Black Tank RV

08/13/2023

10 Rules for RV Black Tank Care
1. Always keep your black tank valve closed, unless you’re dumping a 2/3 or a full tank.
2. treat your black holding tank with a high-quality bacteria and enzyme treatment (such as Unique RV Digest-It) after each dump.
3. Always keep several inches of water in your toilet bowl (unless driving).
4. Always fill your toilet bowl with water before you use the toilet (hold down pedal for 10 seconds).
5. Use ample amounts of water each time you flush your toilet.
6. Dump your tanks every 4-5 days for optimum odor control.
7. Flush your holding tank for 20-30 minutes with the built-in tank-rinsers, a backflusher, or toilet rinsing wand every 3-5 dumps.
8. Avoid cleaning your toilets with chemicals or bleach.
9. Professionally perform a deep clean on your black tank twice per year (season start and season end).
10. Never store your RV with waste in the tanks.

08/11/2023

6 Rules For Grey Tank / Galley Tank Care | RV Hook-Up Campers
1. Deep clean grey tanks at the beginning and end of the camping season using a strong grease-eating cleaner like Dawn Ultra dish soap. Do not use antibacterial products or bleach!
2. For direct hook-up campers, close your grey tank valve connected to the campground sewer. If you decide to leave the grey tank valve open consider adding a p-trap in the sewer hose to prevent campground sewer odors or gasses entering the rv.
3. Use high-quality grease-eating dish soap like Dawn or Dawn Ultra to wash your dishes.
4. Minimize the amount of food, grease, and debris that goes down your kitchen and bathroom drains. Scrape your dishes.
5. Avoid cleaning your sinks, tub, or showers with bleach or antibacterial products.
6. Always empty and deep clean your grey/galley tanks before storing your RV.

08/10/2023

https://youtu.be/If9lRtfzZkY

08/09/2023

08/03/2023

Picture this: a small pool of water in a pristine, grassy location; and a cute faced, little spotted baby deer lapping at the pool of water. Got the image? Good. In my pre-retirement years I was tasked with managing the environmental concerns for a large energy company in Northern Alberta. Managing those concerns involved both informing management and educating the work force on environmental sensitivities and our impact on those sensitivities, especially wildlife. Still have that image? “Oily rags are not chew toys for wildlife” was a common posting to remind all of our potential wildlife impact. As rv’ers we too have a role to play in minimizing our environmental impact, especially to wildlife. Our waste holding tanks have limited capacity and at times they need to be emptied. As the grey water tank fills up more often than the black tank we have a dilemma; do we go to a sani dump location or simply open our grey and let it go. No one can see us and it is only shower water so what the big deal? It is not simply shower water! It is fats, grease, oils, vegetable scraps, hair, skin, soaps and shampoos. None of which I would like to consume or see animals drinking it. It is also prohibited in Alberta and possibly in all provinces. So take the time, empty your tanks at an actual sani dump location and do not allow grey water pools to appear in those pristine, grassy locations. It does have an impact on our environment. Still have that picture?

07/29/2023

Call me at (780) 897-1874 and pick up your tank treatment today only $35.00 for 16 tank treatments.

Tired of your RV smelling like a frat house bathroom? Hydrojet that black tank with Black Tank RV!

07/22/2023

Rv waste tank gate valves. This post is the result of a call I received today with an individual with potentially serious gate valve issues. Two main types of gate valves used on rvs are the cable pull and outlet or termination valve located at the discharge end of the waste system. On this type of pull you pull the lever, you can see the mechanical parts - easy repair if damaged or plugged. Not with the cable pull. The cables are attached to a gate valve routed neatly within the belly bag of the rv. Your only access and or viewing is with the handle and start of the cable. Although both types have a handle (usually grey colored for grey tank and black for the black tank) the cable pull are very or can be very problematic if not properly maintained. If you are finding (with cable pulls) that the handle is very sticky or will not move at all it is likely you have either a problem with gate valve (material build-up or the cable itself may be seized. Be careful trying to open the valve. Pulling to hard on the valve could break the handle or god for bid; pull the cable from the gate valve. This will result in a costly repair and a time consuming job. Your system needs to be cleaned; tank, lines and gate valves for both the grey and black. If moving is not an option I would suggest adding a lubricant to both the inside and outside of the gate valves and an additive such as Digest-it RV treatment to "eat up" the build-up. How? Glad you asked. Spray the pull and upper portion of the cable pull with WD 40 or similar lubricant. Now the inside of the valve. Since we do not want you putting oil or similar lubracant into the tank; dump dish soap (dawn preferred) into the tank. It acts as a lubricant and a surfactant to reduce material adheriing to the valve or tank walls. Maybe a full cup right into the toilet or sink depending on the tank problem in question. This is not a quick fix. Add water if possible and let it work its way to the valve. I could go on and on and on and on and on, but if more clarification is needed please call me. The best option is stop by and see me with your rv at Evergreen Park Campground and I will definately help you out.

07/21/2023

When we reference our RV solid waste holding tank; what do we mean by solid waste? During the previous three years of cleaning rv waste tanks I have come across a wide variety of Items that DO NOT meet the solid waste criteria for deposit into your rv holding tanks. Here is a list of items found that should not be found during the tank cleaning process: baby wipes, handi-wipes, paper towels, feminine products, toothpaste tubes, toothpaste tube caps, small containers, disposable razors, razor blades, wood, ci******es, coins, screws, paper currency, mold and live insect larvae. No, I am not kidding they were actually removed from the black tank. Inserting anything other than bodily waste into your tank can create clogs, line plugs, additional odors and potential damage your termination gate valve leading to unwanted leaks. If you have any questions or concerns don/t hesitate in sending me a text or call me.

07/16/2023

Grab yourself a coffee and maybe a doughnut, sit back and check out these guides from the makers of RV Digest-It waste treatment. Everything you want to know about managing your rv black and grey holding tanks.
uniquecampingmarine.com/tanks
uniquecampingmarine.com/clog
uniquecampingmarine.com/deepclean
uniquecampingmarine.com/uniquemethod

07/14/2023

RV waste tank or on-board septic system? Your rv waste holding tanks are simply that - holding tanks. They will hold your waste until such a time as they become full. They then need to be dumped into an existing septic tank which is part of a septic system which includes seperation of materials, bacterial treatment and bio-degradation of waste material. Now back to your rv. Where some septic systems may require addidtional bacterial treatment to aid degradation, your holding tanks under normal conditions do not require additional bacterial treatment - ever. You need enough water to keep waste fluid, thus easily dumped, is all that is required. Then why do we add treatment to our tanks? Simply because we do not function under normal conditions. In most cases water is a comodity (such as dry camping) that we limit therefore not enough is put into the toilet or when camped at a full hookup site (leave our gate valves open to free drain). Not enough water, solids buildup and odors linger. This is not a good habitat to get into. So now, we add the treatment to speed up solids breakdown so it will readilly flow in the dumping process especially with the limited water that we use in our tanks.

07/12/2023

Rv toilet paper - raise your hand if you want to know what toilet paper is best for your rv (and you). Okay, I’ll tell you. There is no right or wrong choice of toilet paper products for use in your rv. A sensitive derriere may choose a cushioned two-ply; where a not so fussy one may settle on an inexpensive one-ply. An environmentally conscious individual on the other hand, may yet settle only for a readily, bio-degradable (expensive) product. The choice is all up to you. Your RV holding tank is not that fussy. What the tank does need is - yes you guessed it, say it with me - WATER. If you have been following my posts you will have noticed that water is the magic elixir in and for an rv black or grey holding tank. In a follow-up you post I will talk about holding tank vs septic tank to help you better understand your rv waste tank. Stop by the office at the Evergreen Park Campground and say hi.