What’s it like using a camper toilet full time?
I live full time, year round, in my 2017 Ford Transit that I converted into a tiny home on wheels. You can check out the full tour here:
Stealth camper van tour (toilet, shower, murphy bed, solar, and propane)
In this video I quickly review my DIY camper van toilet in 2 minutes. I’ll show you why the camper toilet doesn’t smell, and how easy it is to empty.
Because I live in my van year round in cold weather climates I keep the toilet black water tank inside the van to reduce the chances that the tank freezes, and also speed up the process of melting the waste inside if it does…
The waste tank inside the van is 8 gallons and I got it for less than $200 on Amazon: Camper Toilet Waste Tank
The toilet is a low profile RV toilet from Dometic: Dometic 300 Series Low Profile Toilet
I actually bought the one I have several years ago. The inside of the toilet bowl is ceramic, just like a normal household toilet, which makes it easy to clean. But I can’t seem to find the ceramic version any more. I believe the ceramic model is the Dometic 311 Series.
How to store camper toilet waste hose
I also keep the waste hose and water hose inside so I don’t have to go under the van when it’s raining/snowing outside to access and store the hoses. I show you where I store these hoses in the video. I’ve had no trouble with odor because I use water proof containers from Home Depot to lock in any unpleasant smells.
How to dump camper van waste tank
I’ve found a 15ft waste hose is long enough for the dumping stations I’ve found off the interstate or waste water treatment plants. These places have let me dump my tank legally, for free.
Here’s the waste hose I use to empty the camper toilet tank: Camper Toilet Waste Removal Hose
I strongly recommend the waste hose supports which saves you from having to lift up the hose at all the low spots to keep the waste flowing: RV Waste Hose Support
To attach a dump valve to the waste tank I glued 3″ ABS pipe to the factory hole in the bottom of the tank, and attached a Valterra gate valve to a 90 degree elbow. Valterra 3 inch gate valve for camper toilet.
Where can you dump RV/camper toilets?
I’ve found the maps on RVDumps.com to be reliable: Map of RV dump stations around America
That site will also let you know if there potable water is available. It’s important to have potable water available because you’ll want at least several gallons of water to flush out the waste hose and tank.
Does a camper toilet smell?
A camper toilet does not smell if vented and sealed properly. My biggest concern adding a toilet to my Ford Transit was the potential odor. But now after a few months in very hot and cold weather (even pooping in the van), there has been no odor from the black water tank.
I attribute that to how I’ve vented the tank. Unlike most RVers and vanlifers I’ve vented the tank through the floor. I modified a SOG II filter for my application. The SOG II filter is typically paired specific Dometic and Thetford cassette toilets used in Europe. Odor from the top of the tank is sucked through a filter by a powered fan, through a carbon filter, and out the floor. I wired the fan to only run when activated by a push button switch. I only run the fan right before I flush.
Here’s the SOG II system website for more information: SOGII Cassette Toilet Vent
