Barker tanks

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by WeBeFulltime

LOL! People have been doing this "out of the box thinking" for YEARS.

Really!?! I never heard of it. Why you been keeping secrets? Do we all have to reinvent the wheel or are you willing to share. I am.

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by WeBeFulltime

LOL! People have been doing this "out of the box thinking" for YEARS.

OK smart guy, have they thought about this??::

So, you got your twist-on on the bottom of your y-pipe. You connect your slinky, open your twist-on valve and open your black valve. FOOM! Out comes all the black nastiness. Wow, that was fun, can I do it again?? Why, yes you can. We are gonna BACK FLUSH your black tank with your gray tank. Black tank empty, black valve open. Close twist-on valve, open gray valve. Gurgle, gurgle, gray water back-flushes into black tank. 12345, close gray valve and open twist-on valve. FOOM again -- yea! Repeat 3 times. You have back flushed your black tank several times. For even more fun -- say it ain't so -- I leave by tank flusher going the WHOLE TIME! Kids gather round!

[325BH]

Originally Posted by NealC

Who has a barker tank and how often do you travel with it and how often do you use it?

Being at an electric only site right now makes me want one. I did a stay a few months ago and made it 7 days as needed but really could have used a barker tank.

Problem is an under sized gray tank. Black is fine but I can fill a gray in 3-4 days.

Makes me want to get a 42 gal barker which I think will fit in the Colorado crew can bed.

I rarely am not on full hookup but I want to venture out more to state parks and places that are less expensive than hotel rooms to park my MH at.

Thoughts? Opinions?

I have the 42 gallon one. That size can hold the entire contents of any one of my three tanks. It has pneumatic tires ant the tow-bar drops right over my TT hitch ball. I don’t use it very often, but when I do my camping buddies are envious... and end up borrowing it.

Laying on its side, it doesn’t take up too much room in the pickup bed... although it is pretty good size.

I also use it at home to dump in my septic tank... which is not close to my TT’s parking spot. I don’t dump in my home tank often, but when I do it is convenient. At home, I just hitch it to my small tractor/mower.

At the campground, I hitch it to my truck.

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by keymastr

You can also put a pan in the sink to catch some of the gray and pour it down the toilet. Helps a little.

Here is one you can slowly tow or just pull yourself if the ground is reasonably flat. https://www.amazon.com/Barker-30844-...+tanks+for+rvs

Originally Posted by TonyMac

Alright, here's some out-of-the-box thinking. It only works if your gray tank is mounted level or higher than your black tank. Mine are level. Get one of these:
Twist On Waste Valve, Boxed - Valterra.com | Valterra.com





It's a twist-on valve to block off the bottom of your y-pipe, rather like my unpowered Sanicon does. With the twist-on valve installed on the bottom of your y-pipe and closed, open the gray valve, it floods the y-pipe and the twist-on keeps it from exiting the y-pipe. Then open your black valve for about 5 seconds, the gray flows into your emptier black tank. 12345, close the black, close the gray. The water trapped in the y-pipe will stay there until you connect your slinky and open the twist-on valve while dumping. I do this often while dry camping. It gives you a few more days and a black tank full of gray water, which kinda flushes your black tank a bit better, I think.

I've done these two things ever since 1980 and our first travel trailer. I just figured everyone knew about them!

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by Bigd9

I've done these two things ever since 1980 and our first travel trailer. I just figured everyone knew about them!

I've been RVing since 1968, saw the moon landing from a campground in PA. I have never heard of either till I stumbled upon them with my current rig, which has a Sanicon, making these procedures possible without the twist-on. People talk about he pro and cons of Sanicon on this forum all the time, but nobody mentions these steps. Ok, but everyone knows, they just like keeping secrets. Wow, that says alot about those who know....yeah, right.

[FL420]

A suggestion for those who would like a gauge of some kind for their portable waste tanks.
A number of classic general aviation aircraft such as the Piper J-3 Cub don't have electrical systems and have fuel tanks behind the firewall and in front of the pilot. They often use a wire fastened securely to a cork which sticks up through a small hole in the top of the tank. The top end of the wire is bent at a 90° angle which keeps it from falling back through the hole when the tank is empty. When the tank is full the entire wire is visible above the tank.
If I ever get an aux waste tank I intend to modify it with a cork or metal float and wire gauge drilled probably through a small hole in the vent cap. I may go with an auto type float and soldered bronze wire to avoid rust issues.
Or, I might adapt a mechanical gauge from a source like www.aircaftspruce.com or www.univair.com.

[vsheetz]

I have a 42 gallon barker tank. Use with our motorhome - carry it on the rear ladder. Yes its heavy when full- of course. But you don't have to always fill it full. I tow it to the dump station with the toad. Most often i have it in the roadway and use a macerating pump to move the waste into the tank. This avoids having to manhandle it to get it close to the cause if the coach - over grass, around stuff, etc.

The biggest problem I have is it the dump station is a distance away such that I can't tow it. With putting it in your truck bed you don't have this problem.

[brialin]

I have a 35 gallon plastic drum which I lay on its side in the back of the pickup. I have a regular sewer hose valve installed in one of the bungs. I fill it with a macerator pump in the top bung. The drum is a light white color which you can see the water level in. Drive to dump station and connect sewer hose to valve and empty. Drum was free. Had to buy valve and pump.

[hohenwald48]

I've carried the Barker type tanks in the past and when you need one there's nothing better. Don't need it very often.

I never liked carrying it on the ladder and found, on every motorhome I've owned, I could use ratchet straps and secure the tank between the frame rails underneath the motorhome. A little difficult to get to it but you don't need it very often and it's well out of the way stored up there.

[bldrbob]

I do what Tonymac does but I have a clear extension so I can see what is happening in the pipe.Don't want a surprise when I open the valve.I don't have the valve ,just a cap with the hose connection and a small hose shutoff to drain the pipe.

[Bob_C]

Just say'n, Therford tanks have a built in gauge....

[okmunky]

I bought a recycled 35 gallon plastic barrel that has a dump valve attached and a good hand truck that I can pull behind my toad. I've got about $150 invested in both. Compared to the Blue Boys I've seen, my setup has bigger, better wheels.

I open the bung so I can see the level in the tank and to vent the barrel. No cork and wire required.

I saw another DIY dump tank in Quartzsite that had a macerator pump, 12v battery and 20 watt solar panel all fitted together.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by NealC

Problem is an under sized gray tank. Black is fine but I can fill a gray in 3-4 days.

I just looked up the specs on your tanks and they are the same as we had: 105 fresh; 65 gray; 45 black

You didn't say how many travel in your MH but for the two of us we could last 12 - 14 days on our gray tank and still have room in the black and still fresh water left.

That includes emptying our dish water in the toilet instead of down the drain and taking quick showers and never leaving water running for washing hands, brushing teeth. We didn't do dishes after every meal - wiped them with a used paper towel and kept in the dishpan below the sink in the cabinet until we had enough to do one batch. Same goes for frypans or vegetable cooking pot. We almost always grilled outside. Wipe them out and reuse them.

Are you conserving water as best you can? 3-4 days to fill the gray is really fast.

When we had our 5th wheel we had a portable tank and used it so seldom it was more bother hauling it around than it was worth to us. We found when two weeks is up we are ready to move on anyway and dump on the way.

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

Just say'n, Therford tanks have a built in gauge....

My Barker blue boy has a gauge / inducator.