Cassette Toilet in Oliver TT - Fiberglass RV
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:22 AM   #1
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Cassette Toilet in Oliver TT

I've been told by Oliver that they cannot provide a cassette toilet in the trailer. Can anyone explain why not? I've seen cassettes in all types of fiberglass trailers in the UK so I can't believe it's because of the curved outer shell. Is it possible it's because of the dual shell construction? I'd appreciate any input from Oliver owners. I like to understand the "why" when I get answers to my questions
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Old 06-08-2016, 08:06 AM   #2
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Why would you want to dumb down the best fiberglass trailer ever made? Oliver comes standard with a porcelain flushing toilet. If you don't want to mess with the black tank go with a composting toilet.
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Old 06-08-2016, 08:28 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by trumpetguy View Post
Why would you want to dumb down the best fiberglass trailer ever made? Oliver comes standard with a porcelain flushing toilet. If you don't want to mess with the black tank go with a composting toilet.
Admittedly, I know next to nothing about camper toilets. But I have to ask...what is wrong with a cassette toilet? They seem simple, easy to use, easy to stow, use little water. Are you saying they are much inferior, or that you just prefer something different?
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Old 06-08-2016, 09:06 AM   #4
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Without addressing the "Great Toilet Debate," it seems to me the real issue here is the kind of change you want, involving alterations to the shell and a different mechanical system. It's not the kind of customization that any manufacturer is going to accommodate. When is comes to the basic mechanical systems in a trailer, all the manufacturers I know, molded fiberglass or otherwise, will not go beyond the standard and optional choices they have designed for and tested. Warranties and liability are reasons, along with production schedules and labor.

What you want is in the realm of full custom builds.

Some manufacturers will delete a system to allow the owner to install an aftermarket alternative. For example, I know of one person who had Scamp delete the sink and stove so they could install a SMEV unit.

But they will not make themselves in any way responsible for its installation or performance.
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Old 06-08-2016, 12:10 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by trumpetguy View Post
Why would you want to dumb down the best fiberglass trailer ever made? Oliver comes standard with a porcelain flushing toilet. If you don't want to mess with the black tank go with a composting toilet.
I can completely understand why Oliver wouldn't want to change their standard toilet install. BUT the cassette toilet would not "dumb down" anything. Bothe systems work well. They are simply different. I prefer the cassette because it is simpler to manage. no "stinky slinky" etc.
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Old 06-08-2016, 02:23 PM   #6
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TomandCallie...I agree with you about the cassette being easy to use. These are the standard offering in Europe and the ability to clean them easily gives them more points in my book!

Trumpet guy..."dumb down" is a poor choice of words. Let's call it a "preference". I do not believe it denigrates the Ollie in any way.

Charlie and Sara...I know you guys have the experience with both and your opinion on other forums goes a long way in support of my decision.

Jon....thanks. Didn't mean to start a debate. Yours seems like the most logical answer to my question. I agree about the shell. I would not want to break through it more than necessary.

I'm planning a southern trip within a couple of weeks where I will hopefully go from TN (Oliver) to SC (Snoozy) to NC (Parkliner). The Ollie is a great offering and would suit my requirements for camping in colder weather. The factory can and will make some modifications for me but, mostly it's perfect. However, the others, being far less expensive are quite innovative. My requirements are my own and are the decisions I make may or may not be sound but...oh well, there you are!
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Old 06-08-2016, 03:23 PM   #7
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With conventional wisdom, especially in high end trailers, being that toilet/black tank be the norm I can see why Oliver does not offer a cassette as an option.
It also makes life easier with long stays fully connected.

I think one of the advantages with cassettes is realized when boon docking. On smaller trailers, even the Oliver, I would like to see a cassette at least as an option.

I have an Escape on order and had that been an option, I would have jumped on it.
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Old 06-08-2016, 03:49 PM   #8
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If you wish, you can use a WAG Bag system with an installed toilet. Just line the head with the bag and dispose as recommended.

(http://smile.amazon.com/Anywhere-Waste-Kit-Bags-Qty/dp/B001T7JOLO?ie=UTF8&keywords=wag%20bag&qid=14654217 69&ref_=sr_1_1&s=outdoor-recreation&sr=1-1)

-- Anne

(FYI -- do order extra "Poo Powder". The amount included in each bag is pretty minimal)
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Old 06-08-2016, 04:09 PM   #9
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I would be happy to have one of the Thetford Cassette toilets but they are space hogs and my Campster is too small for that even if I can fit one in. Besides I truly don't want to unload a heavy container as my back is bad. A tank and hose system would be a lot less back strain even if it does mean some bending down work.

I think I would be very much OK with a composting toilet system.
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Old 06-08-2016, 04:46 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by neparker View Post
If you wish, you can use a WAG Bag system with an installed toilet. Just line the head with the bag and dispose as recommended.

(http://smile.amazon.com/Anywhere-Waste-Kit-Bags-Qty/dp/B001T7JOLO?ie=UTF8&keywords=wag%20bag&qid=14654217 69&ref_=sr_1_1&s=outdoor-recreation&sr=1-1)

-- Anne

(FYI -- do order extra "Poo Powder". The amount included in each bag is pretty minimal)
You can buy "poo powder" for a lot less from industrial and agricultural growers sources. It is just a polymer super absorbent. They also use it to solidify waste latex paints. Why pay $33.00 a pound for something other people are selling in bulk for less than $3.00 a pound? That has got to be the most expensive toilet waste disposal going if you are going to pay $33.00 a pound for powder to thicken up your urine. At that price for poo powder over the years a Cassette toilet would workout to be a very affordable option and a good investment Honestly $33.00 a pound? What a scam rip off.
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Old 06-08-2016, 06:09 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Bernese Bunch View Post
I've been told by Oliver that they cannot provide a cassette toilet in the trailer. Can anyone explain why not? I've seen cassettes in all types of fiberglass trailers in the UK so I can't believe it's because of the curved outer shell. Is it possible it's because of the dual shell construction? I'd appreciate any input from Oliver owners. I like to understand the "why" when I get answers to my questions
Here is the why a small trailer company won't always offer specialized items as an option.

It would mean engineering analysis of their structure to make sure it would not fail with a hole cut in that particular location. It would mean creating new molds for making the fiberglass interface pieces needed to complete a clean looking, water tight installation including a door surround, interface pieces between the shell and the Thetford unit and also a custom hatch door to fit the radius of the fiberglass body. That is a lot of molds and making a great mold without flaws requires a lot of labor time and materials. It would also likely require a rework of the bathroom layout and bathroom fiberglass shell which is also a very expensive mold to produce.

So then they have two big bathroom component molds, one for the Thetford option and one for the standard option. That means more storage space and more shop floor space too as they will have to switch the molds moving them in and out when ever the "special" order comes along. But in order not to have any production lags during the production schedules they will need enough factory floor working space to have them both on the production floor at the same time. Materials go through a curing time.

It would likely mean some extra re-tooling in the factory for drilling jigs etc. which can be expensive to precisely fabricate as well as materials cost for them.

Then they have to source materials such as door gaskets, hinges and locks, electrical fittings and plumbing fittings. They would have to figure out how to integrate them into the shop supply storage racks and of course someone has to label those bins and keep an inventory count of the parts on hand as well as order the parts, receive them and inspect them when they are received.

There are also electrical and plumbing changes involved which means the existing wire harnesses used for the trailer will need to be adapted and/or specially created just for that particular option as will the plumbing components. As far as cost control it means parts that are not used frequently then must be kept on hand for just in case. Having inventory parts sitting around for "just in case" ties up the company's cash flow.

Now when something like that is installed and it is not a frequently requested item it will take the staff longer laborwise to install it because they will not have everyday proficiency which creates a reduced labor time per unit versus a once in a while installation. That means it will have to cost the customer more for that option than it would if it was a standard configuration. Customers won't at all like to have to pay more for a toilet installation which ends up meaning fewer people will choose it for an option which of course does not help the profit margins.

By the time all of that work is done then there is yet another real deal breaker for a small company, for a number of years they will only be able to offer the Cassette Toilet option at a financial loss to their company in order to make it seem reasonably priced. That is because it will take them years to recoup the cost of integrating that particular change as one of their trailer options. So it is a slow payback for a good sized chunk of investment.

Then if Thetford makes a design change to this one of a kind in the industry offering they would have to make another investment to adapt their molds and jigs to what Thetford has done. Or worse yet if Thetford decides the market is not there for the product in the USA and they withdraw it here they are at a sudden loss of the investment they made before they might have had enough time to recoup their cost for the changes needed for production.

There are a lot of toilet options on the RV market that can be placed into their bathroom as it is now designed. The Thetford Cassette is not one of them. Just be happy and don't wish for the moon too hard because sometimes it can't easily be obtained by the people you are asking to fetch it to earth for you. Small companies truly can't afford to offer a ton of options that are not easy to implement and now you know why they can't give you the moon.
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Old 06-08-2016, 08:41 PM   #12
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I do not understand why replace a 18.5 gallon black water tank with a 13 liter cassette tank.
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Old 06-08-2016, 09:50 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by k corbin View Post
Here is the why a small trailer company won't always offer specialized items as an option.

...

There are a lot of toilet options on the RV market that can be placed into their bathroom as it is now designed. The Thetford Cassette is not one of them.
Everyone's answers are valid but this is absolutely the best and most complete explanation of "why" Oliver won't do the cassette toilet thing.

We have owned two Oliver's and I have asked them to do some mighty crazy things for us. With the exception of painting our first one green, they have rarely said no to anything I've asked for.

There is a guy at the factory that can do absolutely anything with fiberglass. As to whether or not Oliver could do a cassette toilet install, the answer is an unequivocal "yes". Could you afford the cost of that effort? That would be for you to decide. I expect that making changes to the basic shells (especially on a custom or one-off basis) would be expensive. But if you throw enough money at something, it can be done.
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Old 06-09-2016, 01:35 AM   #14
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K. Corbin,

You must be a business owner. I used to own my own and had to limit what I would offer for exactly the issues you outlined.

Linda
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Old 06-09-2016, 07:08 PM   #15
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Everyone's answers are valid but this is absolutely the best and most complete explanation of "why" Oliver won't do the cassette toilet thing.

We have owned two Oliver's and I have asked them to do some mighty crazy things for us. With the exception of painting our first one green, they have rarely said no to anything I've asked for.

There is a guy at the factory that can do absolutely anything with fiberglass. As to whether or not Oliver could do a cassette toilet install, the answer is an unequivocal "yes". Could you afford the cost of that effort? That would be for you to decide. I expect that making changes to the basic shells (especially on a custom or one-off basis) would be expensive. But if you throw enough money at something, it can be done.
Thanks, Steve. After $50K what's a few thousand more? Nah...just kidding. The double shells would probably be the biggest issue as far as construction. I've been thinking about this and breaking through both hulls would fault the integrity of the insulation. I can't seem to think of a way to still provide 4 season trailer with that big hole for the cassette. BTW, Dometic is now manufacturing a cassette. Hmmmm. All comments are thought-provoking.
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Old 06-09-2016, 07:13 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Tom Trostel View Post
I do not understand why replace a 18.5 gallon black water tank with a 13 liter cassette tank.
Tom...Frequency of dump. No need to find a dump site. Just drain into toilet. I'd make it a morning ritual just to avoid odors. Again...just me!
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Old 06-10-2016, 01:43 PM   #17
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K. Corbin,

You must be a business owner. I used to own my own and had to limit what I would offer for exactly the issues you outlined.

Linda
I am a person who has hands-on worked in manufacturing most of my life and I also work with product designers as well as do some of that for my own products. So I know what it takes to create and integrate designs and changes to designs from idea concepts all the way on through to fixing any flaws, polishing them up and sending them out the factory doors. I have even installed the vendor fabricated units and hooked up the plumbing and wiring for the bathrooms in Boeing 757s
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Old 06-10-2016, 02:21 PM   #18
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I think it would be far easier for Oliver to delete the toilet and leave space for a free-standing porta potti. Porta potties are just as easy to empty as cassette toilets IMO. If you thought you'd be happy with a porta potti, maybe ask Oliver about a simple toilet deletion. And buy yourself whichever model of porta potti you prefer.

Personally, I am happier with a small, portable tank than a black tank. Having had both, the black tank has been a nuisance when I head home; I have no good way to empty it at home, so I must always try to spot a free dump place along my last day's route, and too often that place has no rinse hose. The porta is simple: undo a lever on either side, lift off the top, carry the bottom (tank part) into the house, and dump into the toilet. Then add some cleanser and water, swish, empty, and reattach.
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Old 06-10-2016, 03:12 PM   #19
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I think it would be far easier for Oliver to delete the toilet and leave space for a free-standing porta potti. Porta potties are just as easy to empty as cassette toilets IMO. If you thought you'd be happy with a porta potti, maybe ask Oliver about a simple toilet deletion. And buy yourself whichever model of porta potti you prefer.

Personally, I am happier with a small, portable tank than a black tank. Having had both, the black tank has been a nuisance when I head home; I have no good way to empty it at home, so I must always try to spot a free dump place along my last day's route, and too often that place has no rinse hose. The porta is simple: undo a lever on either side, lift off the top, carry the bottom (tank part) into the house, and dump into the toilet. Then add some cleanser and water, swish, empty, and reattach.
I totally agree with you Mike. A black tank is useful when stationed at a site with full hookups for a good amount of time and you have a large family that will use the toilet big time.
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Old 06-10-2016, 03:16 PM   #20
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Had a Porta Potti at my cabin. Sold the cabin and left the devil behind.
Never want to see another one again.
Emptying a black tank doesn't require you to stick your head almost in the toilet.
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