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I have heard that the blue stuff kills bacteria, which isn’t the best thing for waste tanks.
Correct. Bacteria is needed to break down and emulsify waste. The best products keep it alive
. Oxygen is the key to PREVENTING odor'cuz when bacteria function aerobically, organic matter generates CO2 which is odorless. It's only when organic matter breaks down anaerobically (without oxygen that they can generate sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gasses--the stinky ones that are also toxic--and methane, which is odorless but flammable.
The “Head Mistress” recommends Raritan CP, which is another enzyme based product.
C.P. is a bio-enzymatic bowl cleaner that also happens to be the best sump and drain cleaner on the planet....but it's not a tank product. The two that I recommend are Odorlos (which btw is available from RV supply stores for a LOT less than marine stores) and No-Flex. Both work WITH nature to prevent odor instead of killing off all the bacteria.
Once a year, one cup joy dish detergent, fill tank half full with salt water, go for a spin in some choppy water, flush. Super clean. Used to do it to shrimp boat fuel tanks to before going inside to weld leaks. Shiny shiny.
Detergents emulsify oil and grease (the animal fats that build up on tank walls), but they don't do a thing to get rid of sludge. That requires flushing out the tank...which doesn't require filling up the tank, but instead putting enough water into it via the deck pumpout fitting ('cuz that sends the water into the tank at the bottom to stir up the sludge and hold it in suspension so it can be pumped out) to cover the bottom to depth of about 6-8"...pump that out. Repeat...repeat...till you're pumping out clean water. Or, if you have a washdown pump and a macerator and can get offshore far enough, use the washdown pump to put the water in the tank, then let the water continue to run while you run the macerator pump. This should be done 2-3x/year and especially in preparation for winter or other extended layup.
At one time our company packaged bread yeast and I had a lot kicking around. It didn't work on our holding tank and in my friend home septic it didn't help. Good idea though.
Wellll...maybe. A friend who had a summer home on an island somewhere in the Great Lakes learned the hard way that there can be too much of a good thing. The place had been unused long enough for the septic tank to die. Someone told him that a dose of yeast would restart it...but didn't tell him how much to use. So--being someone who believed that if a little is good, a lot is better--he put a block of Fleishmans down every toilet (the house had several bathrooms). After a few hours he began to hear a slight rumbling sound from the direction of the septic tank...it got louder...and louder...and then gasses started coming up the drains...water in toilet bowls began to "boil" and gasses began escaping through every sink, shower and tub drain...he thought the septic tank was about to explode! But no such luck...instead it erupted through every toilet and drain in the house. Not only did it make one hell of a mess, but the odor was so horrendous, they had to vacate the house! And it permeated everything so completely that the house had to be almost completely renovated before it could be occupied again.
So I don't recommend trying yeast in a holding tank!
As for RidX...septic tanks function anaerobically. The only thing it does is break down and emulsify all the food bits etc that go down house drains to prevent a clogged drain field.
And as for toilet paper.... To determine whether any TP is safe for use in marine toilets, put a couple sheets in mason jar (or whatever container you want to use) full of water...wait a couple of hours, then shake or stir the container. If the water is milky and all you see is "snow," it's fine for use on the boat. But if the sheets are still intact or mostly intact, try another brand.
Merry Christmas, y'all!
Peggie
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't completely understand it yourself." --Albert Einstein
