Posted 2009-01-14 1:42 AM (#97464) Subject: Black tank sanitizer dissolves pipes
Member
Posts: 15
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Has anyone heard of the small packets from Walmart melting the plastic drain pipes? I have a PVC-like drain pipe from the curbside (under toilet black tank) to the driver side drain valve. Each trip I treat the system with an orange packet and add about a gallon of water. The tank gets emptied every 3rd trip or so. It looks like the 4" pipe has melted in one 1"X3" area. My cooking isn't that bad, so I suspect the orange pack did not dissolve, got stuck in the pipe and erroded it. I'd like to make this a one-time event-does my theory sound right?
Posted 2009-01-14 4:58 AM (#97465 - in reply to #97464) Subject: RE: Black tank sanitizer dissolves pipes
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
I believe your theory sounds right and I have a few questions.
Did you drop the packet in the black tank through the toilet and directly into the black tank?
Was there water in the black tank or was it empty?
Is the damaged area on the bottom of the pipe?
Is there a chance it was just a bad spot in the pipe that missed quality control before it left the factory?
Anyone been working on the trailer lately and hung a work light near the pipe while they were working?
PVC pipe is historically pretty tuff stuff. It takes a lot to damage it and will take a lot of abuse. I've seen evidence of really nasty stuff going through PVC pipe in waste water treatment plants and was amazed at how durable PVC is in caustic environments. I'm not discounting the fact that the orange packet didn't damage your pipe, just wondering what the conditions were and if there are any other possibilities?
Posted 2009-01-14 5:27 AM (#97467 - in reply to #97464) Subject: RE: Black tank sanitizer dissolves pipes
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
What is the name of the tank sanitizer?.... Most of them say flush them into the tank with at least 5 gallons of water. Guess that would wash all the residue out of the pipes and into the tank. Sounds like that orange pack must have been full of.... LYE!! That stuff will burn through a plastic pipe like a torch.
Posted 2009-01-14 9:02 AM (#97473 - in reply to #97464) Subject: RE: Black tank sanitizer dissolves pipes
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
That's a really good link Gary, with relevant and accurate information. Thank you.
We've always used the blue liquid concentrate mixed with a little liquid dish washing detergent. Before our trips, we dump in a couple of gallons of water and add the chemicals. Before the tanks are dumped, we always add water to make sure they are at least half full. The tanks have always flushed clean, produced no odors nor have there been any mechanical issues.
We are careful to use "RV" toilet paper, after a friend experienced clogging problems in his dump valves, when using standard paper that didn't quickly decompose. When we were at Congress looking at LQs, one of the salesmen was using his toilet as a garbage can. Paper towels, cups and napkins were all dumped into the toilet. When I asked him about his activities, he replied that the next day he would be in a different part of the country, and was only concerned about how clean things now looked inside the LQ. I'm glad I wasn't the one to clean up that mess.
Posted 2009-01-14 9:48 AM (#97475 - in reply to #97473) Subject: RE: Black tank sanitizer dissolves pipes
Elite Veteran
Posts: 792 Location: East Tennessee, USA, Planet Earth
Originally written by gard on 2009-01-14 9:02 AM
We are careful to use "RV" toilet paper
Use Scott's TP, it's what all the RV'ers use and sworn by. My rule for the RV potty is "if it didn't go in your mouth and out your body...it don't go in the potty!".
Black tank sanitizer dissolves pipes
