(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best rv waste water & sanitation products

I bought a thetford curve for my van, tho i did the bucket too. The curve is the most like a regular toilet. It isn't hard to empty but it isn't exactly pleasant either but that goes for all rvs really. Thee bucket is easier to empty, you just toss in a trash can somewhere.

I shower by truckstop or in warmer weather solar shower (black bag). They make propane hot camp showers. If i need privacy, i make a tent with my tarp off my van, but normal sized people can get these cool little shower tents.

What do you use for your tanks and where are they located? If you are going to use a deodorizer be sure to get one like this, http://amzn.to/UC6pTb ,it is designed to be used in grey water holding tanks.

https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-301097202-Portable-Toilet-Gallon/dp/B002A3E3HQ

Especially with kids, this should make life so much easier. Just go. When the container is full, detach it and go into any toilet and drain it into the bowl. Just make sure to use chemicals when you use it to dissolve the solids and control odor.

The 2.6 gallon model is only 12 inches tall, which is why I linked that in, should fit in almost any van. If you have space for a bucket, you have space for a real toilet. The 5 gallon is taller.

Morning peeing, waking up in the night peeing, forgot/couldn't stop to go pee in the early evening, getting a stomach bug and being stuck in the van for a few days - I mean the first time the kid gets the runs, without a portable toilet you're going to be experiencing a living nightmare. The kid's not going to be able to hold it and you'll probably get a much more up close and personal view of diarrhea than most of us want.

Get you one of these bad boys:

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T1020-1-Waste-Valve-Capped/dp/B0006N5RYK

Hook up a garden hose to it and crack open your gray valve just a bit. Run your hose 25-50 feet away into some brush or grass. Easy way to get rid of the minimal gray water you use to wash dishes or brush teeth. Keep in mind this thing is not intended to be used so you can shower or bathe in your RV. With no hookups you should be using the campground showers. And as long as you use the campground toilets as much as possible you will be fine. Nighttime emergencies are acceptable but much more than that and your black tank will fill pretty fast.

Edit: do NOT run black water through this cap and garden hose setup. Gray water only. Your black tank valve should never be open unless you have a full size sewer hose connected and are dumping the black tank.

I bought a couple sets of these ditty bags a while back. They're about right in size, though they fray a bit more than I'd like.

I'm torn between buying more of them, buying other random sets of nylon ditty bags, or buying sets of similar bags in mesh or some other material.

Another thought: gift bags for wine bottles look cheap and appropriately sized!

Found it on Amazon here:

Valterra Products, Inc. R920TWVP... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002N5PNOS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Yeah, the holding tanks can be a bit intimidating. When we bought ours we had a walk through with the sales guy and he should us how to do everything on the trailer however he neglected to tell us that, in addition to our gray water tank we also had a separate galley (kitchen) tank. Well, middle of winter comes and it's 12 degrees outside so I decided to leave all the faucets dripping so we didn't brake a line. Figured this would be OK since I had left the gray water tank open. Since I didn't know about the galley tank (it's open/close handle was in a different location from our gray and black water tanks as well). It flooded. It wasn't a big deal since we were there to catch it and clean it up, but it could have been.

All the information you need for draining your tanks should be in the manual, but our black and gray water tanks handles are in the front storage area of our RV. You will want to invest in a high quality flexible sewer house if you are going to moving around a lot (sound like you are) if you haven't already so you can hook up to park sewer if you stay at a place that offers it. This is the best time and place to empty your black and gray water tanks. The cheap hoses suck and you do not want to be stuck with a leaky sewer house. You will want one that's going to be long enough to reach the sewer connection in the park you are staying in (generally they are right next to the power/water connections). Just locate the sewer outlet on your trailer and figure that most parks will have hook ups a few feet from the back of the trailer slot. Also, pick up one of [these] (http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-D40-4020-Sewer-Buddy-Support/dp/B004RCX42S/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1347910128&sr=1-2&keywords=rv+sewer+hose+support), when you hook up to park sewer you want your sewer hose to drop about an inch to half inch per foot to maintain a nice slope for everything to drain, to shallow a slope and it doesn't drain well, and too steep and the liquid waste will wash out to fast leaving the solid waste behind in the hose. Those sewer hose holders generally give you the right slope on your hose.

Oh, and one thing I just thought of is will need to get a pressure regulator to use when you are hooking up to city/park water. If I remember correctly most trailers water systems are rated to 45 lbs. PSI and if the water source you are using is higher than that you can break stuff. That's about it that I can think off off the top of my head.

I'd ask the park if you want to know for sure. You may want something like this you can dump the gray tank into, then tow this portable tank (slowly) to the dump station with your car.

https://smile.amazon.com/Tote-N-Stor-25608-Portable-Waste-Transport/dp/B0085KGOIE?sa-no-redirect=1

Get ya one of these, keeps the black/grey a’flowin!


Camco 20ft Sidewinder RV Sewer... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BUU5WW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-41541-Portable-Toilet-gallon/dp/B018LBYB7C?th=1&psc=1

Pull out the little Camco cassette flush toilet that I bought for such situations.

If it's the Rhino, they make a little extension now that lets you attach to those properly. It's a bit longer than it needs to be though, which can be a pain in terms of liquid pooling in the hose. I wish they made one closer to 1" or 1.5" or just a taller 4-in-1 adapter, but it does the job: https://www.amazon.com/Camco-39735-Sewer-Extension-Clear/dp/B01CNPCDEA

Get a cap with a hose adapter as part of the cap. When you're ready to dump, position the drain hose under the small cap and remove it carefully. It'll drain the 1/2 cup of disgust in a controlled manner. Once the small amount is drained, removed the big cap. Easy, and relatively clean.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T1020-1VP-Waste-Capped-Carded/dp/B0006N5RV8/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=black+dump+cap&qid=1567981139&s=gateway&sr=8-8

Reminds me of this.

Your body is more important than shame. :/ if they're decent enough, they won't give you grief. Or you could say you're terrified of restrooms in gas stations and diners.

Camping toilets seem to be a good option. These look pretty discreet (and even flush!)

• http://www.jacksons-camping.co.uk/general/toilet.htm
  
  
• www.amazon.com/Thetford-92360-Porta-Portable-Toilet/dp/B006WPQNB2/

I use this tight now, but there are many options, including some that you can apparently dig a hole and dump in the ground? Some kind of Eco Friendly stuff. Anyways I use this the last couple times and just dumped it when I got back. It's definitely a game changer for those not looking forward to squatting behind a bush.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-41195-Ultra-Concentrate-Treatment-Formaldehyde/dp/B007H2PH02/ref=mp_s_a_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1541440086&sr=8-31&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=porta+potty+chemicals&dpPl=1&dpID=413mlDzHq7L&ref=plSrch

I've been living in a 19' Class B van for a bit over a year now. It's perfectly doable. If you're willing to do a little work, you can get quite a good deal on one that size.

If you're going to be stationary, you will need an external propane tank for heat. You'll probably have an onboard propane tank, and I'd fill it for emergencies, but due to the frequency of fills in winter you'll want one you can haul to town while leaving your trailer in place.

For sewer, you can dump right into one of these and either use your parents septic (assuming that's what they're using in the country) or haul it to an RV dump.

Barker (31342) Tote Tank - 30 Gallon Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MA2YLK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9ijUDbVCF14PY

If you have any specific questions about living lite, hit me up.

There are a couple types;

This for example would require no cutting/framing of the camper

This type for example has the cassette remove from the back, so you would need to have a cutout somewhere for it

Edit: Meant to add that you basically remove the 'cassette' which holds the business and take it to any toilet to empty it.

The grey tank can get more disgusting than the black. They do make a grey tank cleaner specifically made to dissolve grease and sludge that's common in grey tanks, where black tank chemical is specifically made to deal with the stuff commonly found in black tanks.

I bought and modified one of these 50 gallon water tanks that sits in the back of our truck. With a macerator I am able to pump out our tanks in a more or less liquid solution and fill up the tank. Yes, 50 gallons x 8 pounds per gallon is a lot of weight, but not to an unloaded truck. Then we go to the dump station and hook up the standard stinky slinky hose and pull the [valve] (https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T40-Spigot-Valve-Assembly/dp/B00594AZRU/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1487151353&sr=8-12&keywords=valterra+waste+valve) open. After emptying the tank rinse it out and occasionally put some soap in it to keep it somewhat clean. It works.
EDIT: Early morning cannot type....

Mine did the same thing. I just put a valtera twist on waste valve on the end to solve this problem.

Valterra Black T58 Twist-On Waste Valve https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BGHYJS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wfbEDb0YH8FXT

I am in trucking and a lot of drivers say this is the best thing out there, really odourless, http://www.amazon.com/Thetford-92360-Porta-Portable-Toilet/dp/B006WPQNB2/ , it costs more than a portapotty you might find at walmart, but its what I'd use in an self made RV Van, over a composting toilet. The base detaches and you can take it like a jug of water to a toilet or RV waste spot and dump your waste.

I had the same problem a couple years ago. I used this stuff and smell went away quickly. I use it a couple times a season and haven’t had a problem since.

Camco TST Lemon Scent RV Grey Water Odor Control, Stops Sink Trap Odors, For Use I...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JG1W1E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_rzjkDbP2QXH2Y