Portable Waste Tank

[gwvwadc]

We (DW and I) will be "out and about" more this fall and will be staying at some campgrounds that do not have sewer connections - up to 2 weeks at a time. Most inside water use will be in the kitchen (washing dishes, etc.), some sink use in the bathroom and very little toilet use (usually stay fairly close to the campground bathhouse).

We've been looking at the various brands of portable waste tanks and are asking for some advice on the following:

What size would be recommended for what we would probably use?

Ease of use?

Type - are there any preferences (see some with 2 wheels, 4 wheels, "self-contained" with all the connections)?

Transporting - what is the best way to haul these when moving from site to site (seen some strapped to TT ladder, back of the truck, etc.)?

All in all, we would probably be OK with no more than we use, but just want to be prepared if we need it - without having to break camp, hook up, go to the dump station, come back to site and set up again.

[thayer027]

As far as size, remember the larger the capacity, the heavier it is when full. I have a 27 gallon tank with a built in hose, made by Thetford. I only bring it on extended trips when we don't have full hook ups. I can tow it to the dump station if I need to empty the tanks and it doesn't take up a lot of room in the back of the truck when traveling. By the way, nice trailer!

[So Cal CPA]

Here is what I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Tote-N-Stor-25...e+holding+tank

It's 25 gallons and as said above, the bigger they are the HEAVIER they are. you figure about 6 - 7 pounds per gallon thats 175 lbs in the portable tank.

Most all of them come with a hook that you can put on your trailer ball hitch and tow to the dump station at the campground. We used it a few months ago and it worked great.

I have a small bike trailer that I've towed it with on my bicycle. It was a workout though!

Happy Camping.

[f6bits]

I have a Barker 30 gallon two-wheeled tote for my 30 gallon grey tank. GREY WATER ONLY! My story is here:
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5370

With the wheel upgrade, it's a snap to hang off my hitch and pull it through the campground. When not used, it fits in my passthrough storage.

[Bob Landry]

I have the 27 gallon Barker Tote but I haven't used it yet. When I do, it will be for grey water only. Instead of towing it through he campground, I bought a sewer cap with a garden hose fitting. I rigged up a 115V pump($80 @ Lowes) with a ball valve shutoff at the tote end of the hose. The barker will ride in the back of my truck and when it's needed, I'll run a garden hose from the sewer connection, fill the tank, and drive it to the dump station.
I read about the idea on here, I can't remember who posted it, but I don't take credit for this one. it's a pretty slick system and I don't have to worry about noisy plastic tires or a flat on a replacement tire.
I use a shutoff on the trailer's sewer connection and leave the dump valves for the grey tanks open so they fill equally. I can easily make it through long weekend with 60 gallons of tankage.

[fla-gypsy]

4 wheels will be better than 2 wheel versions. Water weighs 8.3 lbs per gallon. A 25 gal 2 wheel tote will be over 200 lbs. Lifting the end of that thing to empty it will take some effort. Trust me, I know.