Black water dumping

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by gizmoracing

just a quick question, 30 gallon tank (grey) on a Snoozy. Just my wife and I, how long can we expect to stay put without dumping??

It Depends. If you take a long shower it'll only last 1 day. If you wash lots of dishes it might last a couple days. If you use paper plates and don't shower you could go weeks.

[gizmoracing]

of course,,,,, Don't like paper, campground showers when avail, etc.

[honda03842]

Ray,

My experience that the tank limit for careful campers is the black tank, not the grey tank.

[Steve Hammel]

I suppose I look at my "facilities" as being the last resort. The only time I use my camper toilet is either at night (most common) or there just isn't another one available. You have to weigh the convenience of just using it and having to empty it more often or walking to the public washroom.

[Donna D.]

I don't boondock, but sometimes am at a site (water, electric only) for a week or so and the tanks can get full. I'm not about to unhook, stow, travel, dump, come back, rehook, level, etc., etc. So for me, there's this: Homemade Blue Tote

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by gizmoracing

of course,,,,, Don't like paper, campground showers when avail, etc.

I dont use paper either. Doing dishes 3x a day & not using the trailers shower I can get by without much effort for 5 days before I start to be a little concerned about the grey water tank level. If a lot more careful with water I can go way longer - one way is to get a Rubbermaid tub that fits in the sink and use that for the dishes and dump it into a campground sink or other areas they often have for tent campers to do their dishes. If using the trailers shower than 3 days would be about it. I also have a small 8 gallon tote that I use to bleed off either the grey or black water as needed which helps if staying in one location for longer times. Its small enough that its not really hard to lift into the back of the tug and take it to dump at an appropriate location while out exploring the area.

[Steve Hammel]

Nice idea Donna, when you get wealthy off your idea don't forget us little folks.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by blugene

I assume you cannot tow a portable tank that far, they just don't look that sturdy to me. But you can sure carry one in a vehicle, if you didn't have to lift it to get it in there.

Gene, you right about the tote. I have only really seen the totes with wheels being hooked to the ball on the tug to be taken off to the parks dump facility a short ways from the actual camping spot and usually only when the roads within the park are paved.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

Nice idea Donna, when you get wealthy off your idea don't forget us little folks.

I can't take credit for the homemade blue tote Steve, I just thought it was such a good idea I made one for myself. I also purchased a wheeled luggage carrier at Goodwill for $5, so if I need to "tote" it far, on to the carrier it goes.

I love the ideas folks come up with that make my camping so much easier

[Steve Hammel]

In case anyone is interested.










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[clarncyboy]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I realize this is old, but FYI, there is a difference between "sewer" and "septic". Dumping black water into the sewer ( like the gutter downspout drain ) is a NO NO.

a lot of places still mix storm water and sewage. in minneapolis, they, in the last few years ,have been going house to house and inspecting for that. so in some parts of the country that's still o.k.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Ahhhh, not in Portland, Oregon (where Per lives). We don't filter storm water from sewer water. As long as the downspot drain goes to the sewer, we're good to go.

Not true- and as a native Portlander I'm embarassed if anyone believes this!

Discharge of RV holding tanks in Portland is governed by the following language in chapter 17.34 of the City's municipal code:

9. B. Prohibited discharges..........include those that....
Contain material trucked or hauled from a cesspool, holding or septic tank or any other nondomestic source, except such material received at designated locations under City contract or permit;

Source link: Chapter 17.34 Sanitary Discharges

Francesca

[Donna D.]

Actually, the code says in whole:
9. Contain material trucked or hauled from a cesspool, holding or septic tank or any other nondomestic source, except such material received at designated locations under City contract or permit;


17.34.020 Definitions. says: . “Domestic Waste” means any waste consistent with that generated from single or multiple residential dwellings including, but not limited to, wastes from bathrooms, laundries and kitchens.

J. “Domestic Wastewater” means any water that contains only domestic waste.

[theresa p]

hmmmm....i think all of this worry about poop and how to dispose of it reinforces to me, 1000%, why we don't have (or want) a toilet in our trailer and happily use the facilities where we camp.

but for those of you who do have a toilet and use it with some regularity (no pun intended,,,,well, okay, it WAS intended), then i feel your pain.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Actually, the code says in whole:
9. Contain material trucked or hauled from a cesspool, holding or septic tank or any other nondomestic source, except such material received at designated locations under City contract or permit;


17.34.020 Definitions. says: . “Domestic Waste” means any waste consistent with that generated from single or multiple residential dwellings including, but not limited to, wastes from bathrooms, laundries and kitchens.

J. “Domestic Wastewater” means any water that contains only domestic waste.

Nice try in the rationalization department, Donna...but take it from a former Environmental Health Specialist: The contents of cesspools and septic tanks mostly come from households, too, and they're also prohibited by the code.

And since just about the only place you'll find a "holding tank" is on an RV, I think the prohibition is pretty clear- not that it prevents a lot of folks from doing it anyway, or so it seems.

Francesca

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by theresa p

hmmmm....i think all of this worry about poop and how to dispose of it reinforces to me, 1000%, why we don't have (or want) a toilet in our trailer and happily use the facilities where we camp.

but for those of you who do have a toilet and use it with some regularity (no pun intended,,,,well, okay, it WAS intended), then i feel your pain.

I'm sure glad there's somebody else that thinks this way.

[Daniel E]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Glenn, you mentioned in an above post: "there is a difference between "sewer" and "septic"." Yes there is, in Portland anyway. Sewer is a system of connected pipes running to a sewage treatment plant. A septic system is for one house, not connected to others. Portland has been moving everyone to the sewer system over the years and away from septics. Only the septic systems are in outlaying areas now. I can't think of any area that has a multiple residence dwelling that's not on the public sewer.

AND YES, you could pull up and drain into a "storm water" drain, other than the fact it's against the law. I'll see if I can find a "news" article on Portland's big dig, maybe then you'd understand.

This is Portland's handling of waste:
Public should avoid contact with Willamette River after Portland sewer system overflow, city says | OregonLive.com

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Daniel E

This is Portland's handling of waste:
Public should avoid contact with Willamette River after Portland sewer system overflow, city says | OregonLive.com

And to think- fiberglass trailers may be making their own (however small) contribution!

Never let it be said that we'll be outclassed by our bigger brethren...

Francesca

[blugene]

My idea is to place a portable tank in the bed of my pickup truck (the back end of an SUV should also work).
Then, use a 12v macerator pump to pump the waste up into that tank. Then, drive the tank to wherever a dump station may be - even if it's 10 or 15 miles, not that big a deal if you don't have to tow your trailer.
Then, just dump it directly from the vehicle. It's downhill from the truck or SUV bed, so no pumping needed there.
Never any lifting - except perhaps lifting an empty tank into the vehicle before you fill it (unless it's already mounted there). But this is all theoretical, since I won't have my trailer for another couple of weeks. I don't know what would be a good tank for such a system. Anyone have any ideas?
-Gene-

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by blugene

My idea is to place a portable tank in the bed of my pickup truck (the back end of an SUV should also work).
Then, use a 12v macerator pump to pump the waste up into that tank. Then, drive the tank to wherever a dump station may be - even if it's 10 or 15 miles, not that big a deal if you don't have to tow your trailer.
Then, just dump it directly from the vehicle. It's downhill from the truck or SUV bed, so no pumping needed there.
Never any lifting - except perhaps lifting an empty tank into the vehicle before you fill it (unless it's already mounted there). But this is all theoretical, since I won't have my trailer for another couple of weeks. I don't know what would be a good tank for such a system. Anyone have any ideas?
-Gene-

Let's see I put a portable tank in the back of my SUV then pump sewage into that tank, oops overfilled. Drive off to a dump station, not properly capped, leaks raw sewage into the back of my SUV. Hit a bump and tank cracks and starts leaking. ETC. ETC. ETC.

Better idea, no black water tank, use the provided facilities at campgrounds.

Not necessarily picking on you Gene. I just have this thing about hauling around raw sewage.