stinky question

tanks are empty and 2900mk is sitting in its home in the side yard of our house. i've put a "tetford campa=chem toss-in" to the toilet with a few flushes of water. tank is otherwise empty yet when i "flush" water only, not "real" use, i get a foul order up from the tank. this is our first "real" camper after years with a pop-up with a porta-pottie. never had any odor from it, but this is a lot different . suggestions?

randy in florida

A few flushes is probably not enough water. Add about 5 gallons.

Most of the deodorizing RV products I've seen have a limited effective life. The smell in mine usually returns at about 2 weeks. If you're in storage for awhile, I'd go with a very thorough flush and maybe add some Rid X.

Agree with more water and maybe some agitation. I have had the toss-ins stay intact and not dissolve, can see the blue packet go by in the clear drain tube when dumping. I started tearing them open when when putting them in. When I run out of these, I am going to start using the bottled stuff.

floridarandy,i've been having no problems with the pour in liquid (CampaKem,etc.) for treating my black tank. I've tried the toss in style a few times in the past and they seem to not last as long on the smelly issue. I don't know the scientific reason (don't care to know), but the bottled stuff works great for us. Also, I add 4 or 5 gallons of water with the chemical after performing my black tank flush.---Remember to close the tank dump valve before adding the treatment chemical. Take Care.

Another approach might be to check the roof vent and make sure it is not blocked by debris, wasps, whatever. If the vent is not open it will trap gases in the black tank leaving the only means of escape flushing.

I recall reading something about tanks growing mold and other nasties on the top inner surface. The article was directed more at gray tanks, but with what goes in the black tank, who knows what evil lurks down there. Perhaps you need to add your chemical and fill the tank with water and let it sit for a while to clean it. Then give it a prolonged tank flush. If I can locate the article, I'll post a link.

I will have to go along with first checking the venting. It sounds like this unit may have been purchased used as it is a '09, and you don't know how it was taken care of before. I've used Thetford Aqua Kem liquid for about 40 yrs in both porta potties and travel trailers It not only deodorizes but also breaks down solids. My suggestion is to put the appropriate amt of Thetford Aqua kem in the tank, based on its cap., and fill it with water, let it set several days for the chemical action to do its thing then drain and rinse. You are in Florida so this should not be A problem. It may be a mound of waste in the bottom from not being taken care of properly.Just some thoughts.

Hoping to keep with the theme of the tread, I have a question. How do you check the vents? There is a cap on top of the trailer but I have never removed one. It seems that there is a screw holding te top down and it is covered with caulk.

I would like to check the vents on my trailer.. I want to check the vent for the shower also.

Thanks
BC

You can do a sniff test. If you get your nose close and can smell the tanks then chances are the vent is pretty clear. My vents just pull off, they look like one piece but the cap itself will come off. Be careful not to break anything though.

My black tank has gotten progressively worse over the years despite spraying and rinsing. I then heard of a trick that worked great. A double load of chemical, about a 1/4 tank of water, pour two or three bags of ice into the tank then ride around. The "rocks" of the ice float around, scrub the walls by beating against them because of the towing movement. Then you dump the tank and since it's just water it drains away harmlessly.

It cleaned my black tank out great, up there with the best $5 I've ever spent on my camper.

TXBobcat said:

Hoping to keep with the theme of the tread, I have a question. How do you check the vents? There is a cap on top of the trailer but I have never removed one. It seems that there is a screw holding te top down and it is covered with caulk.

I would like to check the vents on my trailer.. I want to check the vent for the shower also.

Thanks
BC

Click to expand...

Bob, I just had mine off yesterday. You are correct in that there should be a screw covered by coulk. Mine was. After removing the screw the caps just pull off.

Peace
Dave