RVing SHOULDN’T BE SO FRUSTRATING

TOP 5 REASONS WHY YOU’RE HAVING TANK PROBLEMS

We understand your frustrations with your RVs holding tanks. After all, we’re RVers just like you. And for years, we had the exact same dissatisfaction and irritation with our RV’s tanks too. But through our creation of Kleen Tank and years of performing our professional tank-cleaning service, we’ve come to realize that we weren’t alone. Many, many RVers have the same feeling that you do. Here are five reasons why you’re having tank problems:

1. Not using enough water. Everyone seems to understand the concept of using a lot of water, but not a lot of RVers actually use enough. Get into the habit of traveling with five to ten gallons of fresh, clean water in each of your tanks. When you get to your next RVing destination, empty out this traveling water and replace it with three to five gallons of fresh, clean water before you start using your tanks. Also, when using the toilet, get into the habit of high-water use. Fill the toilet bowl about halfway, “do your business,” flush it, and empty a second bowlful of water into the tank. Low water usage is one of the main causes of tank frustration.
2. Emptying tanks too often. Tanks work best when you drain them when they are drained at 75% to 100% capacity. Let waste build up in each tank until they are almost full, then empty and flush them out. If you have to dump your tanks early, simply add more water to the tanks until the sensors read full. A full tank has a better “whooshing flush” and will draw out waste from corners and other surfaces, helping to keep the tank clean with every use. Tanks emptied too often accumulate waste and cause problems.
3. Keeping open tank pulls. Leaving your RV tank’s gate valve pulls open is just a bad idea, no matter how you justify it. When your tank pulls are open, liquid seeps out slowly, leaving behind solids to accumulate. Over time, those solids build up and a clog appears. This is also the case for gray tanks. Leave tank pulls closed, until it is time to empty your tanks.
4. Not taking time to clean tanks out. Most RVers simply pull the tank gate valves, empty the tanks, and move on. By not taking the time to use your RV’s onboard flush system, your tanks have residual waste in them that builds up and causes problems. Consider using a product like the Valterra Flush King Reverse Flush Valve to rinse your tanks — black and gray. Using the wrong tank solution. Any tank solution you add that breaks down, dissolves, or liquifies what’s in your RVs tanks will cause sensors to fail, odors to appear, molds and mildews to grow, and clogs to happen.
5. You’re treating your RVs holding tanks like a septic system. That tank solution you are using is breaking down waste and creating a tank of thick, sticky pancake batter (at best) or peanut butter-like accumulation in your RV’s tanks. Use plenty of water and consider an alternative tank solution, such as Kleen Tank’s own, freely available RV tank solution (get the recipe here).

Hopefully you understand some of the reasons why you are so frustrated with your RV’s holding tanks. As you can see, most of these can be resolved by changing your RVing habits, using an adequate amount of water in your tanks, and stop using tank additives that breaks down, dissolves, or liquifies what’s in your RV’s tanks.

Changing your way you use your RV’s waste holding tanks can resolve many of the frustrations you have with them. We also recommend an annual (every six months, if a full-time RVer) professional tank cleaning to get your tanks back to “factory kleen.” Give us a call, drop us an email, or otherwise reach out to us to get a quote and we’ll be happy to get you back on the right track.