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Where to put the waste bin in a Topaz?

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Where to put the waste bin in a Topaz? Empty Where to put the waste bin in a Topaz?

Post by Balvenie Fri Feb 27, 2015 5:08 pm

I have recently bought a 2009 Topaz. it's great - I have had quite a few nights in it already, both on sites with friends and also some wild camping.  I have found the kitchen easy to use, but for one thing: where is the waste bin? I have tried two options so far - tying a supermarket plastic bag to the handle of the narrow pull-out cupboard to the side of the fridge: and recently i have removed the cheap looking steel clip "wine rack" from this cupboard,  and hung a bag in there. neither solution is that good.  What do other Topaz owners do?

Also, any other tips for happy Topaz ownership?
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Post by Sue68 Fri Feb 27, 2015 7:51 pm

I haven't got a Topaz but I have a black pop up bin from Halfords that fixes to the head rest
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Post by repoort Fri Feb 27, 2015 8:21 pm

...I'm sure lots of people with small vans have the same problem. I'm afraid we have always taken the easy option, a carrier bag between the front seats. Not very hygienic I know, we always make sure there's nothing smelly or likely to leak, and try and empty it regularly.
No space for a proper bin in our SWB van, unfortunately.
On the plus side, it makes us look a bit more carefully when shopping to try and avoid anything with a lot of packaging.
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Post by Stewart John Fri Feb 27, 2015 8:30 pm

Hi

Only use my Topaz for 3 weeks so far. I stand my waste bin in the shower tray not knowing where to put it. Also don't know where to hang a hand towell and tea cloth. Thinking of getting the small towell rails that fit over top of the hob side cupboards doors.  scratch head

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Post by daisy mae Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:15 pm

I put those hooks that have a vacuum fitting in the toilet  on the smooth plastic wardrobe door, for bathroom towels, kitchen towel  on oven, hand towel on the front of the pull out rack next to the sink.

Worked for me, a small rubbish bin in the cab area when parked up.

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Post by frederic Fri Feb 27, 2015 10:19 pm

Watch out for the plastic vacuum hooks as they will mark the Topaz plastic in the toilet area.
We use a small plastic bin, similar to a food waste bin, and place it in the LHS rear of the shower tray(and empty it daily!!)
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Post by KMRTOPAZ Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:40 am

Topaz and the bin problem! We have a small s/s pedal bin and after trying various positions it ended up standing in the rear offside corner of the shower tray. It's within reach and only needs to be moved when the shower facility is being used Simples!
Other issues; 1. Have you tried extracting the table from the back of the wardrobe when it's full of (your wife's) clothing? Ours is in a slot between the cooker unit and the single seat.
2. Have you tried switching on the electric water heater when the bed(s) is in use? I moved the switch to the front panel of the bench seat. Fortunately the cable is just long enough. Not only an improved accessibility but you can actually see the red on/off light.
3. We open the awning a couple of feet to prevent rain entering and soaking the seat. A length of foam 15mm pipe insulation jammed between awning casing and van side prevents ingress from behind the awning, Enjoy!
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Post by ssjohnl Sat Feb 28, 2015 9:05 am

It depends what you want to put in the bin.
We usually have a drive away awning attached so keep a medium bin liner in there for larger items.
For smaller items (mainly tea bags) I cut the side off a 4 pint milk container and this then just fits nicely into the top shelf of the sliding bottle store at the side of the Topaz fridge. To save cleaning it, I line it with a plastic bag before use. A six pint container would also work.
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Post by Betty's Mum Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:19 pm

I have a Trophy.  I also put my bin in the bathroom. I found a medium size swing bin that has a smallish footprint.  And I keep a cooking sauce jar in the kitchen for placing teabags and itty-bits in before transfering to the bin.
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Post by Balvenie Sun Mar 01, 2015 12:02 pm

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses.  I like the idea of a cut down 6 pint milk container - both re-cycling and a good use of space - I'll go for that! I will look out for a small hook-over towel rail for the doors under the cooker.

I have not hooked up to the mains yet, but can see the issue with the water heater switch, will see if i can move it. I have already experienced getting the small table out of the wardrobe, and will try out that other location for it.

So far the Topaz has proved ideal - for instance being able to have hot showers after a walk in the hills, while wild camping in Scotland in a VW camper; that is hard to beat. The Topaz does seem a slightly strange mix of real quality and some poor fittings - like the cheap wine bottle holder and the flimsy way the legs are attached to the infill that goes between the front seats when making up the bed.  One has fallen off already. But overall, these are minor points!
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Post by frederic Sun Mar 01, 2015 1:50 pm

Best place for the wine bottle holder and the db infill is in the loft!
we fitted some Fiamma door pockets in place of the wine clips and on the inside of the doors under the grill and also a set of  small stackable racks fixed to the right hand side of the wardrobe end wall.
If you use single beds then all the ancillary infill  can be kept at home. We use crochet rugs as fillers on the front seat bases, works well
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Post by Ann B Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:08 pm

We just use a plastic bag as our Topaz has a small metal hook just to the left of the cooker top.  It was there when we bought the van and I assumed it was an original fitting.  Tried the sticky pad hooks in the bathroom area for other bits and bobs but they always fall of.
 A small tip for you is to have an elestic band or a hair ponytail band on one of the sliding door handles so that if your pitch is not perfectly flat you can hook it over both handles and keep the light out.  Another one on the inside handle will stop any embarrassing moments when you're sitting on the loo.
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Post by Otto Sun Mar 15, 2015 4:38 pm

We tend to use carrier bags and any small containers we have just emptied, i.e. putting smaller rubbish into larger rubbish. Then it goes into an old plastic storage box under the van 'till one of us visits the nearest waste disposal point. Means no smelly food containers in the van and also the storage box is critter proof, plus it's easy to sort out bottles, cans newspapers etc. if recycle bins are available.
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Post by hiro Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:24 pm

Black bin liner hanging in bathroom and moved onto drivers seat when parked.

Never had an issue with the water heater switch, I leave it on all the time it's on mains hookup.
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Post by KMRTOPAZ Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:57 pm

Leaving the water heater switched on whilst on mains hook-up ?
If the water supply to the heater were to be used up, it would result in a dead heater.
There was once an overheat safety switch (with a reset button) fitted to these water heaters, but I have never been able to find one on my Topaz .
C'est la vie !
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Post by hiro Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:28 pm

I never let my water tank get that low.  To be honest I don't use mains hookup that often, preferring to wild camp, but now I think about it the only time I ever have any need to turn the electric water heater switch to off is when I'm flushing the tanks out.  It's on all the time otherwise
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