Community Forums

kenkap · 09-06-2008, 03:30 AM

This winter, we will be in Florida, staying in mostly state parks for 2 weeks at a time. The campsites do not have dumps, and it seems that hauling a portable holding tank to the dump station is the most practical way to go. My internal gauges are not that accurate and I want to avoid overfilling the portable tank. Does anyone have recommendations on tank size and procedure?

Thanks

Ken

kenkap · 09-06-2008, 03:30 AM

This winter, we will be in Florida, staying in mostly state parks for 2 weeks at a time. The campsites do not have dumps, and it seems that hauling a portable holding tank to the dump station is the most practical way to go. My internal gauges are not that accurate and I want to avoid overfilling the portable tank. Does anyone have recommendations on tank size and procedure?

Thanks

Ken

dmason · 09-06-2008, 04:01 AM

If by portable tank you're talking Blue Boy I'm buy a big one. They're made now so they're easy to pull (three wheels down on ground) and have a side discharge opening. Wife and I get about two days usage before I dump (dishes, showers, toilet). Leaving it run longer that that just means more trips to the dump station to empty out the tanks. My record now stands at six trips in one day, i.e., wife ran a few loads thru the washer!!!

kenkap · 09-06-2008, 05:58 AM

Thanks for the reply. How did you determine the 2 day figure? On your record setting day, how did you know when to make each trip?

GaryKD · 09-06-2008, 06:37 AM

Hi Ken,
I used to have one of these. They work great. In addition to what Richard posted, some have a float indicator to tell you when the tank is full.

My only suggestion is to get one that will fit on the hitch of your toad. Plain water weights a little over 8 pounds per gallon. These tanks can get heavy real fast.

Frankie · 09-06-2008, 06:51 AM

Because I know , make sure you take in account the stuff in the hose.I made a short hose with female connectors on both ends.If you want to get a little more into it.Get a 25 gal. blue tank.Start with a empty gray,and useing 5gal. bucket,see how many it takes to reach the second light on your tank indicator.Its a little more accurate but not perfect.This can be done with black tank also.It takes a little effort to do this but if your worried about haveing an accident then try it.

Lorna · 09-06-2008, 08:16 AM

Get one of the 4 wheeled side discharge ones. they are about 30 gal. A full tote get very heavy, very quickly. Don't forget the "bobber". Handy little gizmo. I had to drill a tiny hole in the top of mine because it always wanted to hang up and give an incorrect reading. As for how often to dump. That depends on how you use it. I dump every 3 or 4 days (Sunday afternoon or Monday morning & again on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning) usually wether I need to or not. I just factor in those days to dump depending on how busy the dump station is. But then I have 18 gal each grey/black tanks with a 32 gal 2 wheeled tank (I usually dump both tanks at the same time). David rarely uses our bathroom (says it's too small) and uses the bathhouse. I use the bathhouse for showers only during the week. On weekends the Ladies side tends to get busy. Start out dumping once every 2 days, then add a day at a time (3 days will most likely be your max for heavy useage). It's better to dump more often than to over fill the tank!

thmdamit · 09-24-2008, 04:06 PM

The worse thing about those tanks is storing them when not in use.(dirty & bulky)

Bobby C · 09-24-2008, 04:24 PM

We have a 15 gallon two wheel tank. The 25 or 30 4 wheelers are nice, but I see two problems with a tank of that size. Carrying it from campground to campground. The 15 gallon fits nicely in the rear compartment of the MH in the "dirty" compartment. The other problem is the weight. Water weighs 8.33 lbs/gallon. If you plan to only camp on level paved or improved surfaces the larger tank should be fine. However, we have found that not every site we camp on is level and finished large enough so that the blue tank can be manuvered easily.

This is a case of: my mine wants the 30 gallon, but the older I get, my back likes the 15 gallon tank.

Good luck and let us know what you decide on.

Bob (WA0MQE) · 09-25-2008, 02:32 AM

I have the 32 gallon Blue Boy, with two wheels, moved it around like a wheelbarrow. I had room up under the back of the moho between the frame rails and I built a crossbar to hold it there while traveling. We used to boondock alot and used it all the time. Our tow vehicle is a pickup so I purchased a Sani-Con waste macerator pump. I put the Blue Boy in the pickup and pumped the waste with the Sani-Con into it. Then drove too the dump station and used a long enough 3-inch hose to dump it. My black tank is 45 gallons, so I just made sure I emptied it before it was full and that way I knew the 32 gallon Blue Boy would hold it all. Same with the Grey tank. I'd have to make a trip for each tank.