn't surprise me to find the traps empty, these things do go down bumpy roads and such. If that is the issue I suppose dumping a cup of water in each every time we stop would help, but then so does a shot of Happy Camper.
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Old 08-31-2020, 02:05 PM   #11
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Thanks!

I do use a wand to flush out the black once in a while which helps to keep solids from building up and the sensors working...sort of.
With the 19 we passed the hose in through the bathroom window and gave the tank a rinse, with the 21 not having a convenient window on the dump side we dump a bucket or two down every dump. Seems to do well to prevent any build up. As for the sensors, , we just look down the hole. Absolutely fool proof gage.

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Old 08-31-2020, 02:24 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by salmo7000 View Post
Yeah mine definitely gets some funk too, especially in hot weather and longer trips. I’ve tried adding the same treatment as the black tank (Odorlos), but I’m not sure it helped. My last trip I totally drained the gray tank and then flushed it with fresh water. Even after the second flush, there was still some weird stuff in the effluent. Third time I added bleach, 5 gallons of fresh water, and let it sit for a few days. That seemed to completely get rid of the funk.

I’m headed out in a few days and am planning to add a cup of bleach before leaving, hoping that will work!!
Yup the bleach really helps . We think it gets mold or something like that in there growing . Pat
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Old 08-31-2020, 03:54 PM   #13
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I add a treatment to the gray tank if it will be in the tank more than a few days. I use "Camco TST MAX Strength Orange Scent RV Toilet Treatment" in both the black and gray tanks. If the black water will be there more than a few days, or it is hot, I'll double the amount (4 oz vs 2 oz). This has worked well for us.

Regarding Donna's point of how the smell is getting into the trailer, I'm guessing it is coming from an outside vent pipe and coming back in through an open window.
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Old 08-31-2020, 04:43 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Ian and Sue View Post
So far no. I am pretty careful about what goes in. This is not the place to get rid of anything but soapy water. On rare occasions a little meat juice or tiny food scraps get in but we are pretty diligent about keeping things out and so far no smell. I like the bleach idea but a half cup is a bit extreme! A couple of tablespoons should do the trick. I guess the higher amounts are ok if it goes in a proper septic or dump station but it would kill your grass if you dumped there!
Mind does fine until I clean up after serving Blueberry pies. While I use paper towels to do a prep before washing, enough goes down the drain to turn my gray tank purple. Unless I immediately dump, at least in hot weather, 2-3 days later the gray tank stinks.

When it gets bad I flush, use Unique & flush again.
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Old 08-31-2020, 04:59 PM   #15
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Mind does fine until I clean up after serving Blueberry pies.
I thought that I did a pretty good job of cleaning up your blueberry pies. It was the main reason that I volunteered as a food judge this year. I could double dip, once while judging and again later.

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Old 08-31-2020, 05:37 PM   #16
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Are the traps in the sink/shower dry? I don't understand how you'd smell the gray water if the traps held water. Unless the vent to the tank is plugged.

Be careful using bleach. It's hard on gaskets, seals and the dump valve. I'd be inclined to use whatever is used in the black tank. In fact I do, I use a liquid and rinse the bottle out in the kitchen sink.
Traps? You still have traps? I thought you were planning on installing the Hepvo mod.

I will doing a set of Hepvo installs next week for a friend and getting rid of his traps. No traps - no burps from the shower pan (left that plug out again?) and no smells from the sinks.
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Old 08-31-2020, 05:40 PM   #17
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my grey tank smelled bad once. i add some treatment if its more then a few days and i normally do dishes outside to keep food particles to a minimum. most of the time my toilet is good too. I add lots of water and some treatment.
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Old 08-31-2020, 07:38 PM   #18
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It bothers me that one post is featuring a beautiful blueberry pie and the next post is talking about treating the gray water and traps.

I can't do both at the same time.
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Old 08-31-2020, 09:17 PM   #19
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Do you use a treatment in your gray tank? Just got back from 16 nights on the road. When we traveled between campgrounds we were getting a sour smell in the trailer, from the gray tank. I had some orange packets that said they were good for the gray tank, so I tried them and it seemed to eliminate the problem. Do you use a treatment for the gray tank? If you do, what do you use?
I use the Camco TST Gray Water Odor control in the gray tank and the Camco orange packets in the black tank. Both seem to work well.
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Old 09-01-2020, 12:08 AM   #20
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I use the Camco TST Gray Water Odor control in the gray tank and the Camco orange packets in the black tank. Both seem to work well.
Besides if really bad using the bleach , also use the TST gray water odor control too. Pat
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