Tank ReVive for RV and Boat - Probiotic Tank Cleaner, 1 Liter

1. Do Enzyme or Bacterial tank treatments create sludge?
in 1957, the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare stated, “There are no known chemicals, yeasts, bacteria, enzymes or other substances capable of eliminating or reducing the solids and scum in a septic tank.” The EPA says that some of these products “accelerate system failure” because the don’t remove the sludge, they just move it further down the system.

Using an enzyme-based treatment in your tank doesn’t just mess up your tank, it messes up municipal wastewater treatment systems. Black and gray water dumped at a campsite goes straight to the nearest treatment plant. Our product uses a living consortium of ten or more microbes that are grown together to actually digest and liquify solids and sludge, converting them into water and carbon dioxide.
2. Can sludge buildup damage your holding tank?
Yes. If enough sludge builds up, it can start getting sucked into pipes, slowing and eventually stopping flow. Even worse, sludge is much heavier than water, so if enough accumulates it can distort and crack plastic tanks, disconnect pipes, or even make the tank fall off of the vehicle if the weight limits for the supports are exceeded. This is most likely to happen during travel when you go over big bumps.

There are three ways to treat your tank: Chemicals that burn, enzymes/bacteria that digest, and probiotics that consume. Chemicals rarely burn out everything, and what is left forms sludge. Crystallization from chemical treatment residue encourages the formation of mineral deposits. Enzymes break solids down into a sludge, but that’s all. Probiotics are living organisms that actually consume the solid products, breaking them down into water and carbon dioxide.
3. What is struvite?
Struvite is a mineral deposit formed when a 1:1:1 ratio of magnesium, ammonia and phosphate is formed in wastewater. It is made of hard crystalline flakes and creates cement-like deposits inside pipes and tanks.
4. Why is struvite such a serious problem?
Struvite is an issue because of how fast it grows. It doesn’t take much to clog a sensor, but worse follows. Struvite can grow to as much as three inches thick in a typical holding tank, making it so heavy that it distorts the tank or breaks its fasteners. Large chunks can break off and clog the drainpipe or pass into the campground septic system and clog that up.

Up until now, the only solution to struvite was to take things apart and physically remove it. Our product can remove struvite completely but must be able to reach all areas effected or it won’t work. If the struvite is so thick that it prevents circulation, at least some of it will have to be removed before our product can get down to business.
5. Does leaving my black/gray tank valves open in storage help drain them out and dry them?
It depends upon your tank design, but in most cases no, it won’t help drain them out and dry them. You’ve gotten all the draining that you’re going to get once the flow is down to slow drips. Parts of your tank interior will remain wet and damp for a very long time, allowing all sorts of bacteria and mold to take hold inside if the valve is open. Worse, you are creating a wonderful, sheltered space for every creepy-crawly known to mankind, including snails, spiders, insects large and small, and any variety of amphibian, reptile or mammal that is the right size to get through the opening.

The best thing to do when putting your RV into storage is to dose a couple of ounces of product into your tank and fill it a third or a quarter of the way with water. This will help to clean your tank and stop uninvited guests from taking up residence. Oh, and keep the valve closed!
6. Can this product clear a plugged toilet?
Yes and no. The product has to be in contact with the material that needs to be consumed. If the plug is thin, yes, our product should eat through it overnight. If the toilet is clogged with hardened toilet paper that goes twelve inches up the pipe, no, it won’t clear it, not in any reasonable amount of time. Some sort of mechanical action is going to be necessary.

On the other hand, regular use of our product will practically guarantee that your toilet will never clog up in the first place. Plus, it will kill all the odors. Plan ahead!
7. What is safe to flush down my toilet?
Don’t feed your toilet anything that you wouldn’t feed your dog. The two Grand Exceptions: mild cleaning products and toilet paper (we’re taking poop and pee for granted, here). Other than that, if Rover eats it, you can flush it. If it makes Rover sick, it won’t be good for your probiotics. No non-biological objects besides TP should go in there, ever.
8. What happens if my product gets frozen?
If it is frozen solid, it probably won’t work. You could try it out and see, but why bother? Get another bottle and don’t let it freeze. Live probiotics survive cold weather better than humans, but not that much better.
9. What could make my product stop working?
Firstly, you can kill it with chemicals. Chemical tank treatments will do that instantly. Harsh cleaning products like toilet bowl cleaners and bleach can hurt your friendly microbe biome. The simple solution here is to do any heavy-duty cleaning right before flushing out your tank. You can then refill the tank with a little water in the bottom and re-dose with a few ounces of product.

Secondly, the microbes can clean themselves out of food. If left in the tank without more bio waste being added, the consortium of probiotics will eat up all of the available food and will die off from starvation. This is easy to fix—use the toilet. If you won’t be using it for weeks or months, partially drain the tank, leaving in a few gallons of water for storage. This will help clean the tank and prevent mold or mildew growth.
10. What is the proper amount of water to leave in the holding tank?
Don’t stress out about this. Saving back a gallon, more or less, of water when you dump will keep your consortium of probiotics alive and growing in your tank. On the other hand, if you dump it all the way out, all you need to do is pour in about a gallon of water and dose it with two ounces of product. The exact amount is unimportant unless you have a really tiny tank. Consult your manual for your tank capacity and try to leave less than a quarter of that inside, but it doesn’t have to be exact. You can always add more product.
11. How do I clean my sensors with this product?
First, add water until it would cover the sensors inside the tank—you’ll have to crack out your trusty manual for this one, although 2/3 to 3/4 should cover the sensors in almost all tanks. Add a few extra ounces of product and leave it overnight, or for a few days if you can. Then use it normally.
12. Can this product fix misreading tank sensors?
Absolutely. Many people think that paper fouling is what makes black tank sensors misread, but most of the buildup is something called Struvite that grows in septic systems and tanks. Once the sensors have been covered no chemical tank cleaner or enzyme treatment is going to clean them off. Our product can do it. Tanks should be dosed with four ounces of product and filled to the top with water. If they are left for a few days, the struvite will be consumed by the probiotics and the sensors should start working again. Regular use of our product will stop it from happening in the first place. Gray tanks, on the other hand, can get struvite but are more likely to be clogged with Fats, Oil and Grease, or FOG, as it is known. Hand soap in bars can help contribute to this, stick with liquid soaps, and cooking oil should never go down the drain. Treating the gray tank as described above will have the same effect as in black tanks, and our product makes an effective preventative for gray tanks as well.
13. Should I leave my gray tank valves open?
Unlike black tanks, this can be done, at least when parked. In fact, some RV washing machines require it. Gray tanks accumulate grease on the sides, and if they are left exposed to air, they are going to stink. The tank should be treated first by adding extra product before filling it to the top and leaving it for a few days. It can then be drained and used normally, and even if the valve is left open, there should be no odor problems. Regular use of the product will take care of all grease and odor problems.
14. How long does it take to clean out a holding tank?
Depends. How big is the tank? How badly was it fouled? Are you still using it? Is the weather hot, mild or cold? All of these variables change the time needed. The correct answer is, “Until the probiotics have consumed all of the biomass available”. Within a few weeks at most your tank should be clear of solids and accumulations and will no longer have odor problems.
15. Will heat make this product stop working?
No. This product can survive higher temperatures than your holding tank will ever achieve, even in Death Valley in the summertime. In fact, higher temperatures will stimulate the probiotics and make them work faster. As long as you don’t put it in a pot and boil it, you should be okay.
16. Do I need to clean my tank regularly if I am using this product?
No, especially if you stated using it when it was brand new. Older equipment will benefit from a good cleaning when first aquired, but regular use of our product should make yearly or bi-annual cleaning unnecessary.
17. How do I store the product?
Somewhere safe from freezing, with the cap on. Evaporation is much more likely to make the product ineffective than temperature. The product will be ruined if it gets hotter than 160 degrees, so don’t cook it in a microwave or boil it. Freezing will only completely kill the probiotics if ice crystallization occurs, which pierces cell walls and makes recovery impossible. It can get quite cold and still be used as long as it hasn’t turned into a solid block.
18. How long does the product last before it expires?
One year would be optimal for opened containers, up to two years if unopened. Containers of product much older than that have been reported to still be effective, but you would have to try it out to know for sure. The best test is the smell test—if it smells rotten, it is bad. Product that still is “live” has a healthy smell of fermented molasses.
19. Should I get my tank cleaned at a service center before using this product?
It depends on what was being used before. Any product that contains bronopol or formaldehyde will leave residue in the sludge that will kill probiotics, and a professional cleaning will be necessary. If chemical cleaners were being used, flushing the tank with water for five minutes or so would be a good idea. Enzyme and bacterial products don’t require any precautions.
20. What cleaning products should I use for my toilet if I am using this product?
Technically, most cleaning products are bad for probiotics. On a countertop, small amounts of bleach or disinfectant are sufficient to drastically reduce population counts for bacteria. However, a tank that is dosed with our product has billions and billions more microbes that a countertop. The cleaning product might be lethal when it is sprayed, but by the time it gets down into the tank it is too diluted to have much effect on such a huge mass of probiotics. Some die, but many more keep being made.

The short answer is that it doesn’t matter what kind of cleaning products you use as long as you aren’t pouring entire gallons down the toilet. That would be bad, but the worst thing that could happen is that you’ll need to add some more of our product next time you drain your tank.
21. How do I winterize for storage using this product?
The best thing that you can do is leave a few gallons in the tank. That’s it. If you want to clean your sensors, add water until it would cover them inside the tank—you’ll have to crack out your trusty manual for this one, although 2/3 to 3/4 should cover the sensors in almost all tanks. Add a few extra ounces of product and leave it until spring. The probiotics will gradually eat up all the bio-mass in the tank and pass away naturally, leaving slightly discolored, odorless water that will rinse out easily before you start using it again.

1. Can this product fix a sagging RV Tank?
Why yes, yes it can. The tank is sagging because large amounts of sludge and/or struvite have built up in the bottom. Both are heavier than water, and the weight is “exceeding the design parameters of the tank”, or as we would put it, “it’s making it sag”. Four ounces of product and a few gallons of water left to sit for a day or two followed by a good flush will work wonders.
2. What’s the best way to clean a dirty tank with this product?
Make sure the tank is at least ¼ to ½ full and add a couple of extra ounces of product. Then drive your RV somewhere, the further the better. This is a great trick to do before leaving on a long drive to a campground. The product will slosh and splash around inside the tank, and by the time you arrive it should be nice and clean. No need to drain it, just keep using it until it is full and drain it like you always would.
3. How do I stop my toilet from smelling up my RV if I flush on the go?
Normally, you can’t. Air pressure on the vent pipe while driving keeps any vapors released from the toilet inside the RV. If your black tank is smelly, the inside of your RV will be, too. There’s a silver lining for our customers, though—our product makes your tanks odor-free, so flushing while driving now keeps you smiling!
4. What is in this product?
Very little, and all of it is completely harmless. Mostly probiotics and water, plus some molasses, rice bran, mineral powder, sea salt and a proprietary organic herbal blend. It doesn’t react with anything, it is safe to get on your skin, it has no fumes to hurt your lungs or eyes, heck, you could even drink it safely, although we don’t recommend it—we have special formulas for our human gut products.
5. How do I decide how much product to put in my tank?
It depends on how big it is. The basic measure for your very first dose is one ounce of product for every ten gallons of tank capacity. Exact measurements are not necessary, because the live probiotics will eat and grow until all of the biological matter in the tank is consumed, no matter how big or little the initial dose is.

In fact, after that first dose, you should be able to cut the amount in half or even more once the product has the tank cleaned out. This is especially true if you leave a few inches in the bottom of the tank whenever you drain it.
6. How does this product impact water treatment facilities if it is introduced into them?
It should help it out, at least a little bit. Our company has an entire division devoted to selling very similar products to the wastewater treatment industry. You do, however, have to put quite a bit more in to do that kind of treatment, so even if you dumped your tank directly into the sewer it probably wouldn’t have much effect one way or the other.

Tanks dosed with our product can be dumped directly into home septic systems if needed, and this, too, will be beneficial.
7. Do you need special toilet paper for this product?
No, just don’t use too much. Volume of paper is much more important than what kind of paper it is. The product should easily break down the fibers in household TP but keep usage to a minimum if you don’t want to root it out again someday. Tobacco products, chewing gum, feminine hygiene products, wipes and other UFOs (Unsanctioned Foreign Objects) should not be flushed away. Nothing besides TP, biological products and light cleaners should go down the toilet or drain.
8. What will this product do to plumbing fixtures and valves?
It will keep them clean and unclogged for as long as you use the product. There is nothing in this product that will harm plastic, glass, metal, wood, or anything else that it might come into contact with besides paper or cardboard, which it will make soggy but are luckily not used for making fixtures and valves.
9. What is the difference between this product and other tank cleaning products?
Aside from physical cleaning, there are three ways to try and clean tanks—chemicals that burn, enzymes that digest, and probiotics that consume. The difference is that chemicals are hazardous, bad for the environment, don’t work for more than a few days and often encourage the mineralization of struvite. Enzymes break down solids into sludge, but the sludge remains, clogging up pipes and making tanks heavy. Only probiotics completely consume the solids, leaving nothing but discolored water behind.
10. Where is this product manufactured?
We don’t really “manufacture” it, we grow it, and we do that in Kansas City, Missouri in the historic 18th and Vine district. We are a wholly American-owned-and-operated business.
11. Can this product be mixed with other tank treatments?
Some yes, some no. Enzyme and bacteria-based products won’t hurt anything, but they are not needed and mixing them with our product would be a waste of time and money. Chemical-based treatments will inhibit our product’s effectiveness even if it doesn’t ruin it so using them both at the same time is a bad idea. Any products that have bronopol or formaldehyde will cause serious damage to the probiotics and should never be used with them.
12. What happens if I get this product on me or spill it?
Nothing. If you get it on your skin, it should improve the health of the colonies of beneficial bacteria that we all have on our bodies. Spills should be treated the same as you would spilled water.
13. Why do you keep recommending that we don’t empty our tanks all the way?
Because our product is a live consortium of microbes that we want to keep strong and healthy in your tank. Leaving a few inches of water behind means that you can use much less product to maintain the cell counts.

It is not required, though. If you would rather drain or pump your tank dry, that is fine. You will need to add a gallon or so of fresh water after you are done, along with a few ounces of product to start the process of colonizing all over again. It just works faster if you leave a little “dirty” water behind.
14. Will this product hurt the environment?
Absolutely not. This product is 100% all-natural, and actually benefits the environment in every way, starting with how it is made and packaged down to how it interacts with nature. Our probiotic compound will help improve the performance of any septic system or water treatment facility it is introduced into, and is completely harmless if spilled, whether in water or on land.

1. Does saltwater harm the probiotics in the product?
No. Any boat sanitation device that draws in seawater will benefit from using our product, as it does an excellent job removing any biomass that will be introduced into the system, living or otherwise.
2. Why do some people not use the toilet on their sailboats?
Because pumping the tank completely dry is difficult if there is no wind to lay the boat over and angle the drainpipe downwards. They consider it easier to not use it, leading to unsafe alternative practices that sometimes result in unexpected swimming sessions. All sailors should be relieved (pun intended) to know that our product actually works better if it isn’t pumped out all the way, and that it cleans out the tanks just as well when used every day as once a week.

Please contact customerservice@SCDProbiotics.com if you have questions about products and/or deliveries.

Shipping & Handling and Return Policies
We want you to be satisfied with every purchase you make with us. If you are dissatisfied with a product you ordered from us, we will exchange it or credit your account (excluding shipping charges) within 30 days of purchase. After 30 days you will have to pay for the replacement part and shipping. If you want us to refund your money, there is 20% restocking fee and you will be responsible for the shipping charges.

Exceptions:
SCD Probiotics Mother Cultures™, All Seasons Indoor Composter® Kit products, SCD Herbal Probiotics®, SCD Essential Probiotics®, Xtra Immunity®, SCD Bio Ag®, SCD Bio Klean™, SCD SCD ScentGuard™, and SCD Bio LIvestock® products must be unopened.

Multiple Ship-to's:
For multiple shipping addresses, a separate shipping and handling charge will be charged based on the products ordered and the shipping addresses.

Shipping & Rates
Domestic Ground shipping is only available within the 48 continental states. Please allow 5-7 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) for Standard delivery within the 48 neighboring states. The rates for AK, HI, U.S. Territories, U.S. military installations, and Canada may be different. In effect, shipping rates will vary. SCD Probiotics® uses two different shipping carriers: USPS and FedEx. As such, you may select the delivery option that best suits your needs. SCD Probiotics may use alternate ground shipping methods for bulk items. If you have questions, please contact us at (913) 541-9299.

Delivery to international addresses is available. Shipping and handling charges for international orders will be calculated by one of our customer service representatives during our pre-specified business hours.

Free Shipping Over $60
SCD Probiotics offers free ground shipping in the continental United States on any order over $60 placed on scdprobiotics.com. Free shipping will automatically apply to qualifying orders; no code required. Free shipping does not apply to expedited shipping, including Overnight. Customers who wish to choose another shipping method may select that method at checkout and pay the provided amount. Alaska, Hawaii, and all International orders do not qualify for free shipping.

Gut Happy Money Back Guarantee
We want you to be 100% satisfied with your SCD Essential Probiotics purchase and experience. If for any reason you are not, please contact us at customerservice@scdprobiotics or call us toll free at 1 (855) 723-2100 and we will refund you your money