By Nanci Dixon
The tech kept telling me, “That might just be the gray water tank. It can smell as bad as the black.” Actually, at least three or four techs told me that every time I brought up how BAD it smells inside the motorhome when we are traveling. Three of them said to add Pine Power to the tank.
Black water flushing fanatic
I am diligent about flushing out the black water tank. Over and over again until the water runs clear. I am the “flusher” in the family. My husband would not have the patience or perverse delight to watch “it” all go down the drain.
I am also diligent about making sure that we run water down all the drains—sinks and shower—to make sure gases don’t come up a dry trap. We have changed the cheater vents under the sinks, too.
Gray water tank flush
The gray water is another matter, though. At an RV rally, I was introduced to ways to flush the gray water tank. I even had it done professionally! I do that periodically now but, to be fair, not often because it is a major hassle. Here is the method I learned.
After another long text message to our beloved tech, he again said, “It’s the gray water! Gray water!”
Having to ride with the side windows cracked when driving the motorhome so that we wouldn’t keel over was getting old, not to mention a bit cold, so I decided to flush the gray water tank again.
New method to flush the gray water tank
I tried a new method this time. Instead of draining completely when we left the campsite, we kept in about 1/3 of a tank of gray water and added the Pine Power cleaner. Because it kills bacteria, I did not want to use it in the black tank and kill the enzymes that are digesting the toilet paper. Pine Power is not to be confused with Pine Sol. I have been told that Pine Sol contains solvents that can harm the seals. Pine Power is hard to find, though, so when I saw it in an out-of-the-way gas station this summer I bought them out! It can be ordered on Amazon here though, too.
Success!
We both realized that after about an hour on the road, there was no smell even though I had forgotten to crack open the windows.
Hmm… It might just be the gray water tank after all.
##RVT1076
How much Pine power do you add to the tank? Whole bottle?
The techs suggested half a bottle but I am frugal and only added about a quarter of a bottle.
Thanks! I’m gonna try it!
Yep. I’ve been telling everyone who would listen: the grey water is way worse than the black water!
About every 6 months or so, we put 1/2 bottle in each tank with about a quarter full of water. We’ll travel for the next few days and then dump. No smells for the last 16 years and I hope not for the next 16.
Changing Lanes YouTube recently had their tanks professionally cleaned. The professionals agreed the grey tank is responsible for the smells.
They do use Pine Sol and commented that it no longer has pine oil, so it’s safe to use.
I discovered that too with my stationary rig. About every month or so I use a gray tank “cleaner” I get at Walmart. It says use 1/4 C down a drain, let sit a bit then run water thru the drain. Its supposed to clean the traps & the tank.
I’ve found emptying the tank(s) weekly also helps with the odor.
I also use the baking soda & vinegar clean on the kitcen drains. Keeps them clog free & smelling sweet AND won’t damage the pipes or the tanks. I have 2 gray tanks & 1 black.
Since day one, we’ve used “Happy Camper” in both gray and black tanks. No smell whatsoever from either tank. No stinky artificial cover-up, orange, lemon, pine, or airline lav smells. After dumping, we add one scoop in three gallons of water to each tank, and we’re good to go until the next trip. It’s all natural and that stuff simply works!
We never had problems with smells…until recently after picking up the rig from the repair shop. These were the hottest days of summer, and the rig had been sitting awhile. We had also noticed when we picked it up that someone had been “playing” with the toilet (half a roll of TP laying inside, and some off-colored water in the seal area).
We always flush and clean the tanks after each dump, replace with some new water and drop ins before we even leave. Every so often we do the Calgon/Dawn “down the road” wash. We figured a good “down the road” wash would help. Not so much.
For the next few weeks, we put extra drop-ins into the tank after dumping and driving to another location. Then we began to leave the vent in the bathroom open when we weren’t stopped/set up. After a while the odor disappeared!
We finally decided it may have been a combination of extremely hot temps (boiling black tanks could not smell very nice) and perhaps a poo pile that took time to melt?
To keep your plumbing traps from evaporating, try adding the evaporation inhibitor Sewer Gas Solutions (www.SewerGasSolutions.com). Add water and pour some SGS to cover the surface. Water won’t evaporate for months.
When you use the drain again, it will eventually flush out, but you don’t need it when you are using the drains. It is for unused drains like stored RVs, vacation homes, empty nester bathrooms, vacant commercial spaces, schools closed for summer, etc.
Many times gray tank odors are caused by carelessly letting scraps from vegetables go down the drain. This is not even thought of by ladies who routinely do this at home as the scraps wind up in the sewer or septic tank where everything stinks. In the RV it’s not going into either one but into a holding tank where it settles on the bottom and begins the rotting process. When the tank is drained some will flush out, but some will remain, this is what’s causing the odor. DW and I bought our RV when we were in our senior years, the first time she was preparing a meal I noticed she was trimming the vegetables and letting the scraps go down the drain like she’s done all her life. I immediately educated her to leave the drain plug in the sink until she finished and then put them in the garbage. We’ve never had a stinking tank using these practices. Think about it are you letting scraps go down the drain?
We purchased a screen for the kitchen drain at Home Depot, it will collect particles as small as coffee grounds. We do the bio method with Dawn Ultra, Borax and about 5 gallons of water in both tanks every time we move after sitting for a week or so. Never a stink problem!
Maybe instead of “educating her”, you should try your hand at the cooking! lol
We use the “Bio-Method” Water and Borax powder with Dawn Detergent and no smells since then.
There is also the Geo method of Dawn and Calgon.
I had problems with my travel trailer smelling horribly when we stopped for the night. I installed the Camco swivel vents, and it completely corrected the problem. They followed the direction of the wind, and it draws the air out.
We also use Pine Power but discovered that it also helps immensely to keep your drains plugged while traveling. We had odors while driving also, even after cleaning the drains and tanks, so we put the drain plugs into the bathroom and kitchen sinks before pulling out. No more stink while driving! We unplug the drains when we get where we are going, and there is no residual stink then either.
I am a big fan of Lippert’s 360 Siphon RV Roof Vent Cap (shop. Amazon isn’t always cheapest and they come in white or black). I have installed them on 3 travel trailers. The universal version easily replaces the cheap caps. There are no moving parts and they are shorter than the rotating type. Regular caps allow air into tanks – not so much as to let stinky air out. These caps work both ways to pull the stink away with even very gentle breezes. Make sure you also buy a tube of roof lap sealant.
How are there any enzymes left in your black tank with such fastidious flushing?
I use a drain screen like one of these in my sticks and brick home ( https://tinyurl.com/4k5mcc26 ), so I knew to get one for the RV. We also use a screen in the shower. I’m diligent about wiping away any greasy residue, remaining sauce, food scraps, etc off of everything before washing! I love Dawn Platinum spray. We’ve never had an issue and prophylacticly, we had our tanks professionally cleaned at 5 years.