Holding tank fluid.

seabeagle · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 8:29 pm Post subject: Holding tank fluid.

Where can I find a good deal for holding tank fluid? The other year I got some West Marine brand at 2 gallons for 20 bucks. Now it's 25 a gallon. I've also seen a couple of homemade solutions, are any of these with a try?

Holding tank fluid

Remedy 1

100 ml MYO disinfectant
1 cup Borax dissolved in hot water
1 cup Cloudy Ammonia
Add water to 2 litres
120 to 150 per toilet change

Remedy 2

1 litre of Pine of Clean
1 litre of Cloudy Ammomia
1 Cup of Borax
1 Litre of warm water

Mix Borax and water then add the rest

Remedy 3

Bottle cloudy Ammonia
Bottle Eucalyptus.
and Borax
Makes a few litres though

Remedy 4

Mix together 1/4 cup washing soda and 1/4 cup borax with a bit of water and add to the holding tank. (The ingredients are readily available from a supermarket). You can add some kind of perfume to the rinse tank if you want a fresh smell. The liquid toilet cleaners that clip onto a plastic holder on the toilet rim, and "clean" when you flush can be utilised. Simply pierce the cap and squeeze a bit into the holding tank.

Remedy 5

Several caravan forums have had positive feedback on the following home made toilet chemical recipe:-

Woolworth’s home brand Nappy Treatment Plus is the favoured product or you could try Coles Napicare Plus. These products state they are phosphate free, biodegradable to Australian Standards 4351 and safe for septic tanks. The products contain sodium percarbonate (made up of hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate which acts as a sanitizer, deodoriser and descaler) and this breaks down to oxygen, water and sodium carbonate upon decomposition.

1 lid full ( or 2 tablespoons) of nappy treatment plus to ½ litre of warm water and stir until dissolved. Pour into bottom holding tank/toilet 20ltr cassette.

Most travellers use nothing in the top ‘flush’ tank but some add 1 tablespoon of the nappy treatment plus (dissolved) into the flush tank.

As with any chemical use caution. Material Data Sheets indicate the ingredients can cause skin and eye irritation. Avoid inhaling the dust and medical treatment should be sought if swallowed.

Captains Cat · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 8:57 pm Post subject:

How big is your "holding tank"? It's a Porta Pottie.!!Why use anything in the upper at all? Drop a packet in the lower half and your problems are solved for very little...

A non-problem IMHO... To many recipes for me to assimilate!!

Charlie

seabeagle · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:16 pm Post subject:

Yes it's a portable. However, not to sound as dumb as I am but, what's a packet?

teflonmom · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:23 pm Post subject: Ho;ding tank

We have used a prooduct we buy at Walmart. It is called
Camperchem. It comes as a dry power and also as a liquid. Do not buy the one that is in the green box. The blue box stuff works best. You get about 10 bags for 7or 8 bucks.

Just put a little water in the bottom of the potty and add the bag of Camperchem. Use only fresh water in the top tank.
Hint-If you do not put TP in the pot it will dump very easy. Just put your TP in a baggie and throw out with the trash.
When we see a Jiffy John on the shore it becomes our potty dump.

Aurelia · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 11:29 pm Post subject:

We use and generic Pine Sol type cleaner poured straight into the lower tank and it seems to work very well. I read that recommendation a number of places and even if it stresses the seam over time, I will simply replace it. It does what I want and that is fight stink and lube the contents for easy/thorough pump outs.

starcrafttom · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:23 am Post subject:

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:54 am Post subject:

tpbrady · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 10:58 am Post subject:

Joe,

I would award you a Masters in Practical Engineering. To get a PHD you will have to destroyed a chemistry lab at least once.

While we are on the subject, what is the downside of using saltwater in a porta potti?

Sea Wolf · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:26 pm Post subject:

Captains Cat · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:26 pm Post subject:

Grumpy · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 2:38 pm Post subject:

As anyone who has a marine head and holding tank can testify, it's not the stuff that humans put in there that stinks (assuming you do use some chemical), it is the decomposition of all the marine life in the salt water we use to flush. So salt water in a porta-potti is probably not the best solution.

For this reason alone I have installed an additional 14G fresh water tank for flushing with a "T" valve so I can use salt if I have to. It does make a difference.

M

tpbrady · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:32 pm Post subject:

I've used salt water quite often with the additive in the bottom tank. I know there is all kind of stuff in salt water that can grow but my porta potti hand pump didn't work, so we used a pitcher and salt water. After the last trip, I got tired of the hastle with the holding tank and macerator and decided to move technology back one step and go with a porta potti. My wife consented as she heard me keep grumbling about the complexity of the 25 versus the 22. I already removed the hot water heater. The first impression is the porta potti fits the space better is taller so easier to sit on and much simpler of course.

Grumpy · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:33 am Post subject:

I suspect that your porta potti gets emptied a bit more frequently than a holding tank so salt water is probably fine. Also, holding tanks have long hoses which become semi permeable (at least to odors) with time and never seem to empty completely so fresh water really does make a difference.

Yup. it's a PITA to carry all that extra weight but it's better than the stink.

M

seabeagle · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 3:44 pm Post subject:

Could someone help me turn the great lakes into salt water? Or is there a cheap alternative?

Captains Cat · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:32 pm Post subject: