Do You Use a Cassette Toilet

[Dave_Pete]

I am looking to sell my TT and get back into a truck camper. There are definite advantages to a toilet with a large black tank. And there are great advantages to a portable toilet (Porti-Potti).

For my circumstances, I'm seriously looking to combine advantages by getting a truck camper with a cassette toilet. But, I've never used one (sat on it so to speak). The dealer wouldn't allow me (just kidding). I've only seen one cassette in person at a recent RV show in a pop-up trailer and the door/shower curtain/shower hose, etc. really prevented getting a good feel for it.

For those of you with actual experience, and without getting too graphic, what comparisons are there to using (sitting on) a cassette toilet?

(Dave gets ready for some responders that just couldn't help themselves) 🙂

[Fredzo]

My BIL bought a new boat with a Cassette toilet, and I was in Marine Electronics at the time.

We boxed his compass and installed and tuned his HF radio, using the usual Budweiser lubricant, and decided to make a run from San Pedro to Catalina to check everything.

We didn't know that the toilet's valve was opened, and bought another case of Bud in Catalina.

At first, we thought the boat had a leak, but we did!

I also had a Thetford in my old TC, and am thinking about adding one to my current MoHo. Got a perfect spot for it, and with the GC's, it sounds like a good idea.

[Dave_Pete]

s114 - Thanks for the best reply yet; sitting higher than normal is indeed good info. We are tall as well so sitting a higher probably won't pose a problem. Our type of camper use really would find a cassette preferable over a bk tank.

Good to know on the pressure thing too jmckelvy. Reminds me of a trip many years ago in our Blazer with a porti-potti onboard because our daughter was toilet training. Went through an elevation change in Yellowstone. She peed. Momma open the valve and we had our own little eruption right there in the car! Course I'm standing outside waiting, wondering what's taking everybody so long. 🙂

[jmckelvy]

s1214 wrote:
I'll chime in. I have a Northstar truck camper with a cassette toilet. In use you actually sit taller in the saddle. I'm over 6 feet tall and my feet just touch the shower floor insert of the wet bath. Remove the insert and my feet don't touch. Emptying is relatively easy. My only issue is rinsing after dumping. Most bathrooms do not have a spray hose to rinse the tank. I also use more deodorizer than directed and have never had a problem. Winter I use windshield antifreeze in the supply tank and it's good to -40. The only thing to remember is to close the lid before flushing. There is sometimes a 'burp' out of the tank that will cause splash back.

I also have a Northstar with the cassette toilet and have the same comments as above.

One thing I learned is that if you use it at low altitude then move to a higher altitude the tank can become pressurized and become hard to open the cassette valve later. In fact once I could not move the lever until I took a stick and carefully pushed down on the valve enough to release the pressure.....do this carefully!

[Bucky_Badger]

I still use one in my TT when my TT is winterized

[s1214]

I'll chime in. I have a Northstar truck camper with a cassette toilet. In use you actually sit taller in the saddle. I'm over 6 feet tall and my feet just touch the shower floor insert of the wet bath. Remove the insert and my feet don't touch. Emptying is relatively easy. My only issue is rinsing after dumping. Most bathrooms do not have a spray hose to rinse the tank. I also use more deodorizer than directed and have never had a problem. Winter I use windshield antifreeze in the supply tank and it's good to -40. The only thing to remember is to close the lid before flushing. There is sometimes a 'burp' out of the tank that will cause splash back.

[crosscheck]

Most of the advantages of a cassette toilet when boondocking have already been covered. We find that dumping the cassette at appropriate places is easy whether you have the TC with you or if it is dropped at your camping spot.

We may be at a CG that has no hookups but has a dump station that has a line up.
As it takes seconds to dump, you can empty the cassette yourself In between rigs that have black water tanks as they are rolling up their hose and the next rig setting up.

We find that for the 2 of us, if we conserve water, we can last up to 5 days or more before pulling the cassette and dumping it. It is as heavy when full as a normal suitcase(50 lbs). This helps us conserve our fresh water which allows longer stays out in the bush.

Ours has a light that indicates when the tank is full.

Where our black tank was is now storage.

Dave

[zigzagguzzi]

I use a portapotty and at full service campgrounds I just dump down the hole where the slinky would go. I also use the slinky with adapter for the gray water. Otherwise I use the dump station for each. I do not boondock much. Jim

[mlts22]

It depends on use. If boondocking almost exclusively, a cassette toilet is useful because one can take multiple cassettes, then go to a nearby gas station and flush them down their commode. However, if one is mainly at full hookups, a black tank would be better because it is a lot easier to pull a gate valve than to drag a cassette around.

[Dave_Pete]

LOL Yeti, yes this subject has opportunity for lots of great pun use. Thanks for the input.

Oh and thanks Roy. Almost missed your post.

[Yeti_plus]

When we were looking a few years ago one of the trailers that we really liked had a cassette toilet in it. As I recall it was the same as sitting on any of the other toilets that we looked at that day. Same height, same seat, just a different dumping method.
Having used the truck camper late in the season and being fed by others so I didn't use the grey tank much, I often wish that I had a cassette in the camper, so I could just dump it when I got home from a weekend trip, rather than having to find a dump station.
Was at one campground once where there was a TC with a cassette toilet. He simply removed the cassette, walked over to the dump station and dumped and rinsed, and then carried the cassette back to the camper. Didn't have to break camp to dump and was good to go again!(pun intended!)
Brian

[Dave_Pete]

Oh come on guys. Don't be so sensitive. If you really want to get technical, your personal experiences were not about my question. My question was specifically for personal experience in using a cassette. As in, "how does it work for you when sitting there doing your thing as compared to a residential style RV toilet". A reply about using a 5 gallon bucket and another about a porti-potty didn't hit the mark. But I accommodated any way and like I said, "lighten up Francis". Can't we be friends?

BTW, RoyR, thanks for the detailed post about the cassette in your pop-up and John and Angela too.

[RoyB]

popeyemth wrote:


Maybe so but I have not personally run into this at any of the camp grounds I go to...

This is what I will do until told otherwise haha... Been doing this for more than six years but I guess we go to our usual repeated camp grounds all the time. Never has been an issue for us.

Also alot of our camping is OFF the power grid but usually find a public toilet on the grounds somewhere close by... We usually dump out cassette potti and bring back fresh water - not in the same container of course haha...

Roy Ken

[rockhillmanor]

popeyemth wrote:

Dave Pete wrote:
http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-tech/ask-the-expert-thetford-cassette-toilet-systems

Here's a link to what I'm talking about. Again - a permanent mount toilet in a hardside camper (full height bathroom for privacy).

We've used a porti-potti for years, and I know their advantages. I'd much rather come across an occasional restroom owner who disallows cassette tank (or porti-potti dump tank) use than to be dropping human waste in any public waste receptacle, regardless of how much kitty litter absorption has occurred.

Sorry for the suggestion then.
You did ask for personal experiences.

X2

[Dave_Pete]

Excellent point popeye. When we used those I wrapped them up nice and tight. Not sure any "scent" escaped. But still, you're right!

Like I said, we do what we gotta do.

[Dave_Pete]

Yeah I should ask over there but also thought many who now use various rv types might have previous experience. I think they are relatively new here though so maybe not. Even a common use in pop ups don't really fit my application. 🙂

These cassettes are quite common I hear in Europe and New Zealand. Or at leaat the toteable blue tanks. One article I read talked about the European morning RV ritual of the men toting the blue tanks to the dump location. Gives a whole new meaning to hanging out at the water fountain huh? LOL