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Eaglemate · 12-07-2011, 06:43 PM

Don't laugh out loud, but I just need to know this. In these places with no sewer hookups, what good is it to have to hook up every five days or so, and pull over to a dump station?

I am looking at living in my airstream for three months, and this seems like a pain in the backside.

What am I missing here?

dznf0g · 12-07-2011, 06:52 PM

This is also a PITA, but I think you would be well served by a "blue boy". Portable waste tank on wheels. Some have 2 wheels and are pulled by your TV to the dump. Others have 3 or 4 wheels and can be pulled by hand to the dump.
Much easier than hitching up.

zlee · 12-07-2011, 06:52 PM

Well, I figure there's a balance. Are the vast majority of people with Airstreams going to want to stay for any given amount of time in one place? I'm going to be full timing in a 19' Bambi, and the size of my black tank is definitely going to be something that will limit how long I can boondock while using the toilet. I don't suppose most Airstream owners are wanting to full-time, as well, and I don't see how A/S can make everyone happy; they probably have to go for some kind of average.

I suppose you could put in a larger tank.

TBRich · 12-07-2011, 06:53 PM

Not much else you can do unless you want to use a portable waste tote to carry your "stuff" to the dump station...which is what a lot of folks do ... or use a macerator and pump it to a container in your tow vehicle to then go dump ... or use the campground's facilities.

If I were going to stay in an area for 3 months I'd be looking for a place with full hookups so I had a sewer connection.

dznf0g · 12-07-2011, 06:53 PM

Here's an example.

Search - sewer tote - Camping World

c_lewis77 · 12-07-2011, 07:19 PM

Call a portable toilet company. We use temp/portable tanks for the job trailers on my construction sites and get them from the port-a-john people. you rent the tank and they will service/ pump out when you call them. This might be an easier option.

Krupp200 · 12-07-2011, 07:25 PM

Funny watching your TV pull the poop tank. Just a typo

Ag&Au · 12-07-2011, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglemate

Don't laugh out loud, but I just need to know this. In these places with no sewer hookups, what good is it to have to hook up every five days or so, and pull over to a dump station?

I am looking at living in my airstream for three months, and this seems like a pain in the backside.

What am I missing here?

I am not trying to be flippant, but the obvious solution to me would be to not stay in a place with no sewer hookups. Even emptying a portable tank every few to several days for a 3 month period is going to become a PITA.

Ken

Krupp200 · 12-07-2011, 07:28 PM

Find another park!!

zlee · 12-07-2011, 11:54 PM

The mind boggles. Maybe if you can get axles rated to, I dont know, 8000#s?

Mr & Mrs S · 12-08-2011, 12:30 AM

Buy you one of these > Portable Tote < Keep it simple! Dump whenever you need too.
Sometimes where you need to stay dosent always have the luxury of full hookups.

Eaglemate · 12-08-2011, 06:47 AM

Ken, that would be the best situation, but ours is a little different. My little girl has to be infection-free for the next two winters. The further away from people we are, the better. I found a place near a hospital in Florida, with only a few other campers in Feb and March. Only drawback is no sewage.

I don't even know how big my holding tanks is. Guess I need to find that out. Good to know about portables though.

Crusty · 12-08-2011, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c_lewis77

Call a portable toilet company. We use temp/portable tanks for the job trailers on my construction sites and get them from the port-a-john people. you rent the tank and they will service/ pump out when you call them. This might be an easier option.

This is the solution to your problem. Nearly all large communities have waste services which offer this paid service. They supply a large on-ground tank (250 gals or so) and you dump into this tank, then they come by periodically and empty it for you.

ROBERT CROSS · 12-08-2011, 07:41 AM

Pinch off short...use the woodz and the ponda.

Bob

Nuvite-F · 12-08-2011, 08:20 AM

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is that a lot of parks that have long-term occupants offer a pump-out service. Lacking that, trundling it yourself with a blue boy or renting an above-ground sewage tank with periodic pump-outs will work.
.

Intrepid · 12-08-2011, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krupp200

Find another park!!

The Airstream comes with wheels: move!

zlee · 12-08-2011, 09:08 AM

There's more than one of you? Yeah, definitely either get a portable or a service to pump you out. Good luck with your daughter - have you tried virgin coconut oil in her diet?

**DKB_SATX** · 12-08-2011, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eaglemate

Ken, that would be the best situation, but ours is a little different. My little girl has to be infection-free for the next two winters. The further away from people we are, the better. I found a place near a hospital in Florida, with only a few other campers in Feb and March. Only drawback is no sewage.

I don't even know how big my holding tanks is. Guess I need to find that out. Good to know about portables though.

The tanks in a '75 Argosy are SMALL. Under 15 gallons for each of gray and black. The recommendations for leasing a holding tank where the lease includes pump-out of that tank sound like a good option, but you might still need a macerator pump or something like the "sewer solution" that people have good things to say about, because the outlet on our trailers is low to the ground. Unless you have a significant downhill slope to locate an above-ground tank below the level of the trailer, you'll give up some of a big external tank's capacity if you rely only on gravity to dump into it.

robwok · 12-08-2011, 10:36 AM

My 64 came with these great instructions: you dig a hole, then put a plywood half sheet with a hole in it on top of the hole, then use some of the extra dirt from the hole to hold the board down. Then you backup over the hole, and fish your slinky into the hole cut in the plywood. It's now directly under your black tank. Put a couple random coolers around and nobody's the wiser. Yeah, yeah, it's illegal in most places, but the simplicity is so appealing.

Bill M. · 12-08-2011, 10:52 AM

Your holding tank is only good for 5 days or so. The gray water tank is smaller and for use fills first.
Frankly, I would look hard for a apartment or something before I would live in a Airstream with no sewage hookup.
I would be worried about staying in a location with no sewer hookups and other trailers anyway in you situation. They probably dump gray water on the ground and spill sewage.