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Why No Porti-Potty/Cassette Toilets


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I am perplexed as to the reason why some RV Parks do not allow an RV with a porti-potty/cassette toilet.  Some are specific, others say "self-contained" which to me constitutes a gray area as a porti-potty/cassette toilet has a black tank and often with the cassette toilet is a part of a shower set-up in the RV.  Many of the mini-trailers and foldable trailers would not be allowed in those parks.  Can anyone shed any light on this?  While we are self-contained at this point, if we downsize, we may not be and this would effect some are going to some of the Escapee co-ops.

Also, as a reminder, always rinse and sanitize your fresh water hose connection, over the many years we have been RVing, I have seen a few people rinse their black hose by placing it over the fresh water connection and running water into it!

 

 

Cathy

 

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I suspect the primary reason is that they don't want guests emptying the cassettes into the restroom toilets. Done with a bit of care, it shouldn't be a problem, but...

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As volunteers in national parks we've seen some awful messes when folks empty the cassette in the toilet.  We even had one guy dump it in the outside sink meant for dishwashing. (Another guy stripped at 9pm and proceeded to take his bath in the sink - a different day).  Yes, the whole area was sanitized thoroughly but still....  Also, we've seen a person rinsing it out at the spigot along the road meant for campers to get fresh water. 

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4 hours ago, SnowGypsy said:

I am perplexed as to the reason why some RV Parks do not allow an RV with a porti-potty/cassette toilet

The park has no provision to empty the cassettes and many users are irresponsible with them.

4 hours ago, SnowGypsy said:

Some are specific, others say "self-contained"

The park has no public showers or restrooms.

4 hours ago, SnowGypsy said:

 Many of the mini-trailers and foldable trailers would not be allowed in those parks.

Absolutely true and they are not welcomed.

1 hour ago, Al F said:

The parks which specify "self contained only" that I have see don't have any restroom facilities therefore no toilets.

 

We have been to Escapee co-op parks that do not have any public showers or restrooms. I doubt that visitors would be very happy there if they don't have facilities of their own. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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So why would anyone with half a brain not dump at the dump station or sewer hookup?

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1 hour ago, dzwiss said:

So why would anyone with half a brain not dump at the dump station or sewer hookup?

Camped at Carlsbad, CA State Beach one time. Feller wheels up to the facilities building, proceeds to skid his slinky hose round the corner and through the door...let's go starboard black tank into the shower....

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Cassette toilets are the 'norm' in many overseas countries. The USA is simply not set up for them. It's simply a mind set that needs to be changed if cassettes were to become popular.

For every idiot that improperly dumps a cassette I would wager there are hundreds who improperly dump their blank tanks. Anyone who has used a public dump point would see the evidence.

It's not what you dump that is the issue but who is dumping it.

regards

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Thanks!  For sure it depends on "who is dumping it", the stuff I have seen.........  I am currently evaluating which clubs, etc. will be most useful for the long term and I am just sure I won't always have a unit that will be "allowed" despite a membership.  

At least with the cassette toilet, when you leave the dump station, you aren't dripping from a black water tank all the way to the exit.  We do not wear our shoes inside!

Cathy

 

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 4/7/2017 at 11:23 AM, SnowGypsy said:

At least with the cassette toilet, when you leave the dump station, you aren't dripping from a black water tank all the way to the exit.

 

Now there's an accusatory statement if ever there was one!..:angry:

So here you go Escapees, fess up (or speak up)!

How many of you leave the dump station dripping (something/anything) from a black water tank - *ANY* distance at all from the dump station?

 

 

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On 4/7/2017 at 0:55 PM, bruce t said:

Cassette toilets are the 'norm' in many overseas countries. The USA is simply not set up for them. It's simply a mind set that needs to be changed if cassettes were to become popular.

1

I suspect that is the primary issue with them. At one time we did have a "Port-a-potty" that we carried with our pup-up trailer and we learned to had it because of the problem of dumping it. I looking on Amazon, there are several brands of cassette toilets still sold in the country so I am wondering just how you should dispose of the contents and do other countries provide facilities designed for emptying one of them? The site Gone Outdoors has a section on emptying one and it says to use a conventional toilet in the RV park restroom building. I suspect that users too often leave a nasty mess behind when doing this is the reason some parks don't want them. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Over the years I have used Porta Potties  and have found the  the cassettes  with a spout easier to dump without a mess, they even can  be dumped at a dump station with out a problem,

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The issue is not about cassettes, port potties or blank tanks. It's about people. The same folks who make a mess at a Flying J dump point and drip up the road will still make a mess with other types of units. (I could tell you a story or two from my experience but you may be eating!!!). These are the same folks who don't pick up after their dog. It only takes 1% to spoil it for the other 99%.

Here's a site that may interest some folks. http://www.gough.com.au/dump-ezy/

I was a director for the CMCA. (Australia's FMCA). The club, along with a sponsor, installed hundreds of these all over the country. They work for blank tanks and cassettes.

regards

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I did a search on emptying a cassette toilet and the vast majority of answers come from outside of the USA. I suspect that is mostly due to the fact that they are much less popular here. It does seem that the emptying chore has been improved since we had ours, more than 30 years ago, but they still need more frequent emptying and I still prefer to have a black tank in the RV. 

13 hours ago, bruce t said:

The issue is not about cassettes, port potties or blank tanks. It's about people.

While that is true, after years of RV travel and many experiences as a campground volunteer, it is also true that the easier a chore is to do, the more likely it is that people will do it properly. 

13 hours ago, bruce t said:

Here's a site that may interest some folks. http://www.gough.com.au/dump-ezy/

I have never seen one of those in the US but they might be some improvement for use in cassette emptying, but I still think that for an RV waste tank the more typical concrete basin would be preferable and more easily maintained. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Kirk I can't ever see the USA changing. Black tanks and dump points are so popular why would you change? The simple fact is that RVing in the USA is unique. It has evolved into a lifestyle unlike anywhere else. That's a good think. Gives all us foreigners a chance to taste the lifestyle.

We all need to remember that the difference between us is what makes life 'interesting'. If we were all the same we would end up grizzling about ourselves. And that would be no fun at all!

regards

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Bruce, back when we did our thing in a pop-up and towed it behind a serious 4WD vehicle and spent most of our time in national forest campgrounds with an outhouse and a hand water pump as the only amenities, I would have loved to have had access to some of the features that are commonplace in your part of the world. I still wonder that there doesn't seem to be much interest in adapting some of the features that are more common down-under for that part of the market? I haven't been back into the national forest backcountry in quite a few years, but it does appear that the people who use those campgrounds do still exist and continue to visit them. I still enjoy looking at the pop-ups and even tents and associated equipment and while the tenting scene has made great progress since we moved to the softer lifestyle, I don't see that much change in the most basic RV's. 

 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Kirk we have seen and experienced, both the Australian and USA markets and RVs. I don't think there is a best or better way. I just know that Australians have a different concept/perspective of 'camping' to Americans. I doubt that the 'average' American would tolerate how the 'average' Australian camps. Sure there are top end motorhome in Australia and back country campers in the USA. But the way we see it is that Americans go 'camping' as a way of life. (Yes I'm generalising). While Australians go 'camping' as an adventure. (Again generalising).

We have always wondered why, with so much wilderness, public land and national parks etc etc in the USA why there aren't more Americans with 4x4's and camper trailers. http://www.marketdirect.com.au/ This sort of trailer is about the most common form of camping/RVing in Australia. (Keep in mind that what we refer to as a 'real' 4x4 is only a distant relative of what Americans see as a 4x4).

Porta potties and cassettes are just a way of life here. However we know many Americans who would find their use a bit of a strain. Pun intended! Likewise most Australians carry a small spade and plenty of paper. Would Americans?

Bathroom facilities are only one aspect that is 'different'. Thousands of Australian 4x4's carry fridges. Not coolers but real fridges. Yet in the USA they are all but impossible to find. Why? One of those cultural mysteries!

But don't get me wrong. Both forms of 'camping' have their good and bad points. We camp in a tent in Australia and many trailer campers think we are nuts. Go figure.

regards

 

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There are significant numbers of folks who go into the backcountry on foot, and equipment to do this is readily available, as are tents and associated equipment, but there does seem to be a large void between the two styles of travel here. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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  • 2 weeks later...

There is actually a rapidly expanding market of teardrops and tiny trailers 4 x 4 and ready to rough ride.  Also, those cargo carrier trailers that have a tent that folds out on top and/or the side.  Many are trying to get away from traditional RV parks and campgrounds.  

 

 

Cathy

 

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I have a cassette toilet in my RV.  It works great and I would never want to deal with a black tank.  First, lots and lots of camping areas do not have dump stations.  That is true of virtually all BLM campgrounds, most forest service campgrounds and many major campgrounds in national parks.  If you are camping at Mammoth campground in Yellowstone and need to empty a black tank, it is a long slow ride to and from the Madison campground or the Canyon campground.  I can dump my cassette toilet at almost any restroom facility...within reason.  If there is a dump station, I will use that.  Next would be an outhouse.   At Mammoth, I typically dump in the outhouse located a couple of miles from the campground.  There is no mess, but the odor can be strong.  I try to avoid that by using lots of chemicals.  When I use a flush toilet,  I only use it when no one else is around and the odor will dissipate before anyone comes to use the facility.

I have never seen any campground or RV park that prohibited cassette toilets.   

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  • 5 weeks later...

Wow, we are just getting in to the full time RV lifestyle (just bought an Outback trailer, selling the house).  I never realized all of the rules and restrictions at campgrounds.

We have always been remote campers/boodockers, averaging 30 nights a year or so in our slide in/pop up truck camper.  We do remote pit/logistics work for some stateside desert races, as well as the Baja 500/1000, so we find our selves way off the beaten track a few times a year.

Looks like I'm going to have some work to do when we start travelling with the trailer to find out who is going to tolerate us!:o  The trailer is obviously self contained, but if we leave it somewhere to go exploring in the truck, the camper has a porta-potti.

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On 4/6/2017 at 6:16 PM, dzwiss said:

So why would anyone with half a brain not dump at the dump station or sewer hookup?

A wise man once said, "Within the question, often lies the answer!". :ph34r:

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I got a nasty response when I mentioned in another thread that this forum is very heavily weighted to those who travel in big rigs.  Way more people camp in small RVs or tents.  Many camp in national forest or other campgrounds without access to dump stations.  Cassette toilets make a lot of sense for that style of camping and are quite common.  Much better than dealing with an outhouse or digging your own hole.

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