Dear Dave,
When winterizing an RV, should you use RV antifreeze in the black waste tank, waste tank deodorizer/waste digester (we use Walex Porta-pak), both together or neither? Thanks for your help. —Mike, 2016 Heartland Big Country
Dear Mike,
When I winterize a unit, I clean the black water tank out with Thetford Tank Blaster first and then run about 2-3 full tanks of water through it to thoroughly clean it out. Then I dump a bottle of valve lubrication into it and nothing else until the next spring.
I am not familiar with Walex. I use either Dometic or Thetford enzyme-based products when not winterized. It contains the “good bugs” that will break down the sewage the proper way and not get the rotten egg smell. —Dave
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If the tank is empty there will be nothing to freeze.
If the tank is empty the valve seals will dry out, crack, and leak.
What product are you referring to with dumping “a bottle of valve lubrication” into the tank after cleansing it?
Thetford makes a great valve lubrication product that we have featured in several articles. Here is a link to the Thetford page and you can find it at most retailers that sell the dump tank products.
http://www.thetford.com/product/drain-valve-lubricant
I get a little frustrated when reading things like this that they run “2-3 full tanks” of water through the system. People need to realize the west is in a SEVERE drought. That is a lot of wasted water that we can use!
The Clark County Commission, who approves massive building expansion including new casinos in Las Vegas, is responsible for massive water usage. I’ll use a few gallons to keep my tanks clean, just like when I flush my house toilet.