The 7 Best RV Holding Tank Treatment

Last Updated on January 6, 2022 by Douglas

There is nothing quite like the feeling of taking an RV and going on a road trip or camping adventure. RVs are better because you can live in them quite literally as opposed to taking a car with you. This makes for an efficient system, and a lot of people love the experience of it. When it comes to this recreational vehicle, you can opt for a small RV, or you can opt for a bigger and more stylish option. However, with RVs, you need to remember that you have to take care of every part of the RV, and this includes dealing with all kinds of waste. For the sake of this article, we will be focusing on the most important waste, and that is sewage waste.

Top 7 Best RV Holding Tank Treatment

$2.60
Walex Porta-Pak RV Black Holding Tank Deodorizer Drop-Ins, Fresh Scent, 10 Deodorizing Packets
19,286 Reviews
Happy Campers RV Holding Tank Treatment - 64 treatments
14,419 Reviews
Happy Campers RV Holding Tank Treatment - 64 treatments
  • ODOR FREE: Eliminates odors in the RV holding tank. Absolutely no chemical or sewer smell.
  • Septic tank friendly
$4.85
Camco TST MAX RV Toilet Treatment Drop-INs | Control Unwanted Odors and Break Down Waste and Tissue | Septic Tank Safe | Orange Scent | 30-pack (41183)
28,498 Reviews
Camco TST MAX RV Toilet Treatment Drop-INs | Control Unwanted Odors and Break Down Waste and Tissue | Septic Tank Safe | Orange Scent | 30-pack (41183)
  • AN ESSENTIAL RV BLACK TANK TREATMENT: Eliminates odors and helps break down human waste...
  • MULTI-PURPOSE: Multi-purpose RV accessory is great for boating, full-time/occasional...
Walex Bio-Pak RV Black Holding Tank Deodorizer and Digester, Natural Enzyme Formula, Alpine Fresh 10-Pack
6,878 Reviews
Walex Bio-Pak RV Black Holding Tank Deodorizer and Digester, Natural Enzyme Formula, Alpine Fresh 10-Pack
  • No need for special toilet paper
  • Deodorizes and breaks down waste and paper
$2.35
Valterra - V23128 Pure Power Blue Waste Digester and Odor Eliminator - 128-Ounce Bottle
2,249 Reviews
Valterra - V23128 Pure Power Blue Waste Digester and Odor Eliminator - 128-Ounce Bottle
  • SEPTIC SYSTEM CLEANER: Waste digestor and odor eliminator for your RV, camper, trailer,...
  • FUNCTIONAL: Liquifies all waste and toilet paper for easy draining
Walex PPRVLAV PPRV10LAV Porta-Pak Holding Tank Deodorizer Drop-Ins, Lavender Breeze (Pack of 10)
3,685 Reviews
Walex PPRVLAV PPRV10LAV Porta-Pak Holding Tank Deodorizer Drop-Ins, Lavender Breeze (Pack of 10)
  • #1 Portion Control Deodorizer in the World
  • Unbeatable odor prevention
$0.88
Walex Elemonate RV Grey Water Deodorizer& Freshener, Lemon Scent, (Pack of 5)
2,402 Reviews

Buying Guide

Types of Tanks

An RV will usually have 2 or 3 different tanks depending on the type of RV, and these include:

  • Freshwater tank – for your clean water
  • Grey water tank – for collecting your sink and shower water
  • Black water tank – for collecting your sewage water and solid waste

Maintaining Your Holding Tanks

This is considered to be the least glamorous part of your entire RV experience, but at the end of the day, it is something that you will need to do if you want your RV experience to be clean and free of unwanted odors.

If you want to make sure that the septic tanks remain clean, then you will have to make sure that you properly remove your ​RV waste from the water tanks, especially the black tanks regularly. If you happen to be traveling alone or with another person, you can empty your septic system after a few days, and if you are traveling with a bigger group, then you might need to do this after every day or two. As a general rule of thumb, you should empty your ​RV holding tanks whenever they fill up 2/3rd of the way, and if you are not good at realizing that, then you should opt for the best ​RV tank that comes with a detector that will automatically alert you once your tanks start filling up, allowing you to keep a track of how much waste your tank is holding. Of course, you need to make sure that you are doing the process of emptying your tanks properly. Once you get on the site, you need to use your sewage hose, and then attach the hose on the correct valve. You should start by always draining your black water tank first. Once you have attached the hose to the valve and have the other end in the designated dumping spot, you can open the valve and allow the waste to rush out, once you are sure that your RV holding tank has been flushed, you can then close the valve and then move onto the gray water tank and repeat the same process. This is important because the grey tanks’ waste will help ensure that any solid waste like tissue paper on anything else that might still be inside your hose after draining the black tank gets eliminated as well, leading to a clean hose that does not have any foul odors. Once this is done, you can shut off the valve, pack your pipe, and then move along your journey like happy campers.

Maintaining Your RV Tanks

There are also certain steps you can take to maintain and take care of your ​RV septic tank as well. And this includes:

  • Making sure that your freshwater tank always has clean water. You can ensure this by insulating your pipe and draining the water during hot weather to make sure the water does not end up stagnating.
  • In case you start noticing a smell coming from your ​tank, then you might ask yourself whether or not you can use bleach to clean the tank, and the answer in this situation is yes and no. Yes, you can use a quarter cup of bleach for every 15 gallons, and then run the bleach mixture in your tank until you go from smelling the bleach till all the bleached water runs out. You can then wait a day before you refill your tank with fresh water. You can do this now and then for odor control, but using bleach is not something we would recommend doing regularly.
  • Grey water tanks do not require a lot of maintenance, but you do need to be wary of clogs since this ​tank has a very small drain, so you should make sure that only water goes into your grey tank and nothing solid. If you do end up with a clog, using hot water, flushing out with water, and using waste digesting treatments will help you.
  • When we come to the topic of black water tanks, then you must regularly sanitize and clean your black tank.

You can go to the RV section of any store and then start browsing through the ​RV tank treatment area. You will find several ​RV holding tank cleaner options, and this can include an odor eliminator, organic ​RV holding tank treatment options and chemicals, scent ​RV toilet treatment, an ​RV digest-it holding tank treatment option, etc. If you are looking for the best ​RV black tank treatment option, then you can look into the boi-11530 bio-pak natural holding tank deodorizer as an option since it is great for odor control. Using bleach or any odor eliminating treatment will help to keep your ​RV bad odor-free.

If you still feel unsure about which ​RV holding tank treatments you should opt for, you should not hesitate to ask other people around you. So, if you happen to know any veteran when it comes to using RVs, then you should consult with them on the matter. Do not hesitate to talk about the “grosser” aspects of the RV experience, because knowing will benefit you a lot more than not talking to avoid the discomfort of an unglamorous conversation. You can also ask online forums that are dedicated to the subject of taking care of RVs and where different enthusiasts interact with each other. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that having more information will only lead to a smoother outcome for you in the long-run.

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