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Old 06-12-2008, 04:06 PM   #1
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We occasionally use "The Happy Camper" as a guest house for people visiting from out-of-town. We don't have a good place to dump here in town and the price of gas makes me experiment with an alternative to dump stations when we're not on the road. I tried using a large, low rectangular rubbermaid container with a snap-on lid today. It was very difficult for me to carry inside to the toilet, and there was some running-over-the-sides from the splashing inside. What else has everyone tried?
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Old 06-12-2008, 04:18 PM   #2
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Do you have an access valve in your sewer line, in the yard? If you get lucky and it's near your driveway, you can just pull up the trailer and dump into it as if you're at a dump station. (My dad used to do his that-a-way.)

We're on a septic system, so could use the "clean out" valve, except we'd need about a 50 ft. slinky.
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Old 06-12-2008, 06:41 PM   #3
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There are two pretty well known options.

One is to buy and attach a macerator pump and use a garden hose (which should be about one inch, though people do get away with 3/4) to pump it to the clean out plug for your sewer pipe. ( This is often found sticking out of a wall on the side of your house. ) The macerator pump will pump sewage a long way, at least as far as any hose you are likely to have will reach. However, the pumps are not cheap! This set-up is popular with full-timers, who find various creative places to dump for free.

The other option is to buy a porta-tote, or other brand, portable holding tank. These wheeled tanks (usually blue in color, though the excellent Thetford brand is dark gray) have special fitings to make filling and empying them easier. You can get them from camping world or any other trailer supply store. You would have to wheel it inside and very carefully empty it into your toilet
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Old 06-12-2008, 08:09 PM   #4
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See the Blue Tote project PDF I put up here:
Blue Tote PDF

I made one, sure took care of the problem!
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Old 06-12-2008, 09:52 PM   #5
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Donna--I can't get the link to open--could you PM the text to me? Thanks!

Lyle--tote sounds like a good idea, pump is a little pricer than I want.

Mary--I don't have a clean-out, but other neighbors do--though that would involve hitching up. Not a bad idea to know that is a possibility--when I come from the west, there's a dump station two towns away, the same when I come from the north or the south. The problem is when I come from the east, there's nothing open on a Sunday that direction. It's nice to know I could use my neighbor's clean-out, which is in the strip of lawn between the street and the sidewalk. Thought that might work, but wasn't sure. Thanks!
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See the Blue Tote project PDF I put up here:
Blue Tote PDF

I made one, sure took care of the problem!
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Old 06-13-2008, 12:27 PM   #6
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Quote:
We occasionally use "The Happy Camper" as a guest house for people visiting from out-of-town. We don't have a good place to dump here in town and the price of gas makes me experiment with an alternative to dump stations when we're not on the road. I tried using a large, low rectangular rubbermaid container with a snap-on lid today. It was very difficult for me to carry inside to the toilet, and there was some running-over-the-sides from the splashing inside. What else has everyone tried?
A Rubbermaid container? Yuck!

Try this: http://www.sewersolution.com/

-- Dan Meyer steer
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Old 06-13-2008, 03:33 PM   #7
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In the field of 'creative dumping', it would be hard to beat Chevy Chase's brother-in-law in 'Christmas Vacation".
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Old 06-13-2008, 06:04 PM   #8
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I second the use of a macerator pump (Google FloJet). I used to put "stuff" into a large container, hauled it through the house and dumped it into the toilet. What a mess! After a young lady violist from Australia used our trailer for a number of days I did the usual procedure. Suffice it to say we had a boo-boo. Never again, the story reverberated through my daughter's musician friends in Europe for years. I'll spare you.

The FloJet is the type you just clip onto the outlet just like a dump hose. It works fine with a 5/8" hose. I got a sturdy black one, 50 feet. Of you also hook up a regular garden hose to the designated bib on it, then put on a short clear elbow to watch the show, you have a perfect setup for getting the tank thoroughly dumped and flushed. This pump is 12v, super fast, and dispatches the slurry to the cleanout in record time.

Since we often use the Burro as a guest room being able to keep the "systems" going is important to us, so I took the "plunge." I did install a Speakon 12v outlet right next to it so the operation can be done pretty quickly.
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Old 06-13-2008, 06:23 PM   #9
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A Rubbermaid container? Yuck!

Try this: http://www.sewersolution.com/

-- Dan Meyer steer
I second the SewerSolution. It comes with the fittings to hook up PVC (I think 3/4"). The arrangement at my house allowed me to run PVC from near the trailer to the cleanout opening into my sewer system. Used regular PVC caps (not glued) on the ends for when it's not hooked up. My run is either flat or slightly uphill (it won't flow without the water hooked up) and it works like a champ.

This works not only for visitors (we use it the same way sometimes), but also I don't have to stop at dump stations on the way home. Just hook it up after we get home.

It is expensive for what it is - but I'd say well worth it, and less than 1/2 the price of a macerator.

-Kyle
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Old 06-14-2008, 08:37 AM   #10
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Thank you, everyone, for all the great ideas! I'm sure I won't be using the Rubbermaid container for long!

Quote:
I second the SewerSolution. It comes with the fittings to hook up PVC (I think 3/4"). The arrangement at my house allowed me to run PVC from near the trailer to the cleanout opening into my sewer system. Used regular PVC caps (not glued) on the ends for when it's not hooked up. My run is either flat or slightly uphill (it won't flow without the water hooked up) and it works like a champ.

This works not only for visitors (we use it the same way sometimes), but also I don't have to stop at dump stations on the way home. Just hook it up after we get home.

It is expensive for what it is - but I'd say well worth it, and less than 1/2 the price of a macerator.

-Kyle
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