A good rinse with some bleach after each dump would help. 1 Gallon of bleach, 10 gallons of water and slosh it around while it's still hooked to the truck!! Go by Walmart and pick up some tank disinfectant/deoderizer and add after you clean out. A little Pine Oil cleaner is nice!!

I always keep a gallon or so of water mixed with some "blue juice" in the tank. Just before a trip, I add enough more additive to treat the full tank to the mixture. The tank, toilet and bathroom ends up smelling very medicinal. The tank is easy to keep clean this way, as it flushes out completely.

Gard

Would it be advisable to keep the bleach mixture in the tank all the time when not in use? Or just the tank deodorizer/Pine Sol would be enough?

 I would keep a little bleach in there all the time. Rinse the tank when you dump it, add a gallon of fresh water, cup of bleach and some deodorizer (whatever measured amount the deodorizer mfg. recomends). I know this may not be the proper way to maintain an RV (ruined vacation) tank, but.....If I had one, thats the way I would do it!!

Be carefull with the pineoil/pinesol cleaners in the tank. A half a cup would be OK, a whole bottle is a NO NO! Use them sparingly. They will foam up and make suds......Specially while driving down the road!!!!

It works with my Coleman porta-potty!! My waste tank looks as clean as the fresh water holding tank. Nothing black and or green, growing in either tank.

The main thing is to refill it partially with clear water and flush the tank after the initial dumping of the black water. Then add your chemicals.    HAPPY DUMPING  

Thanks,I have not been following the rinse cycle like you said,didn't after last use,so,that is probably the deal.I will try the rinse,then bleach/water or tank deodorizer.Because: I think you aren't supposed to mix bleach with any other chemicals,right?

Anyway,thanks for the dumping deals.

I have one of the wands also, but after I heard about the ice trick, I stopped using it. I like handling the ice much better.

Several of our buddies use beer instead of chemicals in their tanks. They said they always have it on hand so it is just easy to do. No chemical smell OR dirty potty smell in their LQ. But, they dump immediately after each trip. I HATE handling the sewer hose and dumping so I will use the trailer several weekends before dumping.That creates a NEED for chemicals! So, if you pass me on the interstate heading home, you can pretty well assume that I am full of crap more often than not!

Looks to me like the "Fresh Water" tank should be drained and left open to atmosphere when not in use. So it can dry out, I know my white plastic farm spray tanks will grow "cooties" if they are left closed up with no bleach in them. Contact your nearest RV dealer, they'll know.

There's folks on here that know from experience, stand by, they'll be here directly!!

Thanks, I will wait on the troops!

I do leave the drians open on everything having to do with the fresh water. ie; water heater, even the shower and sink fauset are left open.

It is additive made especially for the gray water tank,check it and you will find it,in a little 'jug' bottle.

I am quiet certain that you mean to say "gray" water tank instead of fresh water,which,as you know,needs nothing in it but water and then,left open rest of the time.I prefer to drink bottled water when traveling or water brought from home that's been through my water filter.

That stuff works pretty good. I have had water in my tanks from other places that will end up with an odor if you leave it in your fresh tank for very long. Came home from Jackson a few years ago and left some water in there for a few weeks. Took me forever to get the odor out. It ended up smelling like sulfur.

Bleach works well for eliminating the smells in a fresh water system and will help kill some of the bacteria that grows in stagnant water. The owner's manual of my LQ recommends this practice and commercial airliners also have the same service to keep the potable water system "fresh" and disinfected.

After using the bleach, a few flushings with water will eliminate the bleach smell.

Gard

Many thanks ya'll, will try it this week and let you know how it works.

No. The term "Blue Juice" that I used, is gleaned from its usage within the aircraft industry. All our lavs were serviced with water mixed with a blue disinfectant concentrate. Instead of the customers hearing some vulgar names of what it represented, we used this term. It was blue going in, and brown juice when it needed to be dumped and serviced.

The blue disinfectant commonly available at RV suppliers and Wal Mart etc, is mixed with water to sanitize the waste (black) holding tank for the toilet. It is very close to what the airlines use and I carried the term over to my private usage.

The bleach or "Clorox" is used in the fresh water supply tank to eliminate bacteria, sanitize stale water, and get rid of the odor and taste created by long term storage of water in a closed container.

I have never tried or needed the addition of a bleach in our waste holding tanks. After the tanks are dumped, we always add a gallon or so of water mixed with enough disinfectant concentrate for a full tank. This is kept in our waste tanks at all times. We never store them dry, and have had no dry accumulation or malodorous problems.

Hope I didn't confuse you with my terms.

Gard

Those would have to be dumped before wintertime,tho,wouldn't they.

I thought the Clorox would be just as fine.I've tried putting the additive in it between uses,and it didn't seem to do as well.Maybe it wasn't flushed out too good to begin with after the last trip.

Thanks, I think I understand your terms......

I am going to try bleach this weekend in the fresh water tank.  The "black and  gray" tanks I have not had any problems with, but I do dump it after every use and add a little  something back into it like you talked about.  I just can not seem to keep the smell out of the fresh water tank, just because of my well at home!  We are treating it this weekend also.