Eliminating your Toilet/Black Tank?

saenzm · 03-30-2018, 06:11 AM

Have any of you eliminated your toilet and/or black tank? I am thinking of removing mine to make more room for a bigger shower area (mine is pretty small).

Have any of you moved to a cassette toilet? I am thinking if I remove the toilet , I can just add a cassette toilet and problem solved.

Just curious, would you rather remove your toilet or shower?

Thanks,
Mark

Scottbaldassari · 03-30-2018, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saenzm

Have any of you eliminated your toilet and/or black tank? I am thinking of removing mine to make more room for a bigger shower area (mine is pretty small).

Have any of you moved to a cassette toilet? I am thinking if I remove the toilet , I can just add a cassette toilet and problem solved.

Just curious, would you rather remove your toilet or shower?

Thanks,
Mark

Just depends on YOUR use patterns (as always).

Years ago I used a Sportsmobile Van as an office/Camper/Vehicle to Sell my framed art prints from (I hauled a trailer). I ran around the Southeastern States for a week or two at a time till I emptied my Trailer, then headed back to restock. I'd stay at a campground a couple nights, then a motel, and then repeat. I was more of a salesman than a "camper", and I removed the toilet because I could use the storage space and also didn't like how it was laid out right at the end of the bed. I was moving and stopping so much, a public toilet was always handy enough. That rig didn't even have a shower. It suited me fine.

Now, I have a Travato and use it as a weekender/boondocker/art studio/Vehicle to MAKE my artwork. I take it to places I want to paint, camp, scout and tour different areas and then head back to work. We never stay in hotels. Mostly it's just my Wife and I, other times a kid or two. The toilet is an absolute must, or I would be stopping every 20 minutes for SOMEONE in the Van to use the facilities. I don't have anything against cassette toilets per say, but don't know why I would want to have to "dump" 3 or 4 times as often as I do with my black tank. We don't use the shower very frequently, but when we do, it sure is appreciated! It suits me fine.

So... it depends on YOUR use.

avanti · 03-30-2018, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saenzm

Just curious, would you rather remove your toilet or shower?

Personally, I'd rather remove the engine.

My wife and I both find having our own complete bathroom to be one of the great luxuries of B-van travel. After the bed, it is the last place we would compromise.

As for cassette toilets, I got to experience one in a rental rig in Iceland last year. I did not find the dump process particularly pleasant, but I guess I could live with it. I agree that the too-frequent stops are a big downside. The real show-stopper for me is that, because the system is not completely sealed, you simply cannot avoid a smelly bathroom. You are forced to use chemicals, and that only really masks the issue. With a real, plumbed blackwater system, everything is gas-tight, just like at home. Zero odor and no chemicals needed.

Finally, the thought of routinely dumping a cassette in a McDonalds bathroom is pure fantasy. The only reason it was tolerable in Iceland is that European campgrounds usually have facilities specifically designed for cassette dumping.

InterBlog · 03-30-2018, 02:02 PM

Anyone who considers a cassette toilet should watch TheFitRV's video review of one. It's hilarious.

After that, if you are still stuck on the idea, I recommend that you first buy one of the cheapies such as the Dometic 966 5-gallon (less than a hundred bucks). Make use of that in your travel scenarios and determine whether it suits your needs before you graduate to a more expensive model.

Gryphon · 03-30-2018, 02:07 PM

I'd get rid of the shower before getting rid of the toilet, but would prefer to keep both.

If your goal is to make more room for the shower, I don't see how switching from a black tank toilet to a cassette toilet would help with that. It seems to me that a cassette toilet would take up just as much floor space in the van. (Eliminating the black tank would make room for larger fresh & grey tanks which would allow taking more (or longer) showers).

avanti · 03-30-2018, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gryphon

(Eliminating the black tank would make room for larger fresh & grey tanks which would allow taking more (or longer) showers).

Or, (as I have said before) just use a combined black/gray tank and then you can have your choice.

Oliver2017 · 03-30-2018, 05:09 PM

I made a composting toilet out of an old TV stand cabinet and...have not used it yet...need to buy a van first.

I figured emptying the five gallon bucket will be easier than emptying a cassette toilet. I like the option of tossing a plastic bag into a trash can too. Keeping the liquid separated from the solid decreases the odor according to YouTube videos.

GeorgeRa · 03-30-2018, 07:09 PM

I am not sure if a cassette toilet would save you any room over a regular toilet, they are permanently mounted with built in ventilation systems. My Thetford 402C cassette has the vent which opens automatically during insertion. Cassette is completely sealed except the vent which is routed to outside.

The test done by FitRV folks wasn’t with a cassette toilet, it was a large porta potty not mounted permanently and no venting. I think, advertising of their composting toilet helped them to decide to test a large porta potty versus a real cassette toilet.

Porta potty are similar to cassette toilettes so they get mixed up but they are very different.

I have the real cassette toilet for the last 4 years and for our needs it is perfect. If I would do another conversion I would repeat the cassette route. Campground or rest stop bathrooms, dumping stations are perfect for dumping cassettes. I tend to stay away from expensive restaurant bathrooms like McDonalds or Fogo de Chão to dump our goodies.

I have a spare cassette to increase waste capacity, when full I use it as a pillow for good night dreams

avanti · 03-30-2018, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

My Thetford 402C cassette has the vent which opens automatically during insertion. Cassette is completely sealed except the vent which is routed to outside.

There is no gas-tight seal between the cassette and the toilet seat, right? Every design I have seen depends on a pressure gasket. That is the odor-producing weak spot, IMO. It is the reason why many cassette toilets have optional electric exhaust fans, which I suppose would fix the problem if you are willing to run it all the time.

GeorgeRa · 03-30-2018, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

There is no gas-tight seal between the cassette and the toilet seat, right? Every design I have seen depends on a pressure gasket. That is the odor-producing weak spot, IMO. It is the reason why many cassette toilets have optional electric exhaust fans, which I suppose would fix the problem if you are willing to run it all the time.

There is a seal between the cassette and the toilet bowl and within the cassette there is a seal for the blade valve. With the blade valve closed I can keep water in the bowl just like in a black tank toilet.

The cassette vent is closed to carry the unit around but opens automatically during insertion.

My vent is to the outside under the van, have an electrical fan but installation is dropping down on the task list due to the lack of an odor problem during my last 4 years of use.

Perhaps you had a bad seal in your rental unit in Island or a very different unit than my Thetford 402C which is very popular.

I had, never resolved, problems with the black tank toilet in our Bigfoot truck Camper but never had an odor problem with my cassette.

GeorgeRa · 03-30-2018, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Anyone who considers a cassette toilet should watch TheFitRV's video review of one. It's hilarious.

After that, if you are still stuck on the idea, I recommend that you first buy one of the cheapies such as the Dometic 966 5-gallon (less than a hundred bucks). Make use of that in your travel scenarios and determine whether it suits your needs before you graduate to a more expensive model.

The Dometic 966 is a portable toilet not a cassette toilet. FitRV did an impartial comparison of claiming the test for a Cassette toilet while testing a Portable toilet. Apples and bananas, but, from the perspective of no experience they all look the same.

Bud · 03-30-2018, 09:42 PM

Hi all,

When needed, where is the forum member that really really knows his sh*t? Maybe he'll show up.

Bud

BillsPaseo · 03-31-2018, 01:21 AM

Is there a significant difference between the two when it comes to dumping it? That was what FitRV didn't like about it. They really liked it up until they had to dump it...

GeorgeRa · 03-31-2018, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillsPaseo

Is there a significant difference between the two when it comes to dumping it? That was what FitRV didn't like about it. They really liked it up until they had to dump it...

Cassette toilets have stationary flush water tanks so cassettes need to by just removed without unlatching and lifting a heavy upper flush water tank. Getting from a camper to the bathroom yes, cassettes easier because they are on wheels.

Actual dumping could be similar assuming the portable tank has a vent valve which needs to be opened during a dump, by pressing on the pushbutton, to prevent splashing. Is there an odor, yes, for about 10-15 sec. which is how long it takes to dump the stuff. Is odor much worse than during a sitting session, perhaps, but it depends on food. After dump just flash the toilet and the odor is gone, well, almost gone.

Is handling a cassette during dumping pleasurable, no, it is not. Is dumping a black tank a pleasurable act, no, it is not.

Do I agree with FitRV review, absolutely not. Recently someone posted their review of a new suspension improvement, wow, they called it subjective, I agree with that.

avanti · 03-31-2018, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Is handling a cassette during dumping pleasurable, no, it is not. Is dumping a black tank a pleasurable act, no, it is not.

Dumping a black tank with a properly set-up macerator isn't pleasurable, either. But it is a lot closer than either of the other two.

GeorgeRa · 03-31-2018, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

Dumping a black tank with a properly set-up macerator isn't pleasurable, either. But it is a lot closer than either of the other two.

...and automation of this type of system should be on the list of RV inventions for the 21st Century, would prefer way more than Li.

Davydd · 03-31-2018, 02:05 PM

If you don't care for a macerator which is best of all in cleanliness, time and effort, a simple gravity dump is way better than either a compost toilet or a cassette in handling a black tank in time and effort especially in the United States with a campground infrastructure of dumping stations everywhere. I don't understand the fascination with either cassette and especially compost which isn't compost at all and a male has to pull an "About Schmidt" to use.

As for the FitRV's videos on both, they were advertisements to me to avoid either.

BBQ · 03-31-2018, 03:59 PM

.

Easy

GeorgeRa · 03-31-2018, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

Easy

The Big Bertha cassette.

A discussion about cassettes seems to be like a black hole, share information get sucked in below the event horizon so the same religious convictions are shared, and shared, and shared…… or, it is just a toilet talk level.

Tissy · 07-09-2024, 11:20 PM

I'm with Avanti. Id sooner remove the engine. Just sized down to a class b from a motorhome. I travel alone so when there is no washroom stop I just pull over.
All campgrounds have showers. I use those most of the time. When I can't I will use the shower sitting down. Not the best but you figure out how to do the job. But my main point is your resale value. Most want a toilet otherwise they would just buy a van.

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