What’s the best way to maintain healthy tanks?
That’s a loaded question, with LOTS of opinions online. Honestly, you will have to make your own decisions in this regard.
There are some who insist that Black tanks are simply holding tanks, and others who say they are more like septic tanks. Personally, I think of them as both.
Personally, I believe that tank treatments that include both bacteria + enzymes are critical in breaking down solid waste. It’s important to note though that most tank treatments sold in both camping stores, and online, don’t include both.
Some treatments focus on odour control, but those tend to stop any breakdown of solid waste and leave a thick goo in the tank (often described as a ‘peanut butter like’ sludge, which coats the sensors leaving them all but useless.
Some companies insist that all these products are useless, and instead insist that you shouldn’t bother with breaking down solids at all, and only focus on odour control. This unfortunately leaves some rather solid material to get left behind after dumping the tanks.
Personally, I like to go the extra mile and add a treatment unlike most on the market, that include both bacteria + enzymes at the start of a trip, and adding something that only focuses on odour control after the tanks are dumped and flushed.
Another thing to think about is hiring a company to do proper tank cleaning as needed. It depends on how much you actually use your RV, but I would absolutely recommend hiring such a service when buying a used RV. Odds are good that the previous owner didn’t take good care of their tanks.
Once your tank is properly cleaned, or if buying a new RV, you should perform regular back flushing of your black tank. This will drastically help improve the longevity of your tanks. I do this every single time I dump my tanks, and if time allows (or if there isn’t a line up behind me at the dump station), I’ll back flush my black tank 2-3 times to get it as clean as I can.
