how many flushes

[JimK]

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 4:32 PM, Dutch_12078 said:

How many times would you have to dump your cassette over the course of those ~2 weeks? We would dump our black tank just once between Canyonlands and Arches, most likely at the free dump site at the Maverick station in Moab, and once again after Arches at a location based on our next stop.

I drove past the Maverick today.  It is the only dump in the area except for the RV parks. There are thousands of RVs in dispersed and BLM campgrounds.  I did not even try to stop for diesel.  Every pump was full and there was a long, long line for the dump.  I did not need the dump.  I had started the day doing the 2 minute chore at the outhouse at Windwhistle campground.  My Moab area stops will include the BLM campground outside of Canyonlands.  Last year at this time the dump was closed.  I also plan on staying along the Potash river, no dumps, and also at BLM Hittle campground, no dump.  All of these places have outhouses for my 2 minute chore.  Later I have a reservation for Arches campground and will stay for 4-7 days.  Again, no dump but numerous outhouses at different locations in the park.   

[Dutch_12078]

2 minutes to disassemble the cassette from the top of the toilet, walk it over to the nearest bathroom facility, dump it, return to your site, and reassemble the toilet, perhaps adding more water if needed? 

There's a number of other dump stations available in the Moab area for a one time dump and done for another week:

https://www.sanidumps.com/rvdumpscity.php?citynum=982&city=Moab&cityradius=1

[JimK]

You will notice that your list is mainly RV parks and the dumps are for registered campers only.  If the information is up to date, it does appear that the Farm and Feed has a dump in addition to the Maverick gas station.

As to dumping a cassette.  There is no disassembly or reassembly.  There is a simple latch that allows removal.  I do need to turn the spout to the dump position and remove the cap.  That is a 10 second operation. 

Unless I need to walk a substantial distance to the dump, 2 minutes is a generous allowance for the entire operation. The flushing system is extremely efficient and I can go for a couple of weeks before I need to add a few gallons of water.  If I am at a regular dump, I would also rinse the tank a couple of times adding another minute to the operation.  That is not at all necessary since I add chemicals to the flush water. 

Again, none of this is fun.  I don't think anyone could enjoy dumping a cassette or a black tank.  If I spent my time with hook ups and "camping" in RV parks, I would certainly prefer a black tank. 

[Rvnotyet]

It's probably asking too much, but I'm wondering if anyone makes a cassette toilet which can also work with your black water tank system (so you could do this either way depending on where you are going),  thanks everyone for the great information.  If anyone has recommendations on brands of toilets, casssette or other, that would be great, or do you need to stick with the make of toilet that the RV maker uses?  TX-

[Kirk W]

13 minutes ago, Rvnotyet said:

do you need to stick with the make of toilet that the RV maker uses?

In most cases, you can use pretty much any brand or model of toilet to replace what the RV builder installed. 

[Dutch_12078]

We've changed the toilet in our last three motorhomes, sometimes with a different model but the same brand, other times with a different brand. The mounting point for all brands is the same standard floor flange used for residential toilets. Sometimes it needs to be rotated to a different bolt pattern orientation, but that's all. The bigger issue is usually making any needed changes in the flush water supply location.

[JimK]

A regular RV toilet is completely different in design from a cassette toilet system.  The toilet, flush mechanism and cassette tank are integrated and installed as a unit.  There is a gasket seal between the toilet bottom and the cassette.  The system has to be designed so that the cassette can be removed but once installed there are no leaks, ever.  That alone precludes trying to use some other toilet.  It would be very difficult to built a toilet system which uses both a cassette and a black tank.  I don't think there is any such unit available.

I can certainly understand the downside of a cassette.  It needs to be emptied much more frequently than systems with large black tanks.  That is a nuisance if you camp with dump stations or full hook ups available.  But it sure allows a lot of freedom when dump stations are not available. 

[noteven]

Twenty eleventeen flushes. 

Did I win?

[Rvnotyet]

I think you won, according to the young people in my family, the RV toilet should flush at least that many times before stuff comes up into the shower.  In fact they would probably get a kick out of that, so long as they didn't have to do the cleanup...

[Randyretired]

For a houseboat we had I purchased a toilet that sat on a 10 gallon holding tank.  These toilets are about the same height as normal but with the tank underneath and readily available. I plumbed in a macerator to pump this 10 gallon tank to a 100 gallon tank located some distance from the toilet. When the 10 gallon tank was full a push of a button transferred it to the larger tank.  The 100 gallon tank was easily checked to make sure it had capacity.  Overfilling with the macerator would surely turn the vent into a nozzle but we never had that happen.

Edited October 23, 2018 by Randyretired

[johnpeters]

The cassette toilet is a better choice if your RV is small, or if you have no black tank in your camper. A cassette toilet has a waste tank capacity of 5 gallons, more or less, depending on the model.
The cassette toilet is easier to maintain in terms of maintenance. Simply discard the garbage when it's full, and the tank and toilet bowl will be cleaned at the same time. Simply fill the tank with water and your preferred cleaning solution.

[Jack Hall]

On 10/17/2018 at 1:17 PM, sandsys said:

We traveled in both a Class C and a Class B and I would not own a cassette toilet. Black tank all the way. Although I wish I'd had a macerator on the last one. I would even choose a port-a-pot with a bag in it over a cassette. Yes, I have experience with the port-a-pot, too. In fact, we still own one of those.

Linda Sand

Something I have always wondered is: If you have a Port-a-Potty, what do you do with the bag? I suspect that it is illegal to put it in a trash bin, but maybe it is not, and that is the answer..  Emptying it in a regular toilet seems like a messy job. and you still have the plastic bag to deal with, and I simply cannot imagine reusing it.  I suppose you could bury it, but you are now burying plastic which takes hundreds of years to degrade. I have never used one, but I have wondered.

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, Jack Hall said:

Something I have always wondered is: If you have a Port-a-Potty, what do you do with the bag? I suspect that it is illegal to put it in a trash bin, but maybe it is not, and that is the answer..  Emptying it in a regular toilet seems like a messy job. and you still have the plastic bag to deal with, and I simply cannot imagine reusing it.  I suppose you could bury it, but you are now burying plastic which takes hundreds of years to degrade. I have never used one, but I have wondered.

It's no more illegal to put a bag of human waste in a trash can than it is to put a used diaper in one.

Linda

[GlennWest]

Before I messed with a tank that small or a cassette I would get a composting toilet. Sounds awful but lots of boon Dockers use them. They like them. Watch some YouTube and find out about them.

 

[Ray,IN]

 You know the capacity of your black tank. Your commode uses various amounts depending on how long you hold down the pedal. Pour 1qt of water in your commode, then make a mark at the water-line. Empty the water and dry the bowl next to the line you just made and make a permanent mark(might be difficult on china) beside the temporary mark.

By observing contents and your permanent mark, now you know how much is being added to your black tank each time. You're on your own for record-keeping.

[bruce t]

There's no secret to cassette toilets. It's a mind over matter issue. Yes that sort of matter. But in reality it's no worse than using a toilet at a restaurant. It's only in the USA that big black tanks are common. (Yes I'm generalising). The rest of us just deal with it.