ClassAGeek wrote: I can't understand how two tanks are ever better than one. I always dump both tanks at the same time. Why would you dump only one? Are you saving it for a special occasion? I also don't understand why dumping one tank harder than the other.
If you have two tanks, you have the inconvenience of having one full and the other with excess capacity. How is that better when you need more capacity in the first tank? Dumping grey water on the ground in not acceptable these days. So why distinguish?
Someday, I will put a valve between my tanks and be done with it.
Finally someone agrees with me. Maybe it's just the way we manage our tanks but I don't see the need for two. The only answer that made sense to me was the post about possibly standing in black water in the shower if the tank overfilled.
I normally dump both tanks at the same station. However, I always dump the black tank first - to rinse the hose with gray. If I only had one big tank, I could not do that and there is a good chance that solids will come down the hose near the end of the dump.
ClassAGeek wrote: I can't understand how two tanks are ever better than one. I always dump both tanks at the same time. Why would you dump only one? Are you saving it for a special occasion? I also don't understand why dumping one tank harder than the other.
If you have two tanks, you have the inconvenience of having one full and the other with excess capacity. How is that better when you need more capacity in the first tank? Dumping grey water on the ground in not acceptable these days. So why distinguish?
Someday, I will put a valve between my tanks and be done with it.
Finally someone agrees with me. Maybe it's just the way we manage our tanks but I don't see the need for two. The only answer that made sense to me was the post about possibly standing in black water in the shower if the tank overfilled.
Another thought on the subject..... the grey tank is used to wash out the hose from the black tank as it usually goes first. If I'm not mistaken, the Newell coaches use one large tank.
We have a 40 gallon black, 70 gallon grey. We have no problem filling the grey first!
MM.
Mr.Mark
2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42.2 ft., 4 slides, 425 hp clean-air Cummins diesel
2013 Honda CR-V EXL, AWD, w/Nav, SMI Air Force One vacuum-assisted braking
roadweary wrote: I'm starting to wonder about my black tank too. Perhaps some other drains empty into it and I think I'll check that next time I'm dumping. I'll empty the black and then run the sinks for awhile and try to empty again. I don't trust the gauges much but I can see the black tank rising in the throat beneath the toilet when it's getting full.
In my plumbing area the only way to tell the black tank from the gray tank is one has a grey handle and the other has a black handle. (That and I know which is which) When I first bought my motorhome after the first trip or two I was able to figure out that the handles were on backwards. The gray handle was on the black tank and visa versa. Check and make sure something like that hasn't happened to you.
2004 National Tropi-Cal T-350, Class A, Triple slide, 330 HP Cat DP. 2006 Dodge Dakota 4x4 or
2002 Harley FLSTF Fat Boy on a Trailer or
2004 Polaris Quad on the Trailer
A fresh water hose attachment could be added by the manufacturer to allow you to flush a single tank system. Simple and better than flushing with gray water.
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Happy Ford F-53 Class A Owner (2008 Gulf Stream)
2010 Ford Fusion Toad (with 6 speed manual transmission - the only way to tow)
Brake Buddy Vantage, Blue Ox Aladdin Tow Bar,
TST RV 507 TPMS, Power Master Voltage Controller
DUal tanks are a requirement that came from the 70s when it was not a requirement at all, and not so "Grey" water would overfill into the shower pan.
I like the ability to dump the grey water in the desert, those plants sure need the water when in dispersed camping. Not so good if the campground has neighbors, and the dirt might have a chance to start smelling.
I always bury my grey water, so it will not attract bugs. My 59 gallon black water tank will last for more than a month, you must be using to much water when dry camping, or the gauge is not accurate at all. I even pour my bath water down the black water tank if I am in a campground more than 5 nights, to avoid overfilling my grey tank. If I will be there 8 nights, then I figure I will have to dump and refill the fresh tank on night 4, give in and use more water, not worry about overfilling the tanks. 7 nights I think I can manage, or just dump on night 6, and take one days worth of water back home.
ClassAGeek wrote: I can't understand how two tanks are ever better than one. I always dump both tanks at the same time. ...........
When you are parked for a couple of weeks you can just leave the grey open all the time and prevent daily showers etc... from filling it up. The black can generally last a week to 10 days with two people depending uopn the size of the tank.
As others have mentioned, if you ever get an overflow back-up, you really don't want 'black' water into your shower or sinks.
You have prety well been answered, about why seperate Holding Tanks, so I won't go there.
Its really pretty simple. If you plan on doing a lot of "Boondocking", you really need to learn how to conserve your water usage much better.
We do almost nothing but Boondocking. And we never have to use our Toilets Water Supply. That is what left over, collected "Shower Water" is for. You can also collect water from your Kitchen Sink also.
We start out with a few filled 1 Gallon Milk Jugs. And we continue to keep adding to the Milk Jugs. That way we never have to use the Toilets Water Supply.
With just the two of us, we can go for quite a while with our 75 Gallon Black & Gray Tanks. Even when we had our 5er with only 40 Gallon Black & Gray Tanks, we still could stay for quite a while.
The Smaller the Holding Tanks, the harder you have to work at conserving water usage.
If you have access to other water sorces, you can add to Milk Jugs as well.
There are also many ways to conserve the water usage with Showers also. Time to think outside of the so called Box.
Its all a learning process to be a good Boondocker. And how good you are, determnins how long you can stay before you need to dump your tanks.
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