RV travel tips: 5 must have items when you buy your first RV

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HARADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MARCH 2003: A foreign “guest worker”, wearing a protective suit, sandblasts a storage tank at the Haradh Natural Gas And Oil Development Project part of a developed gas plant to deliver gas to the Saudi population and state-of-the-art gas oil separation plant on March 2003 in Haradh, Saudi Arabia. Construction will be completed in 2004. (Photo by Reza/Getty Images) /

RV travel tip number 2: Get a really good chemical for your toilet.

I don’t care what any RV seller will tell you or what any other RV owner will tell you about seals or septic tanks, nothing is worse than forgetting to put chems down the toilet and having to deal with the smell while you are driving or when you park.

It is recommended that you don’t empty your black water tank until it is at least 3/4 full so you will need to have a chemical in the tank to help breakdown solid waste as well as deodorize. It’s a small price to pay.

Since we are “sitting on this topic throne” check the seals around the toilet cap before you leave and try to leave at least a cup or two in the bowl as the water acts as a seal as well. There is a nifty little wand you can buy online that attaches to your hose that allows you to get a deep clean beneath the seal of the toilet.

Another small tip that works well, when you empty your black tank (you do this first) leave the trap open when you empty your gray water. When you do this, the gray water (water from your sink and shower) it will backflow into the black water tube and give it a quick rinse. Then close the black water while the gray water empties.

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