Black tank tote question.

vinmaker · 08-14-2014, 06:23 PM

Hello fellow FR's,

As the new Pop up I will be getting has a black tank, I need to buy a tote to carry the black water to a dump station for those times I do not have a sewer site.

My Black tank is 12 gallons and I am considering a 10 gallon or 15 gallon. I am leaning towards the 10 gallon as I want to be able to lift the tote up to put in the back of the SUV. It is just something I have been doing with my cassette toilet. I visit the dump station every three or four days. Cassettes are 5-6 gallons.

But my question is really regarding the height of the totes? I have seen a flat tote from Baker that is designed for pop ups. It is a 15 gallon model but I can still use this as I will just not fill it up. Do I need this flat one? Will the other totes work? I do not know the height of the pop up and do not know how much space I have. My old HW256 seemed pretty high. They now have two steps into the new HW's because they are so high.

Can people post pictures (if you take them of your dump set up. lol) using the tanks? Do they fit under the pop up when dumping or do you just run a hose from drain to tote. The Thetford seems to have an integrated hose that enters the tank at the bottom ( a bit strange) so you would think it is low enough to flow properly.

Having a hard time deciding on which one to get because this is all new to me. Hoping to learn from those that have gone through this before.

Thanks everyone.

Vin.

kc8lvy · 08-14-2014, 07:28 PM

I would lean towards a 15 gallon one so you don't over flow it. (Yuck)
The Thetford tank I think you looked at is a 18 gal or bigger that has a side discharge hose for dumping your tank not filling it. The smaller one does not have a side discharge. Alot of the tanks have a handle that you can hook on your hitch to tow it up to the dump station.
I had a small 10 gallon one for a short time but my holding tank is 40 gallons so it was a real challenge not to over fill. I now have a 44 gallon Barker waste water tank.

vinmaker · 08-15-2014, 08:30 AM

lol. I hear you about overfilling it. That would be quite a mess at the campsite. Not to mention the guy on my back side who has to look at it while sitting under his/her awning.

I am looking for some comments on the Thetford unit as it looks to me like there is only one 3" opening. It must be to fill and empty the tote. How else could it work?

It is the size that is driving me nuts. A pop up does not have many area options for transporting the tote. I am definitely not looking to carry it within the camper. Would like to bolt it under the unit somehow as a way to carry it. Other option is to attach it to the rear bumper somehow. A larger unit is just gonna be that much harder to find a place to store it while I travel.

Vin.

DaveSchwartz · 08-15-2014, 12:16 PM

The 12 gallon Thetford has only one hose connection. You would have the tank flat (connection on top) for filling from your RV and then stand it on its back end (tank vertical, former 'top' now 'side' with connection at bottom of 'side'). The 12 gallon is probably the best match for your situation as it will be the smallest and lightest (without the extra connection and tow handle) that has at least the same capacity as your RV.

vinmaker · 08-15-2014, 02:36 PM

Thank you for the reply. That does clear it up for me.

Thetford talks about this Permastor system where it uses an integrated hose. I kind of like that. Thinking I can just wash everything real good at the dump station.

Seems the 12 gallons do not have it.

DaveSchwartz · 08-15-2014, 03:03 PM

That's correct - the 12 is stripped down. You get what you pay for. The 18gal is 50% more $$ and 8 pounds heavier and obviously bigger than the 12.

Since you talked about potential issues around stowing it for travel, the lower size and weight might be an acceptable trade-off for having to tip it on end to empty.

vinmaker · 08-16-2014, 08:22 AM

Right. That is the hard part. Deciding what trade off's to make.

I will so miss my cassette toilet.

bleurt · 08-22-2014, 03:22 PM

i have the the 18 gallon smart tote i is a little bigger but ibought it because it had four wheels i used it more for grey tank then black tank i would dump into it every second day for grey i would bring it to dumping station that day and once a week for black, we would mostly use the campground toilet during the day and use only the camper one at night. I like the thetford tote becacause the hose canbe used low or high because sometimes witnh my 256 highwall the the dump outlet was close to the ground depending on the levelness of campground.

vinmaker · 08-22-2014, 03:50 PM

Thank you for your reply bleurt.

What do you mean the hose can be used "low or high"?

I love the idea of the integrated hose and therefore I have nothing to store within the camper. I can keep all of it out as I plan on mounting the tank somehow either to the bumper or under the camper. I will figure that out when I get the camper.

What can you tell me about how the hose attaches to the bottom the unit? I know it pivots but I have read online at amazon that people are scared the tote end of the hose can disconnect and cause a mess. Is the hose attached strong to the tote? Is it a standard bayonet attachment at that end as well? That would be good for replacing the hose but could disconnect? Is the hose replaceable?

Sorry for all the questions. Hard to figure this all out as I am not near a store that sells them all to compare each one.

Thanks for your help. I really do appreciate this. I find that this is the most troubling part of my new camper. The dreaded black tank. I remember my friend with a TT having a whole Rubbermaid tote filled with all these different hoses, sidewinders, rain gutter type things, attachments, etc because he never knew what set up he would find at different campgrounds. My cassette worked out well. Did not really matter what I had. I could carry the thing and pick it up to dump it into any sewer hole there was. He even ended up buying a macerator pump he was so frustrated. I do not want that. I need to figure out something.

lol. Can you tell I get all fired up about this crap. (no pun intended).

Vin.

bleurt · 08-22-2014, 04:45 PM

I have had mine for four year i have had no trouble with it. At the dump site you can connect a hose to flush stuff out with wash hose. made a double male fittingto connect a 90 deg fitting at dump site keep as clean as possible It is like anything you need to do a pm on your stuff like inspecting hoses for wear and any problem that are starting.[ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH]

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vinmaker · 08-22-2014, 07:37 PM

Ok. I see it now. If I interpret the picture correctly. The Smart tote has a two prong male underneath it. Do I understand correctly that a standard fitting has four prongs? Does that mean the hose is a special Thetford item? Not a big deal. Just wondering about replacement. Many people carry a fresh new hose in the camper in case of a break of some kind.

I like your idea of the 90 degree as well. Sure looks like it would keep the hose from flopping out of the hole and spraying all over the place. YUCK!

I really like that 18gal tote. It offers a lot of advantages.

Thanks again for the photos.

Vin.

bleurt · 08-22-2014, 07:51 PM

i do not know if you see the roofing screw that locks the hose on the other side so that the hose does not come disconnected. any hose would work because they use a four pin this a two pin but like the four they are opposing.

vinmaker · 08-22-2014, 08:03 PM

Hey Bleurt.

Yeah. I do see the screw in the photo. It looked like it went into the grey plastic. Is it screwed into something on the inside or a blindside? I do not see it going through the black plastic of the hose into the grey plastic.

But its ok. I believe you that it is secure.

And your right about the pins. I see they are opposing and should hold.

Thanks again.

Vin.

bleurt · 08-22-2014, 08:13 PM

it is screwed into the male part of the tote and blocks the back of the ear of the hose so you cannot turn it to release it

Boss Hoss · 08-22-2014, 08:22 PM

I carry mine on a bolt on 2' square receive bolted to the back bumper.
Then get a cargo rack from harbor freight for $45 and put it on that.Works well-problem solved.Be sure to use 3 tarp straps to secure.

Volvodriver · 08-22-2014, 08:42 PM

We have Thetford 27 gallon with swivel front wheels, long fold down handle, and pop up gauge to let you know when full. We like ours but it can be real heavy to drag by hand to the dump station, so we hook it behind the golf car with a clevis. We full-time so it is a must so we can take advantage of NPS, COE, state and city parks.

Dave

vinmaker · 08-23-2014, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boss Hoss

I carry mine on a bolt on 2' square receive bolted to the back bumper.
Then get a cargo rack from harbor freight for $45 and put it on that.Works well-problem solved.Be sure to use 3 tarp straps to secure.

Hi Boss. That would not be an option for me. I own a pop up and would not be able to mount a 2" hitch to the back. The weight of the unit plus the cargo holder would just be too much. But yes. That is an awesome option for those that can hold those cargo carriers.

vinmaker · 08-23-2014, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volvodriver

We have Thetford 27 gallon with swivel front wheels, long fold down handle, and pop up gauge to let you know when full. We like ours but it can be real heavy to drag by hand to the dump station, so we hook it behind the golf car with a clevis. We full-time so it is a must so we can take advantage of NPS, COE, state and city parks.

Dave

Hi Volvo.

I am considering the 18 gallon one which is much smaller than yours. I am sure that it does get heavy. Water is about 8 lbs a gallon. So even a small 10 gallon unit if 80+ lbs.

Are these totes hard to get clean and empty? Do they have cavities within that can hold solid waste? I was able to put water in my cassette and shake it to help flush it out. These totes seem a bit big for that. Do people just fill it up a few times and dump until it seems clean?

Thanks,

Vin.

kc8lvy · 08-23-2014, 07:04 AM

To clean mine I fill the tank up about half way with water and add some cheap laundry soap then slosh it back and forth then dump it. It cleans it and deodorizes it also.

vinmaker · 08-23-2014, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kc8lvy

To clean mine I fill the tank up about half way with water and add some cheap laundry soap then slosh it back and forth then dump it. It cleans it and deodorizes it also.

So do you bring soap with you when you visit the dump station? I actually never thought of that. Not a big deal to toss some into the back of the TV. Is that what you do?

Vin.

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