Toileting and the overnight stay

[Up_north_michig]

We will be taking our first long trip in our motor home soon. For a single overnight stay before we reach our destination, we are staying in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I have heard from others that you don't want to use your toilet while travelling. Am told if I need to use the facilities during the night, I should go into the store and use theirs. By the time I do that at 2am I will be fully awake! Besides, when I gotta go, I gotta go now. I probably wouldn't even make it. So, do I get a 'ladies' urinal funnel and go in a jar to be emptied later? Get a box of heavy duty depends? Or do I just use the darn indoor toilet? Hey, I'm older now and my bladder isn't what it used to be! What do some of you other ladies do? HELP!

[bsinmich]

I am in SW Michigan and there are no CGs open around here. It is nice to hear the California people tell what to do but it is below freezing here now. Having a 38' MH the basement would be heated and that is where the tanks are. Weather just now said freezing rain or sleet today. We get lake effect snow here.

[wbwood]

2gypsies wrote:
Can't imagine why you'd buy a porta potty to sit next to the RV toilet. It is perfectly o.k. to use the RV toilet and just flush with a little water from a jug or anti-freeze. It's not going to hurt a thing. You're not running water through it. You're just dumping a little water into the black tank. It's not going to fill up in a couple days. If it freezes then it'll thaw when reaching warmer weather. Then continue using it until full. Then dump as usual.

Agree...even a gallon of water or two will not hurt a thing...use the antifreeze to flush...it's $2.58/gallon at walmart right now.

[Dutch_12078]

We leave our upstate NY cottage in early January with our coach's fresh tank full and all systems in normal operation. The heat from the furnace that's passed to the wet bay keeps the pump and waste tanks from freezing before we reach warmer weather on our way south. The fresh tank is under the bed, so that's not a freezing concern either. We've overnighted in temps as low as -4 deg.F with no freezing problems.

[rockhillmanor]

We are discussing a 'winterized' RV. And ways to get from point A of freezing weather to point B of warm weather.

There is NO water in any of the holding tanks of a winterized RV.

Holding tanks are big and 'long'. Putting a splash of water in a toilet to flush in a tank as big as those on an RV will NOT even give you a 1/8 inch of water on the bottom of the tank. Any solid waste will sit on the bottom of the tank.

Black tanks are designed to be filled with water so as to have waste submerged in it to control the odor and ease of dumping, not to sit on the bottom.

Just explaining to the OP what ""I"" do. I prefer not to have waste stuck to the bottom of my black tank, during the short time I am on the road with a ""winterized" RV. Just saying it is how I travel with a winterized RV when headed south for the winter.

IMHO, JMHO temporarily using a portable toilet that is the SAME EXACT type of RV toilet in size, sure beats a truckers pee funnel and depends as the OP suggested they were going to use. :B

[TXiceman]

Why not use your own toilet. You paid a lot of money to move up from a tent.

It is totally amazing at the manure that some people come up with. We have a friend that has a $300K motorhome and for the past 4 years, he will not take a shower in it or do a #2 in the toilet. He uses the campground facilities. he is an intelligent professional type person.

Ken

[amdriven2liv]

Looking at prices of RV anti-freeze, could be an expensive flush. Why couldn't a person buy a $2 jug of Windshield washer fluid good to -20f? It's what I pour into my P traps in all my drains. Never had an issue with freezing drains.

[joanw2947]

Assuming you can dump tanks on arrival. We can't do this when returning home from a trip unless there is a dump station along the way.

[2oldman]

djgarcia wrote:
Wall Marts.

That would be Wall Warts.

[MarkTwain]

If you don't choose to have water in your fresh water tank when you are traveling, then just buy 4 1 gal plastic containers and put them in the shower. Now you have all the water you need to use the "john" when on the road or just an overnight stay at Wall Marts. When you get to your camp ground and are hooked up to sewer, use the remaining 1 gal containers for cooking or coffee:)

[rockhillmanor]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Why do folks make rving so complicated

Keep a jug of rv anti-freeze next to toilet and use it to flush with

Sorry respectively disagree. For me it is not complicated it is what I choose to do. :C

[Old-Biscuit]

Why do folks make rving so complicated

Keep a jug of rv anti-freeze next to toilet and use it to flush with

[rockhillmanor]

2gypsies wrote:
Can't imagine why you'd buy a porta potty to sit next to the RV toilet. It is perfectly o.k. to use the RV toilet and just flush with a little water from a jug or anti-freeze. It's not going to hurt a thing. You're not running water through it. You're just dumping a little water into the black tank. It's not going to fill up in a couple days. If it freezes then it'll thaw when reaching warmer weather. Then continue using it until full. Then dump as usual.

The bowl is filled with antifreeze. There is no water in black tank. I am not going to stock up with jugs of antifreeze to flush the toilet. And, well bottom line, let's just say I don't want anything 'sticking' to the bottom of an empty black tank and stinking every time the toilet blade is opened.

Also I don't power drive south I take my time so it's usually more than a couple of days. It's what works for me. And merely offered it as a suggestion to the OP as to how I run winterized.

[time2roll]

Nonsense, all of it. Use the RV facilities day and night. Take a quick shower in the morning if you like. RV likes to be used, it is not a museum.

[2gypsies1]

Can't imagine why you'd buy a porta potty to sit next to the RV toilet. It is perfectly o.k. to use the RV toilet and just flush with a little water from a jug or anti-freeze. It's not going to hurt a thing. You're not running water through it. You're just dumping a little water into the black tank. It's not going to fill up in a couple days. If it freezes then it'll thaw when reaching warmer weather. Then continue using it until full. Then dump as usual.

[rockhillmanor]

toedtoes wrote:
I'm going to repeat that since the OP is in Michigan AND the question is whether to use the toilet for an overnight on an upcoming trip (meaning it is winter), that the "use Walmart's toilets" recommendations is due to

winter travel

and not that RV toilets shouldn't be used for overnight stops or dumping issues.

Perhaps more enlightenment on traveling through winter weather would be helpful for the OP

- a simple "use the toilet and have fresh water in the tank" recommendation could backfire on them if they don't know winterizing procedures, etc.

If OP's MH is winterized:

This is what I do when the MH is winterized and traveling from the North and heading south for the winter. I winterize with antifreeze.

Since all the 'lines' are filled with antifreeze AND there is NO water in the black tank, NO you should NOT use the toilet.

I bought a porta pottie like this. Same as the RV toilet. Has a cassette type holding tank. Fits right next to the MH toilet in the bathroom.

Depending on how many people are going to use it will dictate how ofter it needs to be dumped. the cassette comes off like a suitcase and you can either dump it when you stop at a CG, rest stop bathroom, etc. No smells. And you can buy ones with larger holding tanks.



OP: Since you are stopping at Walmart the first night.
BEFORE it comes time to for you to 'go'.....go inside Walmart and pick up a porta-pottie they usually have them in the RV supplies section for around 50 bucks! Might be an off brand but they all work the same.

I will not use rest area/public washrooms while traveling when my MH is winterized. IMHO the porta-pottie is the answer until I hit the warm weather of the south and de-winterize! :C