Keeping Your RV Septic Tank System Happy (Must-Have Supplies)

Your RV sewer system is one thing you do NOT want to muck up. (Pun intended!) If there is one part on your RV that you want to take extra special care to be diligent with maintenance, it’s the septic. Trust us on this one. Here are the MUST haves to keep your camper septic system happier.

Oh. We could tell you some RV sewer stories.

But probably the one that is seared into our memory is the trip when we used regular toilet paper in our camper toilet. We figured the cheap, thin stuff from the dollar store was totally similar enough to RV toilet paper. Also about half of the price. To put it bluntly, there’s nothing like second-guessing your toilet paper buying decisions when you are 1000 miles from home and elbow-deep in your family’s actual crap due to a clogged toilet.

Clogged toilet doesn’t really do justice to the damage that the regular toilet paper did to our camper septic system. In fact, the non-RV toilet paper formed a papier mache paste that encrusted itself in the pipes.

Seriously, folks. You have to be kind to your RV sewer system.

Do yourself a favor and round up the proper supplies for your RV septic the day you buy your camper. You will thank yourself later!

RV Septic Tank Must-Have Supplies

RV Toilet Paper – I think I already made the case for this above, but just in case there is still any doubt: never ever ever use anything other than RV Toilet Paper in your camper toilet. Just don’t!

Flexible Swivel Stik with Shutoff Valve – Even when you use the proper toilet paper, clogs can happen. This handy cleaning stick will help keep your RV septic tank clean and odor-free.

Camco 20′ RhinoFLEX 20-Foot RV Sewer Hose Kit and a RV Sewer Hose Support – We picked up the RV Sewer Hose Kit before our first camping trip, but we logged a couple of camping trips without a hose support for our RV. Having one made a huge difference! The hose support holds your RV hose off of the ground. This not only helps to keep it safe from punctures (from rocks, etc) but it also angles your camper hose from the RV output into the sewer receptacle at your campsite.

Camco Rhino Blaster Sewer Tank Rinser – This piece is the perfect tool to rinse and flush your RV sewer system. The clear plastic helps give you a good visual to know when the tank is clean.

Campa-Chem Original Holding Tank Deodorant – We keep a box of Campa-Chem in our camper. Campa-Chem liquefies waste and helps to control odor in your RV septic tank. After arriving at our camping destination and hooking up the camper, we always add a bottle of Campa-Chem to our RV toilet.

Drain Clog Remover – It is best to keep a drain clog remover stick in your camper at all times. Clogs happen and the last thing you need is to have to find a store that sells a drain stick!

Non-Critical RV Sewer Supplies

File these items under the “not mandatory but nice to have” category.

Rubber Gloves – Honestly, for us, these probably fall into the must-have category. You can decide that for yourself. We highly recommend keeping a box of disposable gloves in the camper with your sewer hose and supplies.

Septic Toter – In an ideal world, every campsite at every campground we stay at offers full hookups, including sewer. In a realistic world, many older (or more remote) campsites do NOT offer full hookup sites, but offer a campground dump station. If you are staying for more than a couple of nights, the last thing you want to be d oing is unhooking your RV every other day to drive it to the dump station! Use a toter and empty your black and grey tanks directly into it. Pull or tow the toter to the dump station and empty it. MUCH easier!