Portable Sewer Tank

[SilverRhino]

We have always stayed in parks with sewer connections so draining the tanks has not been an issue. This fall we will both be retired and our travels will be taking us to locations without sewer connections.

I have a couple of questions for those that use the portable tanks to empty there holding tanks.

1) What size tank are you using?
2) Are you using a Thetford or Barker portable tank?
3) Do you use it for black and gray or only gray water?
4) Can the large totes ( 35 or 32 gal ) actually be handled by hand or do you tow behind your truck to dump station?

Thanks for any info!

 

[DougS]

Hi Randy, I travel with a 14 to 18 gallon tank for gray water tank only, never black water. I use it once or twice a year and is big enough for a days use of limited water use. The tank I have is at least 25 years old. My wife and I can lift it up on the tail gate. Some bigger tanks can be towed behind your truck, but then comes the problem of a large enough storage area. I would never use the tank for black water.

 

[wdk450]

SilverRhino:
I stay at Thousand Trails parks on a 3 week stay maximum contract, and TRY to make it through the 3 weeks when I am in a park with no sewer connections at the RV space. I am by myself, and have found that making the black tank last that long is iffy. Usually the limiting factor is the 1st grey tank (Kitchen), from doing dishes. When the water backs up in the sink, I know I gotta dump. I have been debating buying a portable tank like you are, and see many being towed around the park here at Minden Lake. What I have to do now, is bite the bullet, unhook the utilities, hitch up, and pull the rig over to the dump station. Do a dump and I am good for another 2+ weeks, and back to my site to re-set up. I'm retired, and time is my biggest asset, so this is no big deal.

 

[scottyb]

I have a 25 gal Tote N Store. Seems pretty rugged. I have only used it a couple times but just one time paid for itself, as opposed to packing up to go dump. I have only used it for gray bath water, not black or galley water.

 

[ucwinters]

Have the large Barker unit. Use it for grey water and tow it behind the truck to the dump station. Got it off of Craig's List for $75 - great price compared to what a new one would cost.

 

[NWILSON]

I bought a 22 gal Barker tank last fall. When I get the rig out of storage in a few weeks I'm going to add a couple pieces of angle iron to the frame under the garage (no coroplast under the garage on toyhaulers) to store it.
I doubt I would fill it completely when using as it would weigh upwards of 180 pounds! Even though the tank has wheels that's still a lot of weight to wrestle around.

 

[DuaneG]

I think my tanks are 40 gal each so I use a barker 42 gallon so the entire tank can be dumped. With me and the wife showering and doing dishes daily I have to dump both grey tanks every other day and the black tank once a week or so.

I hook it to the trailer hitch and bungie the handle with a couple wraps to the ball. Not a big deal if it is a flat run to the dump station but if there is even a slight hill either way it could easily pop off the ball and disconnect from the vehicle.

So much easier than moving the whole trailer. We are camping this week without sewer and others are just taking showers in the campground bathrooms. I just like to use my own trailer and taking 20 minutes to dump 2 tanks every other day is not a big deal and saves me $35 a pop for the portable sewer service the campground offers.

Because of the large size of my portable tank it sometimes is at or higher than the trailer dump valve. I have always figured out a way to make it work but the smaller one may be easier to use but would have to be dumped more often.

 

[JWalker]

We have used our 25 gallon portable tank over the last few years. It has come in handy on several occasions. A trip or two with the tank can get us through a long weekend. Surely beats moving the trailer. Usually only have an issue with the grey tanks getting full. Never had an issue with the black. Can go all week on them.

 

[Lynn1130]

I think I will move the trailer before I tote black tank contents around.

 

[scottyb]

We have used our 25 gallon portable tank over the last few years. It has come in handy on several occasions. A trip or two with the tank can get us through a long weekend. Surely beats moving the trailer. Usually only have an issue with the grey tanks getting full. Never had an issue with the black. Can go all week on them.

That looks like the same tank and tow bracket as ours.

 

[DuaneG]

I think I will move the trailer before I tote black tank contents around.

Most of the time I can make the black tank last until I move it but occasionally I will clean the black out with the portable unit. You would think it would be bad but I don't wait until it's full. I unload the black tank and then follow up with grey until portable tank is full and then take to dump and it flows out better. Then I dump other grey tank. After that I then put some fresh water in portable tank and then put caps back on and move back and forth a few times and flush again. Then it's pretty clean for storage.

 

[Gaffer]

I bought a 30 gal. this winter. We often stay at Elks Lodges for more than a week and often they have one dump so none at the sites. Much easier than putting everything away and driving a hundred feet with the trailer. A week is about as long as we can go without dumping.

 

[TheWinklers]

We have a 25 gallon tank we use it rarely we have used it for
Both black and grey water but my husband washes it out and dries it before storing it


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[Miller0758]

We have used our 25 gallon portable tank over the last few years. It has come in handy on several occasions. A trip or two with the tank can get us through a long weekend. Surely beats moving the trailer. Usually only have an issue with the grey tanks getting full. Never had an issue with the black. Can go all week on them.

I had to do a double take ...thought you were towing a ford for a moment.

 

[JWalker]

I had to do a double take ...thought you were towing a ford for a moment.

HaHa!!

 

[whp4262]

SilverRhino:
I stay at Thousand Trails parks on a 3 week stay maximum contract, and TRY to make it through the 3 weeks when I am in a park with no sewer connections at the RV space. I am by myself, and have found that making the black tank last that long is iffy. Usually the limiting factor is the 1st grey tank (Kitchen), from doing dishes. When the water backs up in the sink, I know I gotta dump. I have been debating buying a portable tank like you are, and see many being towed around the park here at Minden Lake. What I have to do now, is bite the bullet, unhook the utilities, hitch up, and pull the rig over to the dump station. Do a dump and I am good for another 2+ weeks, and back to my site to re-set up. I'm retired, and time is my biggest asset, so this is no big deal.

There is a trick that might work for you assuming that you have more then one grey tank. You can install a twist on gate valve to your sewer outlet. Open the gate valves for your grey tanks, (not the black) with the twist on valve closed. The grey water will equalize between the grey tanks and will extend the time between dumps with for your grey water.


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[JohnD]

There is a trick that might work for you assuming that you have more then one grey tank. You can install a twist on gate valve to your sewer outlet. Open the gate valves for your grey tanks, (not the black) with the twist on valve closed. The grey water will equalize between the grey tanks and will extend the time between dumps with for your grey water.

I'd like to do that with ours, however one gray tank is at the very back of the trailer (with it's own drain), and the other gray tank is probably 10-15 feet forward in front of the axles with the black tank in between, not too mention the slide out., so I'm not sure if a pipe could be run between the two without doing some major surgery to the trailer.



When we stay where there are no sewer hookups, we try to use the parks facilities as much as possible and do our dishes outdoors (like we did in our tent camping days) to stretch out how long we can go before dumping the tanks.

I've been considering a portable tank as well just for backup.

 

[whp4262]

I'd like to do that with ours, however one gray tank is at the very back of the trailer (with it's own drain), and the other gray tank is probably 10-15 feet forward in front of the axles with the black tank in between, not too mention the slide out., so I'm not sure if a pipe could be run between the two without doing some major surgery to the trailer.

When we stay where there are no sewer hookups, we try to use the parks facilities as much as possible and do our dishes outdoors (like we did in our tent camping days) to stretch out how long we can go before dumping the tanks.

I've been considering a portable tank as well just for backup.

Your right John it wouldn't work for your setup. I have 3 grey tanks and 1 black that share a single outlet.


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