This introduction article is the first in a series that describes The Unique Method piece by piece. Use the following table of contents to jump to a specific article in the series or start from the beginning (this article) and move to the next one in the series at the bottom.
The Unique Method is a 50/50 approach: 50 percent the right PROCESS and 50 percent the right PRODUCT. Both of these halves are key to achieving the highest possible success. There is a lot of information out there about the right tank care habits, but much of the advice you may have been given is either completely wrong or does not produce the alleged level of success.
Most problems that arise in holding tanks (smells, clogs, and sensor issues) are caused by not having enough water inside your wastewater holding tanks (hence the reason to always keep your black tank valve closed). Having ample amounts of water in your black tank(s) does three things:
So you dump your tanks after every trip; that’s fantastic, but because the dumping process relies on gravity, there is waste residue left behind on the walls and floor of your tank. Without rinsing the tanks after each dump, residue could be left behind to fester and odors could become a real issue on your next trip.
You might think dirty water is just dirty water and it doesn’t matter which “dirty water tank” it ends up in, but controlling what goes into each type of tank is important to what type of cleaning processes you use and how easily you can control odors and clogs.
Truthfully, you can find a measure of success when using any treatment product with The Unique Method, but certain products do in fact work more effectively. For many years, the only real options on the market were corrosive, dangerous chemicals like bleach and various formaldehyde-based products, and the products for odor control were just glorified air fresheners used to mask the odors in your holding tank.
Zinc and enzyme holding tank treatments are a newer type of tank treatment product and are best for eliminating odors quickly, especially in hot weather or when using less water than recommended. The odor-controlling component in these types of treatments is zinc, which will kill all forms of bacteria inside your holding tank, but when combined with the breakdown power of enzymes, waste will remain near liquified and odors will be controlled by the zinc.
Enzyme-only RV treatments are a popular solution because they act fast in almost all temperatures and climates and are very effective at waste breakdown. Unlike bacteria, enzymes are not living organisms and their effectiveness will not be severely diluted by high heat or too little water (though there still needs to be a certain amount of liquid for enzymes to work most effectively).
Chemical-based products that contain ingredients like formaldehyde and bronopol (and many others) can be risky to work with, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required products containing these chemicals to clearly state their toxic nature on the container. You might not know that even sewage treatment plants don’t use harsh chemicals like bronopol to treat municipal wastewater; they use bacteria treatments to promote waste breakdown and digestion.
Some might say, “So what? I control the odors in my home bathroom by spraying the air with a freshener like Glade or Febreze.” Yes, but like many of these tank deodorizers, Glade does nothing but cover the odors and overwhelm the space with another strong fragrance; it would not really improve the aromatic standards of RVing.