I am looking at new TCs and several ones have a cassette toilet made by Thetford. Does anyone have experience with one of these? I can not see what the advantage of one would be. It reminded me of the port a potty in my 1972 camper that was a real pain. I was very happy to get a holding tank on the next one I had.

The main reason I have one is that when winter camping, I can winterize the domestic plumbing and not use it while being able to use the cassette by using RV antifreeze or WW fluid as the flushing liquid. It is nice to be able to do one's "business" in a warm camper and not have to worry about freezing the plumbing.Plus, it is very convenient to dump.

Depends on what type of camping you do. Sounds like you liked having a black tank in your last one so you might not like a cassette toilet.I only have a 5 gallon porta potty in my TC. But I like it much better than a black tank for my type of TC'ing. I like boondocking and trips where I only stay on one spot for a few days. I love the ease of emptying a porta potty or cassette. The new ones are very easy to empty, with the spout and vacuum release button.Just wait - you will get a huge response here. Also check the archives... many discussions have been had about this. And you either love them or hate them, no in between. Kinda like the question "which way should the toilet paper hang?" Everyone has a major opinion about their way LOLIn closing, my next TC will have cassette. We like to winter camp as well and it's a pleasure to be able to use a porta potty or cassette without worrying about dumping a frozen black tank. With a cassette you can bring it inside and allow it to thaw out and dump it with ease. I have no problems dumping mine in a household toilet. Never had a mess or caused an issue with plumbing.

Thinking it would be nice for the camper we are going to build.For all the same reasons.When you ask rv dealers around here you only get blank stares.Not even sure where to get one.

Yup, either love em or hate em. Hated mine as the top seal never really sealed, messy when trying to remove to empty,and hard to get the water and chemical into it to begin with. Might have just been a faulty one but enough to discourage me from ever having one again. Always had real tanks and don't mind them. Then that's just me. Lots of people are very happy with them so it's strictly a personal preference.

After having a cassette, there's no way I would want a regular toilet in a camper. Soooo easy.

Cassette Toilets | Good Sam Community

43 Replies

joerg68
Nomad III
Oct 07, 2015
You still need a dump station and the stinky slinky for the grey water, why not just dump the black at the same time / place?

I guess it comes down to personal preference. I have had both and wouldn't go back to a fixed black tank.

The US/Canada are different from Europe and maybe other parts of the planet... while we never had a problem finding a place to dump our black tank when we had our old camper, we always needed to go to dedicated camp grounds that had a dump facility. Especially at the end of every trip we needed to go to the nearest camp ground and pay to dump our tanks.

With the cassette, we just pull up to the home driveway and use our guest toilet. Especially since we do not (need to) use chemicals in the tank - so it is essentially "normal" toilet use, and you can dump it any time in any toilet if you need to.

The last tank of grey water goes to the home garden - no ill effects there yet. The tank holds about 5 days of grey water. If it really does overflow (which it never has), it is easy to get rid of a bucket or two full of grey water and you are good to go another day without having to find a place to dump.

The cassette is usually much cleaner than the fixed tank. You can rinse it after last use at end of trip and put it back into the camper. No smells that would develop over time, no chemicals. You _must_ _not_ leave a partly filled cassette sitting for more than a few days. Just don't do it ;-)
crosscheck
Explorer II
Oct 07, 2015
2oldnslow wrote:
billtex wrote:

For those of you that dump the cassette in a toilet/porta potty every day or two; what do you do with grey water?

This is what confuses me about cassette toilets. You still need a dump station and the stinky slinky for the grey water, why not just dump the black at the same time / place? That seems to work well for me.
crosscheck
Explorer II
Oct 07, 2015
2oldnslow wrote:
billtex wrote:

For those of you that dump the cassette in a toilet/porta potty every day or two; what do you do with grey water?

This is what confuses me about cassette toilets. You still need a dump station and the stinky slinky for the grey water, why not just dump the black at the same time / place? That seems to work well for me.

Since we have fires every night, at least a coupla gallons of grey gets dumped on the fire to make sure it is out. Since we only use maybe 3 gallons/ day of fresh, any extra gets sprinkled on the flora or slowly drips out into a small rock pit.

Another benefit of removing black water tank is a more storage.

Dave
s1214
Explorer
Oct 07, 2015
Nearest dump station to my residence is about 30 miles away. I use the cassette and dump where convenient. For gray, I have an ample tank, however, if I need more I bring along a 15 gallon blue tote. This also comes home with me and goes into the dry well. Gray only, black goes down the toilet. I also have an outside shower, so I'm not filling up the tanks with that waste water. I also don't camp in resorts. So my situation suits me just fine.
RobertRyan
Explorer
Oct 06, 2015
rwiegand wrote:
We've used them on caravans in England and found it extremely convenient to be able to dump the tank without having to move the trailer. Would love to have such a setup in my TC. We seldom stay in formal campgrounds and finding a place to dump the tanks is always a pain and frequently expensive if you have to go to a private campground to do it. A cassette would nicely solve that-- I hate driving around thinking about where the heck am I going to dump that tank. Someday I will have to plumb in access to the septic system outside so I can dump at home, but right now it's always an issue.

X2 Australia
RobertRyan
Explorer
Oct 06, 2015
joerg68 wrote:
All I know is when I was done dumping and rinsing, my bathroom looked like a bomb went off, not to mention stinking like a sick person with a slight hint of orange, and I had to clean the bathroom again.

This is not how it works for us. It is very clean, not much different from "normal" bathroom use. And if you empty the tank frequently and don't let it sit, it shouldn't smell too badly either.

Did you press the pressure relief button or whatever it would be called? It ensures that fresh air can enter the tank as you dump it.

Same as in Australia.Black tanks are VERY UNPOPULAR
maxum1989
Explorer II
Oct 06, 2015
wvabeer wrote:
I have and attachment that goes on the dump valve that a water hose connects to. I then stick the hose in a five gallon bucket to carry the gray water where ever to dump. I dump it early so its not to heavy.

This is what I do as well.
wvabeer
Explorer
Oct 06, 2015
I have and attachment that goes on the dump valve that a water hose connects to. I then stick the hose in a five gallon bucket to carry the gray water where ever to dump. I dump it early so its not to heavy.
Stars101
Explorer
Oct 06, 2015
x2

Unlike large TT or Class A's most TC that have cassette toilets have relatively small grey water tanks (or no tank).

I would think TC grey water is some of the cleanest grey water around b/c we all know to wipe grease off, use small amounts soap & water, etc.

I know I use my TC tanks very differently than I did my TT tanks - just much more aware of what I put in them and how I want to dump them.

And TCers dump their tanks much more frequently so things remain cleaner.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Oct 06, 2015
2oldnslow wrote:
This is what confuses me about cassette toilets. You still need a dump station and the stinky slinky for the grey water, why not just dump the black at the same time / place? That seems to work well for me.

I don't need a dump station or stinky slinky for the grey water, either. My TC has no grey tank, just external drains.

Where it's allowed, I just let the gray water dump on the ground. I use eco-friendly shampoo and soap, and there's a lot worse things on the ground underneath my camper than a few dead skin cells and hair follicles. The grass is always very grateful for the extra drink it receives, especially the spot where my generator exhaust is blowing.

If there's any doubt, I catch my gray water in a blue 7-1/2 gallon can, take it home, and send it down the toilet, with all the requisite splashing, but at least it smells nice and the mess isn't so unpleasant to clean up...

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Cassette Toilets

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