How to safely transport black and grey tank contents to nearby dump

[JohnBj]

A few months ago we were camping in Mississippi, and there were three folks using portable tanks (2 fifth wheels, one TT). They looked to be about 50 gallons, but they had wheels. So the folks would hook it up to their hitch to take it to the dump site. Seemed really simple to me: all gravity fed, no pumps, etc.

[FarmHand357]

Just curious if they would let you use their septic system if you pay to empty it when your stay is over. It might cost a little more but would save you tons of time and effort, and they would benefit by a septic tank that's emptier then when you arrived...

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Originally Posted by mopac1978

We're in a similar situation in our 5th wheel where we have access to water and electricity, but no dump abilities. Instead of using pumps, bladders, etc, we called a local porta-potty service. They rent out 200 gallon tanks, ostensibly designed to be used with construction site office trailers, but they work just as good for an RV. I plumb my black water drain line into the tank and dump into it just as if it were a campsite dump. The 200 gallons works just fine for us, it holds 2 weeks' worth of stuff. The porta-potty company comes out every two weeks and sucks it all out for me. No mess, no fuss, it's as easy for me as any other full hookup site. Yes, it costs a bit more but it saves greatly on time and mess.

Just curious, how much more does it cost you. We pay $8 per dump and are currently dumping once a week.

[Gggoldman54]

Can you contact a Porta potty service to come and dump?

[cknsls]

We just got from a month long RV trip. Stayed at a campground for a few days outside Seattle-that somehow had to close off all sewer hookups at their campsites. We were there 4 days. Had to dump on our way out.

I told my wife never to book us for MULTIPLE DAYS without a sewer hookup.

I'm with some others-I'm not filling a bladder-I'm hooking up the trailer to the truck and going to the dump station.

I'm not putting up with hauling "stuff" even for free space rent.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by JohnBj

A few months ago we were camping in Mississippi, and there were three folks using portable tanks (2 fifth wheels, one TT). They looked to be about 50 gallons, but they had wheels. So the folks would hook it up to their hitch to take it to the dump site. Seemed really simple to me: all gravity fed, no pumps, etc.

That's all well and good until you have to drive out of the campground to the dump station. Those tanks don't do so well at 45 mph.

[PRay]

If you can just pump your gray water into their septic tank (cleanout or toilet), you're not putting much solid waste that stays in the tank; assuming they have a good drain field, the liquid gray water will leech into the surrounding soil and dissipate.
PS check out the cost relating to the answer stating to have the septic tank pumped when you are leaving, it's not that much at least here in W. Ga.

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Originally Posted by PRay

If you can just pump your gray water into their septic tank (cleanout or toilet), you're not putting much solid waste that stays in the tank; assuming they have a good drain field, the liquid gray water will leech into the surrounding soil and dissipate.
PS check out the cost relating to the answer stating to have the septic tank pumped when you are leaving, it's not that much at least here in W. Ga.

Great idea. In the coming week, the property owner (my wife's brother) is going to dig a trench to where we will be moving the 5th wheel to (about 100 feet away). It will bring 50 amp service, water, cable from a dish satellite, and an ethernet line for internet. We have discussed the option of dumping our gray water into his leech field or dumping it into a pipe leading to his septic system.

I thought about the offer and decided it wouldn't make much difference because currently, the two 40 gallon gray tanks fill up almost exactly at the same time the single 40 gallon black tank fills up. At best it would extend the dump cycle by a day or two. I suppose we will dump the gray tanks here on the property and just use the campground dump site for the black tank. This is our first few months of full retirement and not owning a home, so we are learning as we go. In another year or two, we will know where we want to spend each month of the year and we will better understand the day to day operation of living full-time in a camper.

At this point, we still don't own a truck to pull the fiver with. I ordered one from Ford last month and hope to take delivery in October or November. We are about to pick the state we will call our home. That's not as easy as it sounds. But most importantly, I don't know if my wife will adapt to this new lifestyle, or demand that we go house hunting. I'm loving this. Not being in Phoenix year round is quite liberating. We don't have to get up at 4:30am to exercise during the summer and try to convince the dogs to go for walks when it's miserable outside.

One of the best discoveries is this web site. I've received valuable information about 6 volt batteries, dog ramps, LED lights, coax cable connections, storage solutions, shower stall improvements, how to use both gray tanks instead of just one, the many uses for flex-seal, and most importantly, what to purchase to load and haul the contents of the gray and black tanks to a local RV dump site.

[mopac1978]

Originally Posted by Wayfaring Stranger

Just curious, how much more does it cost you. We pay $8 per dump and are currently dumping once a week.

We're certainly spending a lot more than that, it all depends on what you want to do. For us, the tank rental is $60 per month and I'm paying $90 every two weeks for pumping service, so we're right at $240 per month. Rates and plans vary considerably from one porta-potty service to the next, so you might find places that are cheaper or more expensive.

For me, it's worth it because I have no hauling or transloading or whatever to do. My black tank drains (two) are hooked to the storage tank, so once a week I go pull a few levers and turn a few valves to dump and flush my black tanks, and that's it. Every other week the porta-potty guy shows up and pumps out the tank, it only takes him 10 minutes or so. Gray water drains directly on the land, that's allowed here. You can see the tank behind the RV on the left side of the photo attached.

I have a fixed agreement with an adjacent property owner for electricity at $100 per month, and we have a well on the property so I get all the water I could ever use in that electricity charge. So all in, I'm spending about $375 per month for RV utilities (including $35 trash service from the city). That's way cheaper than the nearby RV park that gets $1100 per month for summertime rentals, and almost $700 in off-season.

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Originally Posted by mopac1978

We're certainly spending a lot more than that, it all depends on what you want to do. For us, the tank rental is $60 per month and I'm paying $90 every two weeks for pumping service, so we're right at $240 per month. Rates and plans vary considerably from one porta-potty service to the next, so you might find places that are cheaper or more expensive.

For me, it's worth it because I have no hauling or transloading or whatever to do. My black tank drains (two) are hooked to the storage tank, so once a week I go pull a few levers and turn a few valves to dump and flush my black tanks, and that's it. Every other week the porta-potty guy shows up and pumps out the tank, it only takes him 10 minutes or so. Gray water drains directly on the land, that's allowed here. You can see the tank behind the RV on the left side of the photo attached.

I have a fixed agreement with an adjacent property owner for electricity at $100 per month, and we have a well on the property so I get all the water I could ever use in that electricity charge. So all in, I'm spending about $375 per month for RV utilities (including $35 trash service from the city). That's way cheaper than the nearby RV park that gets $1100 per month for summertime rentals, and almost $700 in off-season.

That's a good looking campsite. Simplicity is worth paying a little extra. We take closer to 15 minutes to empty the tanks into the bladder, followed by a ten minute drive to the RV dump and ten minutes to dump the bladder. Then another ten minutes to clean and pack the gear.