How “useable” is the bathroom in a HW296

[Itwrx]

My wife and I just purchased a 2015 HW296. My question is how useable is the shower / toilet? There are 4 if us. Two adults, one 13 year old and a 3 year old. Is the 12gal black water tank enough for a extended weekend? 4 days 3 nights? Also any advice on how to handle using it? Do you feel like your ina “bathroom” or more like using a bathroom that is only keeping you divided from your guess buy a shower curtain ?
Any real world experience and advice is welcome
Thanks.

[HappyCamper1962]

The specs show 12 gallon gray and 12 gallon black tank. Those will fill up very fast with 3 1/2 people. You could maybe get 2-3 day weekend if you are very frugal. You could use the toilet only for needs during the night and take showers in the campground bath house or use the outside shower, if you have one. You could also bring along a portable gray tank which would give you unlimited use of sinks and the shower, as long as you don't mind regular dumping and hauling to the dump station. Alternatively you could just camp in full service parks and use both to your heart's content.

As far a how you feel when in there, it depends where the bathroom is located. Yours appears similar in location to my x23B in which case, it was private enough to use without feeling super odd. Keep in mind, there are large gaps at the top of the bathroom door, and sometimes the bottom, too, for airflow, so noise you make inside might be heard outside the room. Running the fan in the bathroom and the compressor on the AC helps . Your best option is to try it out and see . Happy Camping!!!

[Scrapper]

Any noise you make while doing your duty will be no worse than passing gas. Others may laugh the first few times but all of you will get used to it. It comes with the territory. Besides, it's not how loud they are, it's the tell-tale odor that comes after. It's always the quiet ones that really hold the surprise. And there's the fan that will help with both.

[dtptrson]

You can pee forever in the toilet, it's doesn't take much to flush, for anything else hit the camp bathroom. It's not the most private of arrangements but it great for those middle of the night you have to go.
If you do alot of cooking you're going to fill the grey water tanks in a weekend. Even a quick shower or 2 will fill them. If you're going to a national park(most don't have showers) you can get one of the portable totes and quick navy showers won't be a problem.
I added a custom built 20 gal tank, so I have 32 gal grey water capacity and the 3 of us can go 4 days with taking showers everyday before they fill. Most bathrooms have a waste sink so you could always take a bucket and take a walk a few times. My daughter actually prefers using the shower in the camper as opposed to going to the bathhouse.

[Dennis and Julie]

Originally Posted by Itwrx

My wife and I just purchased a 2015 HW296. My question is how useable is the shower / toilet? There are 4 if us. Two adults, one 13 year old and a 3 year old. Is the 12gal black water tank enough for a extended weekend? 4 days 3 nights? Also any advice on how to handle using it? Do you feel like your ina “bathroom” or more like using a bathroom that is only keeping you divided from your guess buy a shower curtain ?
Any real world experience and advice is welcome
Thanks.

We had a pop up with the bathroom. Only used it at night and used campground facilities otherwise, even for showers used whatever gray capacity for kitchen..

[Rodo]

Originally Posted by Dennis and Julie

We had a pop up with the bathroom. Only used it at night and used campground facilities otherwise, even for showers used whatever gray capacity for kitchen..

I'm in the same boat as you guys with the HW296. I was thinking about adding a larger grey tank but I didn't know where to start. Any chance you could let me/us know how you did it?

[Itwrx]

On a side note I’m putting together a way to drain the grey water in to the 3in sewer water hose while at full hook ups. I’ll upload pix later. Next goal will to hard line the grey water to the sewer line like all other trailers.

[Rodo]

Originally Posted by Itwrx

On a side note I’m putting together a way to drain the grey water in to the 3in super water hose while at full hook ups. I’ll upload pix later. Next goal will to hard line the grey water to the sewer line like all other trailers.

I just did that this past weekend. I had to route the grey line behind the jack and at the end of the frame. It wasn't much more work compared to the other examples I've seen. I didn't want to move the jack location but no matter what you do you'll have to relocate the sewer hose storage tube.

[Itwrx]

Originally Posted by Rodo

I just did that this past weekend. I had to route the grey line behind the jack and at the end of the frame. It wasn't much more work compared to the other examples I've seen. I didn't want to move the jack location but no matter what you do you'll have to relocate the sewer hose storage tube.

Can you upload photos of how you did it.
Thanks.

[Rodo]

Originally Posted by Itwrx

Can you upload photos of how you did it.
Thanks.

Absolutely. I'll have it out of storage in a day or two and will upload everything. I also added the tornado clean out into the black tank. I removed and replumbed the interior water filter (I plan on using an exterior filter). Upcoming mods are a battery shut off switch and extending the low point drains so I can drain the lines more easily. Replacing the speakers and maybe head unit since the factory ones sound like garbage. I'm looking into a way to add a J channel to keep the condensate away. My biggest mod I want to do is to possibly increase the grey water tank storage. I'm not adverse to using a tote but it'd be nice to have larger on board storage.

[Plan Man]

We have a 2017 hw296. We were just on an extended trip. Used the shower in the camper most days. I do have an 11 gallon portable gray tank. We used it to empty gray and put in back of truck and ran it to the dump station. No problem. We use the toilet only at night and only for number one. Emptied black tank when we left a site. Never even close to full. We also rarely had water hook up on this trip. Simply filled the fresh water with a bucket and siphon hose. Only filled it with the water I thought we would need at that site to keep weight down when we left. It all worked perfectly. Very little hassle.

[jimmoore13]

My wife and I have made it 5 days on the black tank with plenty of room to spare. 3.75 people will definitely require some careful management...as in the boys go find a tree for #1. Your best friend is a two-step process:
1) turn off the pump or water supply and relieve the pressure through the kitchen sink; 2) use a flashlight to look down the open flush shutter to check on remaining capacity. Easy, and far less gross than staring down the barrel of a pit toilet.

The gray tank is not an issue. Buy an adapter for the 1 1/2" outlet, a short length of hose, and a 5 gallon bucket...and dump it. When boondocking, water the trees. In a campground, dump it in the toilet/pit toilet. I dump my gray tank about once a day to prevent gray water from backing up into the shower pan. (see below)

The black tank will be your only limitation on length of stay.

Now to privacy. If you have the same hard-side bathroom we have, it's kind of private. If you're going #2, turn on the exhaust fan. If you're shy, shoo people outside. If you're peeing, sit...the target is kind of small anyway and nobody will hear you tinkle.

The shower is awesome. "Nuff said on that. It's a real, standup shower, and the toilet is designed to shed the water so it's not a wet mess after a shower. Use the inner shower curtain if you stand. If you sit to shower, no curtain needed. Just make sure to direct the spray away from the door.

Finally, if you plan to boondock, get solar....it's amazing.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Back to gray tank dumping....
My comments may upset a few...please relax. It's sink water. This is borrowed from a similar thread on another forum.

Gray water is pretty innocuous stuff. If you wash your car in the driveway, use chemical herbicides and/or fertilizers on your lawn, have a large dog, and so on, the effluent you create and send to the storm drain is more harmful than typical RV gray water. Not to mention things like road salt or mag chloride spread by road crews. So watering the trees is not like dumping sewage...or even close.

RV gray water is just sink and shower water. Unless someone is abusing their gray water collection system in the RV (contaminating it with other, more hazardous waste), it contains only minimal food waste and the surfactants in soaps and shampoos. Surfactants are considered a desirable soil amendment.

Hell, if you MUST pee in the shower, remember peeing behind a tree?

Some others have pointed out the frustration of small gray tanks. My 12 gallon gray tank fills in 24 hours or so. Most PUPS don't even have gray tanks. The sink drains into a bucket just outside. Tent campers don't even have buckets....their dishwater just gets dumped on or near the site. In a crowded RV park or government campground, I dump my gray water into the toilet (almost always a pit toilet). But elsewhere, I make a point to water the trees in drought-stricken Colorado with my precious gray water. The surfactants and nutrients in the gray water are beneficial to the flora. Of course, my gray dump is separate...an 1 1/2" pipe with its own valve. And just like other PUPS, I run a hose from that dump valve to a, wait for it, bucket.

I could go on, because this is a topic that draws a lot of anxiety-laden discussion, but if you camp, you pee in the woods, just like every other critter out there. Sink water is beneficial to the environment unless you're dumping it in the bayou or someone's freshwater supply.

[Itwrx]

Ok couple other questions.
Where do you keep your TP?
Where do you put your shower supplies?

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by Itwrx

Ok couple other questions.
Where do you keep your TP?
Where do you put your shower supplies?

Peel & stick TP holder. If the adhesive ever fails, drill some holes and shoot some screws. Mine has been in service for more than two seasons...no issues...plenty of showers. Take the TP out of the bathroom when you shower.

Shower supplies...there is already a soap dish, but the rest can go on the shelf behind the toilet. That's where I keep the black tank deodorizer, Febreeze, cleaning wipes, and "Fresh Cab" rodent repellent.

I also keep one of these in the bath to clean the toilet as needed. Don't flush the cleaner...drop it in the trash. Mine has a little container that holds the cleaners and has a socket to hold the wand. It survives the shower just fine.

Now an off-topic tip: STAIRS for the bed ends. Buy these and cut the plastic to fit around the narrow, treacherous step to climb into bed. I weigh 260 pounds, and they are rock solid. They nest and fit upside down in the bath for travel. Put all the toilet supplies in the steps and everything travels well.

P.S. Don't leave the TP on the TP holder when traveling. For some reason it just spools off the roll as if a cat has been playing with the TP.

[dtptrson]

Dumping grey water on the ground in any national park and most state parks is illegal and will earn you a hefty fine. Some national forest allow it when your boon docking. It's not just soap and shampoo but also all the food particles from washing dishes, which attracts animals and insects. Take it to the waste sink or dump station where it belongs.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dtptrson

Dumping grey water on the ground in any national park and most state parks is illegal and will earn you a hefty fine. Some national forest allow it when your boon docking. It's not just soap and shampoo but also all the food particles from washing dishes, which attracts animals and insects. Take it to the waste sink or dump station where it belongs.

EXACTLY![emoji106]

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by dtptrson

Dumping grey water on the ground in any national park and most state parks is illegal and will earn you a hefty fine. Some national forest allow it when your boon docking. It's not just soap and shampoo but also all the food particles from washing dishes, which attracts animals and insects. Take it to the waste sink or dump station where it belongs.

Originally Posted by bikendan

EXACTLY![emoji106]

One of the more amusing things about this and many other forums is the complete lack of ability to read and process exhibited by some of the more strident and self-righteous participants.

Let me help you: "In a crowded RV park or government campground, I dump my gray water into the toilet (almost always a pit toilet). "

Think about it. Feel better now?

[Cowboy6201]

Originally Posted by Itwrx

My wife and I just purchased a 2015 HW296. My question is how useable is the shower / toilet? There are 4 if us. Two adults, one 13 year old and a 3 year old. Is the 12gal black water tank enough for a extended weekend? 4 days 3 nights? Also any advice on how to handle using it? Do you feel like your ina “bathroom” or more like using a bathroom that is only keeping you divided from your guess buy a shower curtain ?
Any real world experience and advice is welcome
Thanks.

My wife and I use our shower and toilet all the time but the Campground where at we have sewer hook up, the site we're on used to be a permeate site, but the owners opened it up to a daily weekly rental, so it's nice having sewer hook up no more dumping a blue tank.
We're in a 2018 HW296 Camping in Maine till 08/25/18

[Mike91]

I camp in state parks where the only hook up is electric. For the past 10 years we've had travel trailers. For the 3 years before that, pop ups. The last pop up was a Starcraft 2406 with a toilet/shower.

The 2406 had no holding tanks except for fresh water. The toilet was a cassette that held 5 gallons. The shower had no tank.

We used a 25 gallon blue tote tank to catch the grey water from the kitchen sink and shower. The cassette tank we either hauled to the dump station or emptied into a campground toilet. For camp grounds that had dumps with a self closing lid, we just emptied into their toilets. For others that used caps where we could fit the cassette spout in easily, we used the dump station.

For your camper, just use a blue tote. The 25 gallon is the sweet spot for me. The 35 gallon blue totes would be really heavy and hard to pull to the trucks hitch.