The Worst Part
Ok, I’ll admit it. There is a downside to this life. It can be described using only two words: Black Tank
We were dreading this day, Mark more than myself because he has such a weak stomach. Of course we put in hours of research, trying to find the best solution. The less messy option would seem to be unhooking and driving down to the dump station and just emptying the tank directly into the ground. However, that is such a hassle to hitch up the trailer every time.
So, we bought a portable tank. Now that we know what they are, we notice that almost everyone has them. You can spy them lurking in the shadows under the RV’s or strapped to the back on the ladders. They are very handy and very well designed to make this most unpleasant chore at least bearable. We did our first run, and while successful, seemed very inefficient.
We went to the experts. We drove down to Camping World and talked with a few people there. They were extremely helpful, and gave us some handy modifications. We went straight home, filled the black tank up with water and did it again. This time we felt much more confident. As the sun went down, we stood smiling at each other (still holding our noses, though!) as our “blue boy” emptied smoothly into the dump station.
We were so proud of ourselves, we celebrated with a campfire, complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, and smores!
Hi,
We are just getting started and just bought our travel trailer. We will be moving into it in the next few weeks. My husband and I were just talking about getting a portable tank today and I came across your blog and this post. Perfect timing!
If you can, would you tell us how many gallons yours holds? Are you happy with that size? What brand is it? Thanks!
Love reading you blog.
Kimmy
Hi Kimmy! Thank you for the kind words and congrats on getting on the road! I know you must be very excited. Our portable tank has been great. We purposely bought a large one – I believe it is 35 gallons – because we never wanted to worry about overflowing it. Our tanks hold 30 gallons, so we can have a full tank and still be able to empty into the blue boy. Admittedly, the size can make it hard to handle, but since we move every few weeks, it isn’t too much of an issue.
We bought ours at Camping World, it is a Thetford. Here is the link: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/thetford-smarttote-and-smarttote-lx-portable-waste-tanks/6073
Hope that helps, and I will be following your blog, as well!
Blessings,
Steph