Advice please - emptying the toilet holding tank
Comments
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One further tip after replacing the Cassette back into the compartment, go into the van and open the toilet blade and leave it open for several minutes, this will allow the now colder air in the cassette to mix with the warmer air in the van, thus preventing the pressure build up that will occur as the colder air, when trapped inside the cassette with the blade closed, gradually warms up and expands.
Failure to do this, particularly in colder conditions, can result in getting a face full, of a very unwanted mixture of pressurised air and fluid remnants
when next opening the blade. 
OK, that explains a lot. thanks for the tip.
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Good question Moonchip - and I sympathise with the dog with seperation anxiety. One of mine used to be the same but is now so settled in the van that she doesn't mind me going off occasionally. First trip though she managed to open the door when I went to the car for something - and I saw her heading for the A66! That was even with other canine companions. That trip was hard not being able to leave for a second - but then I fitted a fiamma bar outside the caravan so I put that across when the dogs are alone (most caravans can be opened from the inside even when locked from the outside)
I always have my blade open a touch I think someone said it avoided gasses building up in the tank. Not when travelling though.
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Good question Moonchip - and I sympathise with the dog with seperation anxiety. One of mine used to be the same but is now so settled in the van that she doesn't mind me going off occasionally. First trip though she managed to open the door when I went
to the car for something - and I saw her heading for the A66! That was even with other canine companions. That trip was hard not being able to leave for a second - but then I fitted a fiamma bar outside the caravan so I put that across when the dogs are alone
(most caravans can be opened from the inside even when locked from the outside)I always have my blade open a touch I think someone said it avoided gasses building up in the tank. Not when travelling though.
Thanks Pippah - this was my concern. I didn't want Ben to panic and realise that if he wished to he could open the door from the inside even if I'd locked it. It doesn't bare thinking about, him getting out and panicing because he can't find me
The external lock bar is a good idea and I shall look into that, for if the need ever does arise, though to be honest, I just don't like to leave him. He is very much my 'shadow' and even now, at home, he's laying at my feet.
He's the main reason I took up caravanning. Due to a heart condition I can no longer hike & camp with a rucksack, and wanted a way to show him all the things he's missed having spent 5 years of his 6 year life in a rescue shelter.
I love him to bits and just want what is best for him
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Yes Moonchip I was scared to put it mildly - not least because one of the other dogs in the caravan was an unreliable rescued GSD who hates children - and there were lots onsite! Luckily the wind was blowing so strongly that it shut the door before further
escapes! I have found that tethering dogs can make them feel more secure for some reason - but it has worked on several of my rescuees including the above GSD who threw major panic attacks in thunder storms - as soon as I tied her up she calmed down. Perhaps
it was a signal that I wasn't expecting her to "see off" the noise.0 -
One further tip after replacing the Cassette back into the compartment, go into the van and open the toilet blade and leave it open for several minutes, this will allow the now colder air in the cassette to mix with the warmer air in the van, thus preventing
the pressure build up that will occur as the colder air, when trapped inside the cassette with the blade closed, gradually warms up and expands.Failure to do this, particularly in colder conditions, can result in getting a face full, of a very unwanted mixture of pressurised air and fluid remnants
when next opening the blade. OK, that explains a lot. thanks for the tip.
I should also have explained that even in warmer conditions rinsing out the cassette with cold water will create the same cold/warm air imbalance, leading to the same possible consequence
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Wow two posts jumped in as I was typing. Yes I agree with ValDa don't use 'good' toilet paper. We used to use the Elsan expensive stuff but find that any of the supermarket's value ones are good. I'd go as far as to say the same as the Elsan ones, but
apart from touching and using I have no proof. I do pop the odd moist toilet tissue in (Sainsburys) and not had a problem.You may not have a problem popping wet wipes in your cassette but every time the drain from our CDP to our septic tank is blocked guess what , it is a wet wipe or two or three ! So please don't put wet wipes in your caravan loo ! Kellysmum
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This is a good informative post and seems to be getting to the bottom of things. I always tell people to open the blade only with the toilet cover closed otherwise the resulting spray will knock the smile off their faeces.
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This is a good informative post and seems to be getting to the bottom of things. I always tell people to open the blade only with the toilet cover closed otherwise the resulting spray will knock the smile off their faeces.
Nice to see a sense of humour
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This is a good informative post and seems to be getting to the bottom of things. I always tell people to open the blade only with the toilet cover closed otherwise the resulting spray will knock the smile off their faeces.
Nice to see a sense of humour
Arr Yes!!! the Great British Love of Toilet Humour!!!
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This is a good informative post and seems to be getting to the bottom of things. I always tell people to open the blade only with the toilet cover closed otherwise the resulting spray will knock the smile off their faeces.
Nice to see a sense of humour
Arr Yes!!! the Great British love of Toilet Humour!!!
You can tell he has a sense of humour ....... especially if he drives a Range Rover
I owned several before I "saw the light" and switched to Toyota
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With regard to putting the spout cap somewhere safe while emptying, I've found even that can go wrong sometimes. Many years ago, while on a nonCC site I put the cap on top of the 6ft high brick wall behind me while standing at the emptying point. After emptying,
I put my hand on top of the wall to retrieve the cap only to find it wasn't there. A close inspection of the ground on both sides of the wall failed to reveal the cap. I then got the caravan step so I could look on top of the wall. Imagine my surprise to find
the wall was built of those bricks that are hollow and the cap had disappeared some distance down the inside of the wall cavity.Fortunately, my children had a couple of those nylon fishing nets on bamboo poles and I was able to put some blue-tack on the end of one of the poles then poke it down the cavity to retrieve the cap. I now inspect very carefully the location I'm going to
use to store the cap while emptying the cassette.There are so many things that could go wrong when caravanning, that I sometimes wonder why I do It!
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To follow on the wet wipes theme - I have always lived with septic tanks and children born 40 something years ago - THEN we used baby lotion on toilet paper and its what I do now - kind to all things - Thetford and septic tans. There really is no need for wet wipes blocking the systems! I was recently helping out at my son's new home and it was discovered the septic tank hadn't been emptied for 15 years or so - guess what - without giving Too Much Information - the tank emptiers had left a STACK of stuff that hadn't gone down the system! Guess who had to clear up the mess???? NEVER will I use wet wipes and flush them! Unless I am certain its a mains drainage situation that is!
I won't linger on the maggots that were in the bins either! Some people have a lot to learn about rural living!
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To follow on the wet wipes theme - I have always lived with septic tanks and children born 40 something years ago - THEN we used baby lotion on toilet paper and its what I do now - kind to all things - Thetford and septic tans. There really is no need for wet wipes blocking the systems! I was recently helping out at my son's new home and it was discovered the septic tank hadn't been emptied for 15 years or so - guess what - without giving Too Much Information - the tank emptiers had left a STACK of stuff that hadn't gone down the system! Guess who had to clear up the mess???? NEVER will I use wet wipes and flush them! Unless I am certain its a mains drainage situation that is!
I won't linger on the maggots that were in the bins either! Some people have a lot to learn about rural living!
Wow,
Pippah you could have done with Derek "Blaster" Bates, our some-time Local Hero here in South/Mid Cheshire for a bit of help with that one !! Three Sticks of "Jelly", a long stick to prod the 'Crust', a wind in the right direction and Thar She Blows !! 
He was well known for emptying Cess Pits with that method which gave rise to two of his Bawdy LP's -- A Shower Of **** over Shropshire and Ditto over Cheshire ! on separate occasions obviously
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How does it take 5 pages on emptying a toilet?
I once knew a guy who had a Phd on the subject. He would have written more than five pages for his thesis. He was the sadest man on the planet.
Write your comments here...what? He must have been as happy as a pig in........eh..... a poke!
Incidentally, when in a shop up north the young
girl behind the till asked me if I wanted a poke! Don't you just love the English language?0 -
Its a fact that if you put 2 caravanners in a room together they will eventually end up talking about toilets.
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Getting bogged down on this now
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To follow on the wet wipes theme - I have always lived with septic tanks and children born 40 something years ago - THEN we used baby lotion on toilet paper and its what I do now - kind to all things - Thetford and septic tans. There really is no need for wet wipes blocking the systems! I was recently helping out at my son's new home and it was discovered the septic tank hadn't been emptied for 15 years or so - guess what - without giving Too Much Information - the tank emptiers had left a STACK of stuff that hadn't gone down the system! Guess who had to clear up the mess???? NEVER will I use wet wipes and flush them! Unless I am certain its a mains drainage situation that is!
I won't linger on the maggots that were in the bins either! Some people have a lot to learn about rural living!
Write your comments here...Wet wipes shouldn't go down a connected to mains sewer either.I recently had to clear our own home pipes, prior to the main sewer in the road. By using cleaning rods and a powerful hose. Not nice, ALL wet wipes go in the bin in this house.
6 pages now.....and all good stuff.
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Thank you for all the suggestions about using biological pods. I bought a small pack to try yesterday and I'm out in the caravan again in 2 weeks so I'll give it a try.
I already found the advice elsewhere about using olive oil on the flap seal and now include this as part of my 'shutting down' procedure.
I found it interesting to see the various notes about sceptic systems as most utilise anearobic & aerobic digestion to "liquidate" the solids. With a keen interest in environmental issues I also compost, both dry mix & with worms.
I recall reading in one publication that if one has a compost heap a man 'peeing' on it does it good, but if a woman 'pees' on it it inhibits &/or even kills the process !!
Make your own mind up on what this means
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One of the CC sites in the South West can't remember which one ? Has dry composting toilets.......my misses hated it and refuses to go back there, so no danger of her stopping the composting process. Shame because I quite liked the site otherwise, apart
from it being next door to a working quarry !0 -
My wife also refuses to return to Crossways because of the toilets.
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