Holding tank questions

[Scavenger]

I will be parking a travel trailer on a piece of property for infrequent and short term usage. Possibly as short as an overnight visit with weeks in between. Should I empty the gray and black water after every visit or can it be left for extended periods of time?

How about storing the fresh water over time?

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Holding tank questions

Welcome to the forum, Rick.

You just have to imagine what is going on in those tanks for the "weeks" in between your visit.

It's likely that the liquid in them will evaporate to some extent. Any 'solids' will become more solid, so you will have much more trouble getting the contents out.

At least it will be more difficult to clean those tanks out after 3 weeks sitting than it will be if you cleaned them before you leave.

Your fresh water is the same. Sitting there won't make it any better. You should consider putting a disinfectant in the water, but not something that will harm you.

 

[Scavenger]

Re: Holding tank questions

Thank you,
That is what I was expecting. I suppose for the short visits I will use water jugs. Are there any problems with just dumping water directly into the toilet bypassing the flushing?

From what I have read on the forums it is recommended to fill the black water holding to 3/4 full before dumping. I was trying to figure out the capacity of the black water holding tank to figure out how much water I will need to get to the 3/4 ish level. The only spec I can find in the literature is "Dual Holding Tanks (Approx. Gals.) 66". There are the level indicators that I assume will assist in that process.

I found on article on the fresh water:
http://rvbasics.com/techtips/sanitizing-your-rv-fresh-water-system.html
I think I will only fill up the fresh water for the extended visits. Looks like I will need to get acquainted with the draining procedure.

 

[CharlieS]

Re: Holding tank questions

I have a similar question.

When I leave the campground I dump my blackwater tank, backflush it and dump it again. Then I fill it about 1/3 of the way with fresh water and put chemicals in it. When I get to the next campground, I dump it again before I start using it.

Sounds like this may not be a good idea?

 

[TexasClodhopper]

Re: Holding tank questions



@Rick: Sounds like this is a hunting camp trailer. You can figure on having between 30 and 40 gallons in each tank. I know folks that NEVER ingest the water they store in their water tank. They ONLY use it for bathing and flushing. (I don't know how, but that's what they say.) Use the level indicators to tell you when to dump. There is a BIG advantage to have "city" water under pressure available for washing things out.

@Charlie: I don't see any need to refill to 1/3. There probably is some advantage in putting enough water in there that will slosh around while you are driving. That will help stir up the stuff for the next dump. I backfill a few gallons (estimated.) I also don't see a reason to "dump it again before I start using it." Just start using it!