RidX in a holding Tank?

[MrAntigone]

Will Rid X work in a holding tank? Has anyone tried this? Having trouble finding folks that have.

[Hudson Force]

I looked at the Rid X information online after seeing your question and I noticed that the product is advertised as containing organic enzymes,- cellulase, lipase, protease, etc., and promoting bacterial growth. The biochemisty seems sound and without a risk to plastic, hoses, seals or any of the fittings of a marine system. I've never used such products and I have not experienced a build up of sludge in my holding tank. If you are careful not to put bleach or toxic chemicals in your holding tank, keep good ventilation to promote aerobic bacteria; and actively use your boat so the motion and exchange of your tank contents prevents sludge from forming; then, I would not think an additive would be needed. If you do have a problem with the sludge, it doesn't appear the the Rid X would be harmful. I've never used it so the bottom line is,- all I've said means very little!

[tamicatana]

I don't think it will. Unless RidX has changed, it's mostly a box of 'dirt' which contain the critters, and I would imagine would sediment in the tank.

I did think well of RidX for my septic tanks though

[hellosailor]

Of course it will work, but it will do what it is supposed to do, not work complete miracles. If the tank isn't properly vented, or if there is solidified waste in the bottom, there's only so much that a maintenance product can help.

It is of course just as good and way cheaper than any special product you'd find in a chandlery.

[Hudson Force]

A day out in the chop before a pump out will likely do more than the Rid X for suspending some sludge.

[thinwater]

a. In side-by-side testing it did not work as well as marine and RV products such as Odorlos and Camco at reducing odor or solids.

b. The Rid-X web site cautions against use in RV and mobile use (FAQ section).

So I think the answer is no.

[powsmias]

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. In side-by-side testing it did not work as well as marine and RV products such as Odorlos and Camco at reducing odor or solids.

b. The Rid-X web site cautions against use in RV and mobile use (FAQ section).

So I think the answer is no.

tv commercial made me do a search and got here. commecial stated used in rv's but don't know the fine print. The last post here was from 2008 so maybe some improvements were made

[zboss]

When we started using ridx in combination with Oderloos... we noticed a very notable drop in smell. We only use about 1/8 cup of ridx.

[FlyingCloud1937]

This product is hands down the best I have found for holding tanks. Use it before you have to take something apart, it will make the job less then a rubber suit job.

I have 2 customers that had tank, and hose permeation in the 2 months, after a month of treatment, they no longer have that holding tank smell in the boat.

On one boat he had already scheduled a whole demo of the tanks, lines and toilets. He used it for a month, and now is happy he didn't spend the money.

The second boat had it so bad it caused the propane sensor in the same bilge to constantly alarm. And every time she flushed the head the whole of the marina smelled of holding tank. After one month the propane alarm doesn't sound, and the rest of the marina doesn't know when she flushes the head.
Noflex Digestor

It turns black water crystal clear in 2 hours, I have seen it demonstrated a number of times.

I have no affiliation with the manufacture... just 5 years of success stories.

Lloyd

Originally Posted by MrAntigone

Will Rid X work in a holding tank? Has anyone tried this? Having trouble finding folks that have.

[Snore]

Actually. I am experimenting with magesium based antacids in the holding tank.

One of my responsibilities on my day job is overseeing a wastewater system. A firm came to market a magnesium based product t for odor control. As we work through the system testing. I decided to try it in my holding tank.

Flush a few OZ of generic Pepto down the head, and the odors stop. Without getting into the chemistry it works and has a MSD that is absolutely benign.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by Snore

Actually. I am experimenting with magesium based antacids in the holding tank. .... Flush a few OZ of generic Pepto down the head, and the odors stop. Without getting into the chemistry it works and has a MSD that is absolutely benign.

The bottle of Pepto-Bismol I have says it is 525 mg Bismuth subslicylate per 30ml. After a quick look at the label, I don't see anything about magnesium.

[Snore]

My bad the product was magnesium. May be different product


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Snore]

My OCD made me recheck the Pepto on the boat. It contains magnesium aluminum silicate as an inactive ingredient.

You are right about the concentration of the chemical. Milk of magnesia is probably a better source of Mg. Guess that is why I am not a lab person

[mikeguyver]

I started using Rid-ex in my tank about 3 months ago. I bought the liquid 1 month treatment size and pour a couple tablespoons in the head after pumping out. It has cut the odor down to an un-noticeable level . We live aboard and pump out every 10-14 days, I also flush the tank a couple times.

[Roy M]

I've built septic tanks and distribution fields for residences, and I've built holding tanks for boats. They are different. Septic tanks digest wastes using naturally occurring bacteria that flourish under low or no oxygen environments. Your gut is an example. These anaerobic bacteria break down waste, allowing some solids to settle out at the bottom of a septic tank. The digested waste (from the "guts" of the anaerobic beasties) then gets displaced by an equal volume of fresh waste entering the tank and the digested remains, along with a whole bunch of anaerobic bugs flows out into the distribution field, often a field of grass. Living in the dirt of the field are bunches of aerobic (oxygen consuming) bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria are killed by the high levels of oxygen, then they are consumed by the aerobic bugs. This natural cycle is safe enough that the EPA allows septic fields to be constructed within about a hundred yards of drinking water wells.

Holding tanks do nothing more than hold the waste, allowing some digestion by the anaerobic bacteria, until they are pumped out of the holding tank into a sewage pipe or the open sea. In either case, the anaerobic bacteria die from too much oxygen. In the meantime, they stink up the neighborhood with the products of their digestive soup.

Peggie Hall describes all of this in her book (listed somewhere in CF). She proposed a different approach to handling this natural phenomenon, making the holding tank well ventilated and providing a source of aerobic bacteria to transform the wretched soup into a less smelly and biologically safer brew. This aerobically transformed waste is what the primary phase of sewage treatment is all about. Sewage plants would smell a whole lot worse without oxygenation and aerobic treatment.

Rid-X supposedly supplies doses of anaerobic bacteria to consume the solid wastes and help liquefy as much as possible. I have no idea of the role of the magnesium, but based on what some folks have said about "clarifying the waste water", it might have more to do with simply speeding up precipitation of waste solids. It doesn't reduce the products (especially the odor producing components) of bacterial digestion of waste.

To address the issue of the smell of holding tanks, wouldn't it be faster and more efficient, given an equal period of storage in a holding tank, to consider the aerobic digester concept? Those who are touting composting toilets are using this principle, probably without even knowing what is happening. I've been using it for many years, and mine is the only tank on our dock of liveaboards that doesn't stink.