Dawn in the gray water tank?

[Gyrophoenix]

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to put a cup of Dawn in the gray water tank once a year to help dissolve stuff that's building up, such as fat that goes down the kitchen drain when the dishes are washed. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Babe2201]

I would think some of the septic treatments in the gray tank might take care of that. As far as Dawn goes when you wash dishes aren't you putting that down the drain?

 

[Gyrophoenix]

Yes, the Dawn does go into the tank in a diluted form. I was thinking about putting a whole cup in all at once, to sort of "shock treat" the built up residues.

 

[Oldgator73]

Dawn is used for a variety of cleaning tasks. We pretreat stains on clothes with Dawn and if I’m not mistaken animals that are victims of oil spills are cleaned with Dawn. Unless rinsed really well dirt will stick to soap. Would it be a concern that dirt might build up in your tank?

 

[Domo]

Your tanks are holding tanks not septic tanks, so don't put anything for septic treatment in them as most will promote digestive activity, creating gas/fumes.

The soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents you put down the drains during daily use will already provide more than enough surfactants and emulsifiers to keep your gray tank happy (assuming you're not washing food products down the drain).

However, after you drain your tanks (and flush if you have that ability) and are heading to your RV storage facility there can be residual odor. That's when you should put in several gallons of water and the soap of your choice - Dawn is a good choice then. DW and I use Simple Green after dumping and flushing both gray and black tanks. Driving around with those few gallons in the tanks helps slosh it around and will prevent the stink that can occur.

Every commercial company that sells anything to the RV crowd will have articles published on the internet that extoll the virtues of keeping your tanks clean - and, quite by coincidence they will promote their own special, green-loving, odor-preventing, best tasting, happiest product that should ONLY be used if you wish to continue using your RV or your coffee will never taste the same (yes, please understand {sarcasm} heavy).

It's kinda like special RV toilet paper - the test is really just take your favorite toilet paper and put some in a covered jar for an hour - then shake it up and see if it disintegrates... if it does, then you can use it in your RV - no need to go to Camping World...

Sorry for the pseudo rant - I've seen too many speciality products and have found that reading the contents and comparing to common products often shows how to save money. Also had worked at company that made (what was basically soap) for a number of years and did learn something from the gurus.

 

[Gyrophoenix]

Thank you, everyone, for your input.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

I've read to use dawn, citrus cleaner and dishwasher detergent. When I dump my gray tank and reaches the end of the drain I'll sometimes see suds going by in the clear section of my drain hose. I figure if it's "clean" enough to promote suds even without adding anything (just whatever soap gets rinsed into there) then it's probably as good as it needs to be.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Dawn is the best degreaser going, but its drawback is that it is high-sudsing detergent, so you get a LOT of foam to rinse away. If you think you need a degreasing detergent, I suggest a low-suds laundry or dishwasher detergent. But the residual from washing dishes is probably plenty for preventive maintenance.

I'll disagree with Domo re septic treatments in general. He is right about holding vs septic, but at worst the septic stuff is somewhat wasted when you flush it away fairly quickly. Doesn't hurt, though. Further, there are "septic" products designed to help clean out traps, lines, and leachfields, all of which have a lot in common with holding tanks. Also cesspool products such as Roebic K47. They are all effective on greasy gummy holding tanks. Roto Rooter Build-up Remover is another treatment designed for preventive maintenance of sewer lines.

 

[LMHS]

I put a cap of LIQUID automatic dishwasher detergent down one of my sink drains once a month, rinse with a small amount of water and let stand overnight (I rotate thru the shower, bathroom sink and kitchen sink so one is done every 3 months). I really don't do it for the grey tank so much as I do it for the drains and p-traps. It helps to keep the soap build up down. I have very, very hard water and even though we only use liquid soaps, it still has a little buildup. I also clean my toilet (residential) with the same dishwasher detergent.

The same is done for my daughter's truck camper. She has a standard RV toilet.

We just don't really buy much in the way of specialty cleaners. And most "RV" labeled stuff is an overpriced marketing gimmick. My concentrated liquid hand dishwashing detergent is diluted and used to hand wash some dishes (what doesn't fit in the dishwasher), diluted and used as hand soap, added to my vinegar & water solution for floor mopping and most hard surface cleaning, and used, undiluted, to wash all our clothes. And I don't use Dawn at all. It uses one of the fragrances that I'm allergic to.

 

[Babe2201]

I put a cap of LIQUID automatic dishwasher detergent down one of my sink drains once a month, rinse with a small amount of water and let stand overnight (I rotate thru the shower, bathroom sink and kitchen sink so one is done every 3 months). I really don't do it for the grey tank so much as I do it for the drains and p-traps. It helps to keep the soap build up down. I have very, very hard water and even though we only use liquid soaps, it still has a little buildup. I also clean my toilet (residential) with the same dishwasher detergent.

The same is done for my daughter's truck camper. She has a standard RV toilet.

We just don't really buy much in the way of specialty cleaners. And most "RV" labeled stuff is an overpriced marketing gimmick. My concentrated liquid hand dishwashing detergent is diluted and used to hand wash some dishes (what doesn't fit in the dishwasher), diluted and used as hand soap, added to my vinegar & water solution for floor mopping and most hard surface cleaning, and used, undiluted, to wash all our clothes. And I don't use Dawn at all. It uses one of the fragrances that I'm allergic to.

That is a good idea. I believe it is phosphorous that they use in the automatic dishwater detergent that they don't use in products like Dawn because it is harmful to skin with a lot of use. I am not sure that is what it was but I used that the dishwasher detergent to clean pool filters back when we had a pool because of it.

 

[Kirk]

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to put a cup of Dawn in the gray water tank once a year

Like Gary, I use dishwasher detergent or if out of that I often use laundry detergent. Either of those work well and the frequency of use would depend on how much you use your RV. When we were fulltime I used to do one or the other on a quarterly basis and I used them after dumping tanks, adding about 1/3 full of fresh water and the detergent just before travel and then dump both as soon as we arrive at the next stop.

I'll disagree with Domo re septic treatments in general. He is right about holding vs septic,

I will mostly agree with Gary on this, but the simple fact is that septic action is a natural process and as long as it isn't prevented it will begin as soon as the toilet is flushed into the black tank and continues until the tank is dumped or someone adds something to prevent it. It is septic action that changes human solid waste into liquids or partially so depending on how long it is in the tank. A modern septic system is typically a combination of two tanks or one with two chambers that allow time for the septic process to happen. According to a septic system design engineer friend, it takes 3 to 4 days for each solid flushed into the tank to completely break down. When we were fulltime, with two of us in the RV I would dump tanks once each week and the clear fitting showed mostly brown liquid from the black tank. The reason for not dumping a tank until half or more full is to have that rush to push out what solids remain.

 

[Onyrlef]

This reminds me of when PT Barnum bought a shipment of inferior grade white tuna and marketed it as "Guaranteed Not To Turn Yellow In The Can" .