Portable toilet questions

Helzie

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I have a couple of questions about portable toilets.

We have a Kampa Portaflush 10 camping toilet and we put some liquid biological laundry detergent in the waste tank, as recommended by many members here. That seems to work fine and we aim to empty after 3 or 4 days.

Question 1: How much water should we add to the waste tank when setting it up (the waste tank has a capacity of 10 litres)? The Kampa instructions say to follow the instructions on the chemical bottle.

Question 2: Even after emptying and umpteen rinses, the waste tank retains a slight odour. Is there anything we can use to deodorise the waste tank which won't cause problems? Vinegar? A sterilising tablet? Bleach?

Thanks.
 
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We used bio detergent for a while in our RV, but weren’t convinced it removed any nasty odours either while the toilet was being used or after emptying.
I’m afraid I gave up and went back to the green commercial stuff.
 
Yup. We read that bio detergent was the way to go, and at that time everyone seemed to agree that it worked just fine.

I tried it for a few months, until my wife lost patience and told me our trial had failed. Ever after we've stayed on the normal stuff.
 
I too have read the discussions for or against the bio detergent. A mixture of opinions....
I've always used the chemical stuff, and being happy with the results I've no intention of changing.
 
I too tried the bio washing liquid for a while, but could no longer cope with the smell, so went back to the stuff designed for the job.
 
I have tried various methods and different makes of chemicals. I have gone back to the blue, but I now use Kampa blue. There is no smell like the thetford type and it just seems to be the best for us.
 
Either my having no sense at all, includes a sense of smell, or l’m doing something different to you all. Maybe it’s the diluted Zaflora spray I use after each visit . Cheap bio tablets work for me for the last year, and that includes the eleven week road trip. Something like a 10% solution of Zaflora in an old Dettol spray bottle works well for me. Two or three pumps and the loo smells like a linen cupboard, other fragrances are available.

Helzie asked, “ How much water to put in with the tablets?” Why would you want to put any water in? You’ll be passing enough during normal usage. Just drop a couple of tabs in, and then let nature take its course.

In short, all I can say is, it works for me
 
If there is a lot of what looks like limescale then it is nearly impossible to get rid of the smell till it has gone. Get some citric acid powder (Amazon do it) and make up a solution of about 100g per litre and descale it. That will probably help cure it. Total fix for me
 
I've been using laundry tabs for a good few years now and don't have any toilet odour problems.

I really don't like the smell of the blue stuff and I want to be able to empty my toilet into normal sewage places not just on camping sites. I often travel home with it and empty in my bathroom so I can't be doing with any nasty whiffs and strong chemicals.

I suspect that limescale could be the problem, as Flostravels suggests.
 
It's definitely not limescale. The inside walls are clear (and we live in a area with the softest water you can get).

The smell isn't really that strong — I'm just a bit sensitive!

I'll experiment and see what happens.

Thanks everyone.
 
Either my having no sense at all, includes a sense of smell, or l’m doing something different to you all. Maybe it’s the diluted Zaflora spray I use after each visit . Cheap bio tablets work for me for the last year, and that includes the eleven week road trip. Something like a 10% solution of Zaflora in an old Dettol spray bottle works well for me. Two or three pumps and the loo smells like a linen cupboard, other fragrances are available.

Helzie asked, “ How much water to put in with the tablets?” Why would you want to put any water in? You’ll be passing enough during normal usage. Just drop a couple of tabs in, and then let nature take its course.

In short, all I can say is, it works for me
Do you think that the Zaflora ( disinfectant ) would stop the Bio element from working?
 
Hasn’t so far. I was away for the best part of three months. Sometimes it got warm, although not as often as I’d like ?.

As Zaflora is available in the Poundshop, for a little over 99 p (?Terry ), you’ll not be much out of pocket if it doesn’t work for you.
 
Do you think that the Zaflora ( disinfectant ) would stop the Bio element from working?
I’m spraying the bowl, not the cassette. Once the cassette is closed, it’s sealed. The bio breaks down the solids, and to a point cuts down on the smell. Nine times out of ten, you’ll be emptying in the open air, the odour coming from the pit would be worse than what you’re putting in.
I hope you’re not having your tea while reading this?
 
I’m spraying the bowl, not the cassette. Once the cassette is closed, it’s sealed. The bio breaks down the solids, and to a point cuts down on the smell. Nine times out of ten, you’ll be emptying in the open air, the odour coming from the pit would be worse than what you’re putting in.
I hope you’re not having your tea while reading this?
We have been using the Bio washing powder since getting the van following our first Wildcamping meet.
No problems and yes we use the Zaflora on the rim occasionally but normally flush with just water.
Just wondering if we were doing it right and you have just confirmed that we are.
Cheers. David.
 
I started using the bio washing liquid a few years ago, as I hate the smell of the commercial toilet additives,
Had no problems, but did notice a build up of lime scale over time, and a toilet smell now and again, even after emptying and rinsing out,
I overcame this by occasionally filling the cassette to the brim with clean water and dropping in a couple of ”Sterident” type tablets used to clean false teeth, then leaving overnight before emptying and rinsing out,,,Morrison’s own make are only coppers to buy,
They work a treat, and leave a pristine cassette with no residual smells at all, I use them every few months.
Never had a problem since,
 
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