Another Question

[matemike]

As some of you know from my prior posts, my wife and I are planning on full time RVing in less than a year. We don't want to spend a lot of time at rv parks so we need an rv with ample holding tanks. Question: on average what size holding tanks are needed to stay out of rv parks as much as possible? Thank you.

[2gypsies1]

Fresh 105; Grey 65; Black 45 = 15 days - 2 people; no dumping on ground

[korbe]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi korbe,

Yeah, but you wear a miner's helmet lamp that runs on methane. *grin*

I use 110 amp-hours per day. But I'm greedy about my electrical use.

korbe wrote:
110 AH of usable 12-volt power.

That's right Tuna. We pretty much live outside til bed time. We do go through the D cell batteries though.:B

[matemike]

Thanx for all the suggestions.

[edbehnke]

you'll get what you get depending on your rv. you don't really have many options in changing tanks out. once you get traveling you'll quickly find out how things work out for you. toilet/black water will usually be every 2 weeks for 2 people.

you can usually find an rv campground that will let you dump, that isn't a problem.

enjoy.

[edbehnke]

just get a feel for how you live and find dumps when you need one.
many rv parks will let you dump for $$$ and then just move on down the road.

your toilet can last several weeks but it is your fresh water that you run out of.

and, i've known people who dump the gray water along the road...not exactly cool but it is done. not the black water!

[tonyandkaren]

As you can see there are a lot of variations. The two us, taking daily showers, using the toilet, cooking and cleaning, use 40 gallons in five days. We either spend a day at a public campground, find a free dump station or pay a small fee to dump.

[ventrman]

All of the above are good Suggestions. I would also like to suggest minimizing use of Water. Consider disposable Dishes, Cups, and disposable Flatware. When you take Showers, wet yourself, Shut off the Water, soap up and then rinse. You may also want to consider bottled Water for Drinking.

[pianotuna]

Hi korbe,

Yeah, but you wear a miner's helmet lamp that runs on methane. *grin*

I use 110 amp-hours per day. But I'm greedy about my electrical use.

korbe wrote:
110 AH of usable 12-volt power.

[Old-Biscuit]

Our 5vr has 70 Gallon Fresh Water Tank, 50 Gallon Black Waste Water Tank, 50 Gallon Grey Waste Water Tank & 28 Gallon Galley Tank.

2 adults boondocking.......needed to refill fresh water tank weekly. Dump waste tanks after ten days.

[korbe]

Two of us can boondock for 6 days with 80 gal fresh, 40 gal black, 40 gal gray, and 110 AH of usable 12-volt power.

[Mandalay_Parr]

My holding tanks are 55 gal ea. Have 110 gal of fresh water.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I full time with 66 gallons of fresh, and 40 each for black and grey tanks. If I shower once in three days I run out of water in two weeks.

Another consideration is power. I hope you plan on a good solar system, or you may find yourself running the generator LOTS.

Plan for at least 400 amp-hours of battery bank.

My propane tank is just 20 gallons. That can be an issue in cold weather. I can run out in 3 days.

In the extremes of cold and heat it is usually cheaper to go to an RV park.

[azrving]

Other things will make a difference also. If you go to some cheaper places or little county parks or bare minimum spots they will often times have anything from a plastic pota jon to a very nice rest room. You dont have to use the rest rooms all the time but it saves your black tank capacity. Some might be only $10.00 and limit you to 14 days or so and have a dump station, rest rooms, showers, and a water faucet. With those conditions it's easy to stay put for two weeks then dump and move on. Worst case you may have to walk a few buckets of gray water over to the dump.
I have been in areas that let you dig 6 inches deep and bury black and gray but x number of feet from lakes and streams.

Wife doesn't use the rest rooms that much because she has a hard time squatting while both feet are up on the toilet seat.

[downtheroad]

Just keep in mind that you are most likely going to need to dump about once a week or even more often depending on how much water you use...showers, washing dishes, etc.

As posted by 2oldman above, most tanks are in the 40 gal. range.

The black tank will last much longer than the gray tank(s).

I think it will be hard (not impossible) to Full Time long term by just boondocking.

Anyway, good luck with your upcoming adventure.