We live on a rural block and not connected to a sewer system ,other than a septic tank that goes back via filtration into the ground .Today we purchased some eco friendly septic toilet activator ,you put 1 cup of it down your toilet, shower , kitchen sink , and it sanitises your black water lines .It cost $105 (i know they must have seen me coming ) .Anyway it got me thinking can i make my own ,so looked on the internet and sure enough you can using basic ingredience Brown sugar ,Yeast ,Corn flower .My question is if this is as simple as it seems can it be used in our caravan toilets.It would seem a cheap alternative to the products sold at Thetford ,Sards ,Nappi san ect, .To all you in the know would this work ,it not seem harmful to septic systems at all ,safe on the environment ,low cost.
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Atherton tableland Nth Queensland. Currently have a Crusader Manhatton ,But in april 2017 will be trading it in on a Retreat Brampton.
Not sure i would claim to be "all those in the know " but will not let that stop me !!
A septic system relies on setting up an evironment for the waste so it NATURALLY decomposes and the NATURAL microbes thrive and break it down into safe and harmeless products by the time it gets to the outlet. Now where do these "eco friendly septic toilet activators" fit in ? Normally you avoid putting harmful chemicals and things in there and nothing else is required.
In the portable toilet systems which get emptied out into a dump point every couple of days, there are different requirements. You want the waste to be prevented from breaking down for that time so it does not "go off" and smell. So you put generic napisan or something much dearer in. A completely different requirement IMHO.
As for the statement " it sanitises your black water lines" you may believe that if you like
brown sugar, yeast, cornflower and the likes.........I'm sure the bacteria that operate a functioning septic tank, are looking forward to another feed of the same lol. Its no worse than having baked the likes of bread and cakes and washing the dishes with the waste (like yeast) going down the plughole to into the tank.
Guess it wont hurt a cassette type toilet (not sure if it will actually break down waste quickly enough to "liquidize" the contents before it needs emptying though). Why not give it a shot - seems a cheap enough experiment and you could even end up with a cake in your toilet LOL
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
when setting up a new septic the secret is to put a bit of road kill in, a dead wallaby or simular. Last on me and dad put in wasn't pumped for 30 years and when it was the guy pumping said it was a perfect system and didn't really need pumping, anyway before closing the dead wallaby went in before the lid closed
cheers
blaze
makes sense Blaze - if the tank is treated properly and disinfectants that allegedly kill 99% of all bacteria aren't used, tanks go for many years.
The last one I had to have cleaned (more than a few years now), no-one could remember when it last been done (it was a govt house about 20 years old and the relevant govt dept had no record of it having ever been emptied.
When the sewage guy lifted off the lids, there was no liquid in it and it was full to the brim with black "soil" which had no bad smell at all. He reckoned I should use it on the vege garden, but not so keen on that. But we had a fantastic flower garden - and the fruit trees fruited well next season !
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
I didn't realise it was that sort of inground tank . Yes we grew up on farm with septic tank . It was concrete and the sides. Opened into two deep holes then overflow along a shallow valley or drain full of blue metal . About every 5 years we would bring the cowshed sludge pump up on front end loader and pump it out . We NEVER run any chlorine or antiseptic chemicals dawn toilet .. The adding of Percarbonate seems to break up solids and prevents smell in black water in RV .. I didn't read op properly ..
The two toilet systems ( septic and caravan cassette ) have totally different requirements and the cassette should NEVER be emptied into the septic.
A caravan cassette requires the following to happen
1. De odourise
2. Emulsify ( breakdown ) solids which are faeces and toilet paper ( hopefully nothing else )
3. Sanitise
As there is very little time between emptying the cassette there is not sufficient time for any bacterial activity to provide any of the above 3 operations. This is why chemicals are used ( including Napisan etc ) Home made recipes usually address odour and sanitising but not emulsifying.
A septic has months and years to work biologically, however it also has its limits. ALL septics NEED to be pumped out when the active zone ( the liquid bit ) is less than 1/3 of the volume - typically 3-5 years for a family. When not observing this there will be solids, greases and fats carry over in to the trenches. The trenche$ are the important and mo$t expen$ive bit of the $y$tem. There is also sludge age but this is far more technical.
When returning home with the van try to have NOT used any chemical ( including Napisan etc ) in the last refill. Usually you can go a couple of days with just water in the cassette before odour etc occurs.
By pouring a chemically loaded cassette into the septic ( or toilet going into a septic ) you will risk killing off viable healthy bacteria. This will harm the biological process and in turn will "bugger" your trenches.
The same applies to the newer style home treatment plants - Enviros / Bios etc
If you have been away from home for some time add some raw sugar to your drains / toilet ( 1/2 cup - 1 cup ) as this will give readily available food to the bacteria. Also try to space out your washing if your washing goes into the septic/treatment plant - some do some don't.
Yep and not only bacteria .. There are warms that live in them too Like large maggots . They eat and break down that large matter . See them in the sludge when pumping out . If you have chemical and want to dispose ? Iff you really really have to ?? I suggest digging a hole in area away from water drained etc So it breaks down naturally ., well ? We did on our own property.
