BillyBob Jim wrote:
the bear II wrote:
That would work for most boondocking areas but most RV, National and state parks require RVs to meet RVIA standards which include holding tanks. You'll see park rules state "Must be fully self contained"
Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA)
Those blue portable tanks can be a hand full to dump depending on where you have to dump them. The smell can be deadly.
Holding tanks with a sealed sewer hose setup is the best way to go. Little or no smell or mess.
That's simply opinion. I have never seen in the published rules for any State or Federal Campground I am familiar with, which is more than a few, anything that references RVIA standards or the RVIA at all. The RVIA is a voluntary organization, there are RV manufacturers that do not even belong to RVIA. Are tent campers required to be self contained also.
OP, I have used and dumped a tote tank often. It's not the nightmare folks claim on these boards. Get a 4 wheel tote with a side mounted dump valve. You would not need separate totes for black and gray to do what you describe, you'll be dumping it down the same hole. No one is going to give you any flack or toss you from a campground for having a tote tank connected 24/7.
RVIA is merely the oversight body, the actual rules that must be adhered to are NFPA or ANSI standards. A quick look at any RVIA oval seal will show that it says that the seal is confirming the RV was built in compliance with NFPA XXX or some such standard.
RVIA certification is NOT mandatory, conforming to the standards IS mandatory.
As for campground rules, not seeing them, or they being enforced by unknowing (or uncaring) employees, does not mean they do not exist. Below is just one example of the many I’ve seen, at a park I frequent myself. A friend who did a similar rig, a converted cargo trailer, finally sold it because he was being refused a site so often.
Click here and see Rule # 24.4 in the middle of page 11.
It’s not just sewage either, fresh water plumbing, built in 120 volt wiring and / or propane appliances other than portables require certification to be legal also.
In lots of jurisdictions it’s also illegal to sell such a homemade rig unless it’s certified.
