|
01-18-2023, 09:59 PM
|
#1
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2023
Location: Whitby
Posts: 5
|
Newbie Question on boondocking waste management
Hey everyone!
Brand new to RVing, wife and I just bought a Jayco Flight 32DSBH and we are parking it on our land. We dont intend to take it out on road trips yet.
My question is, if we are 99% of the time just going up there for a weekend then should I be draining the black water tank and grey water tanks at the end of each trip?
I plan to buy one of those tote waste dolley tanks that way the RV can stay parked and I can drive up to the local Campground and dump the waste.
|
|
|
01-18-2023, 10:47 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Gainesville
Posts: 697
|
Three parts to my answer:
1) the grey tank - no need to dump until you have to.
2) the black tank - if you put a good black tank treatment product in the tank you can get by for a week or two - but much more than that and that tank is going to really start to reek. Although if your toilet valve seals are good it shouldn't get into the RV - that tank has vents on the roof and when the wind blows just right . . .
But 3) those totes usually only hold a fraction of the capacity of your tanks. I have 42 gallon tanks and an 8 gallon tote - see my point. You're probably going to make a couple of runs to the dump station every weekend or things are going to get WAY ahead of you.
Also - I assume you're familiar with "Navy Showers?" A friend of mine bought a new RV and took it boondocking at a stadium parking lot during bowl season. He was AMAZED that his family couldn't each take long, luxurious hot showers after the game. on 35 gallons of water / holding tank space.
__________________
Buddy Ray - Atlanta
---------------
Jayco 2016 Eagle HT 26.5RLS
Ford 2016 F150 Lariat, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost
Max Tow Pkg, 36gal tank
Reese Sidewinder and Reese Titan 16k hitch
|
|
|
01-19-2023, 03:25 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2021
Location: Orlando
Posts: 282
|
Make a plan for carrying the tote when it's full. I put a sewer bladder into my truck bed (it's 100 gallons) and use a macerator pump to fill it while it's up there. Even a 20 gallon tote is going to run 160+ pounds when full and a 40 gallon tote is going to be double that.
I'd also likely be running a sewer cap with a hose connection and would be watering trees with gray water while I camped. Then I'd only have to deal with black water maybe monthly.
__________________
2022 Precept 36C
|
|
|
01-19-2023, 05:29 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Inland Empire, California
Posts: 1,986
|
Don't drain the black tank until you are over 1/2 full. You need a lot of liquid in there to flush out the fun contents. The longer it sits the better it will be at dissolving things.
I am able to dump my rig at home which is great. After a trip I will let it sit for a couple of weeks. I will then add water until it is a good 3/4 full and then drain and rinse a few times with the built-in spray system.
If you have any roof vents, close them to prevent any smell that comes up the black tank vent from coming in. I typically don't have a problem with smell. I always use 2 8 oz bottles of Aqua Kem in the black tank which works very well.
__________________
Jim
Retired electronic technician (45 years in the field)
2017 Greyhawk 29W (solar & many other mods)
wife (maybe I should have given her top billing)
|
|
|
01-19-2023, 09:07 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Fort Worth
Posts: 522
|
If you are going to be there often and long term, why not a septic tank or evaporative pit?
Not very expensive (relatively speaking). Depending on your skill level it may be a DYI project.
Depending on how much land you have, gray water hits the ground.
|
|
|
01-20-2023, 07:52 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Clovis, CA
Posts: 433
|
You can get waste tote dollies that will hold over 35 gallons and have wheels that make it easier to move when full by towing behind your truck. But remember that water weighs over 8 lbs per gallon, then add the solids and that tote can weigh well over 300 lbs. As long as you can maneuver a full tote to dump by yourself (along with your wife?), then you should be ok with something that large. Keep in mind there are smaller tote sizes as well.
__________________
2019 Jay Flight 264BHW, Rocky Mountain Ed.
2020 Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew, 3.5L EcoBoost w/Turbo
|
|
|
01-21-2023, 02:25 PM
|
#7
|
Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Fayette Ridges of PA, USA
Posts: 5,252
|
I see you live in Canada, eh? You say you're a newbie and boondocking, eh? This hasn't been mentioned anywhere in this thread, so far, but I just want to make certain you're taking measures to ensure all your fresh and waste water systems are protected from freezing. Otherwise, you could have more of a problem than just the issue of when and where to dump your tanks; especially if they freeze when they're not empty. You might even have to winterize your RV between visits.
One more question for the newbie: Are you sure the campground you're planning to dump at will be accessible, or even open? Even if it's open all year, many will not guarantee access to the campground during severe weather conditions.
Happy Camping!
__________________
MODERATOR
TV: 2009 GMC Sierra 2500HD | Crew Cab | Std. Box | 4WD | Duramax/Allison
RV: 2000 Jayco Eagle 266 | FBS | TT
PREVIOUS: 1986 Coleman Laramie pop-up -- Still in the family!!!
|
|
|
02-01-2023, 01:37 PM
|
#8
|
Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Petaluma
Posts: 98
|
It's a long story as to why this happened but about 12 years ago I parked our last TT for almost 2 years with a full black tank and no treatment. I thought I was going to have a solid brick of poo in there but it actually drained easily, looked like chocolate milk shake and had zero odor. I thought the smell was going to hit me like a brick but absolutely no smell. And this was drained into an open field on a ranch so I was standing right over it.
Before you criticize me for dumping in the field, it was private property, in the middle of nowhere and the ranch owner suggested it because he rinsed cow and chicken manure off ranch equipment in the area. By the time it finally got dumped, it was nothing but organic sludge.
__________________
If you're pouring, it's half full.
If you're drinking, it's half empty.
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|