So we bring our new RV to our new property in Northern Georgia last fall. It was a full house with myself, the wife, daughter, mother-in-law and our two dogs. It was Thanksgiving. We laughed and enjoyed a week of leftovers. In preparation for a full house and full black water tank I purchased a large tote and a macerator. What could possibly go wrong? The Amazon reviews for the macerator were outstanding except for two one star ratings. Apparently the one star ratings was because the bayonet fitting was flimsy and could pop off. So on that eventful morning I hook everything up and slowly open the black water valve while the macerator is on. As I’m face to face with the valve the pipe began to shake and rumble. It sounded like I was striking oil. Before I could crawl out from under the RV the unthinkable happened. The macerator popped off of the pipe. All I could do was yell SHIT! I had to make a split second decision, run away or go back under to shut the valve off. I chose the later. I crawled back under the RV but was blinded by the toxic vile contents which were once inside the tank. After what seemed like an eternity I managed to close the valve. I could barely see but did notice my daughter laughing and snapping pitchers from the safety of the RV. I was covered with black water. My mother-in-law is a rather large women with a voracious appetite. The majority of the tank was from her. Sadly that’s not the end of the nightmare. I made the mistake of emptying the fresh water tanks first because we were winterizing the RV. A mistake I’ll never make again. I think I forgot to mention that we are pretty much boon docking though we have two fresh water springs and a creek on the property. I ended up washing in the creek. The nightmares have stopped but I still get chills when I watch black water tank videos. I know this story sounds unreal but it is very, very true. For the love of god I would like to know who is the engineering genius that thought it was a good idea to place the black water gate valve so far under the RV that there’s no escaping a disaster.
Oh my gosh! That cracked me up. I just bought my first camper and have been full timing for a month using a luggable loo and showering in the campground bathhouse. I was considering using the black tank in combination with a portable waste tank but after this video and this story, never!
Great 😊 video thanks we just bought our first camper just got home from our first trip went great it was a full hook up but was thinking of not a full hook what then and watched your video thanks again
This was timely. We just had to purchase one of these for our first ever no sewer hook up campground stay. No one told us about keeping the valves closed and pushing the hose up to stop the flow. Needless to say the first experience didn't go well, but thanks to you hopefully the next one will! See you soon!
My wife and I learned a valuable lesson...and it usually costs money to find this out. I would recommend if you buy a portable black/gray tank to get one with bearings in the rear wheels and maybe even pneumatic tires. We got our tank from RV dealer and it had just plain plastic wheels on a steel axle. If you tow this behind your tow vehicle at any speed of 40 km/hr or greater disaster is just waiting to happen. Those cheaper portable tanks CANNOT handle too much speed. Our tank lost a wheel because it literally melted away from friction and then the tank melted to the point it made a hole and that made a huge mess. I have seen some DIY guys use a hand truck to overcome this issue buy mounting the tank on the hand truck with ratchet straps. That does work well. Hand trucks usually have bearings in the wheels and can handle some speed. Whatever your choice is...DO NOT buy a cheap black tank if you intend to go say 1000 m or more like my wife and I had to at the park we stayed at...the cheaper tank will not survive the ride there.
I’m sooooo glad I watched your video before I empty mine!!! I just bought the same waste tank......Great tips, Great video, I’m now a fan just from this video and subscribed to your channel
Hahaha...so glad I ate breakfast FIRST, then watched this video 😂! The way Robert went about emptying everything, was logical & pragmatic (Proper planning prevents piss-poor performance...no pun intended ;) Always my best to your Family 👏🏻 👌👍😎✌🏻
Well dealing with my own sh..... Was my reason for getting rid of my RV toilet! Now I use a bucket and double plastic bag and a pee bottle. That is only if I can't find a public bathroom. But I understand that for you, with the two kids and all, that would not work. Safe travels my friends. Life is good!
I noticed your water filter is installed incorrectly. First, the top part should be connected to the parks faucet. Second the way you ha e it installed is backwards. Water flow goes the opposite way. It should go faucet, attach filter, via hose, attach your drinking hose to the bottom part of that filter then the other end of the hose goes to your RV. You might have figured this out already since it’s an older video. :)
@Jim Kerr - I disagree with you totally: #1. Jessica and Robert have their filter installed with the water flowing the correct direction. The label has an arrow clearly showing the direction of flow, and they have it right. Actually, it is impossible to install these filters backwards unless you use some M/M or F/F adapters on your hoses. They have it correct. #2. The instructions on the outside label of the filter state, "Install between flexible hoses..." They have done that correctly as well. #3. It really makes very little difference which end of the hose you install the filter on. It is a matter of personal preference and convenience. I like to have the filter on the RV end of the hose so that the water that is passing through the hose is also filtered before it enters the RV but I am careful to keep my hose sanitary, so it really makes very little difference. There is certainly no wrong end.
Very helpful. We bought the 27 gal two wheel version Thetford. We have yet to use it (on purpose). Your video is very good sgowing and explaining what you have learned which will definitely help us when the time comes we have to use our. We carry it just in case. Thanks for sharing the journey.
What if the road from RV to dump station is 400 feet away and on a rough stoney gravel road? I can see those skinny wheels digging in (partially sinking) and making it extremely difficult to pull all that weight. Maybe a small tank that can be lifted by two people into the pickup bed and driven to the dump station makes more sense?
Mine hooks to my ball for going a long distance. I also bungee the handle to the hitch so it doesn't pop off on the rough road of the NYS CG we use this at.
Thank you so much for this. We are two years out and love videos like this. Curious if you are boondocking where the dump station is not close by do you use the portable and haul in your truck? How heavy is it to get in truck bed? Or do you normally hook up and drive in with the trailer?
Hi Glenn. I typically hitch it to the back of the truck and haul it to the dump station. If there day is nice and it's a short, level walk, I'll walk it down. It's not very heavy when empty so it's not difficult to put in the truck bed. Also. Do not get the biggest portable waste tank!!! Water/sewage weighs a lot!!! We used to have the 37 gallon capacity one. Yeah. No. :)
Even though we're waiting for our house to sell before we can begin our adventures in an rv, we watch alot of your videos to learn. My question, do we need to get one of those carts that holds the black water and gray?
Hi Linda, thanks for watching! If you're going to be at campgrounds with full hookups (sewer/water) you'll never need it. Many state parks however don't provide sewer hookups, and you'd have to hook your RV up to your truck and drive down to the dump station, then drive back to your site and repark. There are also some desireable campgrounds that don't have sewer either depending on a particular site's location, and may or may not have honeywagon service on call or at all! Fulltiming now for 2.5 years, it's helped out quite a bit. Now we want to get a composting toilet or humanure toilet for solids, thereby extending our boondocking/drycamping time :)
I hope we get to meet y'all, we plan to be in national parks at times, John is a disabled vet so we get in free, and we'll probably hit some BLM places. We're both retired and our kids are scattered everywhere so besides visiting them and grandkids, we want to just experience life and being free with our 4 fur babies 😊
Thank you! Very good! We have been avoiding not full hook up camp grounds! I also like to do dishes with running water, I would have to run to the dump station 3 times a day! I may give it a try and use paper plates! :)
Hey guys great video I carry one with me to I consider it as part of the camping experience when needed add a little more chemicals in to cut down on the odor. Enjoy!
Great video, super informative! This is the first time I've come across a video the mentions this possible overflow issue; my mind exploded about that possibility. You mentioned that happened, were you using the regular-connected hose or your portable tank? I'm curious about your thoughts on if you were dumping your regular black tanks and say you were halfway thru and it starts overflowing (because it's full), what do you about the stuff already in the hose?? Is it possible for you to lift the hose and it'll go back up into the black tank??
The toughest part I have using my 27 gal tote is getting it totally empty. I wish they didn't have an area in the tote that didn't hold waste on each side of the discharge. Have you run into that? If so how do you deal with? I never thought of the S when emptying.
Hey Tom, since this video, we have gotten rid of our honeywagon. We have a composting toilet now and have been able to double our grey capacity and sometimes drip in rural areas. Did you come up with solutions for the issues you were having? Thanks Tom!
@@WalkAndPaddle When I get to the end I tilt the tote from side to side until I can get it as empty as I can. No real solution. I don't think a composting toilet is an option for us. I will just have to put up with it for now.
Hi Gene! The tank does "suck down" a little but there's no change of a collapse. Air gets in through the outlet and leaks past the closed vents too. The bigger risk is in dumping faster than the dump station can take it. Which we've only come across once, but once is all it takes!
Hi, long time watcher, first time commenter (I think). So, my wife and I have been looking at different waste totes. We have the Baker in our Amazon cart but just can't pull the trigger because they are expensive and we don't want it to suck. The problem, at first glance, with the Thetford that you have is that it appears to violate the laws of physics as you fill it from the bottom. This would seem to make everything come running back out as you are filling it up. Has this been an issue for you? But then I see the physics issue the other way, if the opening was higher than your dump valve, then you couldn't fill it up at all. Hmm...
Hi Greg. Thanks for being a loyal Explorer. 😍 The honeywagon is a tricky thing...getting the right one, using it properly... We did a blog post and video about our very first experience with one. All kinds of things went wrong. Here is the link: www.exploringthelocallife.com/rv-life-fear-pooping-public-restrooms/ Let me know if you have more questions. Also, Robert might be able to chime in later with is thoughts...he is the one that really does all this. Thanks again!! Jessica
Thank you so much for the tips! Bought first camper, in reno stages and we were sold a full black tank! Yay! Just borrowed my first HONEY WAGON ;) You covered every mistake I could see myself making lmao
That could get gross really quickly...maybe less solid top would be better. I don't think we really want to know what our black looks like. lol Thanks!
The one thing I hate about using dump stations is that the bottom of your shoes get contaminated. You didn’t seem concerned about that. I’m think I need to stock some disposable shoe protection when using any dump station. Good informative video. Thanks
It leaves much to be desired. Also never get the biggest one. It gets very heavy to mine by hand and causes more stress to so the parts and connections.
Exploring the Local Life I noticed that when you fill your portable tank that you’re laying down the portion of hose? Which automatically lowers the hose to the base of a tank making it very difficult to fill the tank up completely but only just putting a small amount in..... I watch the RUclips videos on that particular tank in your supposed to leave the hose standing up while you fill so you can fill the tank to its capacity? Not sure if that makes any sense.
So we bring our new RV to our new property in Northern Georgia last fall. It was a full house with myself, the wife, daughter, mother-in-law and our two dogs. It was Thanksgiving. We laughed and enjoyed a week of leftovers.
In preparation for a full house and full black water tank I purchased a large tote and a macerator. What could possibly go wrong? The Amazon reviews for the macerator were outstanding except for two one star ratings. Apparently the one star ratings was because the bayonet fitting was flimsy and could pop off. So on that eventful morning I hook everything up and slowly open the black water valve while the macerator is on. As I’m face to face with the valve the pipe began to shake and rumble. It sounded like I was striking oil. Before I could crawl out from under the RV the unthinkable happened. The macerator popped off of the pipe. All I could do was yell SHIT! I had to make a split second decision, run away or go back under to shut the valve off. I chose the later. I crawled back under the RV but was blinded by the toxic vile contents which were once inside the tank. After what seemed like an eternity I managed to close the valve.
I could barely see but did notice my daughter laughing and snapping pitchers from the safety of the RV. I was covered with black water. My mother-in-law is a rather large women with a voracious appetite. The majority of the tank was from her. Sadly that’s not the end of the nightmare. I made the mistake of emptying the fresh water tanks first because we were winterizing the RV. A mistake I’ll never make again. I think I forgot to mention that we are pretty much boon docking though we have two fresh water springs and a creek on the property. I ended up washing in the creek. The nightmares have stopped but I still get chills when I watch black water tank videos. I know this story sounds unreal but it is very, very true. For the love of god I would like to know who is the engineering genius that thought it was a good idea to place the black water gate valve so far under the RV that there’s no escaping a disaster.
Roaming Gnome Lol!!!!!!!! That shit is funny as hell!
Oh my gosh! That cracked me up. I just bought my first camper and have been full timing for a month using a luggable loo and showering in the campground bathhouse. I was considering using the black tank in combination with a portable waste tank but after this video and this story, never!
😬😆😂😱OMG!! What a story!!
I wish we’d watched this BEFORE we tried dumping for the first time! We learned about leaving the vent closed while dumping the hard way! 😂😂
Great 😊 video thanks we just bought our first camper just got home from our first trip went great it was a full hook up but was thinking of not a full hook what then and watched your video thanks again
I appreciate that keep valve closed for flow comment. Really came in handy.
Glad it helped!!
Which honey tank is this?
This was timely. We just had to purchase one of these for our first ever no sewer hook up campground stay. No one told us about keeping the valves closed and pushing the hose up to stop the flow. Needless to say the first experience didn't go well, but thanks to you hopefully the next one will! See you soon!
!!!! Do not let it fill up!!!! The first few times you do it, don't go more than half way until you get a feel for it!
My wife and I learned a valuable lesson...and it usually costs money to find this out. I would recommend if you buy a portable black/gray tank to get one with bearings in the rear wheels and maybe even pneumatic tires. We got our tank from RV dealer and it had just plain plastic wheels on a steel axle. If you tow this behind your tow vehicle at any speed of 40 km/hr or greater disaster is just waiting to happen. Those cheaper portable tanks CANNOT handle too much speed. Our tank lost a wheel because it literally melted away from friction and then the tank melted to the point it made a hole and that made a huge mess. I have seen some DIY guys use a hand truck to overcome this issue buy mounting the tank on the hand truck with ratchet straps. That does work well. Hand trucks usually have bearings in the wheels and can handle some speed. Whatever your choice is...DO NOT buy a cheap black tank if you intend to go say 1000 m or more like my wife and I had to at the park we stayed at...the cheaper tank will not survive the ride there.
Hi Mike. We only use ours locally at campgrounds that don't have sewer on site. Short short trips at less than 10mph.
What a beautiful family. Hope you guys have a wonderful time camping
I’m sooooo glad I watched your video before I empty mine!!! I just bought the same waste tank......Great tips, Great video, I’m now a fan just from this video and subscribed to your channel
AW!! Thank you!!
What is the name of this specific unit?
thanks for the tips. Definitely helpful for a new RVer👍
Hahaha...so glad I ate breakfast FIRST, then watched this video 😂!
The way Robert went about emptying everything, was logical & pragmatic (Proper planning prevents piss-poor performance...no pun intended ;)
Always my best to your Family 👏🏻
👌👍😎✌🏻
😂😍😂😍😂😍
Looks like a great way to avoid packing everything away just for a trip to the dump station for sure. Thanks for sharing guys! - Shane
Thanks Shane!
Well dealing with my own sh..... Was my reason for getting rid of my RV toilet! Now I use a bucket and double plastic bag and a pee bottle. That is only if I can't find a public bathroom. But I understand that for you, with the two kids and all, that would not work. Safe travels my friends. Life is good!
Yep. We're thinking of getting a composting toilet or building a "humanure" toilet :)
Always dump Black first then rinse your hose with gray.
I noticed your water filter is installed incorrectly. First, the top part should be connected to the parks faucet. Second the way you ha e it installed is backwards. Water flow goes the opposite way. It should go faucet, attach filter, via hose, attach your drinking hose to the bottom part of that filter then the other end of the hose goes to your RV. You might have figured this out already since it’s an older video. :)
Thanks, Jim. This is Jessica, so I'll need to double-check with Robert!!
@Jim Kerr - I disagree with you totally:
#1. Jessica and Robert have their filter installed with the water flowing the correct direction. The label has an arrow clearly showing the direction of flow, and they have it right. Actually, it is impossible to install these filters backwards unless you use some M/M or F/F adapters on your hoses. They have it correct.
#2. The instructions on the outside label of the filter state, "Install between flexible hoses..." They have done that correctly as well.
#3. It really makes very little difference which end of the hose you install the filter on. It is a matter of personal preference and convenience. I like to have the filter on the RV end of the hose so that the water that is passing through the hose is also filtered before it enters the RV but I am careful to keep my hose sanitary, so it really makes very little difference. There is certainly no wrong end.
Mini stinky slinky perfection. A tote toot. I like the S tip.
Sure thing Bill!! Thanks!!
Newbie here, how often does this chore need to be done for a family of 3 that love to drink a lot of beer?
You guys have good chemistry!
Thank you Sam!!
Very helpful. We bought the 27 gal two wheel version Thetford. We have yet to use it (on purpose). Your video is very good sgowing and explaining what you have learned which will definitely help us when the time comes we have to use our. We carry it just in case. Thanks for sharing the journey.
Thanks Thomas! Be sure to snug all connections down, and keep your hand on the hose connector to the RV to make sure it doesn't start to slip! :D
Exploring the Local Life - will do :)
Helped a lot. Haven’t ever seen this done. Lots of great tips I wouldn’t have known. Thank you!
This video reminds me of a saying that I saw on a garage truck once and it said "our business stinks but someone gotta do it"
😂
What if the road from RV to dump station is 400 feet away and on a rough stoney gravel road? I can see those skinny wheels digging in (partially sinking) and making it extremely difficult to pull all that weight. Maybe a small tank that can be lifted by two people into the pickup bed and driven to the dump station makes more sense?
We have never taken the tank down a rough road. A smaller tank that can be lifted into the pickup bed and driven would probably work well.
Mine hooks to my ball for going a long distance. I also bungee the handle to the hitch so it doesn't pop off on the rough road of the NYS CG we use this at.
Thank you so much for this. We are two years out and love videos like this. Curious if you are boondocking where the dump station is not close by do you use the portable and haul in your truck? How heavy is it to get in truck bed? Or do you normally hook up and drive in with the trailer?
Hi Glenn. I typically hitch it to the back of the truck and haul it to the dump station. If there day is nice and it's a short, level walk, I'll walk it down. It's not very heavy when empty so it's not difficult to put in the truck bed. Also. Do not get the biggest portable waste tank!!! Water/sewage weighs a lot!!! We used to have the 37 gallon capacity one. Yeah. No. :)
Even though we're waiting for our house to sell before we can begin our adventures in an rv, we watch alot of your videos to learn. My question, do we need to get one of those carts that holds the black water and gray?
Hi Linda, thanks for watching! If you're going to be at campgrounds with full hookups (sewer/water) you'll never need it. Many state parks however don't provide sewer hookups, and you'd have to hook your RV up to your truck and drive down to the dump station, then drive back to your site and repark. There are also some desireable campgrounds that don't have sewer either depending on a particular site's location, and may or may not have honeywagon service on call or at all! Fulltiming now for 2.5 years, it's helped out quite a bit. Now we want to get a composting toilet or humanure toilet for solids, thereby extending our boondocking/drycamping time :)
I hope we get to meet y'all, we plan to be in national parks at times, John is a disabled vet so we get in free, and we'll probably hit some BLM places. We're both retired and our kids are scattered everywhere so besides visiting them and grandkids, we want to just experience life and being free with our 4 fur babies 😊
Thank you! Very good! We have been avoiding not full hook up camp grounds! I also like to do dishes with running water, I would have to run to the dump station 3 times a day! I may give it a try and use paper plates! :)
It's convenient. Water use discipline is very important. Getting the biggest portable black tank should be avoided.
Hey guys great video I carry one with me to I consider it as part of the camping experience when needed add a little more chemicals in to cut down on the odor. Enjoy!
Thank you Drifter's Den!!
How heavy is that thing when full?
Not a glamorous, but a good one.
Great video, super informative! This is the first time I've come across a video the mentions this possible overflow issue; my mind exploded about that possibility. You mentioned that happened, were you using the regular-connected hose or your portable tank? I'm curious about your thoughts on if you were dumping your regular black tanks and say you were halfway thru and it starts overflowing (because it's full), what do you about the stuff already in the hose?? Is it possible for you to lift the hose and it'll go back up into the black tank??
The toughest part I have using my 27 gal tote is getting it totally empty. I wish they didn't have an area in the tote that didn't hold waste on each side of the discharge. Have you run into that? If so how do you deal with?
I never thought of the S when emptying.
Hey Tom, since this video, we have gotten rid of our honeywagon. We have a composting toilet now and have been able to double our grey capacity and sometimes drip in rural areas. Did you come up with solutions for the issues you were having? Thanks Tom!
@@WalkAndPaddle When I get to the end I tilt the tote from side to side until I can get it as empty as I can. No real solution. I don't think a composting toilet is an option for us. I will just have to put up with it for now.
Gotcha!! Yeah, a composting toilet isn't for everyone. Glad you found a work around. 👍👍
Well done!
Thank you William Wise!!
Quick Draw McGraw is your new name.
😆😂😜
Are you not concerned that the tank will collapse when you leave the vent closed?
Hi Gene! The tank does "suck down" a little but there's no change of a collapse. Air gets in through the outlet and leaks past the closed vents too. The bigger risk is in dumping faster than the dump station can take it. Which we've only come across once, but once is all it takes!
Thanks for sharing guys.
Thank you Marneen Zahavi!!
I love the tips
Very informative!
Thank you!
Very helpful, thank you
You're welcome!
Oh shitz!
😂
Great video!
😂🤣 Fabian do it the old way.
😆😂
Hi, long time watcher, first time commenter (I think). So, my wife and I have been looking at different waste totes. We have the Baker in our Amazon cart but just can't pull the trigger because they are expensive and we don't want it to suck. The problem, at first glance, with the Thetford that you have is that it appears to violate the laws of physics as you fill it from the bottom. This would seem to make everything come running back out as you are filling it up. Has this been an issue for you?
But then I see the physics issue the other way, if the opening was higher than your dump valve, then you couldn't fill it up at all. Hmm...
Hi Greg. Thanks for being a loyal Explorer. 😍
The honeywagon is a tricky thing...getting the right one, using it properly...
We did a blog post and video about our very first experience with one. All kinds of things went wrong. Here is the link: www.exploringthelocallife.com/rv-life-fear-pooping-public-restrooms/
Let me know if you have more questions. Also, Robert might be able to chime in later with is thoughts...he is the one that really does all this.
Thanks again!!
Jessica
Thank you so much for the tips!
Bought first camper, in reno stages and we were sold a full black tank! Yay!
Just borrowed my first HONEY WAGON ;) You covered every mistake I could see myself making lmao
You think they would of made a clear top
That could get gross really quickly...maybe less solid top would be better. I don't think we really want to know what our black looks like. lol Thanks!
The one thing I hate about using dump stations is that the bottom of your shoes get contaminated. You didn’t seem concerned about that. I’m think I need to stock some disposable shoe protection when using any dump station. Good informative video. Thanks
Wow...that's actually a pretty great point... Looks like we need to stock up on disposable shoe protectors as well!!!! Thanks!!
Your shoes get just as contaminated when you go in a public restroom. What do you do about that?
Finally, I am the first viewer!
Congratulations!!! 😍💞🎆
Send us your address at this email and we will send you some stickers!!! jessica@exploringthelocallife.com
I learned that by on job training and then the rig went up for sale ! 🤣💩
😆😂
The handle is too short
It extends.
seems like a design flaw to have the level indicator on the opposite side of the tank
It leaves much to be desired. Also never get the biggest one. It gets very heavy to mine by hand and causes more stress to so the parts and connections.
You are filling the tank from the bottom which is not going to work.
I don't think you mean what you meant to say...?
Exploring the Local Life I noticed that when you fill your portable tank that you’re laying down the portion of hose? Which automatically lowers the hose to the base of a tank making it very difficult to fill the tank up completely but only just putting a small amount in..... I watch the RUclips videos on that particular tank in your supposed to leave the hose standing up while you fill so you can fill the tank to its capacity? Not sure if that makes any sense.
I almost hurled .....
😆
he's cute
Yeah he is!! 😻😍
damn i been transporting fresh and using it to clean my grey and black 🥹 i’ve been doing it wrong