Anyone use a water tank monitor?

[ctb]

Originally Posted by Viva

I wish I could do that. But the grey water tank on both my SMB and my current van are black ABS-like plastic. No way to see through. I wash dishes in my sink, so the grey water is not really suitable for pouring out right in camp (food and fat particles attracting rodents/flies, etc.)

We have a toilet/shower and a sink, but we only wash hands and fill coffee water from the sink...we still haven't ;used the toilet...afraid of the once you use you can't go back?!...even though my wife thought it was a necessary! Do you add a little bleach to your sink to minimize odors and (probably) neutralizes fats etc? Anyway, anything you can add to the vans is a sure sign of love eh? We often go look for things to add to Sporty...whether storage accessory or mechanical...oh these rigs!

[Viva]

No, I don't add anything to minimize odors coming from the sink plumbing and grey tank. In both my SMB and my current van they are plumbed just like a house would be, with a P or S trap. The trap has water in it all the time and that seals off any odors from the rest of the plumbing or the grey tank. So from that perspective, trying to keep the grey tank from smelling (to keep the van fresh) would be like trying to deodorize the city sewer. There's no need because the trap seals off the tank from the living quarters. The tank is "supposed" to smell, and the water in the trap keeps it from getting into the living space.

RV toilets don't seem to have the usual traps (that was a new one on me, since houses and boats do). Instead they rely on the water in the toilet bowl and a sealing "flap" at the bottom of the bowl. So the bowl with water in it becomes the trap, so to speak. (Of course as you are flushing the "trap" is momentarily open --- good time not to have a Fantastic vent on "out" position...)

Yep, mods and upgrades are fun

I've noticed that some people don't like dealing with tank dumping. To me it seems easy. Pull up, don disposable gloves, let gravity do the work, rinse, peel off gloves, drive on. My only complaint on my SMB was that they put the greywater tank dump on the "wrong" side (passenger), as opposed to like 99.9% of other RV's that have it on the driver's side. So I'd always have to either go into dump stations "backwards" or else carry (and store) a long hose and drape it on the ground at the dump station to get it under the van (plus run around to the other side to work the valve, then back to the hose, etc.). That was a pain. But otherwise, no trouble.

[1der]

Our porta-potty works great, indispensable middle of the night convenience. No smells, relatively easy to deal with. Really try not to have to use it for #2 but if needed then "Happy Bowl" liners make it very easy to deal with.

People freak about using/having one. I would be camping alone, if we did NOT have one.

[yvrr]

Porta Potties are "designed" to have a chemical added which eliminates the smell, even if it is only used for #1 as ours is. We use Aqua Kem Biodegradable Concentrate Holding Tank Deodorant which is a powder. After dumping the Porta Potty, add many 3 tablespoons of the powder and then a cup of water or so. No smells...

[LenS]

We also have no problems with our Porta Pottie. We have used Aqua Kem products. At present I have 64oz bottle of Lake & Trail Holding Tank Treatment. It also works fine. We do use ours for #1 and #2. I do prefer to empty it when it is 2/3rds or less full because of the carrying weight (fresh water 2.4 gal. , black water 6.1 gal.--50 lbs if you let it get full). Dump place of choice for me is an out house, do not have to worry about pouring the waste in to fast or splashing, just goes into the large deep black hole. Keep a box of disposable gloves near the toilet and always wear a pair when dumping the black water tank.

[Viva]

I have a fully plumbed (black tank) toilet on my current van, and a porta potti on the boat. I think both work well. Since I have a grey tank on the van, I'm at dump stations anyway, so it's no extra trouble to dump the black tank and there is no "lugging" of anything. On the boat I have to lift and carry with the porta potti, but still prefer it there because I'm not just rolling into dump stations like I am with the RV. The PP gives some versatility.

One thing I like/prefer about having a porta potti is that you can stow it in a low compartment, then just pull it out into the hallway to use it. Major space saver. (On boats it's often under the berth.) With the fully plumbed (black tank) toilet, you can't move it and thus it requires an entire "room" that has to remain empty whenever you're not using it (so that you can use it when you want to). In my case that's combined with a shower stall (wet bath) but that takes up more space and yet is still a pretty cramped shower.

I guess like a lot of things there is no one best answer, but rather each has pluses and minuses. And maybe some arrangements are "perfect" for their particular owner and/or layout.