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Old 08-20-2019, 06:38 PM   #1
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Borax

Dear Guys:


Haven't been here awhile. Busy working with the USDA and my husband in the oil field of Eastern Montana. Camping here is sometimes hard to come by as everything is reserved or many miles away. Greg is planning on going done to Medora, Teddy Roosevelt South Unit to secure a campsite for the weekend so he can take pictures of horses.


My question is about borax and how much to put into the black tank. Anyone who knows please let me know.



Thanks!
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Old 08-20-2019, 06:56 PM   #2
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Kinda curious, why put borax in a holding tank? Never heard of that in 30 years with 4 different trailers.
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Old 08-20-2019, 07:07 PM   #3
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Some think Borax isn't a chemical and therefore superior to "chemical" black tank products.
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Old 08-20-2019, 08:37 PM   #4
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Borax, aka Sodium tetraborate decahydrate, or Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O


Just looked it up.
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Old 08-20-2019, 10:59 PM   #5
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Some suggest mixing other common household cleaners to clean a black tank - ammonia and bleach for instance ( toss in some Borax for good measure ).
The bleach decomposes to formhydrochloric acid, which reacts with ammonia to form toxic chloramine fumes. If ammonia is present in excess (which it may or may not be, depending on your mixture), toxic and potentially explosive liquid hydrazine may be formed.
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Old 08-21-2019, 07:59 AM   #6
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What is the effect of Borax on a septic system?
You should make sure whatever "chemicals" you use are septic system safe to not kill off the necessary "bugs" that break down the waste.
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Old 08-22-2019, 07:38 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
Some suggest mixing other common household cleaners to clean a black tank - ammonia and bleach for instance ( toss in some Borax for good measure ).
The bleach decomposes to formhydrochloric acid, which reacts with ammonia to form toxic chloramine fumes. If ammonia is present in excess (which it may or may not be, depending on your mixture), toxic and potentially explosive liquid hydrazine may be formed.
Hydrazine is rocket fuel, right?

That should be the last thing to mess with inside a camper, I would think.
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Old 08-22-2019, 08:27 AM   #8
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If you don't mind (no offense if you do), what town are you near? I haven't checked out eastern Montana since the oil boom really hit (or crashed), but I'm familiar with some of the towns out there. My coworker here has a really nice house which is almost completely paid off, at 32 years old, because her husband went out there to work for a couple years in his mid twenties.

Anyway. Maybe stay away from the borax
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:06 AM   #9
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Sorry but Borax is great stuff. It's relatively mild, cleans and whitens wonderfully and is useful for about a zillion things. Unfortunately, I just don't know whether or not safely cleaning an RV water tank is one of them.

Still, it's a great household product to have on hand.
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:44 AM   #10
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I have heard of borax, but have never seen it in a home, at least one I have lived in.
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Old 08-22-2019, 12:04 PM   #11
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I have heard of borax, but have never seen it in a home, at least one I have lived in.

How often do you do the laundry?
Available online.
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Old 08-22-2019, 12:15 PM   #12
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Maybe you can use the "20 Mule Team" for pulling your trailer if you can't use the Borax...
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Old 08-22-2019, 12:26 PM   #13
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Dating myself in 3...2....1

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Maybe you can use the "20 Mule Team" for pulling your trailer if you can't use the Borax...
Like on Death Valley Days!
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Old 08-22-2019, 01:13 PM   #14
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How often do you do the laundry? [emoji38]tu
Available online.
Almost never, and the dear wife uses a good liquid laundry soap.

I did search borax and found some online.
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Old 08-22-2019, 05:56 PM   #15
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Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax

In black tank use as water softener to keep stuff from sticking to sides. Mix as directions on box then pour into toilet and let swish around while driving to get the sides. It is safe for septic tanks.
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Old 08-25-2019, 11:09 PM   #16
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Borax is a great product and it does clean and reduce odor because it is a natural antibacterial. They put it in insulation to prevent mold, they use it as a wood preservative to prevent mold.

However it is not appropriate for your black water tank specifically because it is an anti-bacterial. You need bacterial and enzymes to break down the waste in the tank so that it can be emptied. If those solids don't get broken down then you will end up with a clogged tank. So adding Borax will kill that the good bacteria. Just like in your gut where you need to have all those "healthy" digestive bacteria and enzymes in your bowels to help you break down and digest your food. Remember if you take anti-biotics how you need to eat yogurt to add back in the good stuff? So what you need to do is go to the store that sells the stuff to put in tanks and get the biologically friendly bacteria and enzyme formulas that are made as tank additives. They will also have an odor controller in the formula and stuff to keep the walls of the tank cleaner. Then all will be well in the bowels of your RV.


Nowadays the recommendation is not to completely empty a septic system because the residual colony of bacteria is important to retain. Of course you do need to clean your black tank to get rid of the residual solids and at that time you can use a cleaner such as Borax if you wanted to. But a good washing and rinsing with lots of water is sufficient, it does not need to be sterilized.
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Old 08-28-2019, 06:06 PM   #17
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What do you mean by “clean your black tank”? Is that just throw some dish soap ( or borax) in there with some ice cubes as you pull the trailer around? Is there something else that I need to be doing? I do put a quick pour of the pink stuff in both the black and gray water tanks with some water whenever I empty them.

It’s funny how simple yet complicated a camper can be.
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Old 08-28-2019, 06:15 PM   #18
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K

What do you mean by “clean your black tank”?

Use a product that's been developed for your black tank. Odorlos contains enzymes that break down the contents and also controls odours.
There is a video on the web demonstrating that putting ice cubes in your black tank accomplishing nothing. The guy built a clear tank, placed it in the back of his pick up truck, drove around and filmed it. Nothing happens. Just Google it.
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Old 08-28-2019, 07:22 PM   #19
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Complicated... but not really. The black tank is just a holding tank. It’s not a septic tank like the one in your yard where bacterial decomposition is designed to happen. It’s just a place for �� to hang out until you can put it in a better place. So it just needs something to keep the stink down until you empty it. The key criteria is that whatever you add shouldn’t kill the bacteria at the sewer plant, or otherwise be a pollutant. The standard blue juice like in the porta potty is just fine.
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Old 08-28-2019, 08:30 PM   #20
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I agree.

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Complicated... but not really. The black tank is just a holding tank. It’s not a septic tank like the one in your yard where bacterial decomposition is designed to happen. It’s just a place for �� to hang out until you can put it in a better place. So it just needs something to keep the stink down until you empty it. The key criteria is that whatever you add shouldn’t kill the bacteria at the sewer plant, or otherwise be a pollutant. The standard blue juice like in the porta potty is just fine.
I have tried multiple natural products to break down waste and smells in both my trailer and a sailboat. Nothing works but emptying often and good old fashioned AquaKem. The retention time is not long enough, and the tank is generally too small.
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