Cassette toilet additives
I was always led to believe that a cassette toilet should not be emptied into the normal household sewage system via the household toilet or whatever as the chemicals, formaldehyde possibly, killed the good bacteria at the sewage works that broke down the waste. Is that still the case as modern toilet chemicals are formaldehyde free? A lot of people seem to be using Bio Pods that you would normally use in a washing machine as an alternative to the dedicate waste tank fluid. That is obviously safe to put down domestic drains but do they do the job the purpose made chemicals do?
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I believe, though I'm not certain, that Thetford and AquaChem are formaldehyde free, while Elsan's fluid did once contain it, they seem to be focussed on organic fluids now which they claim to exceed British Standards. We use bio pods which are frequently recommended on this forum, and are cheaper. If you are concerned about a specific product, then it's ingredients, or the manufacturers contact details can be found on the internet.
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As far as I know. You shouldn't empty a toilet cassette with blue chemicals into a septic tank. That's where it might kill the bacteria. In a mains sewage system it is going to be so diluted that it won't do any harm. Also as far as I know Elsan blue still contains formaldehyde. The 2015 msds indicates that it does. A quick look at the Elsan site will show that only the blue fluid makes any claims regarding British standards and killing bacteria. Then green fluid makes non specific claims about reducing smells and more marketing BS ( not British standard )
I know that this is a unpopular position. But I put nasty poisonous toxic chemicals into my toilet cassette. Because they kill the nasty potentially pathogenic bacteria that I put into the toilet.
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I have a very elderly septic tank and feel much better emptying bio pod waste from the cassette than the blue (which I used to do but with no apparent ill effects). Each to their own Boff - but unless you have tried the bio pods you won't know how well they break down matter - and make the emptying easier - so it certainly indicates they work better!
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I think that this breaking down of matter is a bit of a con. Toilet paper is designed to breakdown in water and so will fecal waste. It is impossible to state the level of bacterial contamination without doing a microbiological analysis As you say each to their own. Friends of ours who have moved to Spain say they can't use biological washing detergent because apparently it can contaminate the septic tank.
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You can definitely buy 'green' additives that allow you to put the waste in the sceptic tank. As someone has already said the liquid is coloured green to allow you to differentiate from the more common blue.
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My feeling is that emptying the waste into a toilet or chemical waste point feeding into the mains is not a problem as the dilution by the time it gets there is enough to prevent it doing any damage. Non bio ones emptying into a septic tank probably are a problem though and this should be avoided.
Some people swear by bio pods but how something designed to clean clothes can work in a toilet I have no idea so it is simply guess work as to their real effectiveness.
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Earlier this year I went to Carradale Bay A S on Kintyre, Scotland and the on-line information, and my visit to Reception clearly stated "ONLY GREEN" chemicals to be used !! I complied like any good Club member would, but I never bothered asking if Green referred to the Ecological Quality, or just to the colour
BUT before I posted this I checked my memory bank and at Culloden at the end of last century, the new arrivals were given the usual hand-outs which contained one leaflet ( which I still have !! ) saying ONLY BLUE chemicals to be used.
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....but, no doubt, even more of a rip off price than that in a bottle....and i bet they dont keep the cassette in 'as new' condition
yes, they are undoubtedly more convenient, as are the Aldi/Lidl pods, but at around £2.30 for 20 the supermarket pods are fantastic value and IMV, do a better job.
i still have a bottle and a half of Thetford blue in my garage which is unlikely to be ever used.
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yes me too, I notice that Dometic do them now as well.
No more measuring the required dose and usually (in my case) spilling it.
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My (as was) head of chemistry did try and explain it, unsuccessfully in my case,something to do with enzymes breaking the stuff down in the same way they break down stains (such as blood). He did say it should work very well.
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I like the way it says keep the emptying away from fresh water points....how many sites have them next to each other?
Rather worryingly they now seem to be immediately adjacent at Troutbeck Head....??
On my last trip there the drinking water taps have been moved indoors I think right next to the Chemical toilet Waste dump. It worried me at the time as I can easily imagine somebody offering up the filler of their cassette tank to the drinking water tap to do a rinse.......
I assumed it was to bring the taps in from potentially freezing cold, but worrying from a hygiene point of view.......
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Certainly Aqua Chem Blue is formaldehyde free. See: https://www.thetford-europe.com/aqua-kem-blue-best-performing-toilet-additive-formaldehyde-free/ (Apologies: phone is not allowing me to add active links today, for some reason)
David
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According to this link http://www.superkem.co.uk/about-us/ Elsan Blue does still contain formaldehyde.
They say that the blue does not stain?
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At a municipal site in France two weeks ago I saw the following notice by the chemical toilet emptying point:
ENVIRONMENTAL INFO
Banish the Blue - a dangerous product which hardly biodegrades
Prefer the "Green" label Ecolabel certified
Even better for the environment and cheaper - Copper Sulphate (1 ts per tank)
Best - the SOG system which only uses air.
I have never heard of using Copper Sulphate and don't know how easy it is to get.
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despite being converts to the Bio Pod method, we also have a SOG (with roof chimney) fitted to our van so, if the site required it, we could easily run 'sans additives'
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We started using the Thetford ones about 15 years ago as they were formaldehyde free, we have also tried the Elsan ones which seem to be similar, but cheaper.
This year OH spotted the Dometic ones in our local accessory shop, they were actually cheaper than any others,so she bought a tub of the green sachets in case any of the sites required only green to be used, but we have not yet had occasion to try them.
So much easier to use than the liquid, and less weight to carry too, more expensive, but worth it.
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....but Kjell, is your cassette as spotless as the day you bought it?
the bio tabs do the same job as the proprietry sachets, far cheaper, just as clean and convenient to use, and keep the cassette as new.
all the time i was using the big branded stuff, the cassette suffered from 'limescale' deposits, even on the opening mechanism.
after just five 'cycles' with Lidl pods, the cassette was spotlessly clean.
i guess these washing machine formulae have anti-limescale properties to prevent build up in machines in hard water areas....like Somerset
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Yes.....as we had to get a new one!
OH is also trying out the bio pods, we have the Lidl ones, But we also have the blue and green sachets with us, just in case.
I was merely agreeing with DSB and Corners that the blue/green sachets are much easier to use than the liquids.
The jury is still out on the use of the bio pods.
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lol, perhaps Ill flog my spare Thetford 'stuff' on ebay
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yes agree so much easier. Also I keep the tub inside the toilet compartment, there's a small useless for anything else cupboard under the sink where the tub is kept, so we fill the new water while emptying and just drop a sachet in side the van
(yes I wash my hands first, and after putting them in too)
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