# Smelly Grey Water Tank



## Rayo

Hi All,

What do you use to clean out your grey water holding tank? By the end of the season mine starts to get a bit whiffy, I can smell it in the van.

Are the commercial tank cleaners worth it, like the one made by Elsan, or is there a cheaper, effective alternative?

Regards

Ray


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## Grizzly

Every now and then ( ie about 4 monthly) at the end of a trip before we go home, I make up a washing up bowl of _warm _ ( not hot) water and dissolve some _biological_ washing powder or liquid in it. This is left in the sink to soak for a while where it brightens up the "stainless" steel and removes stains.

I then let it into the _empty_ grey water tank and we drive home.

The sloshing of the liquid plus the enzyme action of the detergent, removes grease from the tank walls and leaves it clean and smell-free. It's particles trapped in the grease that cause the smell.

It also helps to wipe over plates etc with kitchen roll before you wash up to remove the worst of the food residue and avoid draining rice and pasta and boiled eggs down the sink.

G

Edit: We also use the same biological washing liquid instead of loo fluid and for washing clothes. Buy the cheapest; it makes no difference.


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## Westbay

The other weeze is to pour in a couple of 2ltr bottles of the cheapest coke you can find. Again leave for a while and flush out.


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## greenasthegrass

I do the coke thing too diet is best its not too sticky and can you imagine what it does to your innards? cheapest of the cheap works best not ya Pepsi Max. We tend to put 4 2lt bottles down and drive round for a bit.

Greenie


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## erneboy

Does anyone know if cheap Cola breaks down the fatty deposits. I have been using cheap own brand liquid detergents, not sure how good they are. I was wary of using powdered detergents reasoning that they might settle on the bottom of the tank. I agree about putting whatever into a partially full tank when intending to drive. Given that my tank is quite large I reckon several litres are required to allow sufficient concentration to do any good. 

I have taken the lid off to check and the bottom of my tank is fairly clean but there are still thickish deposits of fatty residue on the sides, Alan.


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## Jodi1

Good heavens, you learn something new every day. I would never have thought of putting a bottle of cheap cola down the sink. Would it have the same effect down my kitchen sink, do you think, as thats a bit whiffy at the moment. But, hold on, we are on a septic tank. What will it do to all those good bacterias???????


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## greenasthegrass

Lets just say my pipe when we got the van was very sluggish put down ye trusty old coke and within 20 mins it had gone. Its a bit like Mr Muscle pipe unblocker. Tragic init talking about drains on a Monday morning what has my life come to?

Yes I use it in my house but have not got a septic tank.

I also drink it but only Pepsi Max - am not listening blah blah blah

Greenie :lol:


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## erneboy

I would expect Cola to breed rather than kill bacteria, anyway in a septic tank the cola would be so dilute as to have no detectable effect. You can safely try it I think, Alan.


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## tomnjune

hi

because the drain is not exactly on the bottom of the tank,to remove the dregs after a trip we open the valve,and go round a few bends, its the only way to empty the tank of the smelly stuff.

tomnjune


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## Grizzly

Coke is a strong acid. It would not be my first choice grease remover as there are other more efficient ways to do it. It's wonderful for removing limescale however and, if the water in the tank has deposited limescale on the sides over the weeks then bacteria and grease will have become "trapped" in that.

We used to do a biology demo in which a tooth dissolves in coke within the week. It's the phosphoric acid wot does the trick !

G


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## Spacerunner

Grey tanks are alwats going to have a whiff factor, just like domestic drains.
It will be worse on warmer weather as whiff bacteria breeds faster then.

The only sensible thing is to give the tank a blast out with a hose and garden spray/jet nozzle at the end of each summer.

For a really bad tank the only real solution is to drop the tank and give it a good 'internal' by hand........tremendous fun, even the dog backed off when I did mine!!


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## scept1c

Like Grizzly, we wipe dishes down with kitchen roll so that grease never goes down the plughole. We also use a plastic basin for washing dishes then take the dirty water to the nearest drain.

French supermarkets sell a bleach type tablet and we put one or two down about once a week to keep things fresh but the drain pipes on motorhomes we have had were the concertina type and thats where a lot of the grease collects so we do our best to avoid putting greasy water down the plughole. I haven't looked but the tablets may also be available in UK and Irish supermarkets.

I have been wary of liquid detergents since about 10 to 15 years ago when our home washing machine drum and pipes were coated with a nasty smelling slime. There was an item on the BBC watchdog programme at the time highlighting that a slime can be formed in machines in some areas with some liquid detergents. It may do the same to grey water tanks.


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## erneboy

Grizzly, good tip for the limescale, I will try that. There are spots of limescale in the toilet pan. Had been trying with vinegar to very limited effect.

What do you recommend for breaking down the fatty deposits in the grey tank. My detergent seems to be doing some good but a more effective method would be useful, Alan.


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## Grizzly

erneboy said:


> Grizzly, good tip for the limescale, I will try that. There are spots of limescale in the toilet pan. .


We keep a bottle of white vinegar in the van- currently it's Greek but the one before was Croatian! I wipe the toilet pan once a week with neat vinegar and then rinse when all the scale is off. The black trap door tends to get scaled up quickly too and a weekly wipe stops this happening.

Apart from staining issues ( stain " clings" to limescale, bleach only whitens the stain but does not remove the limescale), I also find that deposits slide more cleanly down the pan and don't stick to it and require wiping off. I do line the pan with the cheapest single ply paper serviette first. They seem designed for the job !

As for the tank; we don't have problems so I can only assume the odd dose of Tescos cheapest does the trick.

G


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## duxdeluxe

erneboy said:


> Does anyone know if cheap Cola breaks down the fatty deposits?


I don't know, but looking a the average American at the drive thru burger place I would guess that cheap coke (especially in the 40oz size), certainly ADDS to their fatty deposits 

never tried the coke method myself - my sources tell me it costs too much per kilo and only the criminals who just dispose of it down the drain........

The bio method works - that is what we do


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## Spacerunner

scept1c said:


> I have been wary of liquid detergents since about 10 to 15 years ago when our home washing machine drum and pipes were coated with a nasty smelling slime. There was an item on the BBC watchdog programme at the time highlighting that a slime can be formed in machines in some areas with some liquid detergents. It may do the same to grey water tanks.


This is more likely to be caused by fabric conditioner. We had the same problem about 15 years ago and I banned the laundry maid (its ok, she's out!) from using conditioner and have had no problems since.

As regards the toilet pan I give the pan a good wax and polish using car wax.
This will help seal all the microscopic flaws in the surface and give more slipability and also prevent stains getting a grip.


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## scept1c

Hi Spacerunner, I'm interested to hear about using wax polish on the bowl, do you also treat the cassette blade which I have found to get a build up of limescale?

Is there a particular brand you use and is there any type to be avoided?


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## Spacerunner

scept1c said:


> Hi Spacerunner, I'm interested to hear about using wax polish on the bowl, do you also treat the cassette blade which I have found to get a build up of limescale?
> 
> Is there a particular brand you use and is there any type to be avoided?


I use anything that comes to hand, at the moment its Turtle wax, but I have used Mer as well.
I dont treat the blade as it feels a bit too flimsy for a good boojie off.

But every so often I do grit me teeth and get 'hands-on' and give everything a really good oik out.

About a year ago I treated the boiler with a white wine vinegar solution which is what Truma recommend and it worked really well.

See here http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-17594-white.html+wine+vinegar

Maybe this would work in the cassette as well.


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## erneboy

I found vinegar very hard work for little result. I like the polish idea, I will try that today, Alan.


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## Mrplodd

A good dolop of strong bleach in each plug 'ole followed by a good measure of VERY hot water does the job for me.

The other thing to check is that the "P" traps between sink and tank are not full of crud! (they are dismantle-able (is that a word ??) so they can be cleaned out (not my favourite job though!!)


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## scept1c

I followed some of the tips here on MHF for getting rid of limescale in the cassette.

I was able to purchase 4kg of Citric acid powder locally for under £10 and it really shifts the limescale.

4kg should last a few years, I put about half a cupful into the cassette, fill with water and leave for a day or two. Nearly good as new.


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## erneboy

Tried the polish, thanks Spacerunner, seems to work well. I ran out, I will get more and finish the job, Alan.


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## 1302

Glad to see this thread as ours niffed quite a bit on emptying it the other day 8O 

May try the coke trick first.

Regarding citric acid, you will find this difficult to buy now (we have stopped stocking it) as some people use it to cut cocaine and mixing with heroin!!


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## zappy61

Rayo said:


> Hi All,
> 
> What do you use to clean out your grey water holding tank? By the end of the season mine starts to get a bit whiffy, I can smell it in the van.
> 
> Are the commercial tank cleaners worth it, like the one made by Elsan, or is there a cheaper, effective alternative?
> 
> Regards
> 
> Ray


Hi Ray,
Have a look at my articles here I think you might find them useful.

Regards,

Graham


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## safariboy

scept1c said:


> I followed some of the tips here on MHF for getting rid of limescale in the cassette.
> 
> I was able to purchase 4kg of Citric acid powder locally for under £10 and it really shifts the limescale.
> 
> 4kg should last a few years, I put about half a cupful into the cassette, fill with water and leave for a day or two. Nearly good as new.


What sort of shop did you go to? citric acid us usually sold in small quantities for food use.

Safariboy


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## scept1c

Hi Safariboy, I looked on ebay and saw a 4kg pack and discovered that it was being sold by a local company so I contacted them and was able to save on postage. 1kg would probably last a couple of years, I shared my 4kg pack with a friend. I normally only do a major clean twice a year to get rid of limescale build up after prolonged trips.

I had a look on ebay today and have seen some packs of different weights for sale. If you know how to buy on ebay, it may be cheaper than going to a chemist as some people seem to do.


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## The-Clangers

Old fashioned soda crystals from the local ironmonger, that are used for unplocking pipes. Nearly a year since we used them and not a whiff yet.

David


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## Lesleykh

Now we're full-timing we noticed a "bad egg" smell following us after the Mosel meet. Following useful advice on MHF we have been:

1. Avoiding putting gunk down the sink - especially, eggy gunk, potato gunk, milky gunk etc.

2. Use dishwasher powder and bio clothes washing liquid. A little in very hot water, sloshed down all plug holes and left for a journey.

3. Wiping plates, saucepans etc before washing. Well, actually that's not strictly true. We lick our plates and Charlie dog licks the pans. We try not to waste paper!

We've had no smells since then.

Lesley


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## DTPCHEMICALS

I would use a dilute brick cleaning / patio cleaning acid.(Hydrochloric acid)

Faster acting than Citric.

Dave p


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## zappy61

*cleaning water tanks*

Totally agree about not letting too much food particles go down into tank, we use kitchen roll sparingly. I clean the tank/s according to the usage see here. Only had the bad smells once in many years.
Excessive use of detergents, bleaches etc. can't be good for materials or the environment, accuracy of dosing is all important.
Regards,

Graham


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## TR5

We always try to dispose of washing-up water in a hedge, where appropriate, and if not, empty the waste tank regularly. If on a site with a nearby grey waste drain, we empty the washing up bowl directly into the drain.

We fill the fresh tank at home when possible, as we have soft water on tap. This keeps the water heater elements clean - soft will remove any scale accumulated from hard water top-ups.

After cleaning the toilet bowl a quick spray with silicone water repellant (like Fabsil) both protects the surfaces and lubricates the blade, without harming the seals.

At the end of a trip I always fill the waste tank, add some sterilising fluid for an hour, then drain. Never had any smells whatsoever.


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## zappy61

*cleaning water tanks*

For limescale I use vinegar, cheap effective and safe and there is always some left for the chips!

Graham


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## 96706

We use paper plates as plate liners for greasy type food. Saves greasy washing up water - in fact quite often saves washing the plates at all  Doesn't work for gravy based dishes though - they just distintegrate. Wipe anything that looks mucky or greasy with kitchen roll before washing up. Then travel with some Milton (or Tesco sterilising solution) diluted in the tank - seems to stop the pong.

Mrs D


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## gromett

I currently have 3 'grey tanks' one for kitchen sink, one for bathroom sink and one for shower. The only one that smells is the kitchen one.
While I have been in this situation I have been trying all the different methods out to see what works and what doesn't. The bus is not insulated and has blacked out windows so gets incredibly hot at the moment.

Coke doesn't kill the smell but it does get rid of some stuck on stuff.

Vinegar kills the smell but you have to put a fair quantity in.

Bio powder works to a fair degree but still a bit pongy occasionally and you have to use it all the time.

Bleach works the best. but obviously not the best for the invironment.

What I do now is try to avoid putting anything down the plug hole except soapy water. I use the wrapping that food comes in to eat off where possible. Paper plates where possible. Otherwise I wipe the plates off as best as possible before washing.

I then use an egg cup full of bleach unless I am going onto a site where there is a septic tank.

Half finished cups of coffee/tea with milk in seem to be more potent at generating smells that I realised.

Please note I live in the bus full time so the build up will happen quicker than for the odd weekend/week away.

I can't wait to get my new van and have a fixed combined grey tank lol.

Hope the above is of some help.

Karl


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## Jodi1

I tried a can of cheap cola down the kitchen sink in my home (not the one on wheels) and the whiffy smells seem to have gone. I let it sit in the sink for an hour or so and the sink does look cleaner. Got a big bottle to go down the MH's plug 'oles this weekend


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## zappy61

gromett said:


> I currently have 3 'grey tanks' one for kitchen sink, one for bathroom sink and one for shower. The only one that smells is the kitchen one.
> While I have been in this situation I have been trying all the different methods out to see what works and what doesn't. The bus is not insulated and has blacked out windows so gets incredibly hot at the moment.
> 
> Coke doesn't kill the smell but it does get rid of some stuck on stuff.
> 
> Vinegar kills the smell but you have to put a fair quantity in.
> 
> Bio powder works to a fair degree but still a bit pongy occasionally and you have to use it all the time.
> 
> Bleach works the best. but obviously not the best for the invironment.
> 
> What I do now is try to avoid putting anything down the plug hole except soapy water. I use the wrapping that food comes in to eat off where possible. Paper plates where possible. Otherwise I wipe the plates off as best as possible before washing.
> 
> I then use an egg cup full of bleach unless I am going onto a site where there is a septic tank.
> 
> Half finished cups of coffee/tea with milk in seem to be more potent at generating smells that I realised.
> 
> Please note I live in the bus full time so the build up will happen quicker than for the odd weekend/week away.
> 
> I can't wait to get my new van and have a fixed combined grey tank lol.
> 
> Hope the above is of some help.
> 
> Karl


Hi Karl,

I read your post with interest and I do agree that Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) based products work the best. Coca cola will have some effect mainly due to its acidity but the amount required for a tank would be substantial. I have placed a post on my blog which you might find of interest.

Regards,

Graham


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## gromett

zappy61 said:


> I have placed a post on my blog which you might find of interest.


The link gives me "You do not have permission to preview drafts."
You need to publish it for me to be able to read it :wink:

Karl

PS: I just removed the preview parameter from the URL and 
This works

Interesting article, Thanks


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## zappy61

gromett said:


> zappy61 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have placed a post on my blog which you might find of interest.
> 
> 
> 
> The link gives me "You do not have permission to preview drafts."
> You need to publish it for me to be able to read it :wink:
> 
> Karl
> 
> PS: I just removed the preview parameter from the URL and
> This works
> 
> Interesting article, Thanks
Click to expand...

Gremlins, I did publish but I have updated again. Hope it works,

Graham


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## lifestyle

I suppose we are lucky enough to keep the MH at home ,so we rinse through after every trip.We use a washing up bowl outside for real messy pots and pans.

Les


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