For Years Thetfords Aqua Kem was what everyone seemed to use in their black tanks. Most folks know it as the blue colored black tank treatment. Aqua Kem smelled great and did a fairly decent job taking care of any waste problems in the black tank.

Then the market changed. People switched to the Geo Method or treated tanks with probiotic enzymes to break down the waste. Trust me, we tried several, none impressed me with their odor control.

We ran out of Aqua Kem on our recent journey to the great North. So I ordered Aqua Max which also relies on probiotic enzymes to break down waste. The product has a nice scent to it but its not nearly as strong a scent as Aqua Kem.

We found that this might be the best product we’ve ever tried for digesting waste, but it controls odors poorly. After three days, I noticed that odor control was an issue. Reading online reviews, I see that many others report the same problem.

I had a conversation with a Thetford representative on whether they were considering tweaking the odor control. The Rep told me that are currently revising the formula. He explained that the company discontinued Aqua Kem due to its formaldehyde content.

If Thetford finds a way to improve odor control I would always buy Aqua Max. It works really great at digesting solids. For better odor control in the meantime they suggest adding another bottle to the black tank….but thats expensive!

So, for now, we will rely on our back up supply of Aqua Kem. We will see what improvements are made to Aqua Max.

To read more about Thetfords Aqua Max click here.

The post Thetfords Aqua Max appeared first on .

One of the most discussed subjects on-line is the use of RV toilet paper vs regular septic safe toilet paper. This is a hot topic for RV folks for a number of reasons.

1. RV Toilet paper is relatively expensive, actually over twice as expensive as regular septic safe toilet paper.  As an example most RV toilet paper is going to cost you about $1.25 per roll or more.   Septic safe toilet paper will cost you, depending on the brand, about $.50 per roll and that’s a huge difference.
2. Anytime an RV person has a septic issue they always jump to the conclusion that toilet paper is the cause.  If you saw the cheap sensors that are inside your black tank you would probably change your mind.   These sensors are mounted on the wall inside the black tank and look like small round washers.  It is easy for build up on the walls to cover the sensors resulting in a false reading.  For all the improvements that the RV industry has made in the last 30 years; the sensors are not one that they seem to be concerned about.  In fact, the sensors on your black and grey tanks haven’t changed at all in the last 30 years and I don’t see that situation changing anytime soon.  There are sensor alternatives on the market that the RV industry could use;  but they are always trying to keep the selling price of the RV down under some mythical price point.  This is one of the many areas where buyers would be happy to spend an extra $50.00 on their travel trailer,  if they knew the implications.  Well enough ranting, this will probably be a topic at some future point.
3. Many folks online have never had a septic system so they jump to the conclusion that there is something very special about RV toilet paper and how it breaks down.

Let me say from the onset that the RV toilet papers we have used during 30 plus years of RVing, and we have used all of them, do what they are intended to do – breakdown.  In addition you have choices you can make in the RV toilet paper field;  whether it’s a brand name like Thetford, Camco, or Scotts or the thickness (1 or 2 ply).  I don’t recommend 1 ply toilet paper,  and studies have shown that people that use one ply toilet paper use twice as much as those that purchase 2 ply; so you are not saving money or cutting down on the amount of TP that has to dissolve in your black tank.

You need only look online to see that many tests have been done comparing RV toilet paper to septic safe and the results are almost always negligible between the two.  That’s not to say that some RV toilet paper doesn’t break down as easily as regular septic safe, it all depends on what brand you are comparing…but it’s all by degree.

We think there are two septic safe toilet papers that seem to breakdown just as easily if not better than RV toilet paper, and they would be Charmin Ultra Soft or Scotts 1000 septic safe.   Tammy and I did our own test comparing Camco and Thetford to Charmin Ultra Soft.  The results were that all three toilet papers broke down almost identically.  We actually felt that Charmin was the winner in our test.

Given the results of our test we actually threw away our RV toilet paper as the last brand we had purchased was horrible (I can’t remember which brand it was) from a quality standpoint.  As far as the Scotts 1000, we have no direct experience with it but have seen a lot of information on-line where people have used it and tested it with similar results to what we have found with the Charmin.

If you want to do this test yourself, it is really quite easy.  Fill a few glass jars with water and tear off 2 sheets on each toilet paper you are testing.  Next,  submerge them in water for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes give each bottle two rapid shakes and observe the results, it’s probably going to surprise you.  So if you feel like you want to make the jump to regular septic safe toilet paper; do the test yourself and see if it meets your standards.

Now let me say, If you feel that RV toilet paper gives you some piece of mind; then you should continue to use it – but you really don’t need to.  Aside from the cost factor of the RV toilet paper there is still the matter of convenience.  It’s much easier to find septic safe toilet paper at any store than it is to find RV toilet paper.

Most folks probably wont flinch over the cost of RV toilet paper at $1.00 per roll,  and that’s fine.  The real question you have to ask yourself is this;  is RV toilet paper really that much better than septic safe toilet paper in your black tank?  We don’t think so.

The post RV Toilet Paper vs Septic Safe appeared first on .

A year after buying the Jayco we upgraded to a Mallard Sprinter.  The Sprinter had a nice bathroom and we learned about the joys of maintaining and dumping the black tank.  The Sprinter had a great dump system on it and I have to say maybe the best we ever had.  The folks at Mallard that manufactured the trailer had the common sense to make sure the black tank waste line was a straight shot from the black tank.   Needless to say we have had some trailers since the Sprinter which were not designed as well for dumping.  Anytime you have bends or twists in the line its a recipe for problems.

Travel Trailers have had many changes over the last 30 years.   One of the things that has changed is the chemistry behind black tank treatments.  While you can still buy the exact same black tank treatment that we bought in 1990 (Thetford Aqua-Kem), there has been a move in the market to more eco-friendly products.

So what is the difference?  Aqua-kem states that it liquefies waste and toilet paper rapidly as well as control odors.  I’m not sure how it breaks down waste as it is made up of formaldehyde and methanol.  It certainly controls odor, I would give it an A+ for that.  We have used  Aqua-Kem for over 25 years and it has worked well for us.  Based on my experience though,  I don’t believe it actually breaks down the waste materials.

Now there are a few items on the market that use a probiotic approach to breaking down waste.  Take for example TankTechRX, here is what the company states about the product:

• Just ½ ounce per treatment – beneficial bacteria multiply to treat any size tank
• No Formaldehyde – probiotic bacteria eliminate odor and break down waste to liquid
• Unscented – eliminates odor without deodorizers
• All Natural, Environmentally Friendly, Made in USA

Now we decided to give this a try on our trip to Wisconsin this summer, always keeping the bottle of TankTechRX out of direct sunlight and in a moderate environment.  If you fail to store this properly it will kill the active enzymes and you will not get the result you want.

I would say that for the most part this product works fairly well.   It was easy to observe during dumping that the waste had dissolved. I know a lot of people have sworn up and down that they get no odors using this product;  but towards the end of the trip we noticed the odor had been building. Despite adding more of the solution the odor did not abate.  So after one of our last clean outs, I went back to the Thetford aqua-kem.

I still think the TankTechRX is a great product but my plan is to use it as an overall tank cleaner during the winter storage (which in Texas should not be an issue), and then probably use Thetford’s product while on the Road.

One other product that many people have good luck with is “Happy Campers”.  This is an organic powder that apparently works in extreme temperatures.  Happy Campers breaks down waste in the same way TankTechRX works.  I plan on giving this one a test as well.

There are many other treatments on the market so do some research and see what you think might work for you.  As you can see black tank technology has really changed over the years.

The post Black Tank Chemistry Has Changed appeared first on .