Question about "poo"... really...

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by DSN46

"personally, i simply dump my black tank, then the gray tank, which rinses the hose. then i take the water hose and rinse the hose again and anything else on the ground.
i then use some of the FW tank water to put in about 3 gallons of water into the black tank and then add a tank chemical." - bikendan

Does this mean that you add fresh water and chemical and then leave it that way when you are home until the next trip? Or do you have a way to dump the water and chemical once you get back home?

Just need clarification about what folks do BETWEEN camping trips. We will have 4 or 5 weeks at least between our trips... some parts of the year maybe longer. Thanks again! James

Yes, i just leave the 3 gallons of water and the chemical sit in there. i've left it like that for weeks.
you never want to leave the black tank dry for any length of time. in fact, i've never dumped at home. and during the winter, i still leave 3-5 gallons of water and tank chemicals in it while it's in storage.

honestly, many new owners freak out and make the black tank stuff way more complicated than it really is. the thought of dealing with black water seems to make many new owners have nightmares.
as long as you have good chemicals or additives and water, you can leave the black like that for a long time without having to dump.

you'll find out that the gray tank will be the one to worry about and have to empty more often, especially when dry camping or boondocking.

[Fire Instructor]

Our last camping trip of the season is often the Fall NA$CAR Race in Dover. Unfortunately, when leaving there, the dump station at Dover Down has a LONG line, so taking time to flush completely would be incredibly inconsiderate. Even the dump stations further away are usually backed-up with other fans making their way home the day aftre race.

Using this website, Welcome | rvdumps.com, I found a dump station near my home that I can go to at a time after I get home, and for a very small fee, flush for as long as I need to to, so that I'm sure that there's no residual drying and caking-up over the winter.

[Mountainmanbob]

Originally Posted by rkswyo

Also get a clear 45 degree elbow.

sure like mine
once I can see all running clean
good to go
if one wants to clean it out more at home
front lawn or street would be fine
to run a little more water through
but
maybe only one
out of a hundred campers would do that
one learns what not to touch
best they can anyway
then when we are done
a simple washing of the hands

people been dealing with poo for years
most do not die

Mountainman

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by DSN46

Thank you all! I am getting a better understanding of how this works now.

Oakman-- I am from MO. Camped in just about every campground from Meremac to Bennett Springs. Have family in JeffCo. I miss the seasons!

James

You mentioned my favorite state park, Bennett Spring. All of the sites in campground 1 are full hookup sites and close to the trout stream. The park also has a swimming pool, a dining lodge, and great hiking trails. I love Bennett Spring but it can be hard to get reservations in a full hookup site.

I wouldn’t mind missing the Missouri winter season, and at times summers can be brutal too, but the fall colors can be spectacular here in MO.

Back to the subject of poo:
One thing I don’t remember being mentioned is to have plenty of liquid in the black tank when you dump it. If we only camp for a couple of nights I will usually add a number of full bowls of water to the black tank before breaking camp and heading to the dump station. I like to have the black tank at the very least half full when I dump it.

[DSN46]

This is great stuff everyone!

Fire Instructor - thank you for that link.

Looking at other forums on this matter, it is amazing how many people agree with my wife on this: "we don't go #2 in our trailer!". That is exactly what my wife said. The trailer will be for pee that can't wait or middle of the night ONLY. She is pretty set on this rule... we'll see how it turns out.

James

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by DSN46

This is great stuff everyone!

Fire Instructor - thank you for that link.

Looking at other forums on this matter, it is amazing how many people agree with my wife on this: "we don't go #2 in our trailer!". That is exactly what my wife said. The trailer will be for pee that can't wait or middle of the night ONLY. She is pretty set on this rule... we'll see how it turns out.

James

OH MY! Not me, no sireeee Bob, no way, no how! My fifth wheel has a toilet, my very own toilet, that‘s what I use for #1, #2, or any other number. There is no way I will sit down on a toilet in a public bathroom…unless it is an extreme emergency. I tent camped for years and I hated using a public bathroom. When we bought our first trailer in 2003 that was the last time I used a bathroom in a campground. And those pit toilets…disgusting. I love the modern life.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Oakman

OH MY! Not me, no sireeee Bob, no way, no how! My fifth wheel has a toilet, my very own toilet, that‘s what I use for #1, #2, or any other number. There is no way I will sit down on a toilet in a public bathroom…unless it is an extreme emergency.

Our commitment not to use the toilet except for #1 did not last the first trip. Three years and many #2s later our black tank looks as clean as when it was new (almost). 1 capful of Calgon and Laundry soap after every dump. Turboflush to clear when safe and sane to do so.

Have not bought "No stinkum" for over a year and we full time over the winter (except this year due to house maintenance).

[Barney1]

Originally Posted by Fire Instructor

Our last camping trip of the season is often the Fall NA$CAR Race in Dover. Unfortunately, when leaving there, the dump station at Dover Down has a LONG line, so taking time to flush completely would be incredibly inconsiderate. Even the dump stations further away are usually backed-up with other fans making their way home the day aftre race.

Using this website, Welcome | rvdumps.com, I found a dump station near my home that I can go to at a time after I get home, and for a very small fee, flush for as long as I need to to, so that I'm sure that there's no residual drying and caking-up over the winter.

I like the idea of dumping at your leisure away from the CG.
One question though is it OK to drive a long way with "full" BW and GW tanks?

The site you gave was for US Dump Stations only.
I found this site http://www.sanidumps.com that is good for US, Canada, Austraila, Belgium,Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, New Zeland, Nicaragua, and Panama.

More then you will ever need

[trudinator]

Originally Posted by Oakman

OH MY! Not me, no sireeee Bob, no way, no how! My fifth wheel has a toilet, my very own toilet, that‘s what I use for #1, #2, or any other number. There is no way I will sit down on a toilet in a public bathroom…unless it is an extreme emergency. I tent camped for years and I hated using a public bathroom. When we bought our first trailer in 2003 that was the last time I used a bathroom in a campground. And those pit toilets…disgusting. I love the modern life.

I'm soooooooo with you on this one! I abhor pit toilets. I have this irrational fear that there will be someone or something down that pit and it gives me nightmares. (There have actually been a couple of news reports where guys in raincoats have gone down the pit toilets to watch the little girls using the toilet. Eeeeeuuuwwww!) We use it for #1 and #2 as well. It comes from your body, and isn't something you have to be afraid of. We use the Geo method, and haven't had any odors, "brown towers of doom," etc. Our camping friends, on the other hand, use chemicals and don't leave any water in their tanks between trips. They had horrendous odor issues last year.

And yes, we use the built in tank flusher when we're at the dump station. If someone behind us can't wait an extra 2 minutes for us to flush our tank, then maybe they should have started out sooner in the morning. We usually wait until just before check out time and I think we've only had to wait at the dump station twice and there isn't usually a line behind us. You just have to learn to time your departure accordingly. When there are a bunch of campers leaving their sites, you stay put or you'll just get in line with all the rest of them.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Barney1

One question though is it OK to drive a long way with "full" BW and GW tanks?

I have a problem with "a long way." Driving with a full tank is sometimes unavoidable. From the way the holding tanks are mounted, they should be "OK" however the angle iron retention brackets are sized at pretty much the minimum they can get away with to keep the weight down.

IMO, frequently doing this over rough roads would most likely result in weld failures and a dropped tank over time. Just Sayin'

[OldCoot]

X2 Herk!

[trudinator]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

X2 Herk!

x3. On our PDI we were told not the travel with full tanks. The straps just aren't strong enough to take the punishment.

[rkswyo]

Where I camp, I have no choice but to travel with full tanks. Been doing it for many years with absolutley no problems.

[cre10]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Our commitment not to use the toilet except for #1 did not last the first trip. Three years and many #2s later our black tank looks as clean as when it was new (almost). 1 capful of Calgon and Laundry soap after every dump. Turboflush to clear when safe and sane to do so.

Have not bought "No stinkum" for over a year and we full time over the winter (except this year due to house maintenance).

Calgon is just water softener correct?

I might need to try this. I've been using Kronen.

[Triguy]

Calgon is used in the Geo Method. For those who want more information...

The Geo Method

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by rkswyo

Where I camp, I have no choice but to travel with full tanks. Been doing it for many years with absolutely no problems.

See my teenager comment here:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post185506

Seriously, the problem with "odds are" is that your experience may differ.

Risk management is NOT about taking risks. It is about weighing what "bad" that could happen against the gain you would get if it goes as you hope.

If you are comfortable that accepting the risk that there won't be a tank retention failure your very next trip out is worth years of getting away with it; then your risk management is "right on."

If not, then you need to rerun the risk/reward analysis until you are.

Risk mitigation can also be used. In this example, dropping the belly covers and examining the welds may be all that is necessary to let you feel comfortable continuing the practice.
Finding a cracked weld may change your mind.

[BeagleIL]

I find it amazing that people would not use the toilet. A bathroom with a door was the only way my wife would consider purchasing a trailer. Mind you at the time we bought our first, we also had a 6 month old baby in diapers and a 3 year old still exploring the limits of his bladder. So the availability of our own bathroom has been a great "relief"!

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by BeagleIL

I find it amazing that people would not use the toilet. A bathroom with a door was the only way my wife would consider purchasing a trailer. Mind you at the time we bought our first, we also had a 6 month old baby in diapers and a 3 year old still exploring the limits of his bladder. So the availability of our own bathroom has been a great "relief"!

Totally

[cre10]

I don't see how you can't poo in your toilet. Campgrounds aren't the cleanest facilities. We went on a float trip last summer and there was probably 15 guys in line waiting to poo at the camp toilets in the morning. No thank you.

[cre10]

Regarding the Calgon, do any of you use the liquid or is there a reason to use the powder version?