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fiftysafari · 03-22-2021, 06:36 PM

I need to choose grey water tanks for my 55 Safari.
I will have composting toilet.
Kitchen sink, bath sink, and shower, shower for occasional use sponge bath sort of washing when a nice park bathhouse is not available.
I am considering a 15 gallon tank.
Is this practical?
Please share experiences.

DaveP · 03-22-2021, 06:45 PM

From experience, the gray water tank is the first one to fill up. If you can do a 30 gallon tank, that is what I would recommend. For reference, I have a 36 gallon tank.

**richard5933** · 03-22-2021, 07:17 PM

It would seem that the minimum size should be whatever your freshwater tank size will be, assuming that you'll have a freshwater tank. No chance it will run over when dry camping then.

Boondocker · 03-22-2021, 07:30 PM

15 gallons will work assuming you have a tote to off load water to the dump station and don't mind making the trip. Larger is nice, but you can make it work.

ON EDIT: I was able to get a 25 gallon one in on mine.

Bubba L · 03-22-2021, 07:36 PM

In our 55 FC we have two 20 gallon grey tanks. We also have a composting toilet. I think our fresh water tank is 20. We don’t do much boondocking so we can take multiple showers before hitting capacity when at a campground with water hookups. We’ve never needed a blue boy. But if you do boondocking a lot, I agree you should try and match your tank capacities. Good luck

GMFL · 03-22-2021, 08:50 PM

500 gallons minimum is what I would like

Seriously I would pit all you can fit.

Lily&Me · 03-23-2021, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiftysafari

I need to choose grey water tanks for my 55 Safari.
I will have composting toilet.
Kitchen sink, bath sink, and shower, shower for occasional use sponge bath sort of washing when a nice park bathhouse is not available.
I am considering a 15 gallon tank.
Is this practical?
Please share experiences.

Personally, I think that 15 gallons is enough for dishwashing and minimalistic showers when a bathhouse you otherwise plan to use is not available.

30 gallons of grey water is a lot of weight to carry, and not necessary unless you need to exclusively use your own shower.

I have had 10 gallon grey tanks for the past 14 years, and for half of that time there were two adults using that.

There are lots of ways to minimize grey water accumulation, well covered on this forum so I won’t list them, but it is very doable.

Good luck,

Maggie

AldeanFan · 03-23-2021, 06:26 AM

It’s going to depend a lot on the type of trips you do and how you use the trailer.

I think our grey tank is only 12gallons.
I’ve dry camped up to 5 days at a nascar race, but they have pay showers and we use paper plates to minimize dishes.

Greenjeans · 03-23-2021, 06:51 AM

How many travel in the trailer? A family of 6 needs would be a lot different than a couple, or a single.

**moosetags** · 03-23-2021, 07:02 AM

I would recommend as large a gray tank as the space available can accommodate. Our 25FB has a 35 gallon gray tank, and I wish it were larger. It is always the first to fill. In our camping lifestyle, we are lucky to get 3 days from the gray tank, whereas our black tank is good for 7 days. We often camp in state parks where water/electric is often available. On site sewer is usually not available.

Brian

field & stream · 03-23-2021, 07:51 AM

You don’t “need” any gray water tank - just drain the sink directly into a portable tank and dispose of it properly as needed. This is how most vintage trailers worked, and our first generation Basecamp. We have camped extensively this way for years.

Oh yeah, advice on how large should you install: as big as will fit.

Lily&Me · 03-23-2021, 07:53 AM

Except for places where dumping grey water on the ground is prohibited.

Maggie

field & stream · 03-23-2021, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Except for places where dumping grey water on the ground is prohibited.

Maggie

Great point, which I should have emphasized, and is why I said “properly”. The ground is the last choice even where legal; better options include dump stations, sinks and toilets provided at the campgrounds

uncle_bob · 03-23-2021, 09:29 AM

Hi

The typical range seems to be half the size of the fresh water up to the same size as fresh water. Indeed bigger is better for all the water tanks.

First up: Weight !! The axle / frame on your trailer can only carry just so much. I would suggest that being able to fill all the tanks and still be "safe" weight wise is a good idea.

Next: Space. Tanks don't come in an infinite number of shapes. These days, you typically want to fit in three tanks. It's very much a jigsaw puzzle. What does or does not fit will depend on the sizes of all three.

Finally: Location. The tanks really should be in the vicinity of the axle. Otherwise the weight
distribution will be all over the place as you load / unload water or waste.

There will always be grubby details about getting water in and out of the tanks. Gravity feed does restrict things a bit.

Lots to fiddle with !!!

Bob

**azflycaster** · 03-23-2021, 10:56 AM

Our 75 had a 12 gallon tank. It took a lot of planning and a portable tote to manage grey water waste. Our current trailer has a 39 gallon tank which is an excellent size for 2 people.

Mikebrady62 · 03-23-2021, 11:43 AM

As others have stated. It is always the first to fill up for us. We have a 39 or 40 gallon capacity. It always fills 3-4 times faster than the black tank.

PA BAMBI II · 03-23-2021, 12:50 PM

We have two pre-gray water tank Airstreams. I knew I did not want to fuss with a blue boy portable tank, even though I had grown up around them as a kid.

It took a lot of planning, but we had one made for the '64 Bambi II that fit between the crossmembers, but it had to be deeper than the frame (only 3" depth frame rails). It ended up having about 20 gallons of capacity. This is the same size as our fresh tank, but when you think about it, the gray tank should outlast the freshwater. At least in my family, a lot of fresh water goes into water bottles for drinking, into pots for cooking, etc. That might never make it into the gray tank.

For the '61 TradeWind, I intend to move a crossmember and fit a tank that holds about 35 gallons. This will work better for our little family, but we could get away with a smaller one. We have proven that with the Bambi.

I agree with the earlier posts on conserving water by using paper plates, using campground or rest area bathrooms when possible, limiting showers, etc. I also agree that the big tanks will weigh a lot when full, and our older Airstream frames and structures are not really made for that.

It all comes down to what a person or family is willing to give up to go "camping." We can certainly rough it for a few days...and having the gray water tanks allows us to camp overnight in a Walmart or a few nights in a State Park or in a friend's driveway and be self-contained quite literally.

Eric 26 Argo · 03-23-2021, 02:37 PM

A 15 gallon tank is fine if you are staying in campgrounds with sewer hookups. Without sewer hookups you could probably get 4 to 5 day base on your description. I would agree with the general Conesus to go as big as you can.

rucos · 03-23-2021, 02:41 PM

I installed 2 between the floor framing in my 1970 ...Im thinking they were around 20 gal each.
Being long and thin they are slow to drain. Grey is always the tanks that fill first for us.

stunami · 03-23-2021, 03:45 PM

My 19' has 21 gal Grey water tank. Works fine for me, but I'm a former backpacker / tent camper and light water user. My girlfriend on the other hand has never camped before and needs to shower every day. When she's camping, 21 gal is way too small. So I would say bigger is always better.