Waste tank smaller than fresh tank: why? (1 Viewer)

Jan 19, 2012
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Thread title says it all really - our waste tank is around 10 litres smaller than the waste tank, leading to additional and unnecessary water anxiety! Surely if the ratios were reversed, you could happily use all your fresh water in the knowledge that the waste wasn't going to overflow? As it is, we had a little 'accident' on our last site! I've not done a survey, but glancing at other van specs, this 'waste smaller than fresh' does seem to be common practice. Can anyone tell me why?
 

slobadoberbob

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what about fluids you drink?

Thread title says it all really - our waste tank is around 10 litres smaller than the waste tank, leading to additional and unnecessary water anxiety! Surely if the ratios were reversed, you could happily use all your fresh water in the knowledge that the waste wasn't going to overflow? As it is, we had a little 'accident' on our last site! I've not done a survey, but glancing at other van specs, this 'waste smaller than fresh' does seem to be common practice. Can anyone tell me why?

not all of the water you have on board goes into the waste tank.

Bob:Sad:
 
OP
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Jan 19, 2012
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Where else does it go then? We have a separate tank for the loo flush.

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pablomc

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Making cups of tea, making ices cubes, or generally just drinking it.

Our waste tank is smaller and have never had a problem. :thumb:
 
OP
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Jan 19, 2012
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Ah. Seems we need to drink 10 litres of tea between us over a couple of days then! Still can't quite see why manufacturers seem to have a policy of making fresh bigger than waste though..
 

Terry

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Simple -cost and size constraints
terry

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scotjimland

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The same ratio is seen in the tugging world..

Standard Aquaroll is 40lt

Wastemaster (made by the same company ) is 38lt

they assume you drink 2lt per barrel .. ::bigsmile:

However, they don't take into consideration the copious amounts of 'fall down' juice consumed by some ... :roflmto:
 

Wildman

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a lot of it ends up in the toilet cassette, especially if your van like ours flushes from the main tank. We empty whenever we can and fill with fresh whenever we can, never had a problem.
 

Popeye

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Well besides tea a fair bit of water evaporates from the tea towel and the shower towel or am I the only one who washes in the M/H. I have also been known to wash my shoes and wellies, that water falls straight onto the grass.

I do recall Brian mentioning he knows some Funsters who have never defecated in their Motor Home.

Try driving with Chris Green, that'll sort that one out. :roflmto:

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keith

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Ah. Seems we need to drink 10 litres of tea between us over a couple of days then! Still can't quite see why manufacturers seem to have a policy of making fresh bigger than waste though..

No point in doing anything else, because it has worked for us all for so long why would they change it? :Doh:
 

aba

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maybe its so you can fill the kettle and have a brew whilst at the disposal point emptying it :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

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Terry

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Can't remember ;)
::bigsmile:You should have a self build --both tanks the same size :thumb:::bigsmile:
don't worry about it most waste tanks have an overflow
terry
 
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lugnutt

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i think one is meant to go the pub ,use there loo and fill your own when you get home....er no that don't work its like felling like a drink then you feel like a Curry that makes you wont a drink an another curry......foget i spoke...:RollEyes::RollEyes:
 

magicsurfbus

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If you're that worried get a 20 litre plastic jerry can with a screw cap on its side and leave it lying flat under your waste tank emptying pipe with the valve open. When it gets to about half full, empty it at the disposal point and close the valve.

I never let my waste tank fill up - I drain it into a jerry can every couple of days. When we're on French aires I empty the waste water and loo before every departure, as we never know what we'll find at the next aire. Backed up drainage gulleys of both types are not uncommon on some aires (**COU-Lacanau-GH!**)

100 litres of waste water weighs 100 Kgs - no point driving round with extra weight if you can avoid it.

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Jun 2, 2010
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Our water rates at home are based upon the same principle, they measure the amount of water into the house then charge for a percentage of that water for the sewage charge. (not much of a percentage less!!)
 

Welsh girl

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a lot of it ends up in the toilet cassette, especially if your van like ours flushes from the main tank. We empty whenever we can and fill with fresh whenever we can, never had a problem.



AHH the light dawns!!!! I always wondered that too, plus as mike says, washing up, we always (read tez) wash up in the van, tea and just water consumed. I drink lots of pure unadulterated water, now some will come on saying dont drink from the tank but we have for 4 years and never had a problem, must be immune from any nasties I suppose.
 

Road Burner

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Waste Tank

I use a waste master and let the waste water drain into that. Also an Aquaroll to fill the fresh water tank. Saves all that rigmarole of moving the Van to fill up or drain waste. Also elimenates those awful stale dish water smells in the tank.

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OP
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Yes, I too have waste and fresh water containers. But I'm reluctant to use them until I have to, as tethering yourself to containers seems at odds with the concept of motorhoming! I accept there are various ways to get around the problem of the waste tank being smaller than the fresh one, but I haven't yet seen a convincing argument as to why they should be sized that way! Cost and space don't cut it for me, since the difference in size is marginal in absolute terms. Think I;ll have to write to Mr Bentley, who made my Starburst, and ask him direct!
 

sedge

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Does no-one else chuck their veg water into the hedge? Or ditto the cold tea in the pot? There's nowt in the water except sterilised vegetable matter, which is still biodegradable - so I don't think it can ruin the eco sytem.

Many aires are made of severely compacted earth which gets further compacted by a long succession of heavy vehicles driving over it and parking on it. However most of them also drain, so eg the cold teapot or half cup of coffee, wine etc that someone forgot about, sometimes just get chucked somewhere on the edge - you wouldn't stress if you spilled it accidentally and a few drunken woodlice don't cause me any lost sleep.

Am I reprehensible? :whatthe:
 

scotjimland

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I've been on several Cls where the owner didn't want grey waste dumped in the elsan point and asked that we put it into the hedge .. so I carried a several meters of waste pipe that I attached to the grey outlet and run it directly into the hedge .. lots of sites are quite happy about this but do ask permission first .. !

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sedge

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Exactly Jim, we've had campsite owners telling us to pour the used washing up water round the nearest tree, please! and all sorts. Even ask us to discharge the waste tank (which is mainly soapy water after all since we tend to try to let fat solidify, then scrape out and bin it (in an empty can or whatever or in kitchen roll/newspaper) with a slow drive along the hedge or whatever.

Perhaps those of us who've spent years camping where no mains flow - and may even remember latrines having to be dug first :roflmto: - tend to have the hang of such things! LOL
 

FULL TIMER

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Same here, always stay on CL / CS sites and have mostly been asked to get rid of the grey waste water into the hedges etc, infact when building this motorhome I built a filter box fitted with an automatic bilge pump so I could let my onboard waste tank empty straight into the box permamently while on site and it gets pumped out automatically as soon as the level reaches about 3 inches, any grease stays in the filter, hedge / trees etc get plenty of water.
 

vwalan

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hi. tipping waste grey water into the elsan drop isnt good for the campsite as many have to pay for that to be taken away by tanker. the normal sewage may go into there own sewage system or just into the mains system.
keep the elsan chemical stuff in the right place.having the chemicals in their own sewage system can stop it working .
orthey have to pay to have the elsan drop emptied more often .
in the hedge or somewhere isnt a bad idea . might even keep the place looking green in a drought .bit like the one we are in now .ha ha .

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