What porta potty to buy

[The Minimalist]

I have both a Thetford 155 SL which I use from time to time and a Dometic 972. Both are good toilets. I prefer the Thetford level gauge, which goes red as the reservoir fills. The Dometic is a hard to read 'window'. On the Dometic I can tell when it's time to empty by opening the trap door.

I prefer the flush on the Dometic, as it is a pump up pressure system with 2 nozzles, which gives a pretty strong swirl to the flush. The Thetford is and accordion type push flush.

There are other brands out there, some of which look like re-branded Thetfords. I recommend that you stay with known brands, as these toilets last a long time and you will likely need replacement parts. You will be able to get them for a known brand. My Thetford 155 SL hasn't been made for years, but I can still get parts for idt.

I would be careful on the Thetford Curve. It looks great and Thetford quality is very good, but that baby is 17 5/8 inches tall and won't fit in many of our trailers.

Just my opinion, but while the bag type toilets might be great for tent camping, but I wouldn't want one in my trailer during the day. Best to have something that seals well and can be tucked out of the way.

I also prefer to stick with the biodegradable formaldehyde based chemicals, as they won't harm biological based treatment facilities and can be dumped in the bathroom in most parks.

[Johnny M]

We have a Dometic we purchase on clearance at Bass Pro for a good price...it holds 2 gallons of water in the upper tank and 5 gallons in the black tank. To flush you open the valve and push an accordian valve to pump the water into the bowl...the original Dometic tank treatment that came with it worked okay but we bought another brand that was not so good so we are ordering Odorlos after reading really good things about it on this site, everyone say it leaves absolutely no odor.

[The Minimalist]

You also need to be careful of the toilets with 5 gallon reservoirs, which are usually about 15 inches high. Measure your toilet locker carefully.

If you are ordering on line, get the dimensions from the manufacturers site. Some on line sources are actually giving you the dimensions of the box the toilet comes in, which could steer you away from a unit that might fit perfectly.

[stevebaz]

Making sure it fits your storage space is important. In my case I put a table where the original storage space was so it became important that it fit under the bed since we now leave the bed down. I was lucky it fit. It's tighter under the bed in height and width.

[Toxdoc]

I believe the HC-1 comes with the Laveo as an option, but I like the idea of the PETT toilet better. Fewer working parts. I'm not sure anyone here has experience with these. Cleanwaste | World's leader in personal human waste management

[Gilda]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Just a thought Gilda, not sure if you have room for it though. Build a 4" box/drawer that the PP can be stored in but flipped over with the PP on top of it for the extra height.

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking but we don't really have the drive to do it nor do we want to store another thing. We look at it this way, deep knee bends are good for keeping our legs strong!

[rdickens]

I used an 18"x16" piece of 3/8" plywood, two 18" 1x4s and one 15.5" 1x4 board, a few screws, and some glue.

Leaving the 4th side open allows me to put the "box" into the storage spot and then slide the porta-potti through the open side and into the upside-down "box". ☺


Ray


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[Sheryl M]

@BernieK -- We have a Laveo DryFlush, and I'm happy with it. I do wish they sold the cartridges in smaller packs (like a set of 5 or ... instead of 15 flushes). For weekend camping, 5 would work for me.
The height is good, the ease of dumping is good. It serves our purpose (and will probably start another discussion here.)

[Patricia D.]

I have had a Curve in my van for about 2 years but the push button flush has failed and replacement cost for the part is over 100.00. Using it without the flush is not the end of the world, I just keep a pail of water and margarine container handy. In fact, not having water for flushing in the top part makes the toilet much lighter and emptying is easier.