The van we just bought had black bits in it, the previous owners used thetford toilet stuff ( we know this because he gave us the bottle) and doing a bit of searching this seems to be the one that gives you black bits, my sister also had this with her van, I cleaned it out and used my old trusty Elsan and within a week or so black bits gone :)
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Our newer van had a lot of black bits the previous owner said they always used Thetford chemicals. I flushed it through with water, refilled with puriclean solution and left overnight before draining and flushing with fresh water. No sign of any black bits. I only use Elsan chemicals.
We only seem to get this prob at the start of the season,it could be the dampness in the tank breeding fungus,like LDKO says i do the same and it seems to clear it.
I've never had a problem with Elsan chemicals and I am not one of those who makes a habit of draining the toilet flush water. We had a porta-potti before we restarted caravanning in our trailer tent and this had black bits in the second time we used it...Yes, I was using the Thetford chemicals that came with it. I'd never use the Thetford chemicals again.
It's a bit like they used to say with cameras and film. Kodak made some of the best film around, but their cameras were far inferior to most.
We also have been having this problem with our Porta-Potti, and I have probably been making it worse by adding more pink stuff to the flush tank!
I will chuck out the Thetford flush chemical and buy some Elsan.
Does anyone know if it is OK to use Milton sterilising tablets in the flush and waste tanks? Will this get rid of the black bits on the inside of the tank?
Also, I have cleaned the waste tank out but there seemed to be a lot of bits of lime scale in there. Any tips on how to clean this off the inside of the tank? Any way to stop it recurring? Clearly the Thetford chemicals don't do anything to prevent this either.
I use puriclean too for the pipes etc. It lasts ages.
I am surprised that by now after years of complaints that thetford have not done something about the problem of the black bits. They must know about the problem mustn't they? Reading all the posts about it,it seems proven that their pink stuff is the problem.
Thanks Jeff. I have checked on their website here: Puriclean and the active ingredient Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) is exactly the same as what is in Milton tablets. See here: Milton so I should be OK with the Milton too.
Quote: Originally posted by robin52 on 15/8/2011...I am surprised that by now after years of complaints that thetford have not done something about the problem of the black bits. They must know about the problem mustn't they?
From other forums I have been looking at today, it seems they DO know about the problem, and their solution has been not to modify the product causing the problem but to bring out ANOTHER product - a bowl cleaner, to clean out the mess caused by the first one. Sheer marketing genius!
Quote: Originally posted by Chapelgirl on 15/8/2011
Quote: Originally posted by robin52 on 15/8/2011...I am surprised that by now after years of complaints that thetford have not done something about the problem of the black bits. They must know about the problem mustn't they?
From other forums I have been looking at today, it seems they DO know about the problem, and their solution has been not to modify the product causing the problem but to bring out ANOTHER product - a bowl cleaner, to clean out the mess caused by the first one. Sheer marketing genius!
Anything to make extra money...
Simple solution is not to use Thetford toilet products
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We use Elsan, and still have a problem with 'black bits'. My personal opinion is that when my husband tops up the flush tank, he puts in a weaker solution than I do, but he insists that the problem stems from my using too strong a solution (i.e. the recommended dosage). I'm not sure if we will ever reach an answer on this one, unless of course I can contrive to always be the one to do the topping up and prove to him the error of his ways!
Once it's in there, it's a bit like cancer. It's nasty stuff to get out. I have flushed mine with Puriclean twice now. Each time it comes back within a few uses, but each time it's not as bad as the last time. I never had any problem with Elsan but have used Thetford once and caught this disease. Suffice to say I am sticking with Elsan from now on.