jbarry
California
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Found it at my local Kmart...they don't always have it, but when I rarely go into the store, I look for it and if they have it, I buy some.
(Powdered, not liquid.)
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AstroRig57
near Tehachapi, CA
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Joined: 01/15/2009
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I too cannot find Calgon in the stores in my small community. I have used White King Fabric Softener in lieu of Calgon for years.
I don't see where "dissolving" is an issue since, per the Geo Method, you are to dissolve it in hot water before dumping it into the holding tank.
The primary ingredient in both is Sodium carbonate.
BTW, I do not use The Geo Method per se but use the basic ingredients only as an aid to flushing my black water tank.
When in use, I use Thetford SupremeGreen® Liquid in the blackwater tank. Since we make many short "boondocking" trips to remote sites with our astronomy club, I often go two or three trips without dumping the blackwater tank. When I am ready to dump, and if the waste has sat in the tank for awhile, I add the water softener and detergent components of the Geo Method ONLY to the holding tank (no bleach) and fill the tank most of the way. I then let it sit for at least a few hours before dumping. It's a good 15 miles on curvy mountain road to the dump facility I use, at a local Parks and Rec facility, and this serves to further agitate the solution in the tank. When I dump, everything flows smoothly and the tank is left squeeky clean. If I am impatient, I occasionally fill the tank partially with water and flush again but only if the solution has foamed up too much and the foam is giving a false reading on the tank monitor. This is not a necessity however as the foam will settle out on it's own and I don't always do this.
Obviously, when camped at a park/campground with full hookups, I don't follow this protocol as the tank flushes clean without the extra ingredients since the waste hasn't been in there for long.
This has been my routine for several years and since starting it I never have issues with tanks failing to come clean or false readings from debris sticking to the monitor sensors.
2005 31' Coachmen Freelander 3150SS, Stargazer II - Mobile Astronomy Unit
Do you remember when the sky was dark, and the stars were bright?
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American by birth...Scottish by the Grace Of God.
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ol Bombero-JC
USA
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Joined: 06/24/2004
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AstroRig57 wrote:I too cannot find Calgon in the stores in my small community. I have used White King Fabric Softener in lieu of Calgon for years.
I don't see where "dissolving" is an issue since, per the Geo Method, you are to dissolve it in hot water before dumping it into the holding tank.
The primary ingredient in both is Sodium carbonate.
BTW, I do not use The Geo Method per se but use the basic ingredients only as an aid to flushing my black water tank.
The OP asked where to find Calgon. 
Well aware of: "use hot water". 
Funny thing - the White King is the "alternate" I tried!
The partially used box still sits in the laundry room at home.
But - Moot issue , since liquid Calgon seems to be available everywhere.
(Well - maybe *except* small grocery stores in Tehachapi, LOL!) 
Buy it when you're on the road! (Easy as getting hot water!)
BTW - The Geo-Method has worked flawlessly for me! No need or reason to change.
And as usual - whatever works for you -
. . . . . . . . even if it wasn't what the OP asked! 
~
JC
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bigred1cav
ohio
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Joined: 09/14/2009
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What is calgon used for?
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AstroRig57
near Tehachapi, CA
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Joined: 01/15/2009
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ol Bombero-JC wrote:AstroRig57 wrote:I too cannot find Calgon in the stores in my small community. I have used White King Fabric Softener in lieu of Calgon for years.
I don't see where "dissolving" is an issue since, per the Geo Method, you are to dissolve it in hot water before dumping it into the holding tank.
The primary ingredient in both is Sodium carbonate.
BTW, I do not use The Geo Method per se but use the basic ingredients only as an aid to flushing my black water tank.
The OP asked where to find Calgon.
Well aware of: "use hot water".
Funny thing - the White King is the "alternate" I tried!
The partially used box still sits in the laundry room at home.
But - Moot issue , since liquid Calgon seems to be available everywhere.
(Well - maybe *except* small grocery stores in Tehachapi, LOL!)
Buy it when you're on the road! (Easy as getting hot water!)
BTW - The Geo-Method has worked flawlessly for me! No need or reason to change.
And as usual - whatever works for you -
. . . . . . . . even if it wasn't what the OP asked!
~
JC
WOW...all that sarcasm and apparent need to denigrate another person over water softener? What's up with that?
My POINT was that the main ingredient in both Calgon and White King is Sodium carbonate.
I suppose that you would also choose to sarcastically criticize someone who told an individual that could not find Motrin that they could take ibuprofen instead?
Incredibly enough, Powdered Calgon and White King have much more in common than Powdered and Liquid Calgon.
The active ingredients in Calgon Powder are (per the MSDS):
Carbonic acid sodium salt (Sodium carbonate)
Sodium citrate
Sodium sulfate
White King active ingredients:
Sodium carbonate
Alcohol Alkoxylate
Liquid Calgon active ingredients:
Sodium Acrylic Acid/MA Copolymer
Citric Acid (Anhydrous)
Sodum Hydroxide
Magnesium Nitrate
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Magnesium Chloride (Hexahydrate)
Methylisothiazolinone
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tatest
Oklahoma Green Country
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Joined: 05/14/2005
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fisher60 wrote:Why Calgon? Can't use another fabric softener product?
The Calgon product needed is not a fabric softener, rather a water softener. Calgon is a brand, not a product. What you are trying to do is dump sodium into water that is made "hard" by calcium, magnesium, and iron in solution.
Yes, there are other brands, even generic or house brands, of laundry water softeners. Sodium borate (Borax is one brand) works, but Calgon's product works better.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
2001 Ranger Edge
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Pawz4me
North Carolina
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Joined: 06/05/2007
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bigred1cav wrote:What is calgon used for?
It's the main "ingredient" used in the GEO method of black/gray tank maintenance and to help keep sensors working properly. You can do a search here or Google to get complete info. The condensed version is that you put some Calgon and laundry detergent in your tanks every few dumps.
For those in the southeast -- I've always been able to find Calgon at Harris Teeter stores.
Me and the DH 
Two boys and two dogs (and two cats who prefer to stay home)
2008 Forest River Georgetown 350DS (bunkhouse model)
2001 Honda CR-V
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sepisllib
Cresco, Iowa
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Try WalMart in the "Beauty" department. That is where we get ours.
God Bless
Bill
Bill W. Trammell
Wife - Judy
2001 Monaco Dynasty Chancellor
2008 Malibu 2LT toad
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revrnd
Apsley, Ontario
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Joined: 09/10/2003
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Thru another site I found out that a grocery store west of me had the powdered form.
R-B contact info:
For USA & Canada enquiries
1-800-228-4722 (US toll-free)
1-800-888-0192 (Canada toll-free)
2 store of the same chain in my city don't carry it.
1986 Monte Carlo SS
2011 Chevrolet K2500HD (P3 controller, Husky WD hitch)
2009 Rockwood 2106 Mini Lite
Retired GM of Canada Oshawa Truck Assembly Plant
Opened 1965 Closed 2009
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Devantegran
Illinois
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Joined: 07/29/2010
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Just to continue beating the Calgon horse to death.....
When I heard about Calgon, I thought of the old "Take me away!" commercials and figured I needed to go look on the bubble bath shelf. Yes, they still make it!
But apparently we are supposed to use a Calgon product that is a water softener!
Just a thought, one reason some people cannot find that product is probably because some communities have a naturally soft water supply (like ours) and are less likely to have a use for it. (NOT, because they live in podunkville!) So looking in a different town would be a smart move.
But look in the Laundry aisle - not the bath soap! Although my new jar of Calgon bath beads seems to have similar ingredients to those I've seen mentioned here! Maybe I'll try it in my tank and it will "Take it Away....." (and make it smell like and "Ocean Breeze" too!)
Pat and Brad
2002 30' Cardinal
2008 Silverado 2500 Duramax/Alison
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