Do I need to have my tanks cleaned before I get them replaced?

There aren’t a lot of reasons to get your RV’s holding tanks replaced other than perhaps if they are ruptured or broken. If they are clogged or even compacted, they can be almost always be serviced and cleaned by an RV holding tank cleaning professional.

That being said, most RV manufacturer service centers and many mobile RV repair companies won’t touch holding tanks for repair or replacement unless they have professionally cleaned. The reason is pretty obvious – your holding tanks, especially the black one, contains some pretty nasty stuff. No technician wants to deal with waste in the tank, making an already unpleasant task almost unbearable.

So if your RV is facing a tank replacement, it’s always good to have an RV holding tank cleaning professional give things a thorough cleaning.

Jim & Debbie Tome, Owners

Hi, we're Jim and Debbie Tome and we're the owners of Kleen Tank LLC, the nationally-recognized and largest professional network of RV tank cleaning service provider.

We've been RVers like you since 2004 and have traveled all over the U.S. in our Airstream travel trailer. We started the business about twelve years ago and have cleaned tens of thousands holding tanks in thousands of RVs. From tiny weekend travel trailers to monstrous fifth wheels to luxurious motorhomes, we've seen just about every situation there is with RV holding tanks and waste systems.

We hope you enjoy our question-and-answer articles; we try to post at least a couple per week and we've got a great library of them to cover just about every problem.

And if you like these short question-and-answer posts, be sure to check out our main Kleen Tank website which contains years of longer-format articles that go more in-depth on many topics. Enjoy!

Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for yourself and your RV.