Use of Portable Holding Tanks

dvitale300 wrote:
Don't most state parks and national parks say it's OK to dump the grey tanks in the open (as long as they're the tanks from the shower and not the galley?

Not in Tennessee.

dvitale300 wrote:
Don't most state parks and national parks say it's OK to dump the grey tanks in the open (as long as they're the tanks from the shower and not the galley?

Don't know where you heard that!
no national parks do and neither do most state parks.

Some do have gray water dumps scattered throughout the campground.
But NEVER on the ground.

No doubt I'll be very much in the minority here but years ago I bought a 22 gal Tote 'n Store not realizing just how difficult it would be to drag when full of water over a soft ground surface such as sand to the truck, nor how difficult was to later clean thoroughly, and what a PITA it would be to store for travel. After just a couple of uses I sold it to another unsuspecting trailer owner and began using 7 gal Aquatainers labelled with red electrical tape to identify them for use for grey water only. That was years and several trailers ago and I still use this method to offload grey water while camping and while simple gravity will easily do the job I prefer to actually pump it as that means the Aquatainers can already be sitting in the back of the truck and I therefore don't have to lift anything. Pretty well any 12 vdc pump will do but I had a spare potable water pump hanging around in the workshop so that's what I'm using.

Offloading Grey Water with a Pump



I also carry a set of four 7 gal Aquatainers labelled with white electrical tape for collecting fresh water and likewise use another pump to transfer it to the trailer's FW holding tank. Carrying Aquatainers is easy as they each weigh almost nothing when empty and store particularly easily since they're cube shaped, FAR easier than having to fool with a heavy wheeled tote tank.

Aquatainer Storage



Others may not agree but I'd never own another wheeled tote tank again, not when there are alternative solutions that are so much easier. :B

SoundGuy wrote:
No doubt I'll be very much in the minority here but years ago I bought a 22 gal Tote 'n Store not realizing just how difficult it would be to drag when full of water over a soft ground surface such as sand to the truck, nor how difficult was to later clean thoroughly, and what a PITA it would be to store for travel. After just a couple of uses I sold it to another unsuspecting trailer owner and began using 7 gal Aquatainers labelled with red electrical tape to identify them for use for grey water only. That was years and several trailers ago and I still use this method to offload grey water while camping and while simple gravity will easily do the job I prefer to actually pump it as that means the Aquatainers can already be sitting in the back of the truck and I therefore don't have to lift anything. Pretty well any 12 vdc pump will do but I had a spare potable water pump hanging around in the workshop so that's what I'm using.

Offloading Grey Water with a Pump



I also carry a set of four 7 gal Aquatainers labelled with white electrical tape for collecting fresh water and likewise use another pump to transfer it to the trailer's FW holding tank. Carrying Aquatainers is easy as they each weigh almost nothing when empty and store particularly easily since they're cube shaped, FAR easier than having to fool with a heavy wheeled tote tank.

Aquatainer Storage



Others may not agree but I'd never own another wheeled tote tank again, not when there are alternative solutions that are so much easier. :B

Looks great, but I don't have a pickup truck...unfortunately.

LEMII wrote:
Looks great, but I don't have a pickup truck...unfortunately.

No, but you do have a 4Runner in which you could probably stuff a few Aquatainers that each measure 12" x 12" x ~ 15" tall. Another advantage of course is that they all don't have to be stored in one spot but can be distributed wherever there may be space in the tow vehicle and the trailer. Since I do have a truck and the space to store up to 8 Aquatainers (4 fresh and 4 grey) that's usually what I do but if I sometimes want to store something else in the truck I can easily sit a few 'Tainers in the trailer shower, a couple under the bed ... I'm sure you could likewise come up with solutions that would work just as well for your situation. :)

Soundguy wrote
Others may not agree but I'd never own another wheeled tote tank again, not when there are alternative solutions that are so much easier.

While I can appreciate your set up. I don't see it as any easier than just using my 42 gallon tote. I have a macerator but I only use it if I have to. Macerater is just to slow for me and makes dumping more complicated than it needs to be.
YMMV

Soundguy wrote
Others may not agree but I'd never own another wheeled tote tank again, not when there are alternative solutions that are so much easier.

Lantley wrote:
While I can appreciate your set up. I don't see it as any easier than just using my 42 gallon tote. I have a macerator but I only use it if I have to. Macerater is just to slow for me and makes dumping more complicated than it needs to be.
YMMV

For sure, to each his / her own. :) I too have a macerator and never line up at a campground dumpstation, instead preferring to service my tanks at home. I can also use it to offload macerated black water while camping into my set of grey water Aquatainers if need be but with the trailer having a 30 gal BW tank that's rarely necessary. For me that then leaves grey water and since it's so easy to offload either by gravity or with a simple 12 vdc pump into inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to store Aquatainers I therefore have no reason at all to own an expensive, heavy, hard to store tote tank. As you say, YMMV. ;)