Maintaining the holding tanks in your RV can save you lots of grief and money should you have problems with them in the future.  Simple maintenance can prevent you from having to spend extra money on repairing the holding tanks in the future.  Here are some simple tips to follow:

• Dump tanks when they are full.  Dumping a full tank allows for greater amount of water to flush the solids in the tank.  This prevents the solids from building up  
• With multiple tanks, dump the dirtiest tank first.  Dump the black tank first followed by the grey tank and/or tank from the shower and sink
• Clean the tanks after dumping
• To clean tanks use water softener.  Water softener will help loosen the solid material from the sides of the tanks.  Simply dissolve 2-3 cups of water softener in hot water and pour down the drain of the empty tank.  Keep the valve closed then use the tanks normally and drain once they are full.  Do this for each tank
• If you add water softener to the black tank you can also add a cup of laundry detergent to the black tank
• If you want to monitor the "dirtiness" of the water when dumping, use a clear pvc/plastic elbow to connect to the sewer drain line and the waterwaste output on your RV
• Use a disposable water filter on your frershwater intake line
• Add a small amount of chlorine bleach in the freshwater tank to disinfect the tank and lines.  Note flush out before using or your water will taste of bleach.
• To prevent odors from the holding tanks you can add enzyme based chemicals for cleaning your holding tanks

If you have other maintenance tips for holding tanks and would like to share them with other owners of recreational vehicles please contact us.

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