Toilet With Holding Tank

[yendor]

Chap
Charging The Theford Before Leaving Makes Great Sense,& I One Thing I Never
Thought Of. That's A Great Idea. Everytime Out I Learn More Good Ideas
Either By Making Mistakes Or From Fellow Campers. But I'd Have
To Say A Bad Day Camping Is Still Better Than A Good Day At Work.
Yendor

Originally Posted by yendor

This Is A Full Flushng And Fully Functional Toilet. If
Something Like This Generates Enough Interest Perhaps We
Could Proceed With Further Design. Yendor

I am assuming you are saying this system flushes with your fresh water rather than recirculating. If so, how much fresh water do you estimate it takes for the average flush? We Just make the weekend with our 20 gal tank.

Cheri

Originally Posted by yendor

Everytime Out I Learn More Good Ideas
Either By Making Mistakes Or From Fellow Campers. But I'd Have
To Say A Bad Day Camping Is Still Better Than A Good Day At Work.
Yendor

Amen to those statements !!

Chap

[yendor]

Not much at all . If running out of water is a problem it looks like there is plenty of
room to either install a second water tank. Replace existing tank with larger one . Or
maybe even retrofit the existing with fill hole of some sort so it could be refilled
by hand if needed that would be the cheapest and easiet as water jugs to refill
or even a bucket costs little to nothing. Again this is not for everyone . As the
install is labor intensive. and does require removing a section of the floor inorder
to acheive the added volume and use the existing drain system .

There is no right or wrong toilet. Whatever works for you. The first thing I did when I got my TM was to remove that stinking recirculating toilet, throw a rug over the flange, and set a porta potty in its place. I can empty it anywhere, and I can carry it in the bed of the truck if I close up the TM. This is what works for me. It might not work for you. And I don't care to argue about it.

While I do not have any issues with the existing Thetford system, I am always interested in new ideas. That is why I am on this forum. Your system sounds very clever and may actually have merit ;-) so please keep us up to date on your progress.

Originally Posted by yendor

Not much at all . If running out of water is a problem it looks like there is plenty of
room to either install a second water tank. Replace existing tank with larger one . Or
maybe even retrofit the existing with fill hole of some sort so it could be refilled
by hand if needed that would be the cheapest and easiet as water jugs to refill
or even a bucket costs little to nothing. .

Cheri & Yendor,

I think a 2nd 20 gal tank would fit beside the current tank on a 2619 or 2720, and Trailmanor offers a 40 gal water capacity on these units (but not the 2720 SL or SD) as well as the 3326 and 3124 KB.

As for filling the tank when camping:. I usually carry 9, 1/2 gal. milk jugs filled with water in a milk crate when I am not sure about the water conditions......ie a known safe spring, or a trusted water source. I attached a large funnel to a piece of plastic hose (from Lowe's ) and dump the jugs into the tank through the regular outside fill tube. I also carry a 5 gal. collapseable (sp?) water container when I am sure about the water source. I am careful what goes into my tank and system. I also sterilize the system in the spring.

Whoops, looks like a hijacked this thread on another subject.....I am good about that.

Chap

We just got back from five nights in Sequoia NP. No hookups. The water spigot was 180 feet away and I only carry 150 feet of water hose with me.

With just DW and I we just made it with the fresh water. We arrived Sunday and returned home today. We both took a hot shower on Tuesday evening and DW go a second shower last night. We have the 40 gallon water tank.

The toilet was 3/4 full, but I never used it. DW has bad knees and I don't like her going up and down the TM steps too many times. She can use the toilet all she wants. Any one else camping with us can take a hike if it is more than a weekend stay.

I always charge the toilet before storing the TM in the garage. My theory is that water around the seals is a good thing to prevent drying and cracking. Someone correct me if I am wrong on that one.

This winter I might install the modification someone else has posted about lengthening the drain pipe to the toilet so it can be used to gain a modest increase in capacity for the toilet. Then we may be able to go a full 7 days with just DW and I.

I have a system for refilling. (bilge pump with tubing that feeds into the fill hole) I'd just rather not if I can avoid it. And I think a 2518 would be hard pressed to find the extra room for bigger or multiple water tanks. Not to mention the added weight.
As unpleasant as the traditional portipotty from my tent trailer days was, one thing it never did was smell. That's because it had a slide valve that sealed the contents away when not in use. I wish Thetford had something that slid open and closed at the bottom of the bowl like the portipotty does. That would eliminate the smell as well as the need for saran wrap when traveling with a load. I have no problem with the recirculating system and the idea of preserving the fresh water and keeping my load as light as possible. I don't have much problem with smell either except in very extreme heat one weekend. It just seems like it would be a simple solution to a much talked about problem.

Hey Yendor, maybe you can work on a prototype for a modification on the existing Thetford.

Cheri

[yendor]

Cheri:
I Am As Suprised As You That There Is No Flap Or Valve On The Bowl. It Makes
Sense If They Can Put One On The Other Toilets Why Not The Reciculating
One. I Was Also Suprised To Find Out It Is Not Much More Than A Bucket
With A Strainer Basket And A Bilge Pump And Add A Slide Vavle On The Bottom
To Empty It. With A Price Tag That High I Was Expecting More. Oh Well If
It Aint Broke Don't Fix It I Guess. Yendor