How far is too far to a home septic?

[TwilightTime]

I know you said no macerator, but why? You don't have to break the bank on one. I built a setup for less than $100 that lets me dump anywhere there's a sewer cleanout within 130 feet.

Looks like the pump is a bit more than I paid for it but still not too bad.

Parts:
Macerator pump from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Water bandit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hose from Sam's club: approx 30 bucks IIRC
Leftover wire and a switch I had in the garage
Two prong flat connector for quick battery disconnect: https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-47965...e%2C113&sr=1-1
Clear 45 degree fitting: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works like a charm.

Attachment 41106

Between you and Second Chance I have realized I was wrong to say no to a macerating pump! I'm sold, I'm now a macerator. What if any treatment do you use in your black tank to keep your septic safe?

[uwskier]

Between you and Second Chance I have realized I was wrong to say no to a macerating pump! I'm sold, I'm now a macerator. What if any treatment do you use in your black tank to keep your septic safe?

I dump to a sewer cleanout on city sewer so I run the Camco drop-ins. Haven't researched yet what I'll use in the tank when I dump to septic later this year.

[trailrydr]

Might be worth putting in an underground sewer line to your septic tank at a angle so that all you need to do is hook up and drain without a snake or pump.

We used an RV once on a lake lot with a in ground septic. Just placed a line under ground near the trailer with a collector like you would find in a campground. Had no issues using it like that at all.

As for the blue stuff, we use it for deodorizing mainly. But for septics in general, your poop will typically have enough enzymes in it to eat the solids while in the tank (so i have neen told by septic pros). No need for Rid-x either.

[TerryH]

I would strongly suggest to forgo the regular sewer hose and get a macerator pump. We used our macerator pump with 100' of discharge line to the cleanout across the yard with good results. Kind of a pain to deal with that much hose so had our plumber install a 1" underground line with bell connectors in a rainbird box. This is super easy to use and works perfectly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also we've had great results with the Vaterra Blue liquid treatment. 100% septic safe.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-V231...94&sr=8-3&th=1

[SGT ROC]

Between you and Second Chance I have realized I was wrong to say no to a macerating pump! I'm sold, I'm now a macerator. What if any treatment do you use in your black tank to keep your septic safe?

I have the Flowjet macertor that I got it on ebay a couple of years ago. I pump 60 feet at a slight uphill grade with no issue. I did get a 3/4 inch hose for that purpose from Harbor Freight. Works great and I empty the tank in about 3 minutes. I use a combination of Pine-sol and Calgon from this website https://kleentank.com/the-geo-method/. Used it all last summer with no smells and no issues. I am on City sewer but according to the Pine-Sol website FAQ page "Q: Are Pine Sol® cleaners septic safe?
A: Yes! Following the recommended use of any Pine-Sol® product will not harm your septic system."

[SGT ROC]

I have the Flowjet macertor that I got it on ebay a couple of years ago. I pump 60 feet at a slight uphill grade with no issue. I did get a 3/4 inch hose for that purpose from Harbor Freight. Works great and I empty the tank in about 3 minutes. I use a combination of Pine-sol and Calgon from this website https://kleentank.com/the-geo-method/. Used it all last summer with no smells and no issues. I am on City sewer but according to the Pine-Sol website FAQ page "Q: Are Pine Sol® cleaners septic safe?
A: Yes! Following the recommended use of any Pine-Sol® product will not harm your septic system."

I should add that I keep the hose connected to the sewer system all year long, capped when not in use. I simply uncoil it from the hose rack and connect to the trailer when I need to dump at home.

[Second Chance]

Between you and Second Chance I have realized I was wrong to say no to a macerating pump! I'm sold, I'm now a macerator. What if any treatment do you use in your black tank to keep your septic safe?

Now that I have the egg cleaned off my face from my previous post, I'll venture back out again. We don't use any treatments in our black tank - but we're full-time and the tank gets dumped and rinsed weekly. A lot of full-timers do it this way and, every now and then, use the "Geo method" to give it a good cleaning. This consists of about 10 gallons of clean water, 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid, and 1/2 cup borax crystals before driving on a travel day.

Rob

[Lane Hog]

What do you use?

Water. 5 gallons added every time we dump so that our tanks are never dry.

No chemicals, no fabric softener. Been doing it this way for 20+ years.

Keeping a wet tank ensures anything left behind will eventually liquefy. Keeps our sensors clear as well because that 5 gals can slosh like crazy on the drive home....

Those chemicals like happy camper are really nothing more than cover-up smells. An air freshener for the bathroom will accomplish the same thing.

[sunshinenv]

Water. 5 gallons added every time we dump so that our tanks are never dry.

No chemicals, no fabric softener. Been doing it this way for 20+ years.

Keeping a wet tank ensures anything left behind will eventually liquefy. Keeps our sensors clear as well because that 5 gals can slosh like crazy on the drive home....

Those chemicals like happy camper are really nothing more than cover-up smells. An air freshener for the bathroom will accomplish the same thing.

I can tell you as a FT stationary RVer (don't have a truck yet) I tried not using the tank chemicals and regret it. It stinks every time I flush now. I'm going to try Happy Camper. I was pretty happy using TST liquid but in the heat of summer here in southern Nevada TST couldn't keep up. As a single person I dump my black tank about every month to 6 weeks. It has a long time to sit and stew in this heat so I think using tank chemicals is a must for me.

I tried a half cup of dish liquid with a quarter cup of liquid calgon water softener (don't quote me on the amounts, I looked it up initially and used that method and recipe from online) for two tank cycles and it worked almost as well as TST. But with summer heat it didn't work very well the second month I tried it.

2018 Grand Design Imagine 2250RK

[lorend]

I can tell you as a FT stationary RVer (don't have a truck yet) I tried not using the tank chemicals and regret it. It stinks every time I flush now. I'm going to try Happy Camper. I was pretty happy using TST liquid but in the heat of summer here in southern Nevada TST couldn't keep up. As a single person I dump my black tank about every month to 6 weeks. It has a long time to sit and stew in this heat so I think using tank chemicals is a must for me.

I tried a half cup of dish liquid with a quarter cup of liquid calgon water softener (don't quote me on the amounts, I looked it up initially and used that method and recipe from online) for two tank cycles and it worked almost as well as TST. But with summer heat it didn't work very well the second month I tried it.

2018 Grand Design Imagine 2250RK

I would think that with a 45 gal tank that is listed for the 2250, if you are going 4 to 6 weeks between emptying the black tank your smell may be due to not using enough water in your system, and therefore needing to empty more often. With the wife and myself I find that going 8 to 10 days is on the long side of maximum usage between dumping. Maybe some of the full timers will chine in on this also as to how long they go between emptying the tank.