I empty the tanks then I add it to the black tank. Mix it in a bucket with some warm water to help it dissolve and dump it in. I also add in laundry soap in another bucket. I end up with the recommended amount of water in the tank to start using.
The only trouble I've ever had with my black tank reading properly is when I switched to the chemical method for a short time last summer. I'm a believer in the GEO Method.
Is it okay to do this procedure to your tank and then have the unit stored while it sits in the black tank for a few month's??
When you all add it to your black tanks are you just basically dumping it down the toilet to get it in unless I am missing another way in to that holding tank?
wa8yxm wrote: Liquid, Powder, Don't matter (for those who wonder) even the brand is not all that important
Not necessarily...
Yes, there are many different "brands" of water softeners; however, be careful as one is not always as good as another. Softeners fall into either one of two "groups": Precipitating and non-precipitating, and most of the time, the labels will not tell you which is which. You have to know for your self.
The first group (precipitating) is not recommended for the GEO method as it has some characteristics that while are not harmful to our black tanks, does not really work as well. This group contains the brands: Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, Raindrops, Blue Dew, Borax, Climalene, Melo, White King Water Softener, and Borateem.
The second group (non-precipitating) is the one that is best used for the GEO Method and the brands are: Calgon (a mixture of non-precipitating and precipitating chemicals), White Rain, Blue Raindrops, and Spring Rain. These softeners ties up hardness minerals in the water and holds them in solution (sequestering). No visible particles are formed. The water remains clear and usually contains phosphates. The water feels slippery (which also makes the sides of the black tanks slippery).
So, when you can't find Calgon, look for the others....just make sure you don't buy the precipitating type. Also, it's much easier on the tanks (and you) if you only use a liquid for both the water softener and the detergent. I get my Calgon from drugstore.com in 32oz bottles (usually 4 at a time). If you "have" to use a powdered form, dilute it in a gallon of "hot" water and make sure it dissolves completely prior to putting it in your tanks.
Hope this alleviates some of the confusion.
Ron & Sandie
'08 Safari Simba SBD35
86 Toy 4x4 P/U for Toad.
Tow Bar: Sterling
Brakes: Unified
Toys:
Yamaha 660R Raptor (mine)
Honda 350ES Rancher (hers)
64 Fairlane w/351c - 4sp
Both Fed CS Retirees
Hobbies:
DW's: Quilting
Mine: DW
CapeM1 wrote: Is this Calgon method in place of the strong chemicals that are available at the RV stores or do they go hand in hand with them? Thanks.
Other than Calgon and Dawn. Use NO chemicals. Chemicals are, generally, harmful to the enviorment when dumped.
I use Calgon plus Dawn (about half a cup of each and about five gallons of water) to promote cleaning (Dump just before leaving park, Add water, Calgon, Soap.. NOTE: an easy way to measure water is to fill your toilet bowel, a standard SEE LAND holds about a gallon IIRC, but just to be sure take an empty gallon jug, fill it, dump it in the toilet and note how full it is.. Flush and fill as many times as needed)
Drive, sloshing the mix around
Use normally, dump
When I am at home and only dump every couple of months (I use the RV about every other day but the toilet less often) then I use a biological to assist in breakdown of the "Stuff" in all tanks.
But when I'm living in it and dumping every week.. Not worth the effort or cost to add stuff to the tank
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
The vast majority of fulltimers use generous amounts of water and nothing more. If you have too much money and need to get rid of some, there are many commercial products that you can buy or you can use one of the favorite mythical home brews.
CapeM1 wrote: Is this Calgon method in place of the strong chemicals that are available at the RV stores or do they go hand in hand with them? Thanks.
Neither.
You need to go back and read Mr. Bruni's article about the Geo method, given in the second post on this thread.
The Calgon and detergent are not a replacement for the usual toilet chemicals, nor do they go hand-in-hand with them. The Geo method calls for using nothing but lots of water, with occasional doses of Calgon into both your gray and black tanks, and detergent into the black tank. They are not used every time, as regular "chemicals" are.
wa8yxm wrote: Liquid, Powder, Don't matter (for those who wonder) even the brand is not all that important
Not necessarily...
Yes, there are many different "brands" of water softeners; however, be careful as one is not always as good as another. Softeners fall into either one of two "groups": Precipitating and non-precipitating, and most of the time, the labels will not tell you which is which. You have to know for your self.
The first group (precipitating) is not recommended for the GEO method as it has some characteristics that while are not harmful to our black tanks, does not really work as well. This group contains the brands: Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, Raindrops, Blue Dew, Borax, Climalene, Melo, White King Water Softener, and Borateem.
The second group (non-precipitating) is the one that is best used for the GEO Method and the brands are: Calgon (a mixture of non-precipitating and precipitating chemicals), White Rain, Blue Raindrops, and Spring Rain. These softeners ties up hardness minerals in the water and holds them in solution (sequestering). No visible particles are formed. The water remains clear and usually contains phosphates. The water feels slippery (which also makes the sides of the black tanks slippery).
So, when you can't find Calgon, look for the others....just make sure you don't buy the precipitating type. Also, it's much easier on the tanks (and you) if you only use a liquid for both the water softener and the detergent. I get my Calgon from drugstore.com in 32oz bottles (usually 4 at a time). If you "have" to use a powdered form, dilute it in a gallon of "hot" water and make sure it dissolves completely prior to putting it in your tanks.
On my trailer, I have an external water coupling that has some jet-type nozzles inside the black tank. When I turn the hose on, the nozzles spray the inside of the black tank to help push out all of the "crap" inside (sorry for the pun).
I just flush out my black tank until the water comes out crystal clean. I think some people are too worried about "stuff" hardeneing inside their black tanks (which it won't if kept properly filled with liquids).
All this talk about the "GEO" method makes me think and ask one simple question. "How in the world did our parents manage their black tanks without the GEO method?"
Come on, keep your black tank with a couple gallons of water, add some of the blue colored liquid septic tank chemical (whatever brand that suits your fancy) and you'll be fine. Come on people, aren't we getting a little anal (sorry, another pun) about all of this septic tank treatment stuff?
RV's have been around for decades and our parents and grandparents didn't seem to have this alleged "problem" with black tanks that some here are alleging. It wasn't a problem to "manage" the black tanks back then, so why is it all of a sudden a problem now?
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