emptying waste water tank

Toilet compartment already full of step, fire/dog bucket, and wash kits. Also I like to be able to /use/ the toilet occasionally when traveling so don't want to spend ten minutes emptying it out before I can empty out :-)

 I'm trying to understanding all these different methods of getting rid of grey water. People who are using plastic carrier-type containers -- are you emptying your grey water tank into that over and over in order to empty? Doesn't that take for ever?

I have been emptying mine using the teeny Duetto tap thing by parking over the drain just outside my house. It's not smelly and no-one has yelled at me yet.
Can anyone tell me what is the easiest way of attaching a temporary extension to the tiny length of tube supplied to the Duetto -- to deal with emptying into a point on a site? Non-technical please!
Many thanks.

Hi. We have only had three short trips so far and used a washing up bowl. And yes, it took ages!!! We are thinking of getting a waste master to position under the fixed pipe and also investigate extending this as and when we are on a pitch with a drain provided. We really are just learning as we go along - fun though! Funny how even the 'chores' seem quite enjoyable. Our daughter is threatening to buy us anoraks for Christmas he he :-). Best wishes, Denise

Thanks so much Peter! I think I know the kind of thing you mean -- what a good idea!

I hope you are having a good trip in your AS!

 
MrsG

MrsGrey wrote: I'm trying to understanding all these different methods of getting rid of grey water. People who are using plastic carrier-type containers -- are you emptying your grey water tank into that over and over in order to empty? Doesn't that take for ever?

As stated, I use a 5 gallon plastic container. I don't fill the waste tank up (15 gallons) & then drain it.
I put the container under the van with the drain pipe in it as part of setting up on site, and everything from the sink or wash basin goes directly into the container via the tank. I empty the container when required.

Looking around campsites, I think most people do this.

The only time I use the waste tank to store waste water is when we're wild camping.

Frank

Aah I see what you mean Frank. I think I would need one on wheels -- 5 galls is a bit much for me to carry -- even 3 probably! I have seen those i think...

Me Too! that's why I take my fishing trolley   You can get folding trolleys quite cheaply on Fleabay.

Frank

boxerman wrote:Me Too! that's why I take my fishing trolley   You can get folding trolleys quite cheaply on Fleabay.

Frank

 Clever! BTW is that you in your picture??

MrsGrey wrote: Clever! BTW is that you in your picture??

Is that you in yours?  

Frank

OK OK it's about time I uploaded one...

boxerman wrote:

MrsGrey wrote: Clever! BTW is that you in your picture??

Is that you in yours?  

Frank

 Yes

Hi there,

My how complicated this subject has got!!  

AS fit a drain to the tank so I fitted the drain with a valve that fits this pipe .....

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.....  and carry a 2m length so that I can reach whatever facility is provided on site.

As I am usually filling up the water tank at the same time I give it a quick rinse after use, let it drain while I fill the water tank and then coil it up and put it at the back of the drivers seat.

We used to use a bucket but I gave up humping waste-water around the place this year when I realised that I now owned a motorhome!

Hope this helps. 

Best regards,


PS  If we are planning to put up the Windblocker and stay put for a week or so we pack a 10m length of the same pipe which allows us to hook up to the on-site drains direct.

If we are static for a few days, eg C&CC rally etc, then I top up the fresh water tank with my 6 litre watering can (usually need 12 or so litres per day). Don't necessarily get both fills at the same time.

Since I also empty the toilet cassette daily, and it is less than half full, I simply place the cassette under the waste outlet tap and drain the soapy dish water into the cassette. Rarely will it be full, and if it does require a second trip then I have effectively washed the cassette!!  

I notice that some toilet cassettes even have their own set of wheels and handle which would make this even easier.

Davy

Now that TR is a good bit of lateral thinking.
I don't like the idea of straining the water through grass etc and letting it run into the ground, that's no better behaviour than Elizabethan London.
The separate carry/roll away container is fine but I am limited for carrying space when on the road as my dog uses all of the Hab area to sleep/drink/play while on the move.
This though is an elegant solution to a small but annoying problem we all face.

I have just bought the  water tank from that auction site, It is green, it holds 24 litres, has wheels and an extending handle, small enough to fit under my Topaz a VW  T 4 which is quite low,  when on site, and small enough to transport, very well made, German made, says it is for  low motor homes, caravans, T4 /T5 `s very pleased with it, I will leave my tap open on site and drain straight into the container, easier to empty, I had one on wheels as I cannot lift the ones without,  bucket slops everywhere.

Dutto wrote:Hi there,

My how complicated this subject has got!!  

AS fit a drain to the tank so I fitted the drain with a valve that fits this pipe .....

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

.....  and carry a 2m length so that I can reach whatever facility is provided on site.

As I am usually filling up the water tank at the same time I give it a quick rinse after use, let it drain while I fill the water tank and then coil it up and put it at the back of the drivers seat.

We used to use a bucket but I gave up humping waste-water around the place this year when I realised that I now owned a motorhome!

Hope this helps. 

Best regards,


PS  If we are planning to put up the Windblocker and stay put for a week or so we pack a 10m length of the same pipe which allows us to hook up to the on-site drains direct.

I tend to agree with you Dutto -- If the waste water tank has a drain and the site has somewhere to empty it to, then the simple soliution seems to be to get the water from the supplied tap-drain, to the site's drain facility, with a hose if necessary. A question -- why do you need a valve? Is it any more likely to back up on emptying through a length of hose than it is when emptied direct from the little tap?
Thanks!
Jinny

TeamRienza wrote:...............

Since I also empty the toilet cassette daily, and it is less than half full, I simply place the cassette under the waste outlet tap and drain the soapy dish water into the cassette. Rarely will it be full, and if it does require a second trip then I have effectively washed the cassette!!  

............

Now why didn't I think of that?? 

Sheer genius!  

Best regards,
 
Ian

Oh, I am a naughty girlie!   

I attach an ordinary domestic appliance water outlet hose to my waste out tap.  The open end of the outlet hose has an old pop sock/stocking/leg from a pair of tights tied around the end to catch the 'crumbs'.  I then tuck the pipe under the van out of sight if I am mid-field, or just extend the pipe into a hedgerow if I am near the edge.  I use mostly rally sites and have not had any complaints.

At the end of my visit I make two knots in the stocking, cut between the two knots and the end of the hosiery that contains the bits of food is put into my bin. A very basic but effective filter (and cheap!).  Most people agree that the ground needs all the water it can get and I do not use harsh chemicals in my system - the worse thing is a bit of washing up liquid or soap!

These days I often see caravans openly discharging their waste water onto the grass having put it through an expensive filter first, though I do believe common sense should prevail where sites are already experiencing waterlogged fields.

I, like many, find so few sites cater for the emptying of on board tanks. I like to 'do the right thing' and slop out in all the correct places but life isn't always that easy. Incredible when you think just how many motorhomes are on the roads these days.

I also don't like to travel with a full, fresh water tank, but worry about dribbling it along the road, or onto the grass, as we leave site, in case others think it is grey waste.

All the cruisers on the Norfolk Broads are plumbed to empty sinks directly into the rivers, they are requested to use eco type washing up liquids. Imagine if you saw someone with a motorhome emptying their waste tank into a river!! It would cause outrage!!