Selecting the wrong RV toilet paper can cause backups and malfunctioning sensors in your unit’s black water tank. It is important to keep in mind that just because the packaging says the toilet paper is “septic safe” and that it “easily breaks down” does not mean it is the best RV toilet paper for your unit.
There are a variety of RV toilet paper options available, including Scott’s Rapid Dissolve for RVs and Boats and other brands that make toilet paper specific for RV travel. These are designed to break down faster and easier, causing less problems in the black water tank of your RV.
The same thing goes for paper towels. Many paper towels are designed to not break down when wet, which means they will not break down when flushed down into the black water tank.
The simple water test in this video assesses popular brands and some not-so-popular brands to show the best RV toilet paper available. This test looks to see which brand dissolves the best. Here are some of those results:
- RV-Marina by Thedford is predominate in RV industry, makes sanitizers and cleaners, and broke down well with no big clumps.
- Scotts RV toilet paper was fast dissolving and broke down well with no clumps.
- Quilted Northern said it was septic safe, but did not break down at all, which could cause problems sticking to sidewall.
- Bargain Brand said it was good for septic systems and did break down a little bit, but not enough, and could still block sensors.
When selecting an RV toilet paper, get those that that are highly rated for RV use. This will ensure there are no problems with clogging of tanks or valves and will ensure the monitor panel reads correctly. If you do experience issues with your toilet, watch our video on RV toilet repair and troubleshooting techniques.
mentioned not dumping until black tank is 3/4 full due to the toilet treatment having enough time to break down “stuff”. That would, normally, take more than 12 hours. Would the chemicals placed in black tank after each dump, along with the extended time( say…a week), not have an impact on the breakdown of toilet paper?
Hello Carol,
Thank you for contacting us.
Each chemical is different so you would have to check the packaging to see what the recommended time is for the contents to break down. It is usually best to have more in the tank so it is able to liquefy. Usually the longer the better. Most of the time you won’t be filling the black tank in a day anyways. You don’t want to dump every day unless you have to as you need it to sit and digest so when you go to open the drain valve all of the contents are able to come out. Dumping too early will cause build up in the tank.
If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3536, or chat with us on our site.
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Sincerely,
Lindsay
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