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Water softener is NOT fabric softener, nor is it the rock salt used to recharge mechanical water softening systems.

Water softener is hard to find for a variety of reasons. Mostly it's because folks don't use it much. Most Wal-Marts I've been to stock liquid Calgon. Even though I know exactly what I'm looking for I still have a hard time spotting it on the shelf. Please don't write to me asking where to buy it. Seek and ye shall find.

Liquid water softener, liquid laundry detergent, and liquid diswashing detergent all work too. The key points are water softener and detergent. I prefer powder because it's cheaper by volume and weighs less by volume. I have plenty of cheap water on hand to hydrate it and pitch it down the commode and drains.

I add a small amount of chlorine bleach to the fresh water tank twice a year to disinfect and sanitize it and fresh water lines. A weak chlorine bleach solution will not hurt you. However, it certainly makes the water taste bad. When we have chlorine in the fresh water system we use bottled water for drinking and cooking until the chlorine is gone - or, you can drain the system and refill it. YES, we drink the filtered water that we have in the fresh water tank. NO, it has never tasted funny or caused any problems.

Folks write to me all the time saying their tank holds X gallons, so how much detergent and water softener should I use? I don't know. How could I? It will depend on the age of the RV, how much the tanks have been used, how well they've been rinsed in the past, how often they've been allowed to dry with crud in them, etc. I'll say this; brand new rigs shouldn't need The Geo Method for several dumps (6-12, or more - maybe less). An OLD rig will likely require a lot of detergent and water softener over several applications allowing the soultion to soak for a week or more. Then, you'll have to do a lot of rinsing to wash the crud out out the tank's drain. Without getting too graphic, I've helped a fellow who had never closed his black tank's drain valve. The experience of cleaning his tanks took forever and was literally nauseating - to both of us. I'll never, ever, do that again.

No, I do NOT do the ice cube thing. The Geo Method works without ice cubes. (Why not try walnuts instead? At least they won't melt within five minutes. No, I'm not serious.)

I don't believe these chemicals harm commercial septic tanks, if you think otherwise, then simply use The Geo Method only when dumping into a sewer system. Or, don't use it at all. It's your rig.

I've seen forum posts lately indicating that some RV parks are asking customers what kind of chemicals are in their waste water tanks, and in their cupboards. I find this hard to believe. It's none of their business. I feel no obligation to answer questions that the questioner has no business asking. Especially when I'll be penalized for a wrong answer. So, the correct answer that I would give is, "I don't use any chemicals at all." That should end the inquisition. If it goes beyond that it's time to take my business elsewhere. They most often need my business way more than I need their park.

My tanks are plastic and my pipes are PVC.





PS - The reason this article is so long is that people write to me and ask questions. After I've answered the same question several times I incorporate it into the body of the article for the benefit of those who might ask again in the future. On the other hand, I've noticed complaints in various forums that the article is too long. Then again, I often get mail from people asking a question that's covered in the article.

Don't fret over this. Just try it, use enough to have a chemical effect, and you'll get the knack of it over time. Now, go out into this vast continent and enjoy your RV. Tell 'em Bruni sent you!!

The Geo Method

By Charles Bruni

[email protected]
Cabot, Arkansas

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