Can Grey tank be used as a Black tank?

BA

BabyTM

Guest
Just got 2720 SL this week. Noticed no black tank..

Question. If the grey tank valve is left open, would the toilet's waste overflow into the grey tank? Can grey tank be used as a black water holding tank? Obviously using it only for #1.... Has anyone ever done this??? How much does the Thetford toilet hold before you need to empty. Summer campground does not have sewer! Please advise...:) :) :)

:new_newbi
 
BabyTM said:
Just got 2720 SL this week. Noticed no black tank..

Question. If the grey tank valve is left open, would the toilet's waste overflow into the grey tank? Can grey tank be used as a black water holding tank? Obviously using it only for #1.... Has anyone ever done this??? How much does the Thetford toilet hold before you need to empty. Summer campground does not have sewer! Please advise...:) :) :)

:new_newbi
Click to expand...

If I understand your question correctly, you are wanting to leave the grey water tank valve open, which is located near the outside dump valve for both the toilet and the grey water tank. You are going to leave the dump valve cover closed during this. You then want to dump the toilet (which has it's own holding tank) into the line and let it gravity backflow into the grey water tank. IN order for it to gravity flow, then the grey water tank has to be below the level of the toilet, which I believe it is. Hmmm, maybe some others can give insight on this. I would think you would have to keep filling the grey water tank up many times to clean it after you used it as described above.

The easiest way is to just take a portable sewer tote with you, and use as necessary without contaminating your grey water tank at all.

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/...SmartTote-LX-Portable-Waste-Tanks/prodID=6073

If you are only using your toilet for #1, then I suppose the campground must have facilities for # 2. Can't you use these same facilities for #1 a majority of the time?
 
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To rephrase - you are going to leave the dump valve for the black water (below the trailer) open, and the dump valve for the gray water (also below the trailer) open, so they can cross-communicate, as it were. Even if you close those two dump valves before dumping, it's going to be messy when you take the end cap off the dump line. There will be a gallon or so of mixed "stuff" down in the end of the dump line, constrained only by that cap, and it will spill on the ground when you pull off the cap.

There is a fair amount of toilet info in the TM Reference Library, aka TM Info You Won't Find Anywhere Else.

Bill
 
I am wondering if BabyTM doesn't understand how the Thetford toilet works.....that there isn't a black water tank like other RVs, just the recirculating tank directly under the toilet.

BabyTM, give us a reply back with more details of your concerns, or check out the link that Bill posted.

Chap
 
Thanks all for your great replies/ideas. My mom (75 y/o) camps with us on the weekends and is disabled. Long walk to restrooms. No sewer at campground. Will use a tote instead, it seems to be the better option.

Don't like the Thetford toilet...the idea creeps me out... Has anyone installed a regular rv toilet that uses little water to flush?

For the campgrounds with sewer, connecting directly to sewer? With campgrounds without sewer, connecting directly to tote??

P.S. Anything to make mom life easier...
 
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I'm in full accord with T_C. Your Mom should not ever have to walk to the rest room (we don't), and the toilet should not in any way "creep you out". Do you have any specific questions? (We accept delicate phrasing here.) Have you reviewed the posts in the Plumbing forum? It's a big forum, but scrolling down through might help. Have you looked at the toilet tutorial in the TM Reference Library (aka TM Info You Won't Find Anywhere Else)?

There was, in fact, someone who talked about replacing his toilet - but I don't recall if he ever actually did it. And there was another thread, complete with photos, from a member who increased the size of the black water holding tank by adding a long length of 4" PVC pipe under the TM. But as I recall, he was quite satisfied with the toilet itself.

Two things are important. First, as T_C mentioned, DO NOT leave the toilet drain valve open all the time. Search for "black cone".

T_C usually mentions the second thing, too, but he may be sleepy today so I'll do it for him. You probably should NOT buy a tote with more than 10 gallons of capacity. Ten gallons of water is really heavy, and 20 or 30 gallons is impossibly heavy. Since the toilet holds 6 gallons, a 10-gallon tote will empty it at any time.

I'm serious about questions - it's what we do here. Is there anything we can help with? Ask by PM if you are uncomfortable asking in a public forum.

Bill

Here are a couple threads that might (or might not) be helpful.
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5034
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5059
 
BabyTM said:
Thanks all for your great replies/ideas. My mom (75 y/o) camps with us on the weekends and is disabled. Long walk to restrooms. No sewer at campground. Will use a tote instead, it seems to be the better option.

Don't like the Thetford toilet...the idea creeps me out... Has anyone installed a regular rv toilet that uses little water to flush?

For the campgrounds with sewer, connecting directly to sewer? With campgrounds without sewer, connecting directly to tote??

P.S. Anything to make mom life easier...
Click to expand...

Baby TM, check out the thread: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6551 ......yendor did an excellent job of installing a regular rv toilet. As you will see, I am 1 that questioned why you would need to do that, but now understand that the Thetford is not for everyone. But that said, in reading your posts, I am not sure that you are still exactly sure how the Thetford functions. Check out threads on the Thetford, and ask plenty of questions on this forum, as I know that there are members that will be anxious to help you.

If you think about how the Thetford works everytime you use it, I guess it could "creep" some people out. But those of us that use them, find it very functional in its design......it doesn't use valuble water while boondocking, and with the right chemicals, it doesn't smell.

Chap

Oops, I think Bill and I were posting about the same time about asking plenty of questions.
 
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toilet

Baby TM,
We are new to our 2720 SL and had concerns since we never routinely used a recirculating toilet. Our "shakedown" campout in the barnyard using it as if we were camping did the trick. The toilet works fine, although I would recommend a liquid chemical (Thetford makes both) treatment instead of a powder due to the later's irritating aerosole. Be sure you charge the Thetford prior to use..
 
What Ever You Do Don't Let Your Toilet Drain Into The Gray Tank... All
Your Sink And Tub Drains Will Act As Vents And If By Chance You Over Fill
That Tank While, Say Washing Dishes Your Tub Will Fill Up With #2 . As When
That Tank Is Full The Water Will Rise In The Tub. I Hope I Caught You In Time .
Yendor
 
The large 30+ gallon tanks have a set-up that allows towing with theTV. For extended outings I've dumped our Thetford and part of our grey water into a our 35 gallon tote and subsequently towed it to the dump station. By combining it with the gray water it's not took icky. Works great for me (I won't say "us" because DW doesnt want to know).
 
OK, since this thread has turned into a waste tote discussion, I have to add my .02.

Just because you buy a larger tote, doesn't mean you have to use all of the capacity. If you have the room to transport, and the bigger bucks, a larger tote is not a bad thing.......just don't fill it all of the way when you use it. The advantage of the bigger totes is that usually they have wheels (or bigger wheels) and a tow mechanism that the some smaller totes don't have.

We settled on a 15 gal. tote. I wouldn't want to manuver a full tank @ ~130 lbs over rough terrain by hand, but wouldn't mind towing it. If I need to dump 6 gal. of the black water tank water, then a gallon or 2 of gray water to flush the lines, then I have ~70 lbs. of weight....not too awful bad if I need to pull it manually. I can always come back a time or 2 and finish the gray tank.

The little bit of extra capacity should prevent accidental overfills. Plus you don't have to bend over as far to pull a bigger tote if you need to move it manually.

Chap
 
These toilets work pretty well; as clean as a regular toilet and not like a porta potty or something. The same system is used on boats and airplanes. It makes for much less carrying of weight and waste of water. It also has great capacity compared to my brother in law's TT with a conventional flush unit. Toilet waste is waste no matter how much water you add. I wouldn't trade it. I run out of fresh water and gray capacity long before the toilet is full. I wouldn't cross them either for the backup and dumping issues. I thought the whole process of dumping was going to be a disgusting job but I got a www.sewersolution.com and it's great. Then again I've not tried the slinky.
 
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Thanks to everyone for your great responses and ideas. We will open the TM again this weekend and revisit the toilet situation. I have had: 3 pop-ups, 2 motorhomes and 6 travel trailers. None with this type of toilet. Perhaps my ignorance with regards to the toilet is scaring me. We will decide soon on whether to change toilet and use a tote.
 
We have no issues with the recirculating toilet used in the TM. In some ways it is an advantage as the weight of a full holding tank is eliminated if you can't immediately dump. I agree with larsdernnert in his use of the Sewer Solution hose. This makes emptying the toilet tank very clean and easy. The only possible issue with this method is that you lose the large 'whoosh' that you get when using a 3" hose and I figure there is a possibility that some solids could remain in the tank. The Sewer Solution hose does allow some backflushing, which helps. Also, at home, I ran a 2" pvc pipe from near our garage to our home sewer line clean out. I can reach it easily with the hose from the Sewer Solution. When we leave camp after dumping I add a few gallons of water to the toilet tank and allow it to slosh around as I drive home, breaking up any remaining solids. At home, I will fill the tank with clean water and redump. This seemingly leaves everything clean for the next use.
 
I'll add my bit to this thread, and try to keep from drifting off the topic more...

As for the toilet, it's one of the better features of the TM IMHO - the tank rarely gets to "full" in my experience, and that is a big advantage. It means that you can still use the toilet if you need to. In a traditional design, if the blackwater tank is full or you run out of freshwater, you can no longer use the toilet. I find it less icky to have a toilet to use, even a recirculating one, than to not have a toilet because some tank is full or empty.
 
Scott O said:
We have no issues with the recirculating toilet used in the TM. In some ways it is an advantage as the weight of a full holding tank is eliminated if you can't immediately dump. When we leave camp after dumping I add a few gallons of water to the toilet tank and allow it to slosh around as I drive home, breaking up any remaining solids. At home, I will fill the tank with clean water and redump. This seemingly leaves everything clean for the next use.
Click to expand...

I do something similar with our toilet. During the non-freezing months, I add RV TEC 100 (an enzyme) to the toilet right after a camping trip, and as I am getting the TM ready for the next. I add just enough water to reach the pump, add the enzyme, and then circulate with the pump for a couple of seconds. I figure that that this enzyme sitting in the toilet, as well as sloshing around during travel to my next camping trip, will help eat away any solids that have remained from previous use. At the campsite, I then add Thetford Campa-Chem for odor control, even though the RV TEC 100 does smell decent.

I also back flush through the dump line every couple of trips. Even though we use our Thetford as a full function toilet :D, the screen and holding area looks clean and free of any solids.

Chap
 
How many gallons will the grey tank hold?

Bill said:
I'm in full accord with T_C. Your Mom should not ever have to walk to the rest room (we don't), and the toilet should not in any way "creep you out". Do you have any specific questions? (We accept delicate phrasing here.) Have you reviewed the posts in the Plumbing forum? It's a big forum, but scrolling down through might help. Have you looked at the toilet tutorial in the TM Reference Library (aka TM Info You Won't Find Anywhere Else)?

There was, in fact, someone who talked about replacing his toilet - but I don't recall if he ever actually did it. And there was another thread, complete with photos, from a member who increased the size of the black water holding tank by adding a long length of 4" PVC pipe under the TM. But as I recall, he was quite satisfied with the toilet itself.

Two things are important. First, as T_C mentioned, DO NOT leave the toilet drain valve open all the time. Search for "black cone".

T_C usually mentions the second thing, too, but he may be sleepy today so I'll do it for him. You probably should NOT buy a tote with more than 10 gallons of capacity. Ten gallons of water is really heavy, and 20 or 30 gallons is impossibly heavy. Since the toilet holds 6 gallons, a 10-gallon tote will empty it at any time.

I'm serious about questions - it's what we do here. Is there anything we can help with? Ask by PM if you are uncomfortable asking in a public forum.

Bill

Here are a couple threads that might (or might not) be helpful.
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5034
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5059
Click to expand...

Good evening or day Bill,

Thank you Bill, now I know the black water tank can hold a total of 6 gallons. Seem to be having a problem trying to find how much water the gray water tank holds? Trying to decide on what size tote to buy. Camping World has a 12 gallon on sale for $49.00, normally $69.00.

More incline to make several trips to the dump site than try to haul heavy loads.

Joe
 
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