Gray water tank algal mat

E

eileenpaine

Novice
I was draining my tanks and the gray water tank spewed brown jello-ish algal blobs. There was so much,of it, it clogged the outlet and I had to use my finger to tease it all out -eeuw!. I flushed the tank with lots of fresh water. My first thought was to add a slug of bleach, but I am trying to cut down on my toxic bleach habit. Would just leaving the plugs out and encouraging air flow in the empty (?) tank help, or is there a preferred way to deal with this?
thanks
Eileen
 
Eileen,
I had the same problem the first time I opened the drain when we got our TD. I actually put a bit of coat hanger into the drain and got a bunch of junk out. I have only filled/emptied the tank twice since then, each time doing just what you said - leaving the cap off and the drain opened a bit. I haven't had the problem again.
Ken
 
I will second that eeuw. There are tablets available at RV centers for just such thing. Pop into a RV center and ask what they suggest, there is a pretty big selection out there. Bleach would be a last resort for sure.

Cary
 
You are talking Gray water right? Camco, and several other MFG have chemicals just for the sanitary tanks. If you are talking potable water, all the recomendations that I have seen call for a bleach dilution and then a vinegar solution rinse.

When you winterize put some of the antifreeze in your tanks, and you should be good. Disclaimer.... These instructions are true for regular RV PUPs and TT. CI may have different instructions, and I for sure do not want to over ride any instructions that the MFG haas given.
 
Winterizing is not an issue here in the citrus belt of Southern California - our record low is 28 : ) .
Yes it is the gray water tank -the soapy residue from dish washing, etc, seems to have formed a primordial soup. Having spent 30 years working in biology labs -I know bleach would take it out, but its rough stuff. I'm trying to be environmentally friendly, so I'm hoping a combination of airing out the tank and an RV tank tablet will help. I am sooooooo happy we don't have black water tanks too!
 
The manufacturers recomend that bleach is not used in the "waste" tanks due to chemical reaction of the bleach with their chemicals. So I gon't. Even in Cal. I am sure you put you unit in"storage" or minimal use periods. I always put the anti freeze in, because we can freeze, but the tablet or liquid waste tank chemical can be added with just a bit of water to keep the growees from happenin. Also when you do take your rig out the sloshing around will help break anything that might be in there up.
 
So how long does rv solution last. Due to Work issues we did not camp last year and our plan for a 3 month adventure now that we are both retired has been halted due to Covid so this winter will be the 2nd year with out camping. Wondering if we should drain tanks and rewinterize, just add some fresh antifreeze or what?
 
pat walsh said:
So how long does rv solution last. Due to Work issues we did not camp last year and our plan for a 3 month adventure now that we are both retired has been halted due to Covid so this winter will be the 2nd year with out camping. Wondering if we should drain tanks and rewinterize, just add some fresh antifreeze or what?
Click to expand...

We are in the exact same boat Retired December 31 and then, boom! But, we’re going out in October for 10 nights in various state parks. We’ll keep away from people and use the bathrooms sparingly and with precautions. Time’s a wastin’!
 
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