We love our semi-retired lifestyle of traveling full-time. However Full-time RV glamping is not all sunsets, beaches, and mountains.

This blog is going to be mostly for our friends who RV, either weekenders, full-timers, or somewhere in-between. It is going to be about the not-so-glamorous aspects of RVing.

Freshwater, Greywater, Gally and Blackwater Tanks.

One of the best luxuries of glamping is having running water for cleaning, cooking, and flushing. Unlike in your sticks and bricks home, there is no permanent sewer drain. So all the water you use must be stored in tanks until you have sewer hook-ups to drain them. Done correctly, this is not too bad of a job. Done incorrectly, it can be a nasty, smelly, and dirty job.

Also, properly caring for your tanks keeps the tank level indicators working properly. The tank level indicators are what tell you the level of stuff in your tanks so you know when to dump, or when your freshwater is low.

First, for those of you who don’t know, let’s define all of the tanks.

FRESHWATER The freshwater tank is the tank that you fill up with a freshwater source to be able to use your RV when you are not hooked up to a city water source. You then turn on your water pump and when you need water at your faucets, shower, or toilet, you have water.

GREYWATER The greywater tank is what your bathroom sink, shower, and washer/dryer (if you have it) drain into.

GALLEY The galley tank is what your kitchen sink drains into.

BLACKWATER The blackwater tank is what your toilet drains into.

Proper use of tanks

Freshwater

The freshwater tank should be kept empty whenever you are not using it. This may be when you are hooked up to city water or when you are not camping and your RV is in storage.

Also, you should sanitize your freshwater tank at least once a year. To do this add 1/4 cup bleach for every 10 gallons of water and fill it up. Once you have the solution in the tank, run water through your entire system to sanitize all of your water pipes. Let it sit for 12-24 hours then empty the tank and thoroughly rinse out the lines.

Greywater

The greywater tank can be left open when you are hooked up to a sewer system. This allows your water to just drain out and you don’t have to worry about emptying it every few days. Since we have a washer/dryer, the greywater fills up much faster than the other tanks.

However, it is a really good idea to close the greywater tank at least a couple of days before you will need to empty the blackwater tank. Then you will empty the greywater tank AFTER the blackwater tank to rinse out your sewer hose. It is a good idea to occasionally add tank treatment to the greywater tank when you close it.

Galley

The galley tank should be treated pretty much the same as the greywater tank. One exception is that you need to add tank treatment to the galley tank whenever you have the tank closed. This is because there will be small food particles that need to be eaten by the microbes in the treatment.

Blackwater

The blackwater tank is the one that causes the most problems for RVers. The blackwater tanks should ALWAYS BE CLOSED except when you are dumping it. In your sewer at home, when you flush all of the material, solid and liquid, keep moving until it gets to the sewer treatment plant.

When you flush your RV toilet, everything goes into the blackwater tank. If you leave the tank open, the liquids will drain leaving the solids. If you keep doing this more and more solids will build up and you will end up with a poop and toilet paper pyramid. Once this happens it is very difficult to get rid of. And when you do get rid of it, large chunks can clog up your drain pipes or sewer hose.

Never dump your blackwater tank until it is at least 3/4 full. Tank treatment must always be added to your toilet every time you dump your tank. The proper tank treatment will break down the solids and also help prevent odors.

Water is your blackwater tanks friend. You need to have enough water to keep the solids covered. This helps the tank treatments break down the solids so they can be flushed down the sewer hose. So when you add treatment to your blackwater tank, add 2-3 gallons of water to the tank.

When you dump your blackwater tank, always use the blackwater tank flush if you have one. The flush hooks up to a water source and sprays water into the blackwater tank to rinse it out as it empties. This helps clean the

The best tank treatment

Like many of you who RV, I have heard all the claims by all the different tank treatment companies. Some claim to be the best at breaking down the waste, others claim to be the best at preventing odors. I have tried several of them and I did notice a difference especially in the solids and toilet paper as it went down the sewer hose.

Hearing all the claims, I decided to do my own test to see which ones work and which ones do not work. Here is a video of my tests. Some of the treatments worked, some of the treatments did not work. But there was one winner that performed way better than the others. Please watch the video to the end to find out which one was the clear winner.

I know our blogs always look like we are having fun. Don’t get me wrong, we are living the dream. But Full-time RV glamping is not all sunsets, beaches, and mountains. Occasionally I will share the nightmare side of the adventures also.

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