Portable Toilet Chemicals

same active ingredient too
brian H

Lozza,

Use Woolies nappy cleaner.

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One capful per application with a litre or so of water in the tank first up, after that your own "water" is all that's needed.

Safe for septic tanks. Change every three days or less.

Make up a pistol grip spray bottle of water and a little washing up liquid to give the bowl some slipperiness. Number ONE rule: he who leaves skid marks cleans them up.

Use silicon spray on the seals every now and then.

That's the stuff.

Also should add that give the unit a good clean, whenever possible, after emptying, such around the seals and the slide, whilst the 2 units are seperated.

How much Napisan type treatment to 10 ltr tank.

Put a dash of washup detergent in the top tank. Morning fresh is what we use. Lubricates the seals etc. and a short flush before use to wet the bowl.

If you can't empty it in three days. give it another dose of nappy treatment.

The nappy treatment won't work successfully after other chemicals until the tank has been washed several times with strong solution of nappy treatment.

Priscilla - just a cap full from the container will do. If it starts to smell after a few days just give it an extra dose like Lex does.

The anti smell products do not lubricate the rubber bits. You need something like olive oil to do that.

As others have mentioned the nappy treatment works well as does a squirt of detergent in the top tank and pre flush to help prevent the skids.

We did our first trip with a portaloo last easter and it all worked great.
I was actually dry reaching at the thought of emptying the holding tank but to my surprise it was not bad at all.

standard paper breaks down just fine and set it up in a cool shady place if possible

Hi CJ, so you put 2 caps in bottom tank, how much in top tank? Is the capful necessary every time?
Cheers
Macca

In our experience a capful is NOT necessary every time.

I understand the generic nappisan is quite environmentally friendly and the potti can be safely emptied into a longdrop if necessary. I have not done this but would be interested to hear if anyone has reliable information.

Min

No we don't put nappisan in the top tank. Just manually drop a capful in the bottom tank after a dropful of ****
Min is correct probably not required ebvery time but we do. You will soon see or smell if it is not enough and you can size or time your capfuls accordingly
CJ

We use a jerry to catch the grey water from the sink. A dose of nappysan prevents odours with that also.

That'll teach them for losing the war...lol

The Bio Magic pretty much had us sold, so how does it differ from Napisan? From what I've read so far, Napisan has Sodium Percarbonate as part of its active ingredients. Does the Napisan break down the solids as well as the Bio Magic and other treatments? Probably a silly question, because Napisan is, after all, a nappy treatment! And I suppose a top tank treatment would negate the Napisan, unless you use something else.

Lozza,

Woolies Nappy Treatment actually has a higher percentage of Sodium Percarbonate in it than Biomagic.

It's heaps cheaper too.

It works very well. I've been using it for years now, countless others have too.

And I meant to add: don't bother putting any additive in the top tank. It's not necessary. Just use water.

And the dose is ONE capful in the holding tank. Not 2 etc like in the post above.

If the tank hasn't been emptied in 3 days (and it usually needs to be due to volume alone) then add another capful.

I was leaning heavily towards the Bio Magic, but as you said, it's not readily available. And the second factor is the cost. The only dealer on our part of the Central Coast that has it is Coromal Caravans and they sell it at $45 per litre or $99 per five litres. Not that we plan using the Porta Pottie that much, so the Bio Magic would probably last us half of forever! The only thing is the correct dosage. Thetford say 2 litres in the bottom tank with their stuff. And if I use dishwashing liquid and maybe also Tea Tree/Eucalyptus oil with water in the top tank, will they negate Woolworths Napisan alternative when I flush? Admittedly, the Bio Magic seems the less fuss alternative as such. But the cost!!

Which tablets do you use? Some of the tablets have the same active ingredients as the Nappy treatment.

Bentaxle,

how wrong you are.

Napisan uses sodium percarbonate, the same active ingredient in Biomagic.

It breaks down to oxygen.

It is safe for septic tanks so it does not have any effect on bacteria.

You are the victim of commercial forces.

"Chemicals" designed for portable toilets contain Formaldehyde - which is a nasty chemical in the environment, pickles the waste product rather that assisting it bio-degrade, and do not release bacteria. The so called green chemicals are usually based on Bronopol, which breaks down to release Formaldehyde.

Sodium Percarbonate is an effective and environmentally safe alternative to nasty chemicals.

Motherhen

The Bio Magic pretty much had us sold, so how does it differ from Napisan? From what I've read so far, Napisan has Sodium Percarbonate as part of its active ingredients. Does the Napisan break down the solids as well as the Bio Magic and other treatments? Probably a silly question, because Napisan is, after all, a nappy treatment! And I suppose a top tank treatment would negate the Napisan, unless you use something else.

Yes Lozza, use the same in the top tank (if anything). We had a musty odour when using Bio Magic but not when we changed to Sodium Percarbonate. As we only use our toilet when needed, it can be used once, then after a few days in parks using their toilets, it is not nasty when emptying. Also we don't feel so bad about tipping out one day's worth when the product is so much cheaper. However our main reasons for using Sodium Percarbonate (Woolworths or Coles nappy powders) are that it is safe to dump in septics or in a hole in the ground, and best of all, it works really well.

Mh

If using home brand Napisan, exactly what is the dosage for the bottom tank? The Thetford instruction booklet says so many mls of their product in 2 litres water placed in the bottom tank. And I was thinking of the posts mentioning putting a little dishwashing liquid in the top tank to: 1. Prevent skiddies and 2. Lubricate the seals. Will the dishwashing liquid negate the Napisan stuff? I was thinking of dosing the top tank with Napisan stuff and dishwashing liquid as well. And someone else mentioned using Eucalyptus or Tea Tree Oil in the top tank to put a pleasant frangrance in the bowl. And will that negate the Napisan? So many questions, but I want to get it right, first time. The toilet is new, hasn't been used yet.

Hi Lozza

Instructions for nappy soaker is something like a half a level lid for a bucket with 7 litres. Our cassette is twenty litres, but would rarely get beyond half full before emptying, so i add a shake the equivalent of a capful dissolved in about a litre of water (dissolving not necessary if you are on the move). You can add more if needed if using for a few days. We have only ever used water in the flush tank. If you want a slippery surface nothing is slipperier that a nappy powder solution, so a splash around the bowl before use would help. A friend said she uses spray cooking oil. I doubt detergent would negate the nappy soaker, as it can be used in the washing machine with regular washing detergent. We lubricate the seal if it sticks with silicon spray - as per Thetford instructions, although some have said their instructions recommend olive oil.

Mh

Lozza,

one capful of powder in the bottom tank with about a litre of water.

Empty it after 3 days.

A pistol grip of water and detergent sprayed on the bowl will stop skidmarks.

Nothing in the top tank except water.

Ok, I now have the message loud and clear. It'll be the Coles/Woolies nappy treatment mixed with an appropriate amount of water in the bottom tank. A small drop or so of Morning Fresh with wather in the top tank. Possibly a little nappy treatment in the top tank to augment the process. And olive oil/silicone spray for the slide and seals as req'd. A massive difference in price from the Bio Magic! Oh, two final questions. How long does it take to break down the solids? Just so I don't empty the unit too soon! And paper type. They recommend certain paper, not normal date roll.

We use cottonelle. Breaks down well. We've had no problems with it.

Hi Lozza

I can only say what works for us, and managing a caravan toilet is really not very different to managing one at home (we have our own septic system). I don't use anything but water to flush - either at home or in the caravan. I don't use any harmful cleaning products or additives in either. I use septic safe toilet paper both at home and in the caravan - and after all, toilet paper that is marketed here is septic safe; any brand yo choose will do.

With the movement of travelling, paper dissolves very quickly. If you are stationary for a few days cassette contents will not all break down into the smooth slurry it does with travelling, but still all pours into the dump point easily enough. If you are static for periods of time, you can always keep a plastic bag handy and dispose of the paper without putting it into the toilet. Incidentally, my daughter just spent a few days holidaying in Bali, and due to their primitive disposal systems, a bag beside the toilet for the paper was the norm.


Camping used to be simple, and still can be if we ignore the market forces trying to cash in one us.
Mh