The TM's recirculating toilet

**grill-n-go** · 09-08-2003, 04:54 PM

We have absolutely no "dumping" experience. Actually we have next to no camping experience, just enough to know we like it. Where can I go to dump after dry camping? Or do I need to get one of those blue tanks and do it at home?

09-08-2003, 05:17 PM

Q: Where do I dump while at home?

A: Most houses built in recent years have a "cleanout" somewhere in the front yard. What you will be looking for is like what you will find at your full hookups campsite. It is a plastic 3" PVC pipe that comes up out of the ground complete with cap and square "nut" molded on top to remove it. If you mow your lawn regularly, you've had to deal with it every time, and probably wondered what it was for.

[glow=red,2,300]Happytrails........[/glow]

**Bill** · 09-08-2003, 05:50 PM

Happy is right. If you have a cleanout in the yard, that's the place to dump. Buy an extension sewer hose if it is needed to reach the cleanout, but it is just plain easy. And cheap - no dump fee.

If you are not blessed with an accessible cleanout, the situation changes. Lugging a blue tote into the house is a really uninviting end to a great trip, so the first answer is to dump before you leave the campgound, and then don't use the toilet.

If you can't do that, then the next best answer is probably to check the Yellow Pages for campgrounds, call one up, and see if you can use their dump station. The answer is usually that they will welcome you for a $5 fee. To me, anyway, it is worth it.

In some towns, you can go directly to the local sewage treatment plant, and they will let you dump. Maybe a fee, maybe not, depending on how folksy/friendly you are with the guy who runs the place. Check 'em out.

With some houses (like mine), it is easy to add a branch sewer pipe in the front or side yard, so that you can dump the tanks when you get home. The plumbing part is not hard. Depends on your situation.

Bottom line - there are lots of answers. Don't let your worries get in the way of a good time.

Bill

09-09-2003, 06:59 AM

On the road there are places to dump as well. Flying J truck stops have RV lanes with gas pumps and a dumping station. Some of the Interstate rest areas up here in the North East have dumping stations. Also, some campgrounds will let you use their dumping station for a fee as well.

Al

**grill-n-go** · 09-09-2003, 07:15 AM

Thanks for all the places to dump. Never thought I would have so many choices.

09-09-2003, 08:16 AM

Thanks for the good advice, Bill. I had never heard of "black cone" {{shudder}}. When leaving a campground that does not have sewer hookups I pull the thetford's handle, fold up and dump on the way out. From your comments this is not good practice. I should unfold the camper at the dump station and dump as you suggest to get the swoosh. That'll be a pain and adds to the list of negatives (in my mind) about the trailmanor, but I'll try to follow that practice. It would be even more trouble to pull the trailmanor close enough to the house to use my sewer cleanout.

Since I only have this trouble at dump stations I'll try to use campgrounds with sewer hookups where possible in the future due to this limitation.

Sorry to sound negative. I am disappointed to learn of this. Not your fault. I really appreciate the information.

Scott

09-09-2003, 11:04 AM

Moonshot, the black cone is very common on standard holding tanks. There are many devices on the market for trying to clean those. It would be my guess that none of them work very well for there are so many.

I have never heard of a TM owner with that problem. The only way it could happen is if you were to leave both valves open most of the time.

The TM keeps things mixed up pretty well and thus no cone. That can only occur when everything is dumped in one place and not mixed.

You don't even want to know what some of those fulltimers in the big class As have to go through.

09-09-2003, 12:57 PM

Thanks Windbreaker. That's a load of my...mind.

Scott

09-09-2003, 01:08 PM

While I used a local cam site for the first few times that I had to "do the dump", I found that the local visitor welcome center had a dump station. I agree about the Flying J's having the convience but have also found them at other truck stops. You may want to check around your local area to see if any are available.

I always pull the inside handle just before lowering the camper and then following dumping and returning home,, I push the handle in after raising it to clean the camper. Only had one problem at one time when the handle got slid back in and only had a partial dump. Sure smelled great after a few days of being folded.

ColoradoCop 8)

**Bill** · 09-09-2003, 02:55 PM

[quote author=Moonshot link=board=22;threadid=1294;start=msg9020#msg9020 date=1063116996]When leaving a campground that does not have sewer hookups I pull the thetford's handle, fold up and dump on the way out. From your comments this is not good practice. [/quote]Scott - I'll have to reread what I said - I did not intend to say that.

If your site does not have sewer service, but there is a dump station on the way out of the campground, it is perfectly fine to pull the T-handle, close the TM, and go to the dump station. You get the whoosh when you open the outer valve. No, you do NOT have to re-open the TM!

You get a black cone only if you leave both valves (the T-handle and the outside slide valve) open all the time. With both open all the time, there is no whoosh because the liquids trickle out as fast as they are added. The liquid never builds up enough volume to sweep (whoosh) out the solids.

Sorry if I misled you - I'll go back and check, and rewrite if I find the place.

Bill