Imagine entering the bathroom in your RV, you open the seat lid of the toilet and witness creepy crawling maggots inside the toilet bowl. This would surely be a very disgusting and disturbing sight. You would want them to disappear at once. However, this is not possible. You have to follow some methods or procedures to get rid of these creepy crawling creatures.
Maggots come into the toilet from nowhere. They can appear due to many reasons. Your toilet is the best place and environment for their breeding and reproduction process to take place. These pests live on decaying matter and sewage which makes your bathroom a perfect place for them to survive.
If you spot maggots in your RV toilet then this could be an indication that their nest is building inside your black water tank. They are mostly not visible. They make nests deep inside the black tank. That is why it becomes very difficult to get rid of them.
Maggots multiply very quickly. Therefore if you doubt that there could be a nest inside the black tank then you must take immediate action. Maggots can be a source of great trouble which is why you should not leave this matter unattended.
Steps to Getting Rid of Maggots in RV Toilet
Table of Contents
We will discuss in detail the steps to get rid of maggots in the RV toilet. You can take help from the below text if you face such a situation in your RV toilet.
1. Flush Grey and Black Tanks
The first and simplest step to get rid of maggots in your RV toilet is to flush the grey water and black water tanks. The maggots and their larvae will most probably be residing inside your holding tanks. Therefore if you flush down the contents of these tanks, then there is a clear chance that you will also get rid of the maggots and larvae residing inside the tank.
Maggots live and breed in organic waste. When you flush down the tank, you will destroy their living habitat. In this way, they will find no food and no suitable place to grow. In this way, they will die on their own or they will move away to find a new place. For this step, you have to rinse and clean your tank properly to make the tank free of any build-up of waste or debris.
This will make the inside environment of the tank unbearable and unsuitable for the maggots to survive. They will be forced to find a new place. Flies will also become unable to find a favorable environment to lay eggs. The tank should be rinsed and cleaned properly. For this purpose, you can use a tank rinser or a tank wand. The tank wand is attached to the outside of the tank so that it can be accessed easily.
When you finish cleaning and rinsing the black tank, it is suggested that you should also clean and rinse the grey water tank as well. This is recommended to make sure that the flies have not done any cross-contamination across the two tanks.
When you finish cleaning the tank, drain all the remaining water because the maggots can also hide somewhere under the hidden points inside tank walls. Draining all the water will make the environment unfavorable for them to survive.
2. Use Boiling Water
Another method to get rid of the maggots in the RV toilet is by using boiling water. First, you have to empty your tank. You can dump all the waste at a dumping station. When your tank becomes empty, then pour down boiling water into your toilet bowl. The boiling water will reach the tank and will help to clear out any build-up or debris inside the tank. This boiling water will kill all the larvae present inside the tank.
However, this boiling water is not the ultimate treatment for all the maggots present inside your tank. If you want to kill each one of them, then you first have to clean the tank. The boiling water will also help to kill maggot eggs and any maggots on your toilet’s walls. Please note that the water should be full boiling hot to kill the maggots residing in the bottom of your RV toilet black tank.
Allow the water to sit in the tank for at least 15 minutes before proceeding to the next process or before making sure that you have destroyed all the larvae and maggots in the tank.
3. Fill the Black Tank and Flush
After you have let the boiling water sit inside the tank for 15 minutes, the next step is to fill the black tank with water to the top. Then rinse and flush the tank until it becomes empty. Draining the tank will help to get rid of the maggots or larvae that will be residing or stuck inside the tank walls.
Note that this is the best time to use the tank wand. You can use it to rinse away any buildup or debris inside the tank walls. After draining and rinsing, if you still see anything inside the tank walls then you should repeat the process.
4. Fill Tank with Freshwater
Now that you are sure enough that all the maggots and larvae are dead or have rinsed out of the black tank, this is the time to give your tank a fresh start. You have to add fresh water to the black tank. After filling up, drain the water again out of the black tank. Do it 2-3 times. This is suggested to get rid of any remaining larvae, eggs, or maggots inside the tank walls or at the bottom of the tank.
5. Use a Chemical Cleaner
After doing the above steps, it is recommended that you should also use a chemical cleaner or an enzyme system to get rid of the maggots once and for all. These cleaners will help to clear out the maggots from their source. They will help to kill the maggots when they are at the larva stage. They will further prevent the hatching of maggot eggs inside your black tank. You have to use an enzyme system for this purpose.
The enzyme system will not pose any harm to your tank or toilet. It will only help in the removal and prevention of maggots, eggs, and larvae. These cleaners are suggested instead of bleach because bleach is an acidic agent and it can cause damage to your toilet as well as the tank walls.
6. Give the Enzyme Some Time to Work
It is recommended that you should let the enzyme sit inside the black tank for 3-4 days. This will help to break down the organic waste inside the tank. This will also help in killing the maggots at their source. Note that you should not fill back your blank tank before the suggested time. Let the cleaner clear all the maggots from inside the tank properly to stop their future infestation.
7. Flush the Remaining Water from the Black Tank
After cleaning the tank with enzyme cleaners, flush all the remaining water to drain away all the maggots and waste from the tank. Fill the tank with fresh water and rinse properly. Again drain the tank and repeat the process 2-3 times to rinse away any debris or remaining maggots.
FAQ’s
What should be done if maggots keep on reappearing in RV toilets?
After all the preventions and care, if maggots still keep on reappearing in your RV toilet or tank then you should try maggot treatment that is available in the form of tablets or maggot spray.
