Why do RV sales centers and supply stores recommend enzyme tank additives?

When you go to pick up that new RV or motorhome, one of the first things you go through on your walk-around is your waste handling and disposal system. Inevitably, the dealer’s salesperson or trainer will tell you to use plenty of enzyme-based tank additives. And when you’re at the sales center’s store, Camping World, or another supply store, you’ll see plenty of enzyme tank additive options. In fact, you’ve probably heard from other owners, long-time RVers, and vendors at rallies that you MUST use enzymes to keep your holding tanks working properly and to get tank sensors reading accurately.

We disagree.

Enzyme-, biological-, and harsh chemical-based tank additives are designed to do one thing: Break down the waste that is in your holding tank. The problem is, they break it down into a thick, sticky slurry. Imagine pancake batter that has been left to dry out a bit. It moves slowly. It sticks to everything. And it can be hard to pour or dump out. That’s what’s inside your holding tanks when you use one of those commercially-available tank solutions.

There’s a better option. Our “homemade” tank solution that you can make yourself and works wonderfully, once you have had your holding tanks professionally cleaned. It consists of just three ingredients:

1. Pine Sol: A strong disinfectant that has excellent odor-masking abilities. Freel free to use original, lemon, lavender, or any kind you would like.
2. Calgon: A form of water softener that breaks the surface tension of water, causing surfaces to be very slippery. Its foaming action also helps to keep tank and pipe surfaces — as well as sensors — clean.
3. Water: Used to thin out the solution and as an extender.

Would you like our recipe for tank solution? You can download it here. We also give out a FREE 32-ounce bottle of pre-mixed solution with every tank cleaning we do, have bottles available for sale at rallies we attend, and have one-pint sample bottles available free for the asking!

But why take our word for it? After all, we’ve only cleaned thousands of holding tanks on almost every size, make, and model of RV and motorhome. It’s not like we have a product to sell you….