Gdetrailer wrote:
JaxDad wrote:
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.
Jax,
You ARE forgetting that not "everyone" on this forum lives in CANADA.
Here in the USA we DO NOT HAVE TO FOLLOW CANADA'S RULES.
CANADA'S RULES DO NOT APPLY IN THE USA.
THERE IS ZERO RULES COVERING HOMEMADE CAMPERS PERIOD IN THE USA OTHER THAN FOLLOWING GOOD ELECTRICAL PRACTICE SET OUT BY THE NEC IF YOU WANT TO PLUG YOUR HOMEMADE RV INTO THE ELECTRIC GRID.
Only Canadians are bound by such overbearing archaic rules which only profit the local gov with permit fees and all of the special trades that charge enormous costly fees to do the work.
That means there is NO ELECTRICAL PERMITS OR INSPECTION REQUIRED
NO PLUMBING PERMITS OR INSPECTION REQUIRED (INCLUDING WATER AND PROPANE)
THERE IS NO BUILDING PERMITS OR INSPECTIONS REQUIRED.
For the USA the ONLY thing that does need to be taken into consideration is the DOT requirements for outside lighting and braking/tires safety items..
What is done inside doesn't matter.
That's it.
We ARE FREE to build our own RVs any way we want provided it meets ALL DOT specifications for ROAD WORTHINESS.
That means we can build a RV frame up from scratch, or rebuild an existing RV, or take a cargo trailer, flatbed trailer or heck even an old truck bed and put axles under it all without archaic rules.
The majority of campgrounds in the USA will not refuse or reject a homemade RV because it does not have the CANADIAN seal of approval or RVIA seal. Sure, there are some campgrounds catering to multi-million dollar RVs only but those are few.
According to you, my fully rebuilt RV is not acceptable in Canada because I didn't pay outlandinsh permits nor did I have special trades come in to rebuild it..
No, I fully rebuilt it myself, it hasn't caught fire, hasn't caused and accident, hasn't killed anyone and I haven't had any campground refuse it because it doesn't look factory, or it doesn't have any special seals plaster all over it.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA.........
oh, sorry, you were trying to be serious..........
The standards associations, ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), and the laws requiring compliance with them, are AMERICAN.
You are the only one who mentioned Canadian requirements.
The DOT requirements ONLY cover the ‘vehicle’ portions of an RV, the ‘house’ portions are covered by life safety reg’s and they most certainly exist, nationwide.
