Cleaning a portable waste tote?

[SawBuck]

Hi All,

We will be camping this weekend for the first time without sewer hookup. I will be using a portable tote to transport waste to the campground's dump station. My question is, how do you folks clean your tank before you leave? Do you just rinse it well with water, or do you do something else?

Mine is like this one:

[mcfarmall]

I don't haul poo in mine so a good rinsing is all I do. You could try some bleach and water to rinse it at the dump station...minimal stuff required.

[howie]

Just out of curiosity, if you're only camping for the weekend, is your black water tank not large enough to hold it until time to leave?

[SawBuck]

There will be seven of us, 4 days total. Plus, there are no sewer hookups throughout the campground. I expect the line to use the dump station will be especially long on Sunday.

[clubhouse]

I have the same tote, thus far it has only been used for grey water and I just rinse it at the dump station. Even if I was to use it for black I would likely only still rinse it out.

[Threebutchers]

At the start of each season I sanitize everything (tote, hoses, water system, etc). When I use the tote, I rinse it thoroughly and leave it open to dry out as much as possible.

[33 RLDS]

I also only use mine for gray but it does have a water hose attachment on top when its stood up to dump. I guess its used to flush. Obviously your never going to use it for potable water so it only has to get so "clean".

[Scott]

Originally Posted by 33 RLDS

I also only use mine for gray but it does have a water hose attachment on top when its stood up to dump. I guess its used to flush. Obviously your never going to use it for potable water so it only has to get so "clean".

I use that small hose connection because my popup does not have a gray tank. I have a small hose that connects from the trailer to the tank at the campsite.

But I think it could also be used to clean it out at the dump station. I honestly never thought of that.

[clutch]

When I have to use our tote I just rinse it out at the dump station. When I put it away I leave the cap off so it will dry out. I never touch any of the sewer things without plastic throw away gloves, they are cheap.

[SawBuck]

Hi All, just a follow-up to share my experience with the tote after our trip.

Using the tank to transport black and gray water to the dump station was less of a chore than I expected. I found that I could fill the tote and have it ready to quickly pull to the dump station when no one was in line to use it. Rinsing it well with water and allowing it to dry seemed to work fine and made it clean enough and odor free.

One thing that I didn't catch until it was time to empty the TT's tanks - the sewer connection on the tote is the same connection as the TT's sewer connection. Meaning, my standard sewer hose kit did not have the connector to lock the hose on the tote. I had to use the tapered adapter and 90 degree elbow which fit loosely into the tote's opening. I recruited someone to hold the adapter on the opening while I opened and closed the TT's valves. I picked up a new connector and made a dedicated hose for the tote with the same connector on both ends for the future. I wouldn't trust the tapered adapter to stay in place without it, especially with the way the hose want's to "snake" with the initial weight and rush when the valves are opened.

I feel more comfortable with staying in a CG with no sewer hookups after this experience.

[33 RLDS]

After I rinse mine I keep it closed tight. Don't need to attract flies. I don't really care if it drys inside. Its only getting wet again. lol

[Brownie]

Thanks for posting the follow-up. Glad to hear it turned out well for you. I really appreciated your tip about the dedicated hose w/hook-ups at both ends. I haven't used my tote yet, so will have to check it to see what came with it.

[Iraqvet05]

I have a similar Barker tote and I've only used it once and just rinsed it after I used but that didn't seem to be enough. You may notice that part of the tank extends below the sewer connection (I didn't at first) and standing the tank up to empty it doesn't get all the water out. My tank is pretty stinky from the grey water I tried to risne out a month ago. I'm going to re-rinse it and try some bleach to kill off the smell.

You should have received a cheapie section of sewer hose, a hose clamp and a fitting (Barker only included the one)....it's the fiting you need to connect on the tote end. If you have the fitting Barker sent, remove one end of an extra sewer hose and replace it with the Barker fitting. You may need to heat the hose with a hair dryer to get the hose to supple enough to stretch over the fitting. I bought a short sewer hose extension just to use for the tote.