Taking Care of Your Black & Grey Tanks (Full-Time Routine at Basecamp)
This is a post you don’t really want pictures of…. Do you?
When you’re living full-time in an RV, tank maintenance isn’t optional—it’s the difference between a clean-running system and a rolling headache. Out here at Bigfoot Trails Basecamp, we’ve settled into a routine that’s simple, repeatable, and—most importantly—it works.
Step 1: Reset the Tanks Immediately After Dumping
As soon as we finish dumping, both black and grey tanks get 3–5 gallons of water added back in right away.
Running tanks dry is a bad idea. You want a liquid base in there so waste can break down properly and not turn into a solid mess over time.
Step 2: Treatment – What We Use and Why
Our go-to product is Unique Camping + Marine RV Digest-It. This has become the backbone of our system.
We add 1 oz to both black and grey tanks after every dump
It actively breaks down waste and helps keep sensors and tank walls cleaner over time
It’s a straightforward, purpose-built solution that fits full-time use
Even though grey tanks don’t get the same kind of waste as black tanks, they still collect food particles, grease, and residue. Treating both tanks helps keep everything flowing out the way it should.
Step 3: The “Household Hack” (Optional)
We also run a simple mix that’s more of a deodorizer than anything else:
8 oz Calgon bath beads
40 oz Pine-Sol
Fill the rest of a gallon jug with water
We’ll add about 8–12 oz to the black tank after dumping.
Does it break things down? Hard to say.
Does it help with odor? Absolutely.
That said, the real workhorse in the system is still the Digest-It treatment.
Step 4: Black Tank Flush Routine
Every time we dump the black tank, we backflush it using a flush valve.
Here’s the process:
Start filling the black tank using the flush system
Go inside and add about 1 cup of Dawn dish soap through the toilet
Let the tank fill completely
Let it sit while moving on to the grey tank
That Dawn helps loosen residue and gives everything a chance to break free from the tank walls.
Step 5: Grey Tank Management
While the black tank is soaking:
Dump the grey tank
Every other cycle, backflush the grey tank as well
No need to add extra Dawn here—it’s already going in through normal dishwashing use.
Step 6: Final Dump Sequence
Once the grey tank is handled:
Dump the black tank again (after the Dawn soak)
Follow with a grey tank dump to rinse out the sewer hose
That final grey dump helps clean everything downstream—simple but important.
The Result
After a full year of full-time use:
Zero odor issues
No buildup problems
Consistent tank performance
That’s the goal.
Why This Matters
There are a lot of ways to manage RV tanks, but not all of them hold up under full-time, real-world use. This system combines:
A proven biological treatment from **Unique Camping + Marine
Practical flushing habits
A little bit of old-school trial and error
It’s not complicated—but it’s consistent. And that’s what keeps things working.
If you’re running a full-time setup or putting your rig through heavy use, having a repeatable system like this makes all the difference.
