Elsan and "Septic" Tanks....

[Frankiej]

I think that just saying 'blue' to include all chemicals that are coloured blue can be misleading. As myrtleguru says, Thetford Blue has no formaldehyde. So in that case, landyandy, simply stating the colour of the liquid is not really distinguishing them.

The problem with this is if a site says 'only green chemicals can be used in this CDP', do they mean green in colour or credentials? And if they mean credentials and someone sees you using blue chemicals, will they assume you are abusing the system?

Maybe they should say 'only formaldehyde free chemicals to be used'.
And then of course, you have the problem as previously mentioned of policing it.

I do think part of the problem lies in the history of blue coloured chemicals being 'bad', so some don’t realise that some companies have changed their recipes, for want of a better word!

And if someone knows of other chemicals in the Thetford Blue that are hazardous to the environment (more than any other brand) would be very pleased to have that information.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

The manufacturers have to publish safety data sheets for their products (like the examples below), but who is going to go to the trouble of tracking those down?

http://www.partinfo.co.uk/files/30097BE Thetford Aqua Kem Blue 30Ltr.pdf

http://www.outdoor-revolution.com/d...h16/UK-2926 SDS toilet fluid concentrat-1.pdf

 

[Landy Andy]

I think stating the colour is distinguishing them. It is showing the difference between bio, and non-bio chemicals.

Bio and non-bio are proffered depending on the sewage system of the site.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

The manufacturers have to publish safety data sheets for their products (like the examples below), but who is going to go to the trouble of tracking those down?

http://www.partinfo.co.uk/files/30097BE Thetford Aqua Kem Blue 30Ltr.pdf

http://www.outdoor-revolution.com/download/bluediamond/coshh16/UK-2926 SDS toilet fluid concentrat-1.pdf

Known as a COSHH Sheet (control of substances hazardous to health)

 

[Frankiej]

I think stating the colour is distinguishing them. It is showing the difference between bio, and non-bio chemicals.

Bio and non-bio are proffered depending on the sewage system of the site.

Surely it isn’t distinguishing them if the blue thetford has green credentials? Ie no formaldehyde....

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[Casper46]

I doubt it will make a lot of difference what colour additives go into your tank.
Having lived with using septic tanks for the last 40 years and also seen people on Aires emptying their cassettes, I don’t think you have a cat in hells chance of getting some people to take any notice of what they put in their loos. We share ours with 4 other properties and our biggest problem is ‘other’ things that get put into loos. Ours worked properly when it was only shared by one other household, we threw a dead rabbit ( road kill/bacteria) down it ever so often and it worked fine. Nowadays it is full of sanitary items, cotton buds, and kitchen roll. No matter whether people use blue or green it will not get rid of these things.
Our tank in France which is not shared has only been emptied once in 18 years. The shared one in UK now gets emptied yearly.

 

[Landy Andy]

Surely it isn’t distinguishing them if the blue thetford has green credentials? Ie no formaldehyde....

It’s not just formaldehyde that kills bacteria in sewage systems that use bacteria.

Green won’t kill bacteria, blue will.

 

[peterc10]

It’s not just formaldehyde that kills bacteria in sewage systems that use bacteria.

Green won’t kill bacteria, blue will.

You may well be right but I would be interested in what is in the blue that does that

 

[Frankiej]

It’s not just formaldehyde that kills bacteria in sewage systems that use bacteria.

Green won’t kill bacteria, blue will.

That was what I asked earlier.....
What else is in the blue coloured thetford chemical that might be harmful?
No one has yet answered that, or do they not know?

Or are we just conditioned to believe Blue is bad, Green is good?

 

[Frankiej]

You may well be right but I would be interested in what is in the blue that does that

Me too!

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[Landy Andy]

I don’t know, and to be honest, no interest. What I know is that some places don’t allow blue, but they all allow green from my experience. So I’ve gone green so I can always dispose.

 

[quilkin]

I don’t know, and to be honest, no interest. What I know is that some places don’t allow blue, but they all allow green from my experience. So I’ve gone green so I can always dispose.

Not the case at the only campsite I found in Scotland - they only allowed blue. Can't think why.

 

[peterc10]

I don’t know, and to be honest, no interest. What I know is that some places don’t allow blue, but they all allow green from my experience. So I’ve gone green so I can always dispose.

If you don't know then I am struggling to understand how you can definitively say

Green won’t kill bacteria, blue will.

 

[Ivory55]

So as long as it’s coloured green then they are ok with it , but not if coloured blue but ok .

 

[Frankiej]

If you don't know then I am struggling to understand how you can definitively say

Exactly!

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[Frankiej]

So as long as it’s coloured green then they are ok with it , but not if coloured blue but ok .

That’s what I’m trying to get my head around, using the colour (not the ingredients) of the liquid as a basis for whether it is safe or not....
I’m only asking because over 25 years I have tried them all....including the bio liquid and my preference is aqua chem blue.

 

[Landy Andy]

I also don’t know the active ingredient in bio and non-bio washing liquid but I know which to use in which situation. I also don’t know all the ingredients in Adnams bitter, or Peroni larger, but I know which one I currently fancy.

 

[Frankiej]

I also don’t know the active ingredient in bio and non-bio washing liquid but I know which to use in which situation. I also don’t know all the ingredients in Adnams bitter, or Peroni larger, but I know which one I currently fancy.

I can only assume blue contains bleach type chemicals that kill bacteria, where green doesn’t, it’s more about allowing the natural bacteria to work.

Assume just doesn’t work for me...
If someone assumed your favourite beer might have something nasty in it, wouldn’t you like to find out for sure, especially if shops and pubs stopped selling it because of someone’s assumption or assertion?
And using your bio non bio argument, if we’re talking about the colour, they are pretty much the same, so we all go by their action/ingredients, which is how it should be...

 

[Landy Andy]

Assume just doesn’t work for me...
If someone assumed your favourite beer might have something nasty in it, wouldn’t you like to find out for sure, especially if shops and pubs stopped selling it because of someone’s assumption or assertion?
And using your bio non bio argument, if we’re talking about the colour, they are pretty much the same, so we all go by their action/ingredients, which is how it should be...

So what is the active ingredient in bio and non bio? Maybe they are just making it easy by colouring the bio, non bio with colours to make easy.

But I will step away from this chat now as I’m happy to live with the info I’ve been given, and just use the chemicals that I’m happy with.

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Been looking into it Paul.. And..

Bio is OK but non Bio is Not... as far as I can make out..

We are on a bog standard suck out every 12 - 18 months...

Bog Standard...... I`m wasted on this site....

That was a sh*t joke @old-mo

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[Chrysalis]

That was a sh*t joke @old-mo

You of all people shouldn’t poo-poo @old-mo ‘s jokes

 

[Stroppy Bird]

So as long as it’s coloured green then they are ok with it , but not if coloured blue but ok .

Not really, because confusingly Elsan Organic Green in a green container is in fact a blue coloured liquid.

 

[Ivory55]

We use the stuff from camper life which is concentrated and you dilute, it helps save weight. It says it’s bio friendly, does that count ? Oh yes it’s blue coloured.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

I also don’t know the active ingredient in bio and non-bio washing liquid but I know which to use in which situation. I also don’t know all the ingredients in Adnams bitter, or Peroni larger, but I know which one I currently fancy.

Ah well now we are onto an entirely different subject. I think the UK must be one of the few places where you don't have to state what an alcoholic drink contains, apart from the percentage alcohol -- which is the most important information of course

Compare with the German Reinheitsgebot, for example, designed centuries ago to stop people using any old rubbish to make beer.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

Well this is getting complicated now. I thought this subject might be so niche that there wouldn't be any standards. However, my inner nerd is happy to report that there is actually an ISO standard that defines septic-tank-safe products. That is ISO 11734 and some toilet fluids (including Aqua Kem Green) claim to comply with that standard.

There is also a British standard (BS 2893:1989) -- Specification for chemical preparations for portable and transportable chemical closets (excluding those for use in aircrafts) but I have yet to research that!

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