Grey water tank cleaning

[tbomn]

I have searched the forums here and have gotten some ideas for cleaning the grey water tank, but nobody has mentioned Rid-X. I was wondering if using Rid-X (septic tank cleaner) would hurt anything in the plumbing or tank? The website says it is all natural bacteria that works on the grease and other stuff that accumulates in the system. I was thinking that if I used it when the tank sat partially full, it would work on the "stuff" and then would evacuate when I dumped it. What do you think?? Good idea? Bad idea?

[joeplazek]

If it doesn't hurt the black water tank I can't see it hurting anything in the grey tank. All plumbing should be the same. Unless someone has something to ad that I am not aware of.

joe

[trouble&rose]

Enzymes don't eat plastic...would not think a bacteria would either.
we use enzyme for tough stains in laundry also....works great!

[garykk]

The trouble with rid-x is it takes a long time to work, its not an overnight thing...

[1ciderdog]

I'm not sure you need to clean the grey tank - it most often is filled with soapy water from showers & dish washing. If I wanted to clean mine I'd simply add more dawn dish soap and lots of water. Just my thought.

[336muffin]

About twice a year we fill all the sinks with hot water and the shower. We stop up the shower with a rag. We have two sinks in the bathroom and a twin sink in the kitchen. With the grey tank drained and valve still open we pull the stoppers on all the sinks and shower. This "purges" the grey tank and you would not believe what comes out! A friend taught me this several years ago. We are very diligent with our tanks and never leave the valves open except to dump.

[GG1]

The only thing that worked for us is a product by ROEBIC Industries. S G P it is designed to cut grease and other household residue in tanks. They also have a product for gray water rv tanks but its hard to find the S G P is sold in the plumbing dept of Lowes or Home Depot. We have the external level gauges on the tanks and had bad grease build up inside with inaccurate level readings last season, the only thing that solved the problem was the ROEBIC products I tried all the standard rv tank products nothing worked except the ROEBIC stuff. Fill your tank with 40 gallons of water and 8 oz. of the ROEBIC drive around for a few minutes let it it sit overnight and dump. Now I use the product monthly. Check out their web site they also have good customer service on the phone.

[jzick]

We normally sit a month or longer in our motorhome. When we do move from place to place, I typically add a cap full of liquid laundry detergent and some Calgon wetter to the empty grey tank and let it slosh around while we drive from place to place. When it fills and needs dumped you can tell from the appearance of the liquid coming out that something has been cleaned from the inside of the tank (seen through the clear part of the hose connection).

[ChiefJohn]

Second the Shop Roebic Laboratories, Inc. Drain Soap, Grease and Paper Digester at Lowes.com SGP -- add to all your tanks when travelling and let it go to work.

[Terry43]

Originally Posted by ChiefJohn

Second the Shop Roebic Laboratories, Inc. Drain Soap, Grease and Paper Digester at Lowes.com SGP -- add to all your tanks when travelling and let it go to work.

John,

How often do you use this product?

Thanks,
Terry

[Campingman]

Originally Posted by tbomn

I have searched the forums here and have gotten some ideas for cleaning the grey water tank, but nobody has mentioned Rid-X. I was wondering if using Rid-X (septic tank cleaner) would hurt anything in the plumbing or tank? The website says it is all natural bacteria that works on the grease and other stuff that accumulates in the system. I was thinking that if I used it when the tank sat partially full, it would work on the "stuff" and then would evacuate when I dumped it. What do you think?? Good idea? Bad idea?

First you do not have a septic tank. You have a holding tank and hopefully you don't hold it very long. Rid x is not the answer.

[ChiefJohn]

Originally Posted by Terry43

John,

How often do you use this product?

Thanks,
Terry

Terry, we normally "treat" our tanks during our annual migration south (Bama) and again in the spring -- couple of days each time. The company also makes an RV specific product which we have not used -- IMO the product we got from Lowe's does the same thing. RV & Marine treatment Products by Roebic Laboratories, Inc. - 203-795-1283 - Specialty

[CampDaven]

In 20 years, never needed to. It was all water and soap. Did anyone have symptoms I never saw?

[doc]

Actually there is some very nasty stuff in a gray water tank. Bits of food and grease from washing dishes, tooth paste and saliva from lavatory, various soaps and such from the shower - and I am sure none of you ever whizzed in the shower while showering. Bar soap does build up a residue on the plumbing pipes.
I have no answers except to say that the plumbing in most houses have no clogs and buildup where laundry water (detergent) enters the plumbing system. Is hot water and laundry detergent the answer? Very hot water with this might be partial solution.

[ChiefJohn]

Originally Posted by doc

I have no answers except to say that the plumbing in most houses have no clogs and buildup where laundry water (detergent) enters the plumbing system. Is hot water and laundry detergent the answer? Very hot water with this might be partial solution.

Ditto Doc, our laundry and shower go into one grey tank and the dishwasher and kitchen sink into another. Toilet and bathroom sink go into the black tank. I'm not as concerned about the drains/pipes as we routinely use "Liquid Plumr" to remove any hair/grease/etc. buildup.

[mrbadboy]

Can anyone tell me why my tank gauges say 2/3 after emptying tanks on my 2002 HR Scepter

[jzick]

Can anyone tell me why my tank gauges say 2/3 after emptying tanks on my 2002 HR Scepter

Probably because the sensors have a piece of debris stuck on them or are coated with dirt/slime, etc. It is common for tank sensors to do what yours are doing and many of us have learned to ignore the gauges and use sound/experience to judge when tanks are full. We tend to sit in one spot for a month or so when traveling. As we travel to our destination sensors are cleaned from the liquid sloshing around in the tanks (with a little soap added) so when we arrive at our destination the gauges read correctly. After a few tank fills and dumps, however, the gauges gunk up and do not read correctly. It has never been a big enough problem for us to think about doing something, but there are external sensor systems (See Level) that seem to work much better.

[dennis45]

Check out this product. I have used it for years. It works like they say it does and it is very economical compared to all the other magic potions on the market.
/Happy Camper - Odorless Holding Tank Treatment Black and Grey Water