This Waste Water Tote A Waste of Money

Virginia Deacon · 09-22-2007, 04:51 PM

Pun intended.

I recently bought one of the new 15-gallon Thetford holding tanks with built-in hose and towing handle. Used it for the first time, a couple weeks ago. Discovered that there is no way to dump the last gallon of waste! Tried holding and shaking the tank, inverting it, even disconnecting the hose and shaking the tank. It still has about a gallon or less of gray water in it; I'm very thankful it isn't black water!

I called Camping World about getting my money back. They said they would call Thetford to get a credit and then they would credit my account. After calling Thetford, Camping World Customer Service said that Thetford agreed to give them a credit and that they didn't want the tank back. Camping World said that they didn't want it back either, that they would credit my charge card - both said to "just throw it [the tank] away." So much for the actual value of the tank that I paid over $150 for!

Just a warning to those of you looking for a high-quality holding tank. Shop around, ask questions (especially about being able to return it). Then, try it with tap water, before using it "for real."

I'm considering the Barker blue tank; maybe you should, too.

Happy Camping!

09-22-2007, 05:09 PM

Interesting problem...I have the same tank and the same issue. Used it once and can't get it completely empty. In reading your post, I thought of a possible solution if it is gray water. Dump out all you can the normal way and then dump the rest out of the little hole the overflow indicator is in. Or drill another hole and put a cork or somesuch in it. Not too pretty or convenient, but either would work. Thetford came up with a funny design which needs some refining. I'm not familiar with the tank you are considering, but would be interested in your comments on it.

**rtcassel** · 09-22-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Virginia Deacon

I'm considering the Barker blue tank; maybe you should, too.

For my TM, I can carry the 10-gallon Barker blue tank on the rack beside the spare tire. I think that Bill tried it on his TM and was not able to make it fit. I guess the frames can vary a bit.

09-22-2007, 06:03 PM

A better term may be..."tote" instead of a "holding tank".
I have a 16 gallon Barker tote that works great and is easy to empty completely.
Just an FYI

Keith Wire · 09-23-2007, 07:33 AM

Virginia,

I too have a Barker 10 Gal Tote. They have several sizes as you can see from this link...

http://www.rvwholesalers.com/catalog...4&cat=0&page=1

The 10 Gal empties completely and I carry it under the TM. It just fits between two support beams and is strapped up with two bungee cords. I drilled a hole for one end of each bungee and just clip the other end to the other beam. I put some 1/2" self-stick foam insulation on the bottom of the TM to pad the tank out so the wheels didn't rub directly on the bottom.

Keith

Virginia Deacon · 09-23-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott O

Interesting problem...I have the same tank and the same issue. Used it once and can't get it completely empty. In reading your post, I thought of a possible solution if it is gray water. Dump out all you can the normal way and then dump the rest out of the little hole the overflow indicator is in. Or drill another hole and put a cork or somesuch in it. Not too pretty or convenient, but either would work. Thetford came up with a funny design which needs some refining. I'm not familiar with the tank you are considering, but would be interested in your comments on it.

Scott:

Thank you for your comments. I took the overflow indicator out and tried to empty the rest of the water through that hole - it didn't work. I suspect that there are one or mores baffles inside and that more than one hole would need to be drilled to get the water out.

The comments from others here will provide you with information about the 16-gallon Barker tank I'm considering. Thanks to all of you for your comments.

Happy Camping!

09-23-2007, 02:38 PM

Darn...it seemed too easy! I think I will pursue a return with Camping World (before I pursue drilling another hole in my Thetford) and take a serious look at the Barker tank. It doesn't seem to have any problems. In searching out user comments on the Thetford they seem to mirror our experiences. Most folks do not seem too happy. I'm really surprised a company with a good reputation like Thetford would put out a product with such a serious flaw.

09-23-2007, 03:29 PM

We too purchased a 15 gallon blue tote and use it often. I am not sure of the brand but was purchased from Dyer Rv online. I don't think ours has any baffles and works well. We will haul with TV from trailer to dump site usually 100 yards over grass and gravel road with two speed bumps. It sure beats moving trailer when staying longer than a couple days. I did notice I need to turn tote over to remove any standing rince water. Just my two cents.
We just got back from camping four days at our local favorite spot 25 miles away. Fishing wasn't any good but the weather was outstanding.
Happy camping everyone!

09-24-2007, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MidwestDave

We too purchased a 15 gallon blue tote and use it often.

Dave, where do you store that 15 gal container? Looks a bit bulky and not the type of thing I want to store inside

.

I'm fixin' to get one and wondered if the 15 gal fits underneath the TM with bungies.

Virginia Deacon · 09-24-2007, 05:28 PM

Once Thetford and Camping World decided to refund my purchase price and told me to throw the tote away (neither of them wanted it back), I decided, today, to see what might work and allow the remaining water to be drained out of the tote. After all, the tote was useless anyhow.

I drilled two half-inch holes in the bottom of the tank, at the hose end, between the axle and the end of the tank. That is the lowest point of the tank. I then set the tank nearly upright (on end) and the water drained out completely. Finally, I bought a 1/4T (5/8 OD x 3/8 ID) grommet, 10-24 Well Nut (expansion nut), and a stainless 10-24 screw and put them in each of the half-inch holes. There was a small amount of leakage around one of the expansion nuts, when I filled the tote to test it; I may need to either glue it or caulk it with silicone caulk. Total cost was about $5; you could just drill the holes and insert a rubber stopper, I suppose, but the plastic is thin and I was concerned about leakage around a stopper.

This may or may not be an adequate fix for those of you who are having the same issue with this tote that I did. It's provided for your information.

Happy Trails!