Caravans that have black & grey tanks

Submitted: Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 17:26
ThreadID: 117656 Views:3135 Replies:7 FollowUps:7
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Caravans with black and grey tanks seem to be as rare as hens teeth.

I know a cassette is classed as a black tank, but I'm looking for vans that have fresh grey and black tanks.

I have found Aurora vans have those tanks but it is not the type of van we want.

Does anyone know of any van that has these tanks?

Or can a van be retro fitted with black and grey tanks?

Any help would be appreciated.

I was looking at 5th wheelers, but most seem to be over the weight limits for a Colorado 2014.

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Reply By: Gone Bush (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 17:47

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 17:47
Why would you want a seperate Blackwater tank?

Dump Points are usually much more accessible with a cassette than with a van and dump hose.

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Follow Up By: Member - Alan H (QLD) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 18:06

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 18:06
Totally agree with gone bush. Dump points and cassettes are far more hygienic anyway than a tank that has only been drained "maybe" and not flushed out

alan
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Reply By: Member - Boo Boo (NSW) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 18:56

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 18:56
Thanks for the replies gentlemen.

I have emptied a cassette in our last van some years ago at c'van parks and found it to be a messy and smelly procedure and could never get it fully clean when I rinsed it.

That was one of the reasons I thought a tank would be better. I also wanted to free camp for more than 3 days, this was the limit of our cassette.

Maybe I should re think the black tank idea?
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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:05

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:05
BooBoo,

back a few years, I reckon the cassettes were prone to gathering and retaining "residue" (they seemed to have some sort of scissor action for the opening) and the only chemicals were proprietary ones that seemed to be a coagulating agent.

I can remember the cassette in my first van, 2007, and it was a shocker.

Now the cassettes are easy to clean and are particularly easy if you use Coles or Woolies home-brand nappy soaker. One capful and empty after 3 days.

They are also easy to dismantle to lubricate the seals etc.

My current cassette is 2009 vintage and is a huge improvement over the previous one, just 2 short years before.




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Follow Up By: Gone Bush (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:08

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:08
And if you want to bush camp longer than 3 days, just dig a hole and bury the contents like we all did when we were tenting.

Inserting a cassette into a blind mullet's journey to oblivion shouldn't make any difference.

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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:09

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:09
"I have emptied a cassette in our last van some years ago at c'van parks and found it to be a messy and smelly procedure and could never get it fully clean when I rinsed it."
How smelly it is depends on what chemical you use. Sodium percarbonate is pretty good in that respect, is cheap and ecologically sound.
Who cares if it is not spotless inside? Don't look.

I can dig a hole big enough for 20L, but any more than that becomes a problem.
Carrying a spare cassette will increase the time between dumping.

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Peter
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Follow Up By: Member - Rod N (QLD) - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:12

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 19:12
I have not found emptying a cassette messy or particularly smelly. I just rinse it out and put it back in the van, I don't inspect it to see if is super clean.

You can get another cassette if you think one is not enough. The other alternative is to dig a hole away from the camp area and empty the cassette.
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Follow Up By: Rob J8 - Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 20:25

Tuesday, Apr 28, 2015 at 20:25
only messy if you miss the hole and is splashes. The generic nappy san does a really good job and if you are worried about smell just increase the dose.
as for a grey water tank; I saw bloke at the Geelong showground who was installing a pole carrier as a grey water tank behind the back wheels of his van. Might be worth a try. Rob
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Follow Up By: braggy - Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 07:43

Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 07:43
Maybe better to add a small amount of sodium percarbonate each day, than increase the inital dose
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Reply By: Member - John T (Tamworth NSW) - Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 04:59

Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 04:59
G'day Boo Boo,
When you say "Aurora" van, do you mean Australian Off Roads "Aurora" or some other brand. AORC does black water tanks in their Matrix and the Aurora. I apologise if you have already looked at these

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Reply By: Grumblebum and the Dragon - Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 09:10

Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 09:10
I certainly would not base the decision on the purchase of a caravan based on what sort of waste tanks it had.

John
AnswerID: 553046

Reply By: Member - Warrie (NSW) - Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 19:13

Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 19:13
Hi Boo Boo. Have a pic in my head of our friends wandering down to the dump point to empty their cassette. Not looking forward to that if we upgrade to a shower toilet van. LOL Have spent some time last year in an RV in the USA. It was 10 years old and had 200 litres of fresh water. Grey tank for kitchen and shower and black for 'loo. Needed to go to a dump point every 5 or 6 days. Pull up at the dump point. Clip on 2m stretchy hose to single outlet and put outlet into sewer. Pull handle for black and then handle for grey and let them flow. Meanwhile refill fresh watertank. Pour 10 litres of water down loo to give it a good flush. Rinse off concrete at dump point when finished and rinse RV outlet. All over in less than 10 mins. Piece of cake.
The yanks have a website called Sanidumps which will give you free and $5,$10,$15 dump points. Often a servo has them and if you refuel the dump is free. Overall the whole set up over there is very user friendly .I wonder why here in Oz we didn't go the same way. Probably connected to why we drive on left and them on right. Who knows.
No doubt someone could refit a van to have a black tank. It certainly saves lugging a cassette about........ W
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Reply By: Member - Boo Boo (NSW) - Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 19:17

Wednesday, Apr 29, 2015 at 19:17
Thanks for the additional info about how to eliminate the smell etc, I have been doing more research and may have to go back to cassettes as very few caravans have them.

The reason I am looking at grey and black tanks is that many free camps now appear to be insisting on vehicles being completely self contained.

A cassette will take care of the black water and it appears that many people are now using portable containers that have a hose from the van and a cap can be fitted to the container and later emptied at a dump point.
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Reply By: renfrew - Thursday, Apr 30, 2015 at 14:03

Thursday, Apr 30, 2015 at 14:03
Hi Boo Boo,

I wouldn't go past a cassette black water tank & a tote-a-tank grey water tank.
No need to move the van when emptying time comes around.

Who would want to follow the prescribed & correct method of cleaning RV Holding Tanks.

http://www.sanidumps.com/howtoemptyyourtanks.php

KISS. Keep It Simple Sam.
AnswerID: 553102

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