Embassy SL Class B RV

[Roads of Life]

Which is a shame really. Cassette toilets have been shown to work well, so don't quite understand the issue.
Of course, there is the weight, which was a concern of mine, but other than that, it was feasible.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Roads of Life

Which is a shame really. Cassette toilets have been shown to work well, so don't quite understand the issue.
Of course, there is the weight, which was a concern of mine, but other than that, it was feasible.

Cassette toilettes have two disadvantages:

1. Volume of 5 gal requires frequent dumping
2. Dumping is considered by many as repugnant

Adding a macerator infrastructure to a cassette is senseless, I am not sure which problem would be solved. Ambassy has innovation in their DNA, I think they could have issue with good definition of a problem being solved.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by Roads of Life

Around 12k watt hours

I was asking about size... how much space does it take up? Where is it?

[Punkinhead]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Have not decided yet. I would have moved forward with Embassy RV if they still offered the cassette toilets. But they won’t do those any longer.

I've never had a camper with a cassette toilet. What's the advantage of a cassette vs. a composting toilet? It seems like twisting a bag shut and dropping it in the garbage would be less gross than dumping a cassette.

[Roads of Life]

Oh sorry... misunderstood the question.
The batteries are inside the RV, so as long as the inside is warm, they stay warm. Even without heat on the interior is always warmer than outside.
The batteries themselves are under the bed on one side. They are in a compartment so I'm not sure of physical size. I would estimate at 2' x 1' x 9"

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Punkinhead

I've never had a camper with a cassette toilet. What's the advantage of a cassette vs. a composting toilet? It seems like twisting a bag shut and dropping it in the garbage would be less gross than dumping a cassette.

What is gross about a compost toilet is not the dumping like cat litter just twisting a bag shut, but the prep in reloading it in a filthy tank you have to carry through the van that requires cleaning and handling of poo and dealing with a container of pee you have to dispose of frequently. The smell unless you run an exhaust fan constantly and change filters. I consider that is unsanitary task. I'm not going to sit down to pee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjhS9_mBRJI

[Roads of Life]

We have a C-Head (which I'm afraid may be out of business now!). It uses composting material that you dump in a bag (you can modify it to just have a bag that you twist tie and throw away), and a separate "P-Tank" which is for what you think it is, that you dump in a toilet or whatever. There are other systems out there, like Separett, but we're happy with what we have.

[Roads of Life]

The idea of the macerator was you could use it like a black tank, dumping into sewer system or whatever. The macerator would break down and it was not fun to fix it, so they stopped doing that.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Roads of Life

The idea of the macerator was you could use it like a black tank, dumping into sewer system or whatever. The macerator would break down and it was not fun to fix it, so they stopped doing that.

Idea of adding macerator to cassette is not solving any problem, just making system way too complex.

[avanti]

That whole "cassette with macerator" episode was a classic example of linear thinking:
a) We don't like black tanks.
b) So we will use cassettes.
c) Cassettes are a pain to empty.
d) So we will add a macerator.
e) Macerator doesn't work well in this configuration.
f) So we will only support exotic "single-serve" toilets.

Might have been better to have reevaluated premise "a".

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by avanti

That whole "cassette with macerator" episode was a classic example of linear thinking:
a) We don't like black tanks.
b) So we will use cassettes.
c) Cassettes are a pain to empty.
d) So we will add a macerator.
e) Macerator doesn't work well in this configuration.
f) So we will only support exotic "single-serve" toilets.

Might have been better to have reevaluated premise "a".

Agree! I even considered getting an Embassy RV and then adding a conventional toilet with a black tank. There is plenty of room under the van to do it.

I'm going to get really familiar with cassette toilets in early 2024 on a 40-day RV tour of New Zealand and Australia. Will rent camper vans in both countries. Cassette toilet are pretty much the global standard for mobile campers. Black thanks are mostly a USA/Canada thing.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

I'm going to get really familiar with cassette toilets in early 2024 on a 40-day RV tour of New Zealand and Australia. Will rent camper vans in both countries. Cassette toilet are pretty much the global standard for mobile campers. Black thanks are mostly a USA/Canada thing.

We went to "cassette toilet" school in Iceland a few years ago. I found it perfectly tolerable but inferior to black tanks. Outside the US, the RV camping experience is very different. Basically large, high-density parking lots with very long shore power wires to centralized distribution points (this is possible because 220V cables can be much thinner). Of course, the dump stations are designed for cassettes, plus drive-over grates for dumping gray water without hoses. Cassettes make a lot more sense as part of this system than in US-style low-density camping.

[avanti]

BTW: a great many black tanks are located ABOVE the floor, with the toilet sitting on it. The tanks look like this:



They make special "low" toilets for this purpose. Won't freeze and uses otherwise wasted space.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

........................
I'm going to get really familiar with cassette toilets in early 2024 on a 40-day RV tour of New Zealand and Australia. Will rent camper vans in both countries. Cassette toilet are pretty much the global standard for mobile campers. Black thanks are mostly a USA/Canada thing.

There are 3 cassette looking like toilets but differ considerably regarding venting. So, while evaluating cassette it is good to know what type is used.

1. Portable Porta potti, cassette is closed with no provision for venting, known for burping when blade valve is open. https://www.thetford.com/product/porta-potti-565e/

2. Built in cassette without a vent, some have no venting provision but most do and manufacturer opted it out.

3. Built in cassette toilet with vent. Best is roof vent like with a black tank with self-induced draft, but power vent is often sufficient.

Long video for electric cassette vent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6JhyA7U-5g

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by avanti

BTW: a great many black tanks are located ABOVE the floor, with the toilet sitting on it. The tanks look like this:



They make special "low" toilets for this purpose. Won't freeze and uses otherwise wasted space.

Thanks - after your post I realized that is what I have on my Airstream Interstate with a 10 gallon black tank above the floor. The toilet is mounted on top of tank.

That would make it fairly easy to add a standard black tank toilet to an Embassy RV - hummm! Might want to reconsider my choices.

[rdargenio]

I thought the general concept was intriguing and with a bit more research Embassy will likely be on the short list.

[rdargenio]

Originally Posted by Rlum

Yes, it is 12 volt. The only appliance requiring inverter is the microwave. Even the heating and hot water tank is 12 volt DC. You can order their largest battery and get 2000 Ah of battery but will lose another inch of height in van. The battery is integrated into the entire floor. Very interesting concept. They are not crazy about diesel or gas fired heating systems? Something about high altitude precariousness?

Wondering what the battery replacement process is like since it is integrated into the floor.