Waste water ........... unpleasant smell

[popotla]

Our "grey water" tank smells at times like a .................... well, I'll just say "pretty unpleasant".

I'd like to ask what's best to use to disinfect and keep it as sweet-smelling as a lavender bush on a summer's morning. A suitable tablet to put in there? Or a particular liquid additive? *What really works best, according to your experience? Rinsing through doesn't work and anyway we're not in a position to do that.

Thanks.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Grey water can be a problem far worse than the toilet, usually all the grotty stuff that went down your kitchen sink. Not helped that unlike plumbing in your house where there will be proper traps on the wastes the motorhome is probably just a lengthy hose. Keeping a plug on the waste outlet can be good.

I use the Thetford cleanser. A small dose into the tank with a few litres of water before I set off somewhere or alternatively having emptied as I leave site again a dose and few litres of water as I drive home. That nicely sloshes around cleaning the tank, with a quick empty of the remnants at home, or just use the tank normally at your destination.

I've seen some funsters recommend cheap supermarket cola, orange juice. Possibly have to be careful with things like bleach in case that compromises some of the sealants in the waste plumbing.

 

[Swifter]

I would echo Kannon Fodda comments ref keeping the plugs in and thetford cleaner . My waste tank has a removable cap which I removed and used a hose to clean out . It’s not a pleasant job to be honest but it gives it an extra clean and let’s worst stuff drain out . It’s best to leave the hose from an outside tap running into the sink in the the van if you do this to give it a really good clean .

 

[two]

I use a proprietary tank cleaner (Fenwick's at the moment, but I've used whatever I can find including Dettol). After emptying and before leaving for home, I put a dollop down the sink and follow that with the remains of the hot water. That sloshes about on the homeward journey and makes the tank 'fresh'.

If the smell is getting into the van it may be coming from the shower tray. Make sure that all traps are re-filled (topped-up) after moving. The shower tray trap doesn't get filled so often - that's why I suggest that to be the most likely culprit. Once you've settled down on site, filling the traps again will close-off the space that foul air can get through.

(hope that all makes sense!)

 

[DiggerJon]

Another problem is that a lot of waste tanks don't actually drain completely and the grotty water contained therein just won't drain away. I modified my waste tank so the drain hose came from the large cap at the bottom of the tank, usually the lowest point of the tank, and so the waste water drains completely. It isn't foolproof, but it certainly makes an enormous difference on all the vans I've owned. For those worried about ground clearance, the only time it became detached was bouncing across the desert in Morocco and fortunately repaired with a spare jubilee clip and a screwdriver.

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[Podney]

Bio washing tablet in the tank,let it slosh around,empty,job done.

It also helps if you don’t let too much grotty stuff get down the plug hole,we wipe greasy plates etc with kitchen roll before washing up.

 

[Steve and Denise]

Soda crystals in a gallon of warm water let it slosh about then drain once home very cheap and effective

 

[Lenny HB]

We find the Therford cleaner works best, next best is bio washing liquid.
Tried coke & orangeaid found they don't work.

 

[icantremember]

As soon as the smell appears I find a a little bleach down the bathroom basin followed by a little water does the job.

To keep the waste tank clear of gunge I leave a couple of gallons clean water in the tank before a journey, then empty again immediately at the end of the trip and watch the cr@p flow out.

 

[SIFTA SAM]

Seems to be getting 'acceptable' to dump your grey water anywhere and when, as we witnessed at the Southport Pleasureland Park this weekend? Only a few,but a few too many.

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[Gaston aires]

Some people use a couple of large 2lt cheapo cola bottles, then flush.

 

[suavecarve]

We use the cheap cola trick and I always leave the trap open for a journey after emptying. I normally put it on to move away from the dump and out of the aire though. One has to have standards

 

[MITHRANDIR]

I use puriclean, for sanitising the fresh water system, when i am happy that its done its stuff in the fresh water tank, i run the taps in the van and repeat the same for the grey water, never had any bad smells, you would be surprised what it fetches out of the grey tank.
12 hrs in the freshwater, 12 hrs in the grey twice a year, job done

 

[Richard n Ann]

Send a sink full of hot water and a dissolved dishwasher tablet into the tank before you set off and behold the hideous liquid that drains out

I do it every morning on our way home and by the time we get home it's spotless

 

[Just smiffy]

Send a sink full of hot water and a dissolved dishwasher tablet into the tank before you set off and behold the hideous liquid that drains out

I do it every morning on our way home and by the time we get home it's spotless

Yes, I put a dishwasher tab in the sink plug and let it dissolve on its own now and again.. seems to work for me...

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[M-J]

Puriclean every year but did have to use elsan tank freshener when it got to the warm weather on our first year, no problems since.

 

[two]

This year will produce lots of new experiences for many.
My motorhome has done nothing but travel for a service and MOT in the last year. If my tank had been full, goodness knows what might have developed inside the tank. As it is, I suspect it's not as dry as I might think and there could be all sorts of organisms living down there, undisturbed.

 

[PJGWiltshire]

I have a access hatch for the grey waste tank. Every couple of months run the hose to the waste tank when empty and give it a mini jet wash on the inside and I am able to get my arm in and give the sides a good scrub down. That way removes any deposits on the sides. Not had smells since doing this BLUE job.

 

[Pausim]

Not helped that unlike plumbing in your house where there will be proper traps on the wastes the motorhome is probably just a lengthy hose. Keeping a plug on the waste outlet can be good.

Some motorhomes have traps but they are probably quite shallow and can dry out or empty themselves. The shower ones are particularly prone to this, especially if you don’t use the shower. If you have shower traps and no plugs just top the water up.

 

[Badknee]

While wintering in Spain its diluted bleach as we‘re stood still but cheap cola when on the move. Empty tank, put two bottles in, drive, empty.

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[johnval]

I use a bowl when washing dishes and then pour it down outside drain. Avoid pouring any waste down kitchen sink when possible

 

[sussexlad]

We have never suffered smelly grey waste in our 3 vans.

We are convinced it’s because we do not put any food waste down the sink. All plates etc are wiped “clean” before the washing up, which is completed in a bowl and we often empty that outside if we can.

 

[normanandsue]

Simplest solution is to wash up dishes and pans in a bowl and dispose of waste water outside and do not pour it down the sink. This stops waste food collecting in the waste tank and causing a bad smell.

 

[TCG]

Great stuff

 

[teddybear]

Only use tank for shower and bathroom sink waste. Pots are always washed in a bowl and water disposed outside.
Luckily also have a bung in the bottom of the tank so, when I can use a drive over I drain with that to complete empty

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[RobbyMClark]

After sterilising the fresh watertank last week ready for this weekend. I have left the grey tank full of the solution to clean it out, wonder what will come out when I drain it down
Good tip on the shower trap needing topping up after travelling, that's what we join for, tips and hints.

 

[Caggsie1]

Defo full fat cola. Works a treat. I was sceptical but do it now if any wiffs. Usually once/twice a year, we use van regularly and use a wastemaster whilst set up on site.

 

[Happy Jim]

Empty grey waste, tip a cup of water down each U-bend (wash bowl, drain bowl, bathroom bowl, shower) to refill the traps which have been sucked empty...plug in the hole....carry on.
In reality we tend to empty the grey, start driving, sniff the whiff and then pull over and do what we should have done originally!

Jim

 

[Shrimp]

We used a Dishwasher cleaner, got from Aldi-2 pack, only used one at a time. Put it in with some water and let it soak then a drive to or from somewhere and empty, surprising how much muck comes out!
Keep plug in sink drain hole, don’t use bleach but Zorflora is good!

 

[Jev88]

If you are able to cut a pipe and use jubilee clips you can add a short section of pipe under sink and loop it around in a circle - hey presto u now have a U bend.

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