I've got a few camping trips planned for the year where I might need use of a Tote, I have 0 experience with them so I have a couple of VERY basic questions.Is it ok to use the same tote for gray or Black water? My thinking now would be to use it for mostly gray, but I might need the tote for the TT black tank also. Anything else I might need to know that I'm not thinking of?Right now I'm looking at a Barker # 11104, 22 gallon tote on CL where i might be able to get for $80 or less.Thanks for your replies,Mike

mdcamping wrote:Is it ok to use the same tote for gray or Black water? Anything else I might need to know that I'm not thinking of?Sure. Yes. When doing black, make sure you allow for the contents of the pipe and the hose to go into the tank. Believe me, you don't want to overfill it! Water is heavy, that tank full is 160lb.

The only down side of using a tote tank for black water is that it will then become contaminated with fecal material and then filling it with gray water and dumping it anyplace but sewage dump site could introduce dangerous bacteria into the the gray storage dump site. Personally I have never used mine for black water, I just don't like cross contamination thought.

I've been using the same Barker 32 gallon blue tote since 2003 and use it for both black and gray and never had a problem. I replaced the wheels a couple years ago. I literally ran them into the ground. Word of advise. Get the biggest one you can possibly afford. If your tote is bigger than your holding tank you'll never overfill the tote. The first time you misjudge and overfill the black, plus the contents in the hose, you'll regret ever getting a small one!About black and gray. I've NEVER been anywhere that I could not dump black and gray at the same place. About cross-contamination, I've never heard of a place that is reserved exclusively for Gray water (but somewhere it's possible something like that may exist).Cleaning the tank is no problem either. Dump your black first, rinse it out at the dump station, go back to your camper and then dump the gray. At the dump station, rinse again, and that's it! If you're real anal about your tanks, squirt some dishwashing liquid in the tote, add a gallon of water, and swish it around, and then dump. This will clean and it will have no smells, although if you always dump your gray last, you won't have smells either.In the fall of the year when camping season is over, I take a few minutes to wash it out one more time at home. I use a little bleach water, slosh it around and just dump in the yard. (I live in the country). I rinse and then put about a quart of pink stuff in it to keep the valve (since mine has the side valve on it) lubricated over the winter. Sometimes I'll just apply a liberal amount of Vasalene on the slide.Remember, bigger is better! And get the one with the slide valve, not the drop down hose. Those hose systems are nasty and messy. My in-laws have one like that it's awful to use. It makes a horrid mess.

I always made sure my TOTE was bigger than my biggest tank. This way you don't end up with a over flow mess on your hands...Roy Ken

Most of the parks I stay at (one exception) have only one or two dump stations that are "All source" dump stations, unless that is they have full hook up sites. (The rest of the parks I stay at have full hook up save that one) The one has gray water dump sites, as does one other park I have visited once.When I am in these parks I tend to choose a site that is close enough to a gray water dump that I can simply pump gray into it if I have to, which I do not often have to do (long story, but I can easily go over a week by myself, with a wife I need to dump more often but alas... No more wife).I will get a tote when next I find a traveling companion, (A good 40 gallon one will cost .. A LOT).And I will dump first black, then make a 2nd trip for the gray.Oh, I'll also have to design a tote hitch for my car (this will be a 300 pound rated hitch)

Tote Question | Good Sam Community

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Feb 18, 2014
cmarkj wrote:
I have a quick question before we move on to another topic...pardon my ignorance, but I have only seen totes with the hose setup and not slide valves (that I am aware of). What brand has the slide valves?

Click here.

Here's some photos of mine:

.
.
.
Towing behind the truck. I got one of these so the handle would not flip off over the ball hitch:
.
.
.

.
.
.
But this is the intended design:

.
.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Feb 18, 2014
cmarkj wrote:
I have a quick question before we move on to another topic...pardon my ignorance, but I have only seen totes with the hose setup and not slide valves (that I am aware of). What brand has the slide valves?

Click here
2oldman
Explorer II
Feb 18, 2014
wbwood wrote:
Never came across a grey only dump site. Is that something regionally?
If you're referring to what fla-gypsy said, I don't understand that either. No, I've never seen a gray only dump station.
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 18, 2014
Never came across a grey only dump site. Is that something regionally?
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Feb 18, 2014
cmarkj wrote:
I have a quick question before we move on to another topic...pardon my ignorance, but I have only seen totes with the hose setup and not slide valves (that I am aware of). What brand has the slide valves?

Thetford makes a side valve model. Barker might too in their larger models, so check their big ones.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Feb 18, 2014
Never needed to use our Barker 32 gal for black, we use it only for grey water and it comes in very handy from time to time. Some folks use it for the black tank, won't hurt anything.
2oldman
Explorer II
Feb 18, 2014
cmarkj wrote:
What brand has the slide valves?
Easy to find on Amazon.
Vet_Man
Explorer
Feb 18, 2014
Buy one the handle can be dropped onto your trailer ball to tow to the dump station, they get plenty heavy to move around. Especially on dirt roads in campground.
cmarkj
Explorer
Feb 18, 2014
I have a quick question before we move on to another topic...pardon my ignorance, but I have only seen totes with the hose setup and not slide valves (that I am aware of). What brand has the slide valves?
fla-gypsy
Explorer
Feb 18, 2014
Always check the rules or regulations for using the tank at the location you are at. Local ordinances may vary on use.