Home Dumping Solutions for My Scenario

[NoBanjoBurns]

Hi there. I am close to nabbing a 16' Airstream Bambi that I'll be parking at my home when not in use. The only area I have available to park the trailer is off in the corner of my yard, on a gravel pad, quite a distance from my home (about 50' away). The clean out connection for my home sewer line is even farther away than that (about 80'-90').

I really want to be able to use this little trailer as a guest room for when people come to visit me. I'm in LA and our house is rather small so we don't have any room for people to crash.

I can get a water line and an electrical line out to the trailer with no issues. The main problem I'm having is how to deal with the combined grey/black water. The spot the trailer will be in is a bit of a pain to park. It has to back into a small graded area situated on the side of a slope, and it fits like a glove. So taking it in and out of that spot over and over again, just to drive it 80' to the sewer cleanout will be a huge pain, especially with the small combined tank of a 16' trailer.

What are my options here? I considered sticking a small, unpermitted, DIY septic under the pad, though that might be pushing it in a city like LA, where trailer storage is already a touchy subject.

I also considered maybe redoing the plumbing so I could dump the grey water into an outside tank and then use that to water my yard with, which would reduce how quickly the grey/black tank fills up on the trailer.

I dunno. Feels like my options are limited. Any ideas?

[Bill M.]

Maybe a macerater and pump? I think you can pump the macerated sewage though a garden type hose.

[Piggy Bank]

Check out a product called sewer solution.
It's basically a way for your use the water pressure on your outdoor hose to add force to the sewer slinky.

Macerator and pump also a good solution.

Additionally-I would explore using the 8 gallon kitchen trash bag + toddler diaper for any #2, and then disposing in your household trash. Additionally always use a trash can to throw out TP vs flushing it. If you can eliminate any solids and TP in the tank you will only make your task easier and more pleasant.

[Kevin245]

Ditto for the SewerSolution. It has worked well for us. We’ve used it on long, and slightly upslope runs with great results.

https://www.valterra.com/product/sew...-system-boxed/

[WellSaid11]

Several Rhinos together may likely work, especially if the trailer is parked uphill or up the slope from the cleanout:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-262440.html

https://tinyurl.com/5cfry4ht


This "solution" is more trouble than it is worth:

https://tinyurl.com/pe4f57av

I would also think you could run a Rhino into a custom PVC pipe run into the cleanout as well.

[CMHM]

For $100 a month, Andy Gump comes and pumps out your tanks. Same company that services the porta-potties. Might save you some hassle.

[GOUSC]

I use a bunch of Camco hoses (probably 4-5) linked together to cover the 60-80 feet to dump my tanks at home after a trip to the clean out. If you can handle the sight of the hose this should work if you have a slight decline to your clean out. The problem with a pump out on your Bambi is the holding tanks are not that big and probably wouldn’t last over your rental time.

[airdreamers]

Flo Jet macerator pump Amazon, Camping world etc.. About $275, well worth it. Used it frequently, 50+ feet. Do not leave valves open continuously, tend to clog. Good luck.

[Jim J]

Camco Rhino Heavy Duty 21 Gallon Portable Waste Holding Hose and Accessories-Durable Leak Free and Odorless RV Tote Tank (39002) , Gray


This is available from Amazon and elsewhere. 21 Gal is good for 2 to 3 days of trailer use by a couple of people.

I like the Thetford "smart tote" even better because it fills from the bottom and I do not have to worry about how low the AS dump port is.

[bweybright]

If I remember the Flojet has a 50 ft maximum push, Sewer Solution has a 100 ft maximum push. Sorry, no access to my manuals right not. I have both. The Flojet is faster and more efficient, much like a conventional dump site so it cleans the tank better. The Sewer solution goes further and slightly uphill, my situation but takes more time and doesn't really allow for fast enough flow at that length to clean tp out of the lines or the tank. Downside of the Flojet is use it or the impellers take a set and don't pump so you rebuild....ask me how I know. If you are 80 ft, I would say sewer solution, given you are providing the right tp. If frequent guests then the Flojet and make sure you are doing a full tank dump. Did a science experiment this spring. Angel Soft on Amazon commercial grade (60 rolls in a case) did much better in the house test and broke down way faster than the "RV tp) you can buy.
Good luck!!!

[rmkrum]

Charmin “Ultra Soft” toilet tissue also works quite well. SWMBO prefers that brand, so that’s what we use in the Airstream and at home. Pumps out well with a SewerSolution system.

[NoBanjoBurns]

Wow! So many great suggestions. This forum is really fantastic. Thank ya'll for the help. I'll definitely look into every single one of these ideas.

- Derek

[hikingcamera]

Spend even more money on your brand new trailer and replace the toilet with a compostable. [emoji23] Then keep all biodegradable soaps in your trailer for the grey water, and let it drain into your yard (maybe create a French drain). I’m only half joking, I’ve thought about it. My wife is still iffy though. Would make boondocking last so much longer. And no stinky slinky! It’s one thing I liked about our other trailers, no black tank. The cassette toilet in SOB #2 was sometimes a mess though, but we kept to #1s in it, so I could dump it in our toilet. Man it smelled though!

[1970 Safari]

I'd go the pipe route... ABS vs PVC your choice. If not using regularly then they may work with "slip joints" (No glue just friction) especially if you are using gravity only. For more permanent use I'd go with glue joints. The big issue would be looking at the pipes all the time-maybe some creative landscaping?

A bunch of slinky hoses would cost $$$ and will they hold up in the sun/environment over time vs the pipe route. Note that PVC sprinkler pipe will turn brittle when exposed for long periods of time.

Just my 2 cents worth.

I also want to add a dump at my house too, but the sewer runs down the opposite side of the house from the driveway and have no "clear" path to bury a pipe. Still think I will tie into the old cleanout under the house and pop a pipe through a vent screen on the driveway side. Info may not be relevant to your issue but I'm thinking out loud..sorry!

[Mx468]

Use a portable blue tote to empty waste into, then empty blue tote, you won't have to deal with moving your airstream to empty your tanks. Or get a compost toilet like hikingcamera suggested, I switched mine to a Nature's Head and I love it. I also added a 8 gal tank for the urine to drain into and got rid of the 2 gallon jug it came with. Works like a charm.

[hikingcamera]

Originally Posted by Mx468

I also added a 8 gal tank for the urine to drain into and got rid of the 2 gallon jug it came with. Works like a charm.

Genius!

[slappejackso]

I have our 16 ' Bambi equipped with macerator and garden hose dumping into a small hole in the top of the septic tank cleanout cover. Works like a charm.

[brick1]

Easy solution is a ShureFlo RV macerator pump (available on Amazon). Connects to your RV and pumps tank contents through a 3/4 inch garden hose to your clean-out. Super easy.

[NoBanjoBurns]

Originally Posted by hikingcamera

Spend even more money on your brand new trailer and replace the toilet with a compostable. [emoji23] Then keep all biodegradable soaps in your trailer for the grey water, and let it drain into your yard (maybe create a French drain). I’m only half joking, I’ve thought about it. My wife is still iffy though. Would make boondocking last so much longer. And no stinky slinky! It’s one thing I liked about our other trailers, no black tank. The cassette toilet in SOB #2 was sometimes a mess though, but we kept to #1s in it, so I could dump it in our toilet. Man it smelled though!

Hmmmmmmm. That's honestly not a bad idea at all. And I'd be willing to drop down a chunk of change to make it work. Water is super scarce in LA and I honestly could use the grey water to irrigate all the succulents in our yard or on our hillside. I guess the only thing would be guests would probably need to be educated on how the composting toilet works? I honestly know nothing about them. And this is my first RV, so I'm trying to learn everything all at once.

[hikingcamera]

Originally Posted by NoBanjoBurns

Hmmmmmmm. That's honestly not a bad idea at all. And I'd be willing to drop down a chunk of change to make it work. Water is super scarce in LA and I honestly could use the grey water to irrigate all the succulents in our yard or on our hillside. I guess the only thing would be guests would probably need to be educated on how the composting toilet works? I honestly know nothing about them. And this is my first RV, so I'm trying to learn everything all at once.

Yeah, it’s definitely a bit different and you would likely need to educate guests. Basically it has two slots, one for your pee that goes into a small jug (or as another poster suggested, could be routed to a larger holding tank), the other goes to a large container. You use some sort of decomposing agent (saw dust, peat moss, etc.) to help it decompose. There is a metal bit in there that you turn to mix it up. So each time you do your business, throw in the dust/peat, and mix it up. The end result is essentially soil. Most modern ones now also have some sort of fan and vent that keep the compost dry and the smells to a minimum. I’ve never actually had one myself, again my wife is a bit iffy. The one big pain some women have expressed is that during their period, it requires some more cleanup than a normal flush toilet. It’s certainly something I’ve thought a lot about as I think more and more about getting a piece of land and developing some sort of off grid setup to avoid having to deal with getting a septic tank (not that I’m opposed to septic, just another expense when I’d like to get up and going more quickly and cheaply).