Bio pods

wye

What's the general opinion on using bio pods in the toilet cassette  ?

Tinwheeler

I'd not try it but I’m outnumbered by others who swear by it.

Just do your own thing.

SteveL

We decided to start using them with our MH, having read about them on CT. We were very impressed with how well they worked. Plus when in France it was east to nip to Lidl and top up when we ran low. I suppose any bio pod would do, but the Lidl one seemed to be the pod of choice on here. They of course also work equally well if you need to do any washing.

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hitchglitch

We prefer Aquachem but the pods can be useful if you can’t get hold of the chemical. 

brue

We've used them but have gone back to the bottled stuff. 

nelliethehooker

I tend to use a combination of pods and blue/green chemicals. Whenever changing site and when returning home I use the pods as they clean out the holding tank as well as doing the business on site, as it were. I always carry a small bottle of the green fluid for use on sites that request it's use. 

Takethedogalong

We use mainly bio pods. Couple in tank every empty and renew. Seems to work very well, no odours etc..... Like Nellie, green stuff for the odd site that requests you use it.

KjellNN

Like AD, we use the  bio pods, and our experience is similar.

We have been carrying a small tub of "green" sachets for a few years too, but have not yet been on a site that required their use.

Phishing

Used Aldi bio pods for a few years now. Work fine, less weight to carry, easier to use (no blue hands!) container always spotless and no smell issues. Just keep a small airtight pot in the bathroom and drop one in after emptying.

Kj, bio pods are the same as the green liquids using enzyme to treat the waste, they are usable in green waste systems and septic tanks.

KjellNN

Yes, aware of that, but have read that some people think one should not use biological washing powders/liquids if you have a septic tank.

Interested to know if there is any scientific basis at all for this?

Just in case we do come across a CL owner who holds this opinion, we carry a small tub of green sachets.  It is still unopened after 5 years as we have not so far used a CL that requires "green".

Martatin

I have been using these for a bit but only one Aldi pod at a time should I be using 2?

SteveL

We have only used the Lidl pods, but one seemed to work just fine. When we couldn’t get pods I bought the same stuff in a bottle and used the dirty washing amount. That also worked OK. I don’t allow the tank to get totally full however, as I find it difficult to lift.

brue

I'd like to know if the enzymes in bio pods are as good at disinfection as the bactericides in Aqua Kem etc. 

SteveL

Perhaps something our club could get involved in. Commission a scientific study.🤔 Might result in upsetting the likes of Thetford etc though.

LLM

Tried them once for a period of about four weeks in very warm weather.  They worked well for about three weeks then became less effective.  In the end the toilet started to smell so I went back to strong blue. 

brue

Enzymes are used in sewage plants but I don't know if they are the same as the enzymes used in detergents like bio pods. I prefer to kill off bacteria especially with covid around...it would be good to find out more. 

cyberyacht

One Lidl pod per cassette load. Usually empty after three days to save the weight struggle. Has to be more environmentally friendly than the "liquid woad". Goodness only knows what's in it to stain so effectively.

KjellNN

We gave up using the liquid blue about 20 years back, after first coming across the sachets at a caravan accessory place in Northern Ireland.  Used up the liquid we had then switched to the sachets.  

So much easier to use and less weight to carry.  We have switched between the Thetford ones and the Elsan ones, buying whichever were the best price, they are unfortunately rather expensive.  The green ones we have are by Dometic, but we have never tried them.  Must ask OH if we have any old blue ones lurking, she is in charge of "supplies".

We just use one bio pod, but do seem to need to empty every 36 hours.

The first time the bio pods were used, OH decided on a trial period, but did not tell me what she had done, I was very surprised when the "contents" were orange rather than the usual blue-ish!

heddlo

Same here, we tried them but found the odour unpleasant. We tried  Lidl, Aldi and Sainsbury’s versions. 

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TrishMCS

We've just had our first trip in our 'new' camper van, which has a Thetford cassette.  We've got the Blue Diamond stuff, and I see they recommend using pink fluid for the bowl flush. Having seen that it contains formaldehyde, I'd be interested in finding a more environmentally friendly alternative.  Is it really necessary to use both the pink and the blue? Are bio-pods better for the environment?  What are the "green sachets" people refer to? Is it effective just to use plain water from a bottle to rinse the bowl if there is Blue Diamond or bio-pods in the tank?  All advice gratefully received. Should I have started a new topic for all these questions?

KjellNN

We use the bio washing pods in the cassette, and just plain water in the flush tank.  This is due to having had no flush tank in our previous van, it drew the flush water directly from the Aquaroll, so we were not used to using pink.

We did try it, but soon gave it up as it increased the prevalence of the "black bits".  You can add some Zoflora or other nice smelly stuff to the flush tank instead if you wish.

The various sachets are an alternative to the liquid blue or green, easier to use and less weight to carry.  Blue  is the standard, but some sites,  which are on septic tanks, require you to use "green" chemicals, so there are Green sachets too.