Portable Tank Questions

[lierz]

Ok, I am a woman that will be camping at a site for a month that just has electric and water supplied. I am getting a tote, but need some advice. Do you use the hose from the camper to fill the tote and then release with the hose from the camper to the dump site? Also, do I need to have a specifice cap and sewer hose adaptor? There is a tow bracket with this tank (getting it off craigs list possibly) but do you just tow it with a rope to the hitch on the vehicle. Please just explain to me how you go about using this THING. As you can tell, I need help

[milzat]

Lierz,

The tote will come with the necessary connections, hoses and fittings.

The blue 30 gal. tote(Barker) I bought came with a 3/4" garden hose cap, 3" bayonet cap, 2 x 3" hose adapter & a 5' sewer hose.

[Herk7769]

We dry camped in Key West and needed to dump every few days.

Our "Blue Boy" was carried on a rig I built over the rear bumper. The photos are pretty self explanatory as to how I built it. The BB is VERY light empty and even with the rack that I built weights almost nothing.

My problem during use was there was almost no room to put the BB under the drain. I had to make a very short sewer hose (about 3 inches long not including the female connectors) to make sure I had a vertical drop.

The vertical drop is important because that way you will use the holding tank vent on the roof to add air to the BB as it fills. (It will "burp" into the holding tanks as they drain and you will get a complete fill without water pooling in the hose)

If you run the hose on the ground and then up into the BB tank filler, then the BB must be vented to the atmosphere at the 3/4 inch hose fitting on the other end. If you do not the BB will pressurize and stop filling. This is stinky and your neighbors will not be happy. You will also need to lift the black water out of the hose to drain it into the BB before you can unhook from the camper. Also stinky work.

I got a 42 gallon BB to drain my 30 gallon holding tanks. My thought was to be able to flush a little soapy water through the pipes even if my black tank was full.

Many times was able to dump both tanks and make just one trip to the dump station. Most times it was a two trip day though. I called it "doing my chores" Hump a 5 gallon water bottle to the fresh water site four times; then two trips to the dump station. (Always in that order!)

[revrnd]

Mike, looking @ the pics on the Barker site & your own mod pics, have you changed the wheels of your tote?

[jackhartjr]

I bought the 32 Blue Boy and then made up a short roughly 3 foot, 3 inch hose with the bayonett fittings, that way it is almost a straight shot from the trailer to the blue boy...and I don't have a large hose flopping around that I don't have to lift up to drain.
I keep that short water hose looking thing hooked up to the top of the Blue Boy all of the time, that way I get no mess filling or draining, please don't asked how I found that out!LOL
That handle will have a roughly 3 inch hole on the end not connected to the tote, it will slip right over the tow ball on your hitch. I would not pull it fast!
Hope that helps!
Jack

[milzat]

Originally Posted by revrnd

Mike, looking @ the pics on the Barker site & your own mod pics, have you changed the wheels of your tote?

Yes, I did.
Those smaller plastic wheels called out into the campground, "Look, I'm towing my Blue Tote to the dump station."
The larger, pneumatic tires, from Harbor Freight, give a better ride and are very quiet.