While it may not be talked about as a “joy” of RVing, when it comes down to it, having a bathroom in your camper is about as home-away-from-home as it gets. But unless you have a direct hookup to sewer (and even then), you’ll need to do a few things to make sure your RV holding tanks remain fresh and odor-free.
Thankfully, the trick to masterfully banishing RV odors is not a particularly challenging one. So, let’s go through what steps you’ll need to take to ensure the only smell you have to experience is the smell of the great outdoors.
First, a quick overview of your RV’s holding tanks:
- The water tank holds clean, potable water that is used for cooking, washing dishes, showering, drinking, and other similar needs.
- The gray water tank collects all the water tank water that has run through your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- The black water tank collects waste and toilet water.
The Three B’s
The black tank is most often the culprit of bad RV odors, and for obvious reasons. More specifically though, there are three common issues that plague black tanks:
- Backflow
- Bacteria Build-Up
- Blockage
Truthfully, these three B’s will have you gasping for fresh air if not dealt with appropriately.
Backflow occurs when a fresh water system somehow gets cross-connected with a source of bad water. Changes in pressure or an uneven ratio of pressure from the RV to the connection and vice versa can result in water from your black tank pushing back up and through the hose connection, pumping waste at worst and odors at best back and up into your RV.
Bacteria build-up happens when you don’t flush your RV’s black tank regularly enough. With everything swirling around in your black tank, it’s inevitable that there will be bacteria build-up. We’ll discuss below how to prevent this from happening.
Blockages are usually pretty easy to diagnose. You’ll know you have one in your black tank when nothing (or very little) will drain from your black tank while you’re connected to sewer and the black tank valve is open.
A quick way to create a blockage (and the dreaded “poop pyramid”) is by leaving your black tank valve open when connected to sewer at a campsite. While it may be tempting to simply have your waste flow through and into the sewer, this won’t allow enough time for the solids to break down, as all liquids continue to flow past. Before you know it, you have a blockage. So, remember to keep your valve closed and only open when your tank monitors show it’s about two-thirds full.
However, be sure not to completely rely on your electronic tank monitors when evaluating whether or not to open your valve yet – especially your black tank. Toilet paper and other waste can easily stick to the sides of the tank or on the sensor, tricking it into thinking it’s fuller than it actually is. For this reason, trust but verify how much you actually have in your black holding tank.
Preventative Maintenance
Using preventative maintenance is always a good way to avoid the three B’s. Keep these tips in mind when it comes to your RV holding tanks:
Only use RV-friendly toilet paper. You should never flush anything down your RV’s toilet except for waste and RV-friendly toilet paper. RV toilet paper breaks down way quicker than regular toilet paper because a different binder (glue) is used. In fact, using traditional toilet paper is a good way to clog your pipes.
Don’t let waste tanks sit. Unless you’re directly connected to a sewer hookup, you’ll want to empty your tanks at a dump station when they’re about two-thirds full, or sooner if you’re at the end of your trip. Never leave your RV to sit without dumping your black tank.
Black, then gray. Did you know the order in which you empty your tanks matters? Since the gray tank holds relatively cleaner wastewater from sinks and showers, emptying it after the black tank can help clean the sewer hose further, getting rid of any residual waste and lingering odors.
Rinse the hose. After both tanks are emptied, it's good practice to use a separate hose or designated tank-rinse hose (if available) to clean out the sewer hose thoroughly. This step helps ensure there's no residue left behind, reducing the chances of RV odors and blockages.
Use the right equipment. To hookup to sewer or to dump, you’ll need a special RV sewer hose and clear elbow connector to ensure waste is flowing smoothly through the hose. DO NOT use the same hose for sewer as you do for your drinking water. You will need two hoses if staying at a campground with full hookups. Never use the same hose for both the fresh water and waste water tanks.
Keep it fresh. Once you’ve dumped your RV holding tanks and parked your camper, it’s a good idea to use drop-in toilet chemicals. RV treatments help keep your black tank odorless and clean by neutralizing and breaking down waste and toilet paper even further.
Oops. One of the three B’s already got ya? Well, for backflow and build-up it’s easy enough to correct the issue by simply closing the valve, or using an enzyme formula RV black tank chemical to break down the waste preventing you from dumping. A blockage because you didn’t use RV toilet paper is tougher to fix, but not impossible. Try using a plunger and enzyme solution, letting it sit and then repeating the steps as necessary. If that doesn’t work, you may have to employ a tank wand or other flexible tank pipe to push the clog through.
Other Considerations
Part of your RV’s plumbing system includes air admittance valves. These allow for the proper ventilation of your RV holding tanks, helping to prevent odors from flowing into your RV by venting them to the outside. Valves and ventilation prevent a vacuum from occurring where flow remains uninterrupted and odors stay put. Once an air admittance valve closes, it prevents odors from escaping the gray or black tanks.
If you begin to experience odors from any of your RV sinks, the shower, or toilet, then it may be a good idea to check your valves and ventilation system to make sure none of them are faulty.
A campground hack passed around for cleaning your black tank as you drive down the road is to put a bag of ice in your holding tank. If you have a little water in your holding tanks while traveling, it will swish around and help to clean gunk off the sides of the tanks. The ice will slide around the inside of the tank and up its walls even more so than the water, helping to clean the inside of the tank. Myth or truth, try it out, it can’t hurt.
Parts Via carries a large and varied selection of RV treatments and holding tank products from all the big names. Keep odors and waste where they belong, in the tank and out of mind by following the tips above.