Waste water tank?

Hello, We purchased a 1971 HiLo earlier this year and managed to get it out to our property. We haven't done much with it yet beyond that. Need to clear some stumps to get it in the right spot, and we have yet to get power and water out there.

We have decided to put some effort into getting this beast up and running in the next 12 months. Our first project is the toilet. There is currently nothing there, and the previous owner just used a portable camping toilet there. Since we are not in a situation where we'll be moving the camper and don't have a place to drain a septic tank, do you think we should just get another camping toilet, or should I go to the trouble of trying to replace the cracked waste water tank under the camper and getting a different kind of toilet? I'm inclined to just get a cheap camping toilet since we are only out there one weekend a month.

ETA: I can't figure out how to add a picture of the toilet area, but I uploaded one to an album, and maybe you can see it? We appreciate any advice, and we're hoping to get this project knocked off the list this month.

I'm not even near an expert on these things but when I purchased my HiLo I found the drain pipe/dirty water tank was leaking at the joint. I purchased a fiberglass repair kit from Walmart (auto section, about $17) and followed the directions.

As I recall it uses three components, a solvent, a glue, and fiberglass mat. Clean the areas needing repair (I used a sanding block), then clean with the solvent (throw away paint brushes helped). Then I cut the fiberglass mat to fit, got it good and goopy with the glue, then applied it to the area needing repair. Thirty min. later I repeated. Success.

Only problem was a headache (strong vapors) and personal cleanup - it didn't wash off UNTIL GOOD AND DRY. An hour later I was able to clean my hands.

Hi DFW,

I don't know much about them, or their cost, but you might consider a composting RV toilet. Good luck on your project!

DFW,

Built-in toilets were an optional item on those older models. Our 1969 had a factory installed toilet and it shared a holding tank with the sink drain (trailers were simpler back then).
Due to an irreparable tank leak, I eventually removed the built-in toilet, rebuilt the floor in the toilet space, and went with a porta-potty. Actually I came to prefer the porta-potty set-up. Much easier than the frequent dumpings required by the original combined gray/black water 20 gal. tank.

I suggest you consider leaving the trailer as is, and perhaps treating yourself to a modern new self-contained 5 gal. porta-potty. Much less expensive and easier!
Don't know very much about the composting style toilets, but if they don't require a holding tank, might be worth considering.

Good luck,
Jim

Having had to deal with a $1000+ composting toilet at a Nature Conservancy preserve we used to do volunteer work for, I would NEVER even consider a composting toilet again, for any application.

It stunk, and was an absolute headache to empty. It also required care and "feeding" with special "additives" when used. The smell was from urine, and it was strong. It even had a "stink pipe" that extended well above the second floor of the building, but it didn't seem to help much.

In my opinion, if you can't have a toilet that empties into a black water tank, get a porta-potty. Don't use either any more than you have to, and it will probably be good for at least a week. We just use our trailer potty for the night time wakeup calls to nature. The rest of the time we use the campground facilities.

We run out of room in our 30 gal grey water tank much faster than the 17 gal black water tank. As I've said in an earlier post, I dump grey water into a pan to put out campfires at night.

- Jack

Jim, that is exactly what we decided to do. It sounds like our campers have the same design. The tank underneath would have to be completely replaced since it had cracked apart and has big holes in it. I just got a 5-gallon Camco, and it was cheap.

Thank you for the feedback on the expensive composting toilets. That is good to know. We're going out to install next weekend. Toilet arrived today and looks fairly simple. There are camping toilets and showers for the lake community, so we'll be able to clean out easily. By we I mean me, of course!

Thanks for the input.

I'll post about our next booger - the sofa that won't fold out flat to a bed even though it's supposed to - once the toilet is in place.

Jim, did you attach the portapotty in any way, or does it just sit there? Do you have a picture of how yours looks now that I could see? We may need to tear something out to make the toilet sit lower.

Porta Potty

We purchased a port a potty for our two tent campers that we owned. It just sits on the floor. It is easy to put chemicals in it. When the bottom part is full it easily comes apart for dumping. You will be glad you have this when it is pouring like "Noah's Ark" in the middle of the night.