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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.

33 Replies

  • silvercorvette wrote:
    Since the vehicle hasn't been moved the entire time it is possible that there is a big pyramid of poop in the center
    Pyramids are the result of not using enough water over a long period of time, and leaving the drain open all the time. They're not caused by sitting still.
    silvercorvette wrote:
    Do dry campers that park in one location have this happen to them?
    No. It's usually 'wet' campers who leave the black drain open 24/7.
  • The biggest thing preventing a "poop pile" is using lots of water when flushing, and ensuring plenty of water in the tank. The water used when flushing #1 helps keep things floating in the tank preventing #2 from piling up.

    By only using the tank for more "important" things you didn't put enough water into the tank and now have pile instead of a slurry (sorry sounds gross but the best I could to to explain what happened)

    Fill the tank with water and drive around a while then find a dump station, hopefully things will break up and go down the drain.
  • You should be dumping water down with that poop....as part of the flushing.
    I'd guess that you do have a piramid, but it's not the end of the world. Get a bag of ice...dump it down there, and then drive on a nice bumpy/winding road, before you go and try to dump it. Adding some Calgon to the tank may help too!

    As long as you have at least half a tank of liquid, you should be fine.....and don't forget to add about 10-15 gallons of water, after you have dumped it.

    Don't trust the level sensors....:)

    Finally, what goes in, comes back out......so, depending on how much you eat, will dictate how quickly that 40-gallons gets filled up:B

    You may want to see about getting that tank dumped more often...look around your area, and see if there is a CG that will allow you to come in and dump (usually for a fee).
    Your edit notes that you have been parking at a CW....I'm pretty sure that they won't be to happy with you pouring you pee out on their grass

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