Stop your black tank from smelling before it starts
The “Geo” method
There’s nothing worse than walking into your RV and smelling septic-like bathroom smells. We read about several solutions for keeping your black tank from smelling poorly, and we found this method to work really well. The best part is that it’s very simple. It’s modified from a famous “geo” method, but this is a little different and very effective. After every time you dump your black tank, close the black tank valves and add:
- 3 Capfuls of Calgon water softener
- 3 Capfuls (the Calgon cap) of Dawn Dish Soap (standard blue)
- 1 Scoop of Happy Campers
- 3 Gallons of water
Why this works
The main theory is that black tanks need water to prevent clogs, allow good bacteria to work, and keep stink away. Calgon (water softener) helps prevent build up and deposits from hard water. Hard water deposits can cause clogs and make tank sensors work even worse than normal (tank sensors should only be used as wild estimates). Dawn dish soap is a strong surfactant that helps break things apart. Driving with a clean tank that has just had this batch added also helps to coat the tank inner walls while splashing around, cleaning them and making them more slick against future growth. Happy campers is a powder formula to add good bacteria for breaking down the solids in the tank more efficiently.
Remember to use Septic Friendly or RV/Boat Toilet Paper. Avoid flushing anything else down the toilet as it’ll disrupt the balance of the toilet.
Where to get the products
If you don’t live in an area that has a lot of septic-users, you may not be able to find Calgon in stores. We usually stock up before a long trip by purchasing supplies from Amazon. Click the images to purchase directly and be ready to be odor free.
Our RV Experience
For reference: Our black tank holds 32.5 gallons. After putting in at least 3 gallons of water as part of this method, the four of us can go about 5 days before the black tank is nearly full, with regular use. We apply this method (3 caps Calgon, 3 caps Dawn, 1 scoop Happy Campers, 3 gallons of water) every time, even if we know we are going to dump tanks again in a couple days. If you have a smaller tank, you may adjust slightly and see what works for you.
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