Black water disposal for permanently parked RV

[moshell]

First off, I know very little about RVs. Background...I live in the country with a septic field and no access to sewer lines. I am considering having my Mother-in-law live in an RV on our property for a year or two. As far as black water disposal is concerned, our septic system is maxed-out with the number of people already living in the house, so disposing of the black water in our septic tank is not an option. I know one option would be to drive the RV weekly (?) somewhere to dispose of it. I have never owned an RV and would like to know if once a week is realistic for one person living in it. Also, do I have any other options as far as black water disposal?

Thank you,

Mike

[moshell]

Thanks again for all of your replies. I am planning to check with the county about the RV being parked there, as well as grey water disposal. I was also going to get a new septic system in a year or two to allow for more users. And if the county and septic company engineers say it's ok to run the waste from the RV into it I may do that now rather than in a couple of years when we do an addition for my Mother-in-law. Thanks again.

[parkmanaa]

SPRINK-FITTER, I didn't make myself clear, I guess.
What I was referring to is the people who think they are taking the easy way out and leave the black water valve OPEN. If they do that it isn't a matter of 'will' the solids stop up the tank, but 'when'. I own an RV park, and have seen that happen several times when some smart person says to themselves, why do I need to only empty the tank when it's full. I'll leave the valve open all the time and not worry about it. Have seen septic dump trucks come out several times and clean out theur clogged tank.
This thread was about long-term septic use; not short camping trips. Of course when you leave a site you can empty your partially-filled tank.

[2oldman]

Dumping gray on ground
Dump gray - April 09
Dumping behind campsite -April 09
More gray
Gray V
trickle dump gray 2010

[Opie431]

You need a different kind of shampoo, soap and detergent if you are draining the water on the ground. Expensive but it may be worth it. The once I saw it they had a dry well with a grated top over it.
And I do not know if it is legal every where.

[PastorCharlie]

Years ago my brother, who lives in VA, got a permit to park a mobile home on his property and allow our mother to live in it as a special family need. They connected it to his septic system. So it is possible that a hardship permit may be allowed.

[Beaker]

someone did suggest getting the septic tank drained more often if the black water or grey water are drained into it,

Maybe just a matter of semantics, but when you have your tank pumped out it is not to "drain" it but to pump out the solids that have accumulated on the bottom. The leach field is what drains your tank and is what you need to be concerned about. If only the black tank is to be emptied I would not be concerned but the rest of the water use would be of concern.

[RoyB]

Again I would say check with your local county laws on dumping GRAY WATER. The fines can be big...

I also really doubt it is legal in your Virginia County to setup permanent residence in your RV TRAILER sitting on your property. Not allowed in our Virginia County. Making it a permanent residence requires alot more permits than just parking your trailer on your property.

Just my thoughts...

Roy Ken

[moshell]

Thank you all for your responses. The septic tank at the house was only designed for 3 people and we have 4 living there. The county gave us a conditional permit for the 4th person. This is why I don't want my mother-in-law to be a regular user of the facilities in the house. However someone did suggest getting the septic tank drained more often if the black water or grey water are drained into it, or if she uses the house facilities. That might work, but I'm not sure if the septic system can handle that much that fast. Also, I've read some other forums about being able to dispose of grey water in other ways such as watering plants, etc. Is that a possibility or a big no?

Thanks again

[riven1950]

As a GC who has had many dealings with County Health Dept. I would suggest you contact a Septic tank installer first, maybe ask a couple, and ask for suggestions.

Many years ago our local installers here could do minor repairs etc without a HD permit. Not any more. They can pump out w/o a permit, but any repairs etc. now w/o a permit means their license if caught.

I would contact HD as last resort. Once that ball gets rolling you can't stop it.

First be sure you are not violating any zoning laws by putting the RV there and living in it, then deal with the waste.

[Sprink-Fitter]

parkmanaa wrote:
Another thing you might consider. All black water MUST be held until the tank is full, then dump at one time. While it is customary for RVers to leave the gray water valve open all the time, you could also close this one and dump all at one time.
Then, set a time of night when your house usage is minimal and dump both tanks.
Thru my experience of living with septic systems in the past, I believe this may be a viable solution.

So if I camp for the weekend I can't dump my black tank because it is not full?

[Tvov]

patperry2766 wrote:
Seems like the easiest solution would be to have the home's septic tank pumped out more often for the next 1 1/2 years while she is living there.

This would seem to solve all your problems.

[Opie431]

Can she take showers or baths inside your house instead of in the RV? Can you teach your family memebers to use less water?
Maybe convince would be a better word than teach.

[patperry2766]

Seems like the easiest solution would be to have the home's septic tank pumped out more often for the next 1 1/2 years while she is living there.

[Alan_Hepburn]

I find it amusing that people are estimating 2-3 weeks of use on the tank, when all they know about the tank is that it's in an "RV". I've seen RV's with black tanks anywhere from 8 gallons to 80 gallons - trying to guess how long it takes to fill a tank without knowing the size of the tank is an exercise in futility at best.