Thoughts on a weird/unique way to empty holding tanks.

[TURNKEY]

Would it work to use just the hose to dump the tanks into a pit toilet?

Once in a very blue moon we camp in an area that has no near dump stations but has pit toilets. I have researched macerator pumps like Flo-jet but $300 plus is a lot to pay for something I wouldn't use every year.

The solution would be a two person job with a long hose. You run the hose to the pit toilet and have one person hold it there to ensure it will not fall away. The second person pulls the valve open, this will fill the hose, but probably nothing will come through the hose as the far end may be higher than the tank level.

Then if you raise the hose off the ground starting near the rv and walk the raised portion towards the toilet whatever is in the hose should go downhill into the toilet. The process will take several of these "milking" moves and some time but should work...right????

[Grit_dog]

If I’m that far away from dump facilities, there’s always a place to fertilize the forest that won’t be offensive to anyone. Or worst case, poop in the woods.
I’d poop in the woods before 90% of the pit toilets anyway. Yuck!

[mowermech]

Please keep in mind that there are two very different types of toilets in back-country campgrounds.
One is the "pit toilet". This is pretty much identical to the old "outhouse" some of us had when we were kids: A hole in the ground with a little house on top of it. When the hole gets full to a certain point, the house is moved, the hole filled in, and a new hole dug to put the house over. In these, the liquids percolate through the soil, and the solids are left in the hole.
The other is the "vault toilet". In this case, the hole has a solid concrete or fiberglas vault in it, with a pretty much permanent house built above it. The vault holds everything, and must be pumped out regularly, usually on a schedule not on an "as needed" basis.
Dumping RV tanks in either toilet is almost always against the rules, and may result in a ticket being issued, and/or eviction from the campground.
The (in)famous "blue tote" may seem like a good idea, but around here the nearest dump station can be anywhere from 10 to 40 miles from the campground. That is why I no longer have one.
Some areas may allow draining the grey water slowly into the brush next to the campsite. Other areas will issue a ticket and/or eviction notice for doing it.
As always, read the instructions when checking in to find out what is legal and not legal. Then comply with the instructions.
Good luck

[toedtoes]

Walaby wrote:
Doesn't the macerator "chew up" the solids, and toilet paper so they can pass through the garden hose effectively?

Im sorry, but I see no way this would work effectively. But hey, give it a shot and take pictures.

Mike

Yes it does. It also has a pump so it pushes the chewed up stuff through the hose instead of it just sitting in there waiting for gravity to move it.

[RKW]

It would probably be better to just logistically plan your camping trip to allow for trips to a proper dump station just like the rest of us.

[Walaby]

Doesn't the macerator "chew up" the solids, and toilet paper so they can pass through the garden hose effectively?

Im sorry, but I see no way this would work effectively. But hey, give it a shot and take pictures.

Mike

[toedtoes]

If I needed a significant amount of grey water moved, I would do the collapsible bladder.

The portable macerator is the best thing if you need to go around a corner, up a hill, up into a truck bed, etc. I did the "lift method" at home a few times and it was never as simple as it should be. First, those stinky slinkies aren't sturdy enough to lift easily - it takes multiple "walks" down the length to get them to empty partially. Second, if you need the extra reach, they always leak at the connection when you lift.

With those two items, you could extend a dry camping experience nicely. A one hour trip to a dump station would be a no biggie (pick up some fresh groceries while you're out).

[n0arp]

EMD360 wrote:
I do the lift method at home and dump into our outdoor clean out. But a pit toilet is dry waste. I would think unless it is very seldom used it would not be an appropriate type of waste. Taking advantage of park facilities in ways not designed for is misuse. Wouldn’t want to be guilty of that. Not sure how 2 week boondocking folks handle more waste than fits in the black tank. Are the secondary tanks big enough? Where are they stored? I’m guessing they are too heavy to lift when filled.

We used one of those 42(?) gallon blue tanks for a while. Carried it using a spare tire holder that bolts to the underside of the trailer frame. They're too small and you can't tow them far or fast - so unless you have a macerator pump, fill them in your truck bed, and have a lot of patience they're not good for boondocking. We gave ours away to a neighbor at a Thousand Trails site and said good riddance.

We use a macerator pump (Sani-Con Turbo) and 165 gallon custom-made collapsible bladder in our fifth wheel. Pump it into the truck bed and just take the truck to a dump station. Everything is setup with camlock fittings and the hose is permanently attached, so there is never any mess.

We use a composting toilet and combined the grey/black tanks on our TC, for 83 gallons of grey capacity. That's enough to go a couple weeks on.

[EMD360]

I do the lift method at home and dump into our outdoor clean out. But a pit toilet is dry waste. I would think unless it is very seldom used it would not be an appropriate type of waste. Taking advantage of park facilities in ways not designed for is misuse. Wouldn’t want to be guilty of that. Not sure how 2 week boondocking folks handle more waste than fits in the black tank. Are the secondary tanks big enough? Where are they stored? I’m guessing they are too heavy to lift when filled.

[valhalla360]

TURNKEY wrote:
"do the right thing" ?????? I could have just shat in the pit toilet! Same net effect. Geesh!

It's not the same net effect.

When used as intended, a single use may introduce between 2 cups to as much as 1/2 gal of material. The higher end would be a big #2 with a lot of #1.

Your typical RV toilet, will typically utilize several times as much with the flush water, so you are introducing far more volume in a system not designed to accommodate large volumes.

As far as the hose idea, you might get a bit out but the problem is unless you close the valve, most will simply flow back into the tank when you lift. But if you close the valve, it won't flow out of the hose when you lift.

The 5 gal bucket would likely work better but still not a good idea due to overloading the pit toilet.

If you are camping in rustic areas a lot, a composting toilet would be my recommendation (I wouldn't recommend it if you have regular access to a dump station). We had one on our boat. The solids container was good for about a month with 2 people using it full time, so you should be able to pick when to dump it. The liquids had to be dumped every 2-3 days but now you can legitimately claim that it's no worse than simply using the pit toilet as there is no added water. Or it can be dumped in a regular flush toilet. Heck I wouldn't have an issue digging a small hole in sandy soil, dumping the liquid in and covering (remote uninhabited area of course).

[jdc1]

No Way! Taking a chance a fitting fails or the hose rips? Ugh.

[Timmo_]

Back in the day (when we were more youthful) and tent camping was our game, I recall trying to use the campground's pit toilet after an RV'er dumped their portable blackwater tote--but couldn't. The fool must have missed the hole as "brown pickle pieces" were everywhere, literally sh*t was on the floor, seat and walls.

When we went from tent to TT, I vowed I would adhere to the "leave no trace" philosophy when dumping my tanks.

[CharlesinGA]

Basically a concrete septic tank with no outlet. Someone comes around with a septic tank truck and pumps it out and then drives off to a sewer treatment plant or point where it can be emptied into a public sewer.

We had this at Boy Scout camp in the 1960's

Charles

[Lwiddis]

“ now I want to put what would have gone into the pit toilet a little at a time in all at once...”

Irresponsible behavior to even consider dumping into a pit toilet.

[enblethen]

RichB3126 is correct that open bottomed pit toilets are generally a thing of the past. New ones are just a holding tank pumped by owners. Park and forest service has been changing out or closing old style for many years.