Flush tank additives
Comments
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Don't use washing up liquid or you'll have a dull bowl, and white plastic will stain. A small amount of fabric softener works well. We have a SOG vented ceramic toilet and need no additives top or bottom in theory, however I add a bio detergent pod to the cassette to avoid calcium coating building up.
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Bio pods in the bottom, Zoflora in the top
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Just bought some Tesco own brand bio pods.
£3.25 for 20
They aren't described as having an exotic smell like a lot of these things are, but they didn't have any brand of bio pods with a particular smell.
The non-bio ones were all flower scented, lavender scented etc.
Is this different in other supermarkets?
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Why top tanks have separate or no additives is because there are parts in the pump that might be damaged. Washing up liquid will corrode metal parts which is why it shouldn't be used for gas leak detecting. Also some additives will react with the chemical in the bottom tank. So use the right stuff or nothing. There are available additives that go in both tanks, albeit at different dilutions. I use Elsan Organic in both and find there is no chemical smell and less staining of the bowl. It's also OK when emptying.
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We've used http://www.bluebio.co.uk/ on our one serious trip so far and will happily continue doing so. It's not the cheapest, but has much to recommend it.
We had no smell problem, it's the same stuff for both top tank and receiving tank, and, very important for us, it's not a harsh chemical going back into the land. It counts as sewage, and as such, bio-degrades.
They reckon it doesn't actually need a special chemical disposal point, and can be safely emptied into an ordinary loo if that's the only thing available; they also claim it outperforms many of the standard chemical products, which leave destructive remains in the environment we're all so keen to enjoy.
Best wishes,
Richard
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Mrs H bought some pods that she assured me were Bio.
Her basis for this was that they came in a green container and they had two separate liquids (green and blue) within the pod.
I said that unless they actually say "Bio" on the packaging, they aren't Bio.
But who is correct?
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Hi, I'm no expert but I seem to remember when I first learned to drive many years ago that you should not use Washing Up Liquid in your Screen Wash bottle in a car as it is corrosive to the Windscreen rubber seals. For this reason I would be cautious about using it in any part of your Caravan toilet system. Whilst on the subject, and forgive me if I am teaching anyone to suck eggs, but I always spread a thin layer of vaseline over the sliding rubber disk (the bit that allows waste to drop into the tank when you pull the leaver) on our toilet cassette when the caravan is not going to be in use for any period of time. Apparently, the rubber disk will perish if allowed to go bone dry. Hope this helps and does not insult more experienced caravanners than I.
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I've just browsed this topic and it's set me thinking:-
Are alternatives e.g. washing up liquid, windscreen fluid, bio pods etc of any detriment to site disposal systems?
Also, washing up liquid, especially the cheaper brands, can contain sodium (salt) which can accelerate corrosion.
I've always been led to believe that vaseline is harmful to Thetford seals and that a better alternative is a smear of cooking oil. Just a thought.
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We've used a recommended lubricant - Silicone (not Vaseline or washing up liquid or paraffin wax) to spray the seals, since we first owned our caravan. The manufacturers produce their own, but pick up the tin, read it, and buy a proprietary product with the same silicone! We've replaced the seal once in 17 years, so we must be doing something right.
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Vaseline can rot rubber seals and is not recommended. The correct thing to use is silicone as ValDa says. I use a tube of Silicone grease which I have had for donkey’s years but a spray is just as good. Also for use on O Rings such as the submersible pump connection on the outside of the van.
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I used to get black bits in my flush water, mainly when I used cheaper substitutes to Elsan and Thetford etc. But a couple of years ago the problem seemed to go away and my dealers told me that the Two leading brands had changed their chemical formulae.
In similar form I find that the cheaper and "special deal" Blue liquid is not as effective in controlling odours as the Two main manufacturers Elsan & Thetford.
I accept that I might be wasting money, but there you are. Its all about consumer confidence I suppose! I might be literally pouring money down the drain, but hey I'm happy!
TF
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My wife recently bought a pack of biological liquitabs from Tesco. She was a little curious as to why they were in a different box to the old ones so she did a little investigation and weighed them individually. Guess what? They weigh a 1/3 less than the old ones! I guess I'm a little cynical so I suspect that's why some caravan WC's are a little more smelly than before!
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Using biological pods seems like a great idea for toilet cassette.
This might seem a daft question but are the pods put in whole, or do you need to burst them, for them to be effective ?
Thanks
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Just drop one in whole and it's coating will dissolve with a bit of agitation. When leaving a site and heading home I always put 2 in with the hot water that I drain off the van, and this helps to clean the cassette on the road home. Then empty the contents down out toilet the following day.
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Many thanks, that's great.
I take it that these pods can be used in lieu ( oops !) of the chemicals that are added to digest the sewage, as well as being used to clean the cassette while on the move, as you say ?
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Yes they are used instead of the fluid, and break up the sewage just as well if not better.
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Yes I agree with Nellie- I think the pods break up the solids much better. Personally, I find Lidl biopods in the green box of 20 the best and so cheap. I have read of other people using pods from Waitrose and other supermarkets and not being impressed with them at all because of the smell. Lidl pods seem to have much more going for them.
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We do the same and have done for over a year along with Aldi Bio pods it works very well.
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Do you use to classic Zoflora, or one of the new scented ones?
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for MHers with a grey waste tank, a pod or two can be added via an inspection hatch to freshen up the grey tank as you drive home.
works in the same way as described above for the cassette.
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Exactly what I do in our caravan. I add the hot water that I drain off from the van to aid the cleaning action.
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?? Certainly, I ain't got all these years under my belt by taking risks like that 
