Holding Tank Dissolver?

[Paul Akers]

Peggy, is there a product that you could recommend that disolves waste sludge that is coating the walls of my poly holding tank? I have owned the boat for a few years and often check the "full" level by placing a flash light on the top of the poly tank and shining thru the top. This allows me to check the liquid level. But this year, I have noticed that there seems to be more sludge clinging to the walls of the tank.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

All you need is a strong detergent solution

A quart to each 10 gal of water should do it. Take the boat out and tack a lot to agitate...let it sit a day or two...agitate again...flush it out and rinse out the tank with plenty of clean water.It's not sludge on the walls of your tank, it's the animal fats in waste...sludge accumulates on the bottom of the tank. To prevent sludge buildup, you should nominally rinse the tank after every pumpout by putting a few gallons of water down the deck fitting--'cuz that sends it into the tank at the bottom to stir it up so it can be pumped out. And 2-3 x/season, THROUGHLY flush it out by repeatedly putting a few gallons down the deck fitting until only clean water is being pumped out. 'Cuz left alone long enough, sludge will turn to concrete that nothing will dissolve that won't damage the tank.