Porta Potty

[wolfpack]

Ok, I am I the only redneck here on a shoe string budget that's thinking of putting a porta potty in? just finished gutting the interior am am impressed with the overall condition of the floors, very minimal rot anywhere. I don't have the time, the know how, the space, the money or the will for that matter to do a all out restoration like most people on this site do. my black tank did look like its had a few repairs done to it over the years and its not in very good shape so I don't plan on using it. The toilet is junk too so out it goes. the plywood floor is in pretty good shape so having junked all the cast iron drains I'm think of just putting a 3/8" plywood overlay on the bathroom floor, install tiles and buy the best porta potty with electric flush.

Is there anyone out there who has done the same thing?

[Melody Ranch]

I am planning on the Porta Potty route for my 47, ...It can be hidden away and available when camp ground facilities are not. The new portas are really quite advanced from the old chamber pots ....

[NevadaGeo]

Drill bit boxes, 5 gal buckets- I've recently seen 6 gallon buckets, they're a little taller. It's always nicer to be inside in the winter than going out behind the reserve pit. Just don't leave it on the side of the road, thats yucky.

[richie rich]

Line it with a biodegradable type plastic liner and you're good to go.

[RickDavis]

WE used a porta potti in the 54 we used to have. Turned out to be very practical as you can remove the bottom and dump it in a regular toilet or porta john while every one else is hunting a dump station.

[68 TWind]

We have used a made by Reliance products called a "Luggable Loo" for several years tent camping. Basically a bucket with a toilet seat and lid. What makes it work are the special liner bags. They have a special deodorizer in them. Also when you remove them them have a double zip lock that closes the top so you can dump them in the trash. I looked at more expensive portapotties but this is so easy, just toss the bag. If you will be camping a lot, the bags can get expensive. This is much better than having to leave the tent at night. WalMart, BassPro,Sportsmans Warehouse, all have them.

[JoePfznik]

Who makes the best? Does anyone make one with an elongated seat?

[Ahab]

We've used them in our sailboats, tents, and pop-ups for many years. The new ones are fool proof and easy to empty. There is no real advantage to the electric flush.

[mandolindave]

I used a porta potti while I was working on my bathroom. I really only used it when I didn't feel like getting dressed to got to a bathroom or Porta John. Hint- Use a bathroom with a vent fan when emptying them. I found a black canvas case for my port potty and now use it for van camping.

But not having a built in bathroom in your trailer will most likely lessen your
trailers resale value and make it a little harder to sell.

[wolfpack]

perhaps I'll just do the porta potty thing for this summer and take my time designing a black tank and install it with a new toilet later this fall. trying to figure out what to do with gray water too? I do not want to get into where I'm going below the floors and welding tanks to frame rails. been thinking of simply running the the sink and shower drain together to a simply connection in which I connect a roll around tote to it under the trailer but will have to give that more thought too.

After having just gutted the trailer, my focus is the floor right now. have looked at hard wood floors but too pricey, looked at pics of trailers with different colored tiles but not my style. think I'll buy some good quality vinyl that looks like wood flooring and some of them looked very close to the real thing. A 19' long by 7'1" should cover the entire floor minus the bathroom, and then with the help of a friend get started reinstalling the kitchen and we are building new framework for the twin beds.

then on to installing a new water tank, new fridge, new water heater, new water pump and lines and reinstall the original wall furnace and stove/oven after I've cleaned them up... then on to sand blasting the axles and leaf springs and repaint, and replace hubs and brakes.
This gets overwhelming real fast and we trying to get this all done in the space of one month working on it on my days off.
I'll take the bathtub and the sky dome to a fiberglass place to work on. Am trying to keep my total investment below $7000 dollars when all done which includes the original trailer purchase price. Since I'm not taking the shell off and am keeping the original plywood floors (except for two small patches) I wouldn't call it complete restoration but rather a refurbish but we will be happy with it.

[wolfpack]

the floor is done and looks great. now onto putting cabinets back together. If I decide to go ahead and install a black tank, would there be any problems with odors inside if I plumb kitchen sink and laboratory sink to the black tank? I imagine I'd run the two sink drains to common line and add a vent before dumping into black tank but still am concerned about the possibility of odors working back to sinks, especially after prolonged storage and water in traps dries out. (black tank would also have its own vent)
am still thinking of just running tub drain through a trap and then out to ground where a tote can be hooked up but the further I go, the more plans seems to change.

[Arrowstream]

You could put the black tank on top of the floor. Frame around it and use it as a pedestal for the toilet.