Forum Discussion

silvercorvette's avatar
Jun 20, 2013

Do I have a pyramid made of poop? A question for dry campers

I mentioned this in other posts that I have been living in my camper since June 4th with no opportunity to dump since may 31st or maybe as long as the 27th. With one exception I have been the only person pooping in my camper. I have been "P"ing in a plastic jug to save space and dumping the contents in the back yard. My black tank is listed a 40 gallons. The electronic monitor light has been red for a few days (indicating a full tank. When I look into the toilet opening I can visually verify that the poop level is a few inches from the toilet valve. I haven't been pooping that much and am having problems believing one person can fill up a 40 gallon tank in a short time.

Since the vehicle hasn't been moved the entire time it is possible that there is a big pyramid of poop in the center and if the RV is moved around it would move the contents around and lower the level of poop. It is also possible I didn't do a full dump the last time I emptied. Do dry campers that park in one location have this happen to them?

Once I am on the road and moving and bouncing around the poop level may settle down enough to where I will not need to worry about dumping.

EDIT I left my home in SC in early May the 6th or 13th so I have been liven in it since then but I have been able to dump at all the places I was staying at till I camped in a Camping world parking lot in Hanover PA. For this particular discussion I am just concerned with the time between my last dump and now.
  • I've got a question here.

    I read the whole thread- and even checked it and I really wonder if the OP had a problem.

    All I see is comments of concern that he mis-managed his tank, and advice upon advice of what he needs to do- and the OP talking about things he's GOING to do.

    I kind of suspect that if he hooks up and dumps and/or adds water and drives and/or uses his tank flusher that things will be ok.

    So, you've learned a lot, but did you really have clog/dumping problem or did you dodge a bullet?
  • K3WE wrote:
    I've got a question here.

    I read the whole thread- and even checked it and I really wonder if the OP had a problem.

    All I see is comments of concern that he mis-managed his tank, and advice upon advice of what he needs to do- and the OP talking about things he's GOING to do.

    I kind of suspect that if he hooks up and dumps and/or adds water and drives and/or uses his tank flusher that things will be ok.

    So, you've learned a lot, but did you really have clog/dumping problem or did you dodge a bullet?


    I will be leaving for home in a few day but I expected to leave a week ago and that is /was a big part of my problem. I was not sure how long it would take to get everything done so I could leave and that is why I was afraid to fill up my tank with too much water and not have room for the poo. When I posted this I was not sure if the main reason for the problem was staying in one place and not having the movement of the RV to spread things around. Also it is hard to manage and plan how to figure out how to store your waste when you don't know how long you are going to have to store it.

    Here is something to consider. Here is a what if, what if I had used a large amount of water as most people have suggested and eventually the combination of liquids and solids maxed out the tank capacity. So far I can look into the tank and see the solids near the top but there are still a few inches to spare. I will probably never encounter this same situation again but in retrospect if I had to do it over I probably would have done the same thing.

    There is enough liquid in the tank to keep things from getting hard solid and I thing that by using the clean out feature that my RV is equipped with I should be able to get a good clean out flush, if not I can use a wand, and if necessary I can buy some ice cubes and go for a short ride to mix things up. I may be wrong about this but I am still thinking that I could have been worst off it my tank was fill near the max with liquid.

    I probably have had close to 15 years experience doing this and this is the first time I ever got into this situation. The first trailer I had back in the 1970s was probably only 17 to19 feet and the black tank was 1/2 the size or less than the one I now own but in the past I never went longer than a few days before dumping. The last time I dumped was on May 30 or 31st and by the time I get out of NY and get to a dump site it could be another week or more.

    By the way if anyone is curious why I do not use the toilet in the house I am parked in front of al the sinks and toilets have been winterized, and there is no water supply into the house because some thieves destroyed the pipes when they attempted to steal the furnace / boiler, the water company were nice enough to provide me a way to connect my camper hose to the meter.

    PS I won't know if I have a problem till I get to a dump station and try to dump.
  • Ok, OP...if you are bored and just want to talk ok.

    Otherwise, something about this thread stinks.

    Two days, four pages, supposedly experienced camper and a real possibility that there is no problem.