Portable Honey Dipper

[TXFolkie]

Hi Campers. We put on a music festival where we have a lot of trailers camping in unimproved areas. We have about a hundred actual RV sites but only 60 have septic. The other 40 are water and electric only and then there are another hundred or more trailers scattered about the campground amongst the tents and tarps. For years we let the Honey Dippers service the non septic RV sites when folks would call for service. (Honey Dipper is a septic dump truck.) We also have numerous outhouses so the trucks are out here every day of our 18 day festival. More recently several folks in the scattered about category have started having the trucks come service their trailers. The practice has grown to the point that it's really starting to piss off the tent campers. I understand. Those trucks just stink. No getting around that. And we are packed together very snugly in the campground so having your trailer serviced means stinking out 50 of your friends and neighbors.

The Honey Dippers have RV hoses but they still stink just do to the giant pump running. So I'm wondering if there isn't a smaller, less obtrusive solution. At rallys how are the rigs serviced? Is it a full size pump truck driving through the campground or have you come across something else?

I'm even wondering if we couldn't build something ourselves using a tank on a small trailer with a macerating pump. Could those things pump uphill into a trailer or truck bed mounted tank? The risk I see there is that folks are sometimes careless with what goes in the tank and those pumps can't handle sanitary napkins, rags, etc. I could see the pump being torn up. Would need to have some spares on hand and try to make the trailer owner responsible for damage.

We do have septic fields and dump stations so disposal wouldn't be an issue. Hauling in the 30 gallon blue boys isn't an option. The ground is too rough to pull those behind the golf carts and the distance too far. That's what we used to do and it was often a mess which is what led to the Honey Dippers in the campground to begin with.

Anxiously awaiting your brilliant suggestions! If you want to know more about us just go to kerrville-music.com.

[dlwilliams48]

As a festival attendee, I'll be following this thread with interest.

[Alleyantique]

Separate the RV from the tents. The rallies that I have been to didn’t mix tents and RV. That way there’s no problem with the honey wagon.

[DadOfTwo]

If you go with a small pump system, check out farm supplies for trailer mounted tanks you could pull behind a 4-wheeler or golf cart.

Here's a 60 gal sprayer:

Take off the sprayer and install your macerator or trash pump.

[Scrapper]

I'm a seasonal camper and the campground has square black tanks that they lease to the sites that don't have access to septics. The tanks are 4 x 4 x 1 foot, you set it under or next to the RV and hook up with a piece of 3in pvc and elbow. The worker comes around every Wednesday and pumps it out with a truck made for septic service. I have never smelled a strong odor from the truck when he pumps. Maybe there's something wrong with the gaskets on the honey wagon.

Pumping directly from the RV's dump outlet can be risky, there are some instances of the holding tank collapsing from the force of the vacuum pump if the RV has a problem with the vent. Example: hornets building a nest in the vent cover.

[Flybob]

I am not sure you are going to find a good solution. The problem is caused by the smelly air in the dippers tank that must be expelled so that waste can be pumped in. This will occur no matter how large or small the tank is. One possible way to minimize the problem is to purchase a few of the 30-40 gallon wheeled portable waste tanks and tow them with a golf cart. Unless this is a very long festival you should be able to get by with a few of these for 40 sites.

[DadOfTwo]

Originally Posted by Flybob

One possible way to minimize the problem is to purchase a few of the 30-40 gallon wheeled portable waste tanks....

He said that wasn't an option.

Originally Posted by TXFolkie

Hauling in the 30 gallon blue boys isn't an option.