Flush tank additives
I recently started using biological liquitabs to add to our waste tank. I found that they worked well with little difference between them and the expensive stuff you can buy in caravan dealers.
I was wondering has anyone any experience with additives to the flush tank? I would have thought that any suitable wetting agent would do? Has anyone tried washing up liquid...or am I being naïve? I tried car screen wash and that seems to work very well but it's not cheap and a lot more expensive than washing up liquid!
Any advice?
Many thanks,
Bob D.
Comments
-
We too much prefer the bio tabs for the black waste tank
. Our flush comes direct from our water tank so we add nothing. On the old lost thread I recall fabric softner, such as comfort lenor being suggested and used for the flush tank.0 -
I just bought a bargain pack of Formil Bio Tabs in Lidl - and as Bakers2 has said many use fabric softener - I am using up pink stuff in stock at present but I will try fabric softener. I have also thought of putting zoflora or something in a spray bottle (that would be handy while stopping off on a journey too.
Some people have worried about the seals - but logic tells me that a washing machine has seals so they should be ok!
I think you will find more on Caravan and Motorhome Chat somewhere.
0 -
I'm reading this and assuming that we are talking about the waste tank being the toilet cassette tank. We met a fellow motor-homer in France who was in a hired van that came issued with washing machine capsules to be used in the toilet cassette. We tried it, but are using up our "Blue Diamond" stuff. It has a more potent pong.
0 -
As far as I am concerned the WASTE TANK is the
removable part of the toilet and is that part which
we take to the "Emptying Point" to empty & flush out.
It is this part that you add your Blue Or Green Fluids
or in the case of some of us, place the gel filled
BIO PODS. { Dometic have started selling gel filled
pods but I have never used or studied their contents
but I suspect they are similar to the fluids, just more
convenient and at Dometic Prices !!}
The Flush tank is, if fitted, filled thro it's own filling
point, where water & any deodorising / sterilising
agent can be added.
Many of those who. like me, have no separate Flush
Tank, draw the flushing water direct from the one
main water tank. and carry a separate Spray Bottle
containing diluted "Pink" fluid, or general household
cleaner like Zoflora or similar -- which ever aroma
you prefer !! I suppose it could be the weak
Comfort, Lenor or similar solution.
Brian
1 -
Hmm I would be doubtful about using washing up liquid in the tank - you might create a lot of bubbles! Would you put that in you cystern at home? But then I guess you wouldn't put fabric softener in it either!
It seems that modern MHs have the flush tank connected to their onboard tanks so they can't add anything to the flush - but I prefer something a little fragrant!
1 -
I use Aldi bio pods in the waste tank which I find far more efficient to blue and fabric conditioner by Aldi in the flush tank. . It's highly scented and keeps things smelling sweet. I also like the idea of zoflora in a spray around the bowl - that also works. Don't use detergent, you'll have suds! - especially if you have a 'cling on' and you are doing the 'waste tank shake' LOL! You shouldn't have with bio pods- they break things down pretty well!!
0 -
Daft question I'm sure, but this thread seems to be a good place to ask.
But will following any of the above advice of using products other than "normal" toilet fluids etc invalidate any form of warrenty (if there is any?) on a 2017 caravan with a "Thetford C260 toilet with electric flush and 18 litre wheeled waste tank" What ever that might be?
Never had this problem with a trailer tent but a caravan is a whole new ball game.
May want to stand well clear of the "unsure guy" peering down the waste pipe of a C260 at the empty point!
0 -
I used to put the pink stuff in the flush tank and always got lots of black bits at the start of every trip. This could probably have been avoided if I'd bothered to drain the tank and flush it with clean water at the end of each holiday/trip but, alas, I never did. Once the last bottle of pink stuff ran out I didn't buy any more. Having used water only to flush for the last 18 months, there's been no black bits and no smell (that the additive was supposed to deal with).
0 -
I think the point of the tabs - for me at least is the pleasant smell. Plus I rather think Ecover is non biological so it wouldn't work. (I use ecover at home for my laundry although am almost converted to tabs for that too). I definitely wouldn't use soap in the flush tank either.
I am not sure how likely warranty work is on the cassette - the seals are inexpensive really and the only problem I have had is one leaking because the two halves of the cassette - came apart - at the seam. Hideously messy that was and the dealer kept saying I must have traveled with the blade open. I suspect it could have been frost damage or a faulty cassette in the first place. As a matter of fact - I might not have discovered that if I had been using Tabs at the time - I just spotted the blue coming out of the seam when emptying it. But that wouldn't send me back to blue nowadays!
0 -
We tend to use pink stuff, but I get the cheaper stuff that is branded by one of our more local caravan/ camping stores - Jacksons of Arley. We've had no black bits using this. See HERE
David
0 -
Not all pink additive allows bacteria/black bits to form, Thetford does, but Elsan pink/red certainly does not, i use it all the time now.
What do you want ? To encourage bacterial action or to stop it.
For me i use fluids that stop it, and kills as many germs as possible.
For that, the cost of traditional fluids, i always use Elsan Blue, is worth it.
0 -
The black bits do indeed grow in the "pink flush fluid", I experimented by draining it off into a cleaned mineral water bottle at the end of the 2016 season. checked it in April 2017 and it was full of black bits and streamers that looked like floating cobwebs.
0 -
I'm not sure what to do for best when it comes to flush tank additives. I posted on another thread that I had recently noticed a lot of gunge developing at the top of the flush tank after using various makes of pink additive for the last two years. Sure enough, when I cleaned the tank out using a bio pod, there were bits of black developing - which have now been cleaned out. The idea of using a fabric softener has its appeal - especially as my wife complains that using just water tends to result in a smelly toilet. However, when our last washing machine was being repaired, the engineer said that he never uses fabric softeners in his washing machine because they contain fats and this is what causes the black gunge to develop in the dispenser tray (and the rest of the machine) particularly if it is used regularly on a low temperature wash. So - it would appear that whatever you use, is going to cause problems. The spray bottle seems to be the best solution!
0 -
I do find it strange that caravanners have been talked into buying additives for the flush tank where the contents are going straight to waste but very few indeed add anything to the Aquaroll, much of which is going to be swallowed by the caravanners.
0 -
The only reason I started to use bio pods was because a member posted that they could be used. I thought I would try it and I found that the 'break down' of the solids was much more efficient particularly if the tank is swirled (do this with care and make sure your seals are in good condition!!!) before the emptying process. I found that I wasn't fighting a 'cling on' and cursing under my breath ' come out you bugger!'while filling it with fresh water another 2 or 3 times to achieve a cleared tank! Everything was liquified and emptied really well. It doesn't happen every time but it is generally much better than blue and I don't have to worry about an accidental spill which would be a disaster! That alone was worth the experiment. I use a highly scented fabric conditioner in the flush tank and have a small spray bottle of zoflora around the bowl if needed. Can't see me going back to blue and pink ......or EHU for that matter
2 -
Previously I used the pink additive made by Blue Diamond and had a problem with black bits, to such an extent that the bits blocked the pump and stopped it working, so no more pink additive.
I would be happy to use Lidl bio pods in the waste tank, but not in my flushing header tank, because the bio liquid is contained in the clear gel like sachet. Even though it is 'meant' to dissolve it could still block the pump if it doesn't dissolve fully.
0 -
im glad we dont have a flush header tank.....soooo many different options....
the black waste tank os currently on Aldi Almat bio gel pods (lavender, we like to try different ones.....
) but i dont think they are as good as the Lidl bio gel pods.i only tried Aldi as we have a new store nearby, back to Lidl when these run out.
incidently, for those who travel abroad, i could find any (marked) bio pods in Lidl in Spain, so will take a supply with me next time.
0
!!
!!
