Bathtub water into Black Tank

[mfifield01]

Typically, the black tank is never full when I camp. I usually fill it up with the black flush inlet before going to dump. On the other hand, we can fill the 30 gallon gray tank up quickly. Usually 1.5 days when the kids take a bath and we take showers. My idea is to pump the kid's bath water into the toilet. I could probably get an extra 20 gallons and the black tank needs to get filled anyways. Any thoughts or ideas?

BTW - I do have a small tote tank, just looking for less trips to the dump station.

[chuckster57]

I don't know that I would handle waste water any more than necessary. There are wheeled totes for transporting waste water to the dump station, and that would be my choice.

Think about what would happen if your pumping the tank and the hose failed? Another question: where are you going to tap into the gray tank? It may be several feet away from the drain if your trying from that direction.

On edit: I see you have a tote. Maybe get another?

[mfifield01]

It would be bathtub water, so not that bad as far as waste.

I was thinking a fountain pump directly into the toilet from the bathtub. It should take 1-2 minutes and I would be holding it directly. No tapping into any tanks.

[chuckster57]

Your gray tank may not be under the shower. You'll have to get the tube past the P trap and then whatever length to the tank. Then additional to reach into the tank. Seems to me more trouble than it's worth, but to each his own.

[mfifield01]

I wouldn't pull from the gray tank. I would just not drain the bathtub after the kids are done bathing. It would pump just from the bathtub.

[Tbos]

I agree gray tank fills too fast. A friend says they always wash dishes and hands in a small tub. Then they dump it in the toilet. I bought a 27 gallon wheeled tank for use when there isn't sewer at the site.

[hankpage]

Typically, the black tank is never full when I camp. I usually fill it up with the black flush inlet before going to dump. On the other hand, we can fill the 30 gallon gray tank up quickly. Usually 1.5 days when the kids take a bath and we take showers. My idea is to pump the kid's bath water into the toilet. I could probably get an extra 20 gallons and the black tank needs to get filled anyways. Any thoughts or ideas?

BTW - I do have a small tote tank, just looking for less trips to the dump station.

Sounds like it should be fine. You may get some odor back from the black tank while holding the flush valve open for that long. It's worth a try and nothing to loose if you have the pump. JM2¢, Hank

[nellie1289]

where you camping exactly? just dump your grey water on the ground in many cases.

[cw3jason]

where you camping exactly? just dump your grey water on the ground in many cases.
No!

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[nellie1289]

Do you wash your car in a bath tub? I'm talking about remote areas not in a formal camp ground etc. Obviously judgment is required and not always appropriate.

[JRTJH]

Many states consider "gray water" as "sewer waste" and dumping it is illegal. While there are some places that do allow it, please remember that the soap, dyes, even the "polymer micro-beads" from toothpaste can find their way into the water table and cause problems. Gone are the days of "digging a hole for poop" and "digging a trench for your shower water" that were clearly suggested and explained in the 1960's era Airstream Owner's Manual.

No, I'm not a 'tree hugger" but I do believe that responsible processing of waste water is important for the future. In Michigan, we've found "micro-beads" in fish from Lake Michigan. They "migrated" to the Great Lakes, even with "proper processing". Imagine how much faster they would have "migrated" if they were simply "dumped on the ground by campers.

[nellie1289]

Many states consider "gray water" as "sewer waste" and dumping it is illegal. While there are some places that do allow it, please remember that the soap, dyes, even the "polymer micro-beads" from toothpaste can find their way into the water table and cause problems. Gone are the days of "digging a hole for poop" and "digging a trench for your shower water" that were clearly suggested and explained in the 1960's era Airstream Owner's Manual.

No, I'm not a 'tree hugger" but I do believe that responsible processing of waste water is important for the future. In Michigan, we've found "micro-beads" in fish from Lake Michigan. They "migrated" to the Great Lakes, even with "proper processing". Imagine how much faster they would have "migrated" if they were simply "dumped on the ground by campers.


I'm not saying being responsible is good or that judgement is required but many golf courses brag about using gray water and this is common. Otherwise the next time some tent camper is washing a pan or brushing their teeth in the woods they should collect it and bring it out with them.

[JRTJH]

I'm not saying being responsible is good or that judgement is required but many golf courses brag about using gray water and this is common. Otherwise the next time some tent camper is washing a pan or brushing their teeth in the woods they should collect it and bring it out with them.

In many campgrounds it is "illegal" to throw your dishwater or "morning toothbrush water" into the bushes.

About 30 years ago, Norweco started selling a "sewage treatment plant" that pumped air into the effluent to help speed up the digestion. They advertised that the discharged water was "clean enough" to water your lawn. That was "then" and now, few people would use the effluent to water their lawn and then expect their kids to roll around in the grass. The more crowded campgrounds get, simply throwing soapy water on bushes repeatedly will damage them. It's a situation where a little is OK, but a lot is damaging... How one defines "a little" or "a lot" then becomes the issue..... In almost every state campground in Michigan, if you're caught throwing dishwater onto the ground, it will be an "invitation to leave"...... This past summer, I found that same rule to be true throughout the Midwest, both east and west of the Rockies.

I won't disagree with you that golf courses are doing it every day, so why not campers.... The point I was making is that in many places, it will get you kicked out of a campground and it does affect the environment. Like it or not, the more crowded our campgrounds get, the more restrictions you'll find. Right or wrong, disposal of gray water is already restricted in more places than not.

[mfifield01]

I don't have the pump, but it's $15-25 for one on Amazon.

I camp in mostly state parks. It's prohibited to discharge gray water in Texas State Parks.

[mcsearch1]

Interesting idea. I usually dump 10 to 15 gallons of fresh water down the toilet before I dump the black tank to loosen everything up and give a little more head pressure. I like your idea of repurposing bath water rather than using fresh. The odor issue might raise its ugly head. I have found that I get odor through the roof vents if I don't close them when dumping the black tank. I expect that is coming from the tank vent on the roof.

[tommy_z]

Hey neighbor! I have a similar problem with my fam of 4 in our 2920BH. When dry camping I turn into the water police. :D

I like your idea. Here's one thought on how to accomplish it.

Buy a sewer hose cap like this: http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T1020-1-Black-Waste-Valve/dp/B0006N5RYK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1456858109&sr=8-8&keywords=rv+sewer+hose+cap

Connect a small electric pump to it, and run hose into the black tank flush fitting. Open grey tank, turn pump on.

No permanent mod's, all the mess stays outside.

Typically, the black tank is never full when I camp. I usually fill it up with the black flush inlet before going to dump. On the other hand, we can fill the 30 gallon gray tank up quickly. Usually 1.5 days when the kids take a bath and we take showers. My idea is to pump the kid's bath water into the toilet. I could probably get an extra 20 gallons and the black tank needs to get filled anyways. Any thoughts or ideas?

BTW - I do have a small tote tank, just looking for less trips to the dump station.

[hankpage]

Hey neighbor! I have a similar problem with my fam of 4 in our 2920BH. When dry camping I turn into the water police. :D

I like your idea. Here's one thought on how to accomplish it.

Buy a sewer hose cap like this: http://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T1020-1-Black-Waste-Valve/dp/B0006N5RYK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1456858109&sr=8-8&keywords=rv+sewer+hose+cap

Connect a small electric pump to it, and run hose into the black tank flush fitting. Open grey tank, turn pump on.

No permanent mod's, all the mess stays outside.

I like the way Tommy thinks. Even with a small cordless drill mounted pump, this may be the way to go. JM2¢, Hank

[mfifield01]

I was thinking about this yesterday (went boondocking over the weekend). I'm leaning towards a boat bilge pump.

If I start to mess with the sewer valve, I'll probably just put it in the tote tank. Depending on the situation, the drill pump to black rinse might be the way to go.

[tommy_z]

Share with us how you were thinking to incorporate that. I'm sure you and I aren't the only ones who want more grey capacity.

[SUnderwood]

use a 1 gallon plastic bucket and scoop the water out of the tub and pour into the toilet,

[mfifield01]

It would just be standalone, not incorporated. I would use it to drain the bath water into the toilet.

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[tommy_z]

Were you planning to wait until the grey tank overflows into the tub? Or maybe put the plug in the tub to shower and then pump it out?

[hankaye]

mfifield01, Howdy;

Have you considered looking into a filter for your excess Gray water?
They can be as small and simple as a 5 gal. bucket.
http://web.mit.edu/watsan/Docs/Student%20Reports/Ghana/2009/Group%20Report-Ghana09,%20Clair,%20Sara,%20Dave,%205-21-09.pdf
Scroll down to page 24, These were intended to filter to drinking water standards
and they work slowly so be careful when using a large amount in a short time.

hankaye

[mfifield01]

Were you planning to wait until the grey tank overflows into the tub? Or maybe put the plug in the tub to shower and then pump it out?

My goal is to alleviate some of the gray water. After the kids take a bath (and it's plugged), I would dump that water into the toilet. The shower and kitchen water would just go into the gray tank.

I do have an 11 gallon tote tank. I wish it was bigger, but it's convenient for a few reasons. When full, it's about as big as you can lift and put in the truck bed. It fits in the rear storage area with room for other needed hoses. I can dump it in an outhouse if needed. The negative is that you need to make additional runs to the dump station.

[darrylwt]

Typically, the black tank is never full when I camp. I usually fill it up with the black flush inlet before going to dump. On the other hand, we can fill the 30 gallon gray tank up quickly. Usually 1.5 days when the kids take a bath and we take showers. My idea is to pump the kid's bath water into the toilet. I could probably get an extra 20 gallons and the black tank needs to get filled anyways. Any thoughts or ideas?

BTW - I do have a small tote tank, just looking for less trips to the dump station.

To me it sounds like a great idea what you have in mind plus it will help flushing out your black tank.
I do a lot of camping on Archery ranges/ private land so we can dump it on the ground but I am from old school and I won't dump it on the ground unless I filter on the way out but I do camp on a friends ranch in the middle of the desert and he lets his friends dump it there but I still save it to clean out my hose after dumping the black water.

[tommy_z]

mfifield01, I understand better now. You have little kids, and actually use your bath tub. The bilge pump will work great for pumping straight to the toilet. Just need a 12V outlet in your vanity and you're set.

Great idea, I think you've inspired a bunch of us.

[mikell]

I have a 5 gallon bucket with a garden type hose that screws on the outlet cover . Leave the grey water valve open.

I usually have to dig down a bit to put the bucket under the outlet. When we leave I close the valve pull out the bucket and put it in a garbage bag till the next camp spot.

6 1/4" holes in the bottom of bucket keeps it lite to handle and stow.

[mfifield01]

After this weekend, I'm thinking that this may be a bad idea. We scooped bath water and shower water into the toilet. It filled up. I'm not sure how, but on the last day I could see water 6" from the toilet seal. Not a good feeling.

I checked the level indicator, but haven't really believed it in the past. The black shows 1/3 when empty and 2/3 very quickly.

[rjsurfer]

If all your dump lines terminate at one point put another slide valve at that point. Then if that valve is closed and you open both the grey and black tanks they will equalize. Of course make sure the grey tank your want lowered is more full than the black.

Sometimes I open both grey valves and the black at the same time to truely equalize the tanks, this usually gives me another few days before dumping.

Ron W

[JRTJH]

If all your dump lines terminate at one point put another slide valve at that point. Then if that valve is closed and you open both the grey and black tanks they will equalize. Of course make sure the grey tank your want lowered is more full than the black.

Sometimes I open both grey valves and the black at the same time to truely equalize the tanks, this usually gives me another few days before dumping.

Ron W

The only "problem" with equalizing tanks and "including the black tank" is the plumbing. If you look under your trailer, you'll see that the black tank is plumbed with 3" PVC pipe and a 3" valve. Almost all gray tanks and gray plumbing is done with 1.5" PVC pipe and 1.5" valves. You may find that equalizing the black tank allows "things" to flow into the gray tank that won't flow back through the 1.5" plumbing lines as easily. Additionally, there's no "flush line" for the gray tanks and once they're contaminated, not nearly as easy to flush to remove odors and "chunks".... There's a reason why the black tank uses plumbing and valves that are "twice as big" as the gray tanks...

Be very cautious about equalizing the black tank by opening valves, it can cause problems "down the line".....

[JRTJH]

If all your dump lines terminate at one point put another slide valve at that point. Then if that valve is closed and you open both the grey and black tanks they will equalize. Of course make sure the grey tank your want lowered is more full than the black.

Sometimes I open both grey valves and the black at the same time to truely equalize the tanks, this usually gives me another few days before dumping.

Ron W

The only "problem" with equalizing tanks and "including the black tank" is the plumbing. If you look under your trailer, you'll see that the black tank is plumbed with 3" PVC pipe and a 3" valve. Almost all gray tanks and gray plumbing is done with 1.5" PVC pipe and 1.5" valves. You may find that equalizing the black tank allows "things" to flow into the gray tank that won't flow back through the 1.5" plumbing lines as easily. Additionally, there's no "flush line" for the gray tanks and once they're contaminated, not nearly as easy to flush to remove odors and "chunks".... There's a reason why the black tank uses plumbing and valves that are "twice as big" as the gray tanks...

Be very cautious about equalizing the black tank by opening valves, it can cause problems "down the line".....

[mfifield01]

I thought about equalizing when the black tank almost overflowed. For the reasons listed above, I decided it wasn't a great idea. I didn't really want any contamination of the gray tank. Down the road, I'll probably get a larger tote tank. Just need to figure out where to store it (don't want to put it in the truck bed).

[JRTJH]

Several members who have installed the BAL underframe spare tire rack. A couple of them have adapted the "empty space" alongside the spare tire on their rack to carry their "tote tank". Do a forum search, and if you can't find their posts, let me know and I'll try to locate them for you. Their posts may give you some ideas...

Here's the BAL underframe spare tire carrier: http://norcoind.com/bal/products/consumer/specialty_products/hide-a-spare.shtml

[theeyres]

Back to the OP's question...there is nothing wrong in dumping gray water into the black tank. While we never did it with bath water (only had showers) we used to always use a tub in the sink and dump all the sink water into the toilet to make the gray water tank last longer. Dump away!