Why not forget holding tanks and just use portable tanks?

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.

Is shouting really necessary? Sometimes calm and rational explanation beats shouting our your message.

Why would you need a separate tote for grey and black?

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.

JRscooby wrote:
Most popup trailers use a cassette toilet or porta-potty as a black tank. (if only restroom wife and I have 2 full days) Also they drain the sink and shower out thru a hose connector and into a jug or tank. I use laundry soap jug for the inside sink, and a 7 gallon jug for the outside sink where I do dishes. Last for 4 days unless it is Thanksgiving weekend.

^^^THIS^^^^

Our cargo van conversion has (2) portable 2-1/2 gallon tanks for the sink (one freshwater, one gray) and we use a "Luggable Loo" with a WAG bag and kitty litter. Look into any van conversion forum, and you'll see all kinds of options for not having storage tanks. www.faroutride.com would be a good start - they live in their Transit full-time and they are both engineers, so have documented their build in detail. What works for a cargo van will also apply to a trailer.

The nice thing is that it's possible to build an "RV" that doesn't need to be winterized - depending on where you live, that can be a huge bonus!

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.

If the tanks are above a insulated floor, it would reduce the risk of freezing. Also, the drain could go out the bottom of tank instead of side, which will drain faster.

Gdetrailer wrote:
How about a real idea?

If you have enough height inside your trailer perhaps consider building a subfloor on top of the existing floor. Sort of like 5th wheel trailers have a "basement" which is where their tanks are put.

Typically most RV tanks are 7 inches or a bit less tall so you could easily make a new floor around 7" higher for the bathroom only or the entire living space. This would also give you a chase for other plumbing and electrical items.

Setup your layout correctly and you could make the tanks go under kitchen or even beds so your raised floor may not need to be the entire living space.

This is a possibility as I have 7'6" ceiling height. Great idea.

:R

.

Don’t shoot the messenger, Cooter. I didn’t say I agreed with it, or the signs interpretation of it. I posted it because others were apparently having trouble even finding the statute that the sign was referring to.

And don’t call me a “full blown geezer”. I’m more of a half-a$$ed geezer even on my best days.

:):)