PORTABLE TOILET CHEMICALS

msg · Guru

RE: PORTABLE TOILET CHEMICALS

herbie · Guru

Those Duck thingo's are not safe if any of it happens to go into the toilet

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Well it dissolves into the toilet - so is that not safe? Suppose not. W just use some eucalyptus oil on loo paper into the tank - and in dire times of need a quick spray with a room deodoriser!!!!

msg · Guru

I have had no problems. They stick really well and disolve slowly. Can you explain why they are not safe? Have been been using for some time now.

Duh · Guru

With keeping your seals/slide lubricated, does anyone use silicone spray? Just wondered how that would work

On the subject of shaking the porta potti to dislodge things, there was a how to video saying not to shake it too hard as it could dislodge part of the mechanism inside.....

msg · Guru

Sorry Jules Herbie was the one I was asking.

I just think that if there was anything going in that was dangerous then it would be only small negligible amounts. Have emptied cassette into septic bio tank for 3 months and there was no ill effect there. Tank tested fine. One lasts about 2 months.

herbie · Guru

Most systems are self contained , but do need require occasional maintance other than just emptying. I check the operation of the seal.( also known as the lip seal )by turning the in my case a yellow knob and watching the blade sip back and forth. The seal should be cleaned thoroughly in warm water and mild detergent because we live in our van full time i clean about once per month, but if only useing van for trips away clean it before and after a trip. I use olive oil to lubricate on reassembling.If we are not useing the van for periods i leave the blade open to stop the rubber sticking. Hope my ideas maybe of some help to you.....Have noticed over time these caravan places give you their version on a run down on the goings and comings of the van,but the how to of the maintance of Toilet/ Hot water /and the other little gadgets involved in keeping a van in good working order , never get spoken about from the sales man, Well in our case anyway.Anoth good tip is to fush out the holding tank with some backing powder every so often ,as it helps to stop the build up of the yuk stuff inside of cassette.

-- Edited by herbie on Friday 22nd of March 2013 12:40:46 PM

patrolst · Senior Member

Duh wrote:
With keeping your seals/slide lubricated, does anyone use silicone spray? Just wondered how that would work
On the subject of shaking the porta potti to dislodge things, there was a how to video saying not to shake it too hard as it could dislodge part of the mechanism inside.....

We just use cooking sray while on the road and silicone/"O" ring grease when servicing at home. Can't see why silicone spray wouldn't work.

Even shaking the porti potti can dislodge the indicator float.

leajoy · Veteran Member

We have been using Biomagic as well for the last few years but as said previously it is expensive, so we have been looking for an alternative. At the recent Melb caravan show we came across the Thetford Aqua Kem Green. It is supposed to be enviromentally friendly and can be used in septic tanks. Certainly cheaper than Biomagic - anyone used it and know how good it is and what does it smell like?

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Duh wrote:
With keeping your seals/slide lubricated, does anyone use silicone spray? Just wondered how that would work
On the subject of shaking the porta potti to dislodge things, there was a how to video saying not to shake it too hard as it could dislodge part of the mechanism inside.....

Vic - I think I said to shake GENTLY!! just a rocking movement to get the pyramid effect out of the centre of the cassette, and spread the load, so to speak.

herbie · Guru

Maybe i should have made myself a little clearer on this subject. So sorry about that when i said the blue duck thingo was/ is dangerous , They are dangerous to the inviro and our self ,as all our waste in the end has to go some place.(water ways/ land /)All chemicals are harmful to us and the inviro in some way or another, as they are all slow to disolve.Dichlorobenzene or 1;4-DCB released into air over long periods canciongens.Realistically these chemicals can reside inside your body for ever and accumulate to toxic levals..If we all used those little blue ducky thingo all our fish in the ocean would have three eyes.Hope i have cleared myself up on this subject.

Regards Herbie.

msg · Guru

Herbie, thanks for that. Will check for chemicals. I could imagine how you could get a lungful when opening the lid. You can't smell them until then.

However, I was not talking about the blue water flush ones. The ones I use are deodorants that stick to the side of the bowl.

My Thetford handbook says not to use any type of oils around the seals ???

herbie · Guru

msg wrote:
Herbie, thanks for that. Will check for chemicals. I could imagine how you could get a lungful when opening the lid. You can't smell them until then.

However, I was not talking about the blue water flush ones. The ones I use are deodorants that stick to the side of the bowl.

My Thetford handbook says not to use any type of oils around the seals ???

Hi the one you use on the side of your bowl if the water hits it or any waste hit it when you use the toilet then it must still go into your holding tank. Would be interested to find out what your Thetford hand book tells you to use for the seals. I find a lot of these products want you to use some thing they have a vested interest in.I have been doing what i have done for years and never once have i had a problem or any leak/odour from my toilet.And in some of the very hot and humid places we have lived in due to our work, i must be doing some thing right, But you do what you want to do regarding all of this, just thought i would l put my two bobs worth in.

Duh · Guru

jules47 wrote:
Duh wrote:
With keeping your seals/slide lubricated, does anyone use silicone spray? Just wondered how that would work
On the subject of shaking the porta potti to dislodge things, there was a how to video saying not to shake it too hard as it could dislodge part of the mechanism inside.....
Vic - I think I said to shake GENTLY!! just a rocking movement to get the pyramid effect out of the centre of the cassette, and spread the load, so to speak.

It was just a general comment on shaking porta potti's Jules, not directed at anyone in particular.....however does shaking them mean you end up with a "thick shake"

Duh · Guru

patrolst wrote:
Duh wrote:
With keeping your seals/slide lubricated, does anyone use silicone spray? Just wondered how that would work
On the subject of shaking the porta potti to dislodge things, there was a how to video saying not to shake it too hard as it could dislodge part of the mechanism inside.....
We just use cooking sray while on the road and silicone/"O" ring grease when servicing at home. Can't see why silicone spray wouldn't work.
Even shaking the porti potti can dislodge the indicator float.

Thanks for the feedback patrolst! Just got one included with my latest van, never had one before so a learning curve for me, going to store it for awhile so will empty it (chemicals in top tank) and give it some lubrication, also I read that if storing them to open the slide and leave it open so it doesn't stick to the seal.

patrolst · Senior Member

Our Porta Potti gets emptied cleaned and serviced when we get home and we use the Thetford pink in the top tank and the Thetford green in the bottom tank all the time, all this is done ready for the ext trip and I never leave the slide open when using these chemicals we have never had an invasive odour in the van, and while on the road always use designated dump points.

And the system is 10 years old.

-- Edited by patrolst on Saturday 23rd of March 2013 08:12:51 PM

beiffe · Guru

I have used the cheap nappy soaker the chep brands for nearly 4 years and found it works OK.

I have no problem with the #2's not breaking down.

I use a sugar shaker and put in several shakes after an empty and then every #2 I add another shake (tea spoon I suppose).

I tried the Bio Magic and I am assured it is compressed nappy soaker but find it does not break down properly so I had to add the nappi soaker to help it out so I have a box I add one in now and again so I can get rid of them.

I do not worry about the water etc just as long as you get a bit of liquid in and then a #2 to start the reaction then it is all go.

I have a spray bottle with a mixture of water and eucalyptus oil as a spray just to give a nice smell but find it is not necessary just give the MH a pleasant smell and the toot is the best place to put it.

Regards
Brian

Paul and Pam on Tour · Veteran Member

Mmm, I would be very wary of using anything with formaldehyde in it!! Read here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde#Safety

-- Edited by Paul and Pam on Tour on Saturday 26th of April 2014 08:45:14 AM

Rip and Rosie · Guru

vkgreenie wrote:
Well my two bobs worth.
We use two caps of Wollies Home Brand Nappy San. Dissolve two caps in a bucket of warm water and pour into the holding tank. Before putting the contents in the tank however we put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid, and then add a decent hit of eucalyptus spray. End result no smell, and no mould withing the tank...........................................

Yep, that's our recipe as well.... well, almost.

Throw a cap of nappy san into the bottom with a bit of water and fill the top tank with fresh water, squirt of dishwashing liquid and few drops of eucalyptus oil.

No need to dissolve the nappy san if you're on the road, but give it a swish around if you're parked up.

Tomcat · Senior Member

When I empty the cassette after flushing and a good shake i put in a good squirt (about 1/2 litre) of fresh water out of the hose if there is one. Then re install the cassette to the van, then from the toilet bowl side add 2 capfuls of cheap nappy san and a good squirt of whatever dishwashing liquid we are using at the time. and for flushing use a pine o clean spray. Works for me.

Tomcat · Senior Member

I had to change the seal in our thetford and on one of the youtube a guy said only use olive oil on the rubber seal nothing else. I have been thinking about using an olive oil spray!

madaboutled · Guru

We used to use the Woolies nappy soaker which works very well but then discovered White King Laundry Soaker which workes even better. Best thing is that you find this in most supermarkets and on occassion you might be lucky enough to pick up the 2Kg container on special for around $5. To prepare it we put 2 to 3 heaped cap fulls into a wide neck bottle using a funnel and then add about a cup of warm water. Then put the cap on and shake it up to disolve the powder/granules before tipping it into the cassete. You won't need to add any detergent to the White King as it seems to be built in.

dorian · Guru

madaboutled wrote:
We used to use the Woolies nappy soaker which works very well but then discovered White King Laundry Soaker which workes even better.

Why is it better? AFAICT it uses the same active ingredient (sodium percarbonate) as Napisan and the other generics. The MSDS doesn't specify the exact percentage, though. What does it say on the label?

http://www.whiteking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/White-King-Oxy-Lift-Booster.pdf

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Re the percentage of sodium bicarbonate - for some reason Woolies home brand now has only 28%, used to be 34%. The Coles one has the correct amount, as does the White King one, but it also has bleach, I would think, I have been buying a 2kg size from The Reject Shop - Supreme is the brand - Oxy active - it works exceedingly well, and being the larger size it last us longer, as often we aren't near a Reject Shop. Read the labels carefully - the percentage is usually in tiny little letters, NOT where the ingredients listing is for some reason. 34% is what you are looking for

We have used nothing else for four years, we have no problem with smell, breakdown of product (faeces and paper) I buy 2 ply toilet paper, and find some of the home brand ones are excellent for breaking down, without having the dreaded "breakthrough" if you know what I mean.

When we travel with product in the loo, the swooshing motion activates the breakdown, and sometimes you will get a smell, but a capful of nappy soaker will fix that in no time. This is especially good if you are in a motorhome.

Phillipn · Guru

I was given this mixture by a fellow , but I have not used it yet.

4 litres hot water, 1 cup borax [dissolved in a little of the hot water]. 1 cup cloudy ammonia and 1 to 2 cups pine-o-clean disinfectant.

[ use the green pine-o-clean so the end product will not look like a bottle of urine]

Mix all ingredients together in large container. It will make almost 5 litres.

Put into smaller containers for traveling. Add 75 ml to toilet. Will not harm septic toilets.

dorian · Guru

Just FYI, Aldi have two versions of their Napisan look-alike. One has a lower percentage of sodium percarbonate than the other.

dorian · Guru

Phillipn wrote:
I was given this mixture by a fellow , but I have not used it yet.

4 litres hot water, 1 cup borax [dissolved in a little of the hot water]. 1 cup cloudy ammonia and 1 to 2 cups pine-o-clean disinfectant.
[ use the green pine-o-clean so the end product will not look like a bottle of urine]

Mix all ingredients together in large container. It will make almost 5 litres.

Put into smaller containers for traveling. Add 75 ml to toilet. Will not harm septic toilets.

Call it "Big Fat Kev's Miracle Poo Buster" and sell it for $10 per kg. On the Material Safety Data Sheet, refer to the ingredients as "secret".

madaboutled · Guru

dorian wrote:
madaboutled wrote:
We used to use the Woolies nappy soaker which works very well but then discovered White King Laundry Soaker which workes even better.
Why is it better? AFAICT it uses the same active ingredient (sodium percarbonate) as Napisan and the other generics. The MSDS doesn't specify the exact percentage, though. What does it say on the label?
http://www.whiteking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/White-King-Oxy-Lift-Booster.pdf

Why is it better?...... My reasons.....

1. Sodium Percarbonate content according to the label is 34.6% (from memory) which is even higher than the Woolies original product and as others have pointed out the sodium percarbonate content in the woolies product is now only 28%.

2. There seems to be a detergent in the White King product which is evident when I rinse/flush the tank with a couple litres of water followed by a shake up before emptying. The flush water comes out foaming white and leaves a reasonably pleasant smell in the cassete.

3. Availability, you can find the White King product in most supermarkets.

4. Cheaper... Last time I looked at the Woolies product it was $5.68 for a 1 Kg container, the White King product on the other hand was $10 for a 2 Kg container and on a few occasion I've picked up the 2 Kg container on special in both Woolies and Super IGA for $5.00.

madaboutled · Guru

dorian wrote:
Phillipn wrote:
I was given this mixture by a fellow , but I have not used it yet.

4 litres hot water, 1 cup borax [dissolved in a little of the hot water]. 1 cup cloudy ammonia and 1 to 2 cups pine-o-clean disinfectant.
[ use the green pine-o-clean so the end product will not look like a bottle of urine]

Mix all ingredients together in large container. It will make almost 5 litres.

Put into smaller containers for traveling. Add 75 ml to toilet. Will not harm septic toilets.
Call it "Big Fat Kev's Miracle Poo Buster" and sell it for $10 per kg. On the Material Safety Data Sheet, refer to the ingredients as "secret".

I'll stick to the White King even when not on special, a 2 Kg container would be cheaper and won't have that ammonia smell!.

dorian · Guru

I've seen Aldi's Di-San selling for $10 per 3kg. Otherwise it sells for around $3.50 for a 1kg container.