Advertised tank size vs. actual

[twbucksr]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

(no way do I use a blue boy for hauling black water)

We have been staying at a campground for the past 2 months without sewer (just 30 amp power and water) and purchased a 21 gallon Rhino RV Tank Tote so we would not have to hitch to dump.

After using the 21 gallon weekly for the past 2 months, I can recommend it for both black and gray tank use. Since you may already be using another brand of tote, you are aware of the low height challenge of the tank drain of the Airstream. This situation exists with any tote.

When stored on its side to reduce its footprint in the trucks bed, the 21 gallon size fits under the tonneau cover of our 1/2 ton p/u for travel. When camped, I keep it underneath our Airstream locked with a cable to the stairs.

The design and internal rinse feature of this tote makes it easy to keep clean and odor free.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Gallon-.../dp/B07CQ1WC72

[OTRA15]

Great recommendation thanks! Do you tow this portable tank to the dump station with your pickup? Is that tow adapter easy to install, and durable? If the dump station is close, would it be possible to hand-tow it, if it was partially full maybe? Do the bearings help the rolling effort?

Thanks,

Peter

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by twbucksr

We have been staying at a campground for the past 2 months without sewer (just 30 amp power and water) and purchased a 21 gallon Rhino RV Tank Tote so we would not have to hitch to dump.

<<snip>>

21 gallons of water weighs ~175 lbs.
Plus the weight of the tank, 30+ lbs.
Weighs too much for me to handle.
In my younger days, maybe.

ps: I chose the 10 gallon tote with wheels. I have two of then. Not light when full, but I can manage to lift them onto the tailgate.
So far, in 40+ years of trailer camping, I have not stayed at one place long enough to need to dump the black tank.
https://www.amazon.com/Barker-10893-...omotive&sr=1-2

[OTRA15]

Yeah . . . our 11-gallon is too much to hand-tow easily IMO. We are not squeamish about using the public rest rooms for the bodily solid waste materials.

[twbucksr]

I tow the tank to the dump station with the truck. The tow adapter is very easy to put on and take off.

You could take it by hand but I wonder why?

It is a time consuming process (2 hours typically) to make 2-3 trips for black tank including a rinse cycle and 1-2 trips for the gray tank. I have a Rhino hose system and purchased a 10’ extension to use at the dump station so the 4’ hose that comes with the Rhino Tote can stay connected to the Airstream until the task is completed. I also purchased extra caps for the hoses to keep “it” contained during transport back and forth. Both hoses (capped on both ends), connections and tow adapter fit in the bumper storage compartment.

My 1/2 ton GMC with 6.2L and Max Tow Package tows the tote effortlessly. I don’t even know it’s back there. When filled to the top, the tote weighs almost 200 lbs. I have not measured the tongue weight yet but after 5 full trips yesterday, my back is telling me today that whatever that weight is, it’s at MY hauling capacity.

[Bill M.]

We camped without sewer hookups a lot more this summer than we have before. Two weeks at a time in several locations. We had to dump a lot of times. I just towed the Airstream to the dump station. One campground sent a person towing a blue boy behind a ATV down to our site along the creek but it looked too low for the trailer and more trouble than just hooking the truck to the trailer so I thanked them and passed on it. Putting the awnings down and buttoning up the microwave is about all we had to do. You can "tow on the ball" to the dump station and back.

Maybe in real boon docking moving to a dump station is harder? But then where are you dumping the blue boy?

[billrector]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

What would be a satisfactory resolution for you?

One of the problems is that it is a long, rectangular tank with only one air outlet and if it is tipped in any direction that will reduce its capacity. Either tipped in installation or in use.

"And am I supposed to turn the camper on it’s side to get all of the blackwater out before filling?"

That is pretty much a yes.

When I want to fully drain the tank, like before storage or when I am going to work on it, I do put blocks under the offside to get it drained. Have to get the liquid over any lip at the valve. And it always flows better with a little tip.

So I think you should do an experiment consisting of raising the off side 3" and dumping and then leveling the trailer and refilling. See if that is actually part of your problem.

We dump as much by odor as by being full. Every 5 to 7 days. The ambient temperature has a lot to do with the frequency.

Have you tried boon docking it it yet? How do you know that this reduction is actually going to affect your usage? Or is there a theoretical daily quantity or what?

Does everything else work correctly? Does the trailer leak? How is the tongue weight?

Bill,

We boondock almost exclusively and we do not have any odor from our black tank. I’m not sure what we are doing right, but we use a lot of water after we dump and use some type of chemical specifically for black tanks. My wife is very big on Poo-Pourri. You may want to try that.


https://www.poopourri.com

[n2916s]

Still wondering what the OP is seeking as an acceptable outcome. Anybody with the same trailer seeing similar results? It is a mystery...

[Tamaroak]

We have been living in our AS since 6/7/19 when we bought him new in Florida. We use Zaal’s NoFlex Digester as a tank treatment and have never had any blackwater tank odor at all. I can’t imagine cutting short a trip to dump. And our “calibrated” container used to measure capacity is US gallons, 128 oz. And if you bought a car that had a gas tank that was 75% of what the sales literature claimed would you feel OK about it? It’s a valid comparison for campers who boondock. I’m not sure why some folks don’t get this. An acceptable outcome might be to have AS come clean about their advertising.

[Ephraim]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

21 gallons of water weighs ~175 lbs.
Plus the weight of the tank, 30+ lbs.
Weighs too much for me to handle.
In my younger days, maybe.

ps: I chose the 10 gallon tote with wheels. I have two of then. Not light when full, but I can manage to lift them onto the tailgate.
So far, in 40+ years of trailer camping, I have not stayed at one place long enough to need to dump the black tank.
https://www.amazon.com/Barker-10893-...omotive&sr=1-2

We use the Rhino 36 Gal. Even though it is considerably larger, the design is relatively easy for me to lift the handle and the large wheels make it easy to roll over rough ground.
I was not able to easily use it until I installed the 3" Dexter lift kit. Now it is just the right height.
Also, the wheels actually have bearings and you can tow it with your truck to the dump station as long as you drive slow.

The smaller sizes may work better if you don't have the lift kit installed. Large wheels rule though.

[twbucksr]

I chose the 21 gallon solely on its dimensions. I wanted mine to fit in the bed of my truck on its side under the tonneau when traveling. It also is short enough to slide under my 27FB when parked.