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specta's avatar
specta
Explorer
Nov 28, 2019

extra fresh water

So if you do bring along extra fresh water what do you do when your gray tank gets full?

My camper has a 40 gal FW tank and a 20 gal gray tank. And if I bring an extra 30 gal FW where does it go?




My vintage 1969 Excel TT did not have a gray tank, they were optional back in those days.

So I just hooked a garden hose up and let the gray water drain. I usually dug a small hole for it to drain into.

I have yet to fill my 20 gal gray tank in my camper but will this coming camping season.

Here in Utah all I can find on the US Forest Service websites is they ask you to put a screen over the end of the hose to catch any food particles so they don't attract wildlife which I think is kind of stupid.

What do you do with your gray water when you're boondocking and your tank is full??




My previous camper was this 1996 Skyline Weekender that I really liked before I found massive wood rot and the cab over started sagging. :M

The biggest thing I hated about this camper was that the shower drained into the black tank which limited how many days I could stay out. Riding ATVs every day means a shower every day.

Other than those two things I loved the camper. The interior was a lot nicer than the Lance I have and even though it was 2 ft shorter it only weighed a few hundred pounds less than my Lance.
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  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Nov 28, 2019
    I've dumped gray on the ground for years. It smells for about 15 minutes, then goes away. My gray is not full of food and/or grease, it leaves no residue.

    Just don't do this in view of anyone.
  • jimh406's avatar
    jimh406
    Explorer III
    Nov 28, 2019
    I have very large fresh, grey and black water tanks. I’ve never come close to filling up the grey or black on a camping trip. I would find a dump station if I needed one.

    Grey can do harm, but there.is no sense of me pointing out why. If you care, just do a few reasonable google searches. If you want to be oblivious, I just hope you don’t dump in the areas I like. :D
  • AnEv942's avatar
    AnEv942
    Nomad
    Nov 28, 2019

    Only used for grey and then rarely-even if somewhere that ground dumping Ok Ill use to transport away from where camped. Nothing worse than pulling into pristine site to find big wet spot with corn floating. Generally haul it out. Try to camp within my capacities. I'll forgo a shower if it will avoid using the pooh bucket.
  • specta's avatar
    specta
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2019
    Grit dog wrote:

    If there are others camping nearby, it's an activity done after the last cocktail as the campfire is dying and everyone else is gone to sleepy land !


    I stayed in a KOA years ago and their campsites that had fire pits didn't have sewer hook ups so he let me drain my gray water on the lawn.

    There were only a couple of other campers there at the time.

    Things might have been different if the campground was full.

    Like you said, gray water doesn't hurt a thing.
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator II
    Nov 28, 2019
    To the ire of some folks, when gray fills up and I'm parked and not moving somewhere else, I hook up an old garden hose and run it off into the weeds, ditch line, somewhere out of the traveled way.
    Serously, it doesn't hurt a thing, not stinky, not black water, just 50 gal of relatively fresh soapy water from showers and dishes. We don't wash a lot of food chunks down the drain.
    No different than people who take outside or solar showers or toss the pan of dishwater into the weeds while camping.
    The "perception" of it is bad because your draining a "tank" and who knows what's in there..lol.
    If there are others camping nearby, it's an activity done after the last cocktail as the campfire is dying and everyone else is gone to sleepy land !
  • specta's avatar
    specta
    Explorer
    Nov 28, 2019
    Kayteg1 wrote:
    but you have to worry about carrying the waste.


    My camper has a 28 gal BW tank. That should last me quite a while.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Nov 28, 2019
    All you could find? Quote below is from the DIXIE National Forest website...located in your state...Utah.

    “For those with camp trailers, dispose of waste and grey water at dumping stations.”

    See:
    https://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/cs/detailfull/!ut/p/z1/jZBPC4JAFMQ_jVffyzSs2waBluQh_NNeQmNbDXVl3fTrJ1qHoMy5zeM3A2-AQgy0StqcJyoXVVL0_kxXF_RNdBch2a5xZxxOVuCaOAqiATBeltjoO054DD18A3ROHn-IzM3_Buh0fQR0QKY--NexB8oLkY5zkSpd2hyoZDcmmdQfsj9nStXNRkMNu67TuRC8YPpVlBp-i2SiURB_klCXQRDj3SpajzwBgjMq4g!!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?position=Not%20Yet%20Determined.Html&pname=Dixie%20National%20Forest-%20Camping%20&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ss=110407&pnavid=110000000000000&navid=110130000000000&ttype=detailfull&cid=stelprdb5137037
  • Kayteg1's avatar
    Kayteg1
    Explorer II
    Nov 28, 2019
    My gray is about 18 gallons, with 30 gallons of fresh water, so I bought 15 gallons tote for times when I camp without hookups on campground with dump station.
    Lot of places in southern states have water and electricity hookup, but you have to worry about carrying the waste.
    Not too many places where I camp will let you run the hose, but camping in warm places, I use exterior shower a lot.

  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Nov 28, 2019
    “ I usually dug a small hole for it to drain into.”

    How exciting for the camper after you to have your gray water in “a small hole.” What if everyone did this inconsiderate, illegal act? What do you care? You’ve moved on.

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