SOG Toilet System. Does it really work?
Comments
-
i suppose it does.....i have actually been using a Lidl washing 'sachet' in the cassette so we arent fully 'sogged'.....however, we dont get any odours inside the loo, the niffs are shunted up the exhaust pipe and out through the roof.
i tried going 'native' with SOG (no fluids) but have settled on the Lidl sachets as they also clean the cassette thoroughly.
no appreciable difference in the 'user experience' just felt the clean loo (no limescale) was worth the capsules.
try different quantities of 'blue' or similar, reducing gradually down to zero, to see if you notice any difference.....
if all to your satisfaction, carry on with no 'blue'.....or which ever amount you think best.
give the Lidl (or Aldi) sachets a try in lieu of 'blue', takes about 5 uses before you get a fully clean (pristine) cassette.....
0 -
i guess a lot depends on how often one empties....the more regularly its emtied, the less time for any 'process' to get under way....
the sachets do seem to work well with the SOG action, along with keeping the cassette clean.
as i say, as you wind down on the blue you have left, try using gradually less and then you can compare as you get to a nil position....
0 -
To the op, it depends what you mean by Work? All that a Sog does is direct the smell of completely untreated human sewage to the outside of the van. By the use of a 12v fan and ducting.If you can stand the smell when you come to empty it ? Personally I prefer the smell of Formaldehyde laced blue fluid (Elsan original). I DO have the Thetford equivalent fitted to my van, would I use it without toilet chemical ? No way.
For me Sog 's are a waste of money, I'd rather spend the money on toilet fluid.
0 -
i must be less sensitive than some.....as i dont find emptying a cassette offensive. i also dont get close enough to it to be put off by any odour, though the Lidl sachets can be of varying 'scent' we currently use 'ordinary', rather than lavender.....
the sachets have not changed the odour of the cassette, its not really that bad, even when used in 'native' mode....
however, this must be subjective, with only the user being able to decide what works....or doesnt.
0 -
rayjsj is right about the smell. Even if used just for peeing, the smell when emptying the cassette after a day or so takes some beating. On solids, breakdown is not immediate and thus if you leave the casette long enough for the solids to breakdown, the stench on emptying is even more unpleasant.
Although you do not need chemicals in the cassette, you may need to continue using AquaRinse or similar to perfume the toilet compartment and keep the bowl clean. SOGs use a carbon filter that should be replaced every year. If you do not, then the odour is simply wafted out of the van and into the caravan awning next to you.
We had a SOG for 8 years on our last motorhome. It worked as I could cope with the smell, it wasn't a cheaper option to 'chemical' fluids as we didn't use that much, but we haven't bothered fitting one to our current motorhome.
If travelling on the Continent, you will see SOGs or similar on many vans. If you are keen on the evironment, then you will find them slightly more eco friendly even if the people parked next to you don't.
0 -
From what I have read here there seems no advantage in having it? I appreciate there are a couple of sizes of cassettes but the non bench type one would (from my experience assuming its used in preference to any onsite facilities) have to emptied every couple of days. It seems this is too short a time for it to work effectively? Would you want raw sewage to be slopping around in a tank for longer than that anyway? I am sure we would all agree that emptying the loo is not top of the list of favourite jobs its something that has to be done! I find using ordinary toilet chemicals makes the job a bit less unpleasent and when I have used bio tabs that has been slight improvement as they often have a nice smell.
David
0 -
SOG is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to foraldehyde based treatments, and will also save on the purchase of these, allowing eptying into more 'sensitive' places like septic tanks.......on CLs etc.....where chemicals are excluded.
perhaps i have less sensitive sense of smell than some other posters....
irrespective of the amount of 'blue' used in our SOG, the cassette smells no different.....to me.
yes, if you go native, the colour of the contents is different to that when plenty of blue is used....
IMHO, using loads of blue, is just 'dressing up' a job that is never going to be nice, but is no worse than some other things i can think of.....
if you have an after market SOG, its likely to vent out of the toilet cassete door......not good in a caravan with an awning on that side.....designers please note.....
however, our van, and DD's (the OP) have a factory fit roof chimney that affects no-one as far as i can tell....
if you really want your cassette contents to be blue, then this must be added.....if you're not colour conscious, then a minimum of blue, or even none at all, is perfectly acceptable....to my sense of smell....
0 -
I think it’s only the side-fitted SOG vents that have a filter.
An advantage of the extractor fan, whether or not you use chemicals, is that all smells from the toilet and bowl are evacuated when it is used. SOG does seem very popular on the continent, I wonder why we Brits trail behind?
0 -
I think it’s only the side-fitted SOG vents that have a filter.
An advantage of the extractor fan, whether or not you use chemicals, is that all smells from the toilet and bowl are evacuated when it is used. SOG does seem very popular on the continent, I wonder why we Brits trail behind?
youre right, Rogher, for those without SOG fans, the only place the 'air' has to go is back into the toilet room.....hmmmmm, a better system?
perhaps this leads to overuse of 'blue' in an attempt to mask toilet aroma....when exhausting it out through a pipe in the roof would seem more logical
so, perhaps SOG owners use less 'blue' subconsciously as they dont have to deal with in-cubicle smells....
0 -
I think the reason more Europeans use SOGs is because many European sites have septic tanks, in which the biological breakdown of waste is affected when chemicals are used.
However, these days there are green alternatives, which can be used even with septic tanks, and these should be what most responsible caravanners use these days.
I don't think that bio capsules (washing powders) are as 'environmentally friendly' as the bottled 'green' alternatives recommended for cassette toilets. Certainly we are advised not use them on the site where we have our 'British caravan' where waste goes into a septic tank.
0 -
My van had a Thetford 260 loo fitted and last year I ftted the thetford system of casset ventilation. This does not need a hole to be made in the side of the van as the exit air is via a charcaol filter through the floor, this does need drilling . the
casset has all the fittings already, all that was required was a new switching on the flush, when finished this looked the same as a nomal electic flush . very simple to install and very neat when done. did it work? yes very well, was there any downside yes,
the extractor fan though small runs for about 5 minuts after the flush, no problem durring the day but niosey at night. would I fit one again yes.0 -
wildemere, ours only runs while the blade is open, stopping as soon as its closed....
0 -
wildemere, ours only runs while the blade is open, stopping as soon as its closed....
Write your comments here...Yes I have heard that Thetford are looking at a fix. still a great bit of kit.
im not sire it isnt by design....ie, like some extractor in bathrooms....just a different philosophy.
0 -
I think it’s only the side-fitted SOG vents that have a filter.
An advantage of the extractor fan, whether or not you use chemicals, is that all smells from the toilet and bowl are evacuated when it is used. SOG does seem very popular on the continent, I wonder why we Brits trail behind?
Write your comments here...hardly Trailing behind, if you just don't like them and consider them a simple waste of money. I have the Thetford version (already fitted) but I put it's usefulness way down on the accessory ladder.
0 -
Ours came with it fitted and we have been using it with chemical so in a way the best of both worlds - no smell inside and a less nauious experience when emptying - but not a must have item.
...about the measure of it DD.....i wouldnt have fitted one, but as its there, im happy to make use of it.....
0 -
Those that have a SOG system them tend to swear by them.
Those parked next to one tend to swear at them!
A very simplistic statement, but they rely on the van owner changing the charcoal filter on a regular basis. If they don't then you really don't want to be parked next door and downwind
0 -
Sorry, should have been more clear.
Exactly as rayjsj says it's the after-market units with the filter in the cassette door that can be a real challenge when you are next to them.
They should be replaced annually at a cost of c.£8 each but sometimes aren't, which is when problems (stinks) arise.
0
