I thought I'd post some followup thoughts after living with this toilet for over a year. We spend 30-60 nights a year in the camper so that's a lot of poop down the chute
Overall, I like it a lot. I am definitely glad I installed it.
Whether it is a good option for you depends on the type of camping you do. We are mostly at state parks and national forests where hookups are not available and dump stations are hard to find. Being able to get rid of black water at the campground -- and without moving the trailer -- is a big deal for us.
If you camp mostly full hookups this isn't such a good fit.
For two adults using it for all business, we can go up to 3 days. One thing to remember about this toilet is that since emptying it is no big deal, you can do it more often.
Stinkage is not a problem with this toilet. If it gets stinky you just dump it and start fresh.
You need a portable hand cart. It holds 6 gallons and that's a lot to lug for any distance. A hand cart makes it pretty easy.
I have adopted a strategy of doing a double rinse. You can use fresh water but mostly I use grey water. I dump the thing then fill it with grey twice more. At the end I leave little water in there and put some chemical in. No stink at the beginning on the next trip. At the end of my trips I need to get rid of grey water too so this works out well for me.
Problems that I thought I would have but did not:
- I was worried about leakage while carrying a pootainer through the trailer - No leaks. Not a drop. Once you remove the top part, check the bottom part to make sure there is no liquid on the outside and you are good to go. The blade valve does not leak.
- Weight. Just don't let it fill up all the way. Use a hand cart.
Problems that I did not anticipate
- It's sort of a pain to empty the thing at a dump station. It's designed to empty into a regular toilet and it works beautifully for that. At a dump station it's clumsy. Emptying into the little tube at a full hookup site is also a pain. Use a toilet if you can.
- Thetford has had problems with the flush mechanism. We've had to fix two different problems with it. Not that a big a deal as all the flusher really does is squirt water out to rinse the bowl. Hopefully they will work these problems out.
The installation I did worked out well. Be sure to leave enough clearance for the blade valve handle on the tub side. You'll also need clearance to reach behind the toilet and release the latch that holds the two halves together.
The only toilet I think I would like better would be a cassette toilet, but I would only get one of those in a new camper.
Linear Mode
