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Old 03-22-2017, 12:05 PM   #21
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Dump your tanks when possible then add water and cleaning pod to the black tank. Most dump stations have water supplied so you can flush throughly.
Meanwhile The sloshing around while on the road will help keep your tanks clean.
You never know what the next campground will bring. Many surprises on the road.
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Old 03-22-2017, 02:18 PM   #22
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Ditto # 12 and #14.
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Old 03-22-2017, 03:12 PM   #23
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This philosophy was an extension of advice from my grandfather, "Never pass up a restroom".
Need to tell that to my kids. Love it when they ask for a restroom after I pull out of a gas station.
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Old 03-22-2017, 05:04 PM   #24
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I think it all depends on what you know will or will not be at the next site. If you know that you'll have dumping capabilities at the next facility, may not be necessary to dump after only one night before moving on.

My usual trips are just 2-3 night weekend stays and I have trouble filling the black tank to do a proper dumping. So, I have to add a lot of water. Additionally, I miss out on the sloshing from driving with a relative full tank. I'd actually welcome the opportunity to partially fill, drive a while and then dump at the next site.

The grey tank, on the other, is a different story. We tend to use a lot more sink/shower water. I don't use disposable plates/utensils unless we're boondocking so we do dishes after every meal.
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Old 03-22-2017, 07:12 PM   #25
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We have much larger tanks in our MH than we will when we get an Airstream, so you can divide our times in half or maybe 1/3. We run off of our fresh water tank (105 gallons) all the time. With only a little management (disposable dishes whenever possible, limited showers) we can go a week before we need to fill/dump. Our black tank is 50 gallons, the grey tank is 110 gallons. I dump upon arriving at a campground, so that the solids are mixed with the liquids. I dump the black first, then open the grey valve, allowing grey water into the black tank. Then it all drains out. While I'm dumping I'm filling.

We're full-timers, so we generally stay in one place for several days to a few weeks. The exception is when we need to get somewhere fairly quickly. Then we'll stay only one night in a place, then back on the road the next day. Again, we dump on arrival at the first night's camping.

Right now, for example, we're planning on leaving here on Friday morning. We have an area picked out for the first night's stay. Tomorrow we'll try to pick a particular campground and make a reservation. If, for some reason, we can't do that Jo Ann will do so while I'm driving on Friday.
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Old 03-22-2017, 07:32 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by dlenloe View Post
What is the best course of action when leaving one campsite after a one night stay then moving on to another location in regards to the gray and black water tanks? These would obviously not be full enough to dump.
Planning your trip should help on this decision. I don't worry about dumping one or two or even three nights if I know I will be in a location to dump on the fourth. I mean, you shouldn't need to worry about full tanks for at least three days unless you are a water hog.
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Old 03-22-2017, 09:23 PM   #27
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My 70's Argosy has small grey and black tanks 10-12 gallons. I will dump after one night if I know I won't have a chance to for several days, other wise, I wait until the black is 3/4 full. If I am dumping after one night, I carry a 5 gallon water jug, fill it from the camp water supply and use it to fill the black tank before I dump. It is quicker than using the toilet water supply and mixes everything up well, then, I use another 5 gallons to rinse the black tank after it is emptied.
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Old 03-22-2017, 10:27 PM   #28
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When only staying one night there isn't going to be much in the black tank. I would not dump unless you have at least 1/2 tank or more.

One suggestion is when traveling do the number ones in the trailer but use the campground facilities for the other until you reach your destination. If the restrooms are nice I still will walk over most of the time. Mrs. cabinetmaker on the other hand will always use the trailer.

What you want to avoid is the dreaded "pyramid" which happens when the tank is emptied before full enough. Will build up over time and require a jack hammer to remove.

As for toilet paper...use as little and the lightest septic tank approved single ply you can find. Regular toilet paper can become lodged in the dump valve slide crevice and your valve will leak. You will have to dismantle the valve to fix this.

Some have never worried about these issues and been lucky...but if or when it happens your in for some real fun!
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Old 03-23-2017, 08:49 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by MelGoddard View Post
I don' t " love the design. ...."!
My black tank fills up in two days instead of 4 or 5.
Very annoying
Two days?? We've found that our gray fills long before our black and are thankful the effluent from the lav sink doesn't go to the gray tank. For those not following, see my post #10.
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Old 03-23-2017, 09:48 AM   #30
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Our Rule of Thumb

We are full-timers. Each week, we alternate between commercial RV parks, State or National parks and boondocking.

Our rule of thumb for tank capacities are:
- gray water will last two days
- black water will last seven days

Gray tank is what we think about the most. Of course, it is always empty when we leave a commercial RV park. We can easily boondock for two consecutive days without taking any special measures to minimize our gray water output. If we are staying in a State or National park, we always dump the gray water when we enter the park and if we are boondocking the next day, when we leave the park.

We dump the black tank once a week and almost always, at a commercial RV park with full hookups.

This 'rule of thumb' works for us without having to do anything special to minimize our gray water and black water output.

Of course your mileage will vary based on the size of your tanks. We tow a 2014 27FB Classic which I believe is outfitted with the larger capacity tanks that Airstream makes.

Hope this helps.
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