Do you have a porta potti?

[jpreiser]

Which brand of blue stuff do you use?  Are you using the amount that they recommend on the label?  

We had a porta potty before we got the Nevada with the cassette potty, and we never have had any problems with odor.  I used to use the powdered, now I use the liquid with out formaldehyde.  4 ounces per porta potty.

The tetford?? White bottle... stuff from walmart... Ours is a cassett potty maybe I need to add more water to the holding area??? All that # 1 and the little bit of water that "flushes" it stinks after a day  or so . especially if it is really hot outside...

[Acts 2:38 girl]

Saved my life last summer!  I was, like, 28 months pregnant (slight exageration here!)  and had to walk uphill in the middle of the night X 2.  We put ours in the tent and my DS (age #) used it also.  I won't begin to tell you of my 1st dumping experience ( I do mean the potty :J ) but let me advise you to read the directions!!

[JonesFamilyJayco]

Yes, we have a Thetford porti-potti (I think it is a 155 model).  It really helps when camping with my children.  

We also purchased one of the privacy shelters that suezyque recommended last year.  It is just a simple folding shelter, but it fits great under the awning next to the camper.  Here is a link to it:  http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=77400

Last, I have a box of latex gloves that I keep in the camper for use when dumping the porti-potti.  It is ususally the last thing we do as we are leaving the campground.  The gloves let me handle both the potti and the rinse hose without contaminating my hands.  The potti is clean for the trip home, and my hands are still safe.  The gloves can be purchased at any pharmacy.

Once we get home, I dissasemble the porti-potti and wash it all down and let it drip dry next to the camper.  I add a very small amount of the holding tank chemical to the potti and it is ready for storage.

[B-flat]

Be careful with latex gloves as some people can be severely allergic to latex.  For those who are not allergic it is a good idea to keep hand clean.  The pour spout really takes care of the dumping problem.

[Calstate361]

We purchased one (I think it was about $70-80) at our local Wally World and loved it.  We were able to take it apart and store it under the front cabinet.  It fit very nicely there.  In fact, since I'm 5'8", trying to do the dishes in the sink always krinked up my back, so I would scoot the porti-potty over to the sink and sit on it (of course with the lid down) to do the dishes.  It worked very nicely.  When we weren't using it, we scooted it out of our way.   We also never had any "smell" problems.  
 
Get it, you will like the convenience and it doesn't cost all that much.
 
Joan

[NightOwl]

Our TrailManor came with a regular recirculating toilet (kind of like they have on airliners) and it  works wonderffully well and no odor problems.  We also had a brand new, never-out-of-the-carton    larger Thetford porta-pottis which we gave to a friend after a relative  gave us a (also brand new) "electric" Thetford port-potti (battery powered)  

Years ago when we dry-camped in our original Skamper pop-up, we had a basic porta-potti from Thetford and found it excellent--easy to charge, not difficult to empty if you just take your time, and also had no odor problems. READ THE DIRECTIONS FIRST!   LIke many of you have found,  ours was a great help to us when we camped with our kids.

[birol]

We have one and we are definitely going to use it on our next trip !

We didn't have one on our first trip, and I usually visit the facilities at least once a night. With the amount of beer and soft drinks and water I consumed at R.J. Ranch, it was little bit of inconvenience to walk all that distance at night.

But the last two nights, in between my trips, DD had to go too, and that made it too much !

Before our second trip, we received a gift Porta Potti from a  dear friend. But being the bone head I am, we did not take it with us, because I didn't want to learn how to use it, the space it would take in the minivan, it wasn't really a big deal and so on.  Boy, did I regret it once we arrived ! DD had to go almost every night, and that made the trip so special. Can you imagine how nice it was to walk to the facilities every night with my daughter ! She was so chirpy at 2:30 am in the morning  too !  :p

So, from now on The Porta Potti comes with us ! We will have to make a privacy section for it in our tent, and only for #1 use ! PORTA POTTI'S RULE !!! No more midnight trips ! Say no to midnight excersizes !  :J

[barbjeff]

We have a Thetford as well. We also purchased a Paha Que teepee for use with the pota potta and it has made those midnight trips to the comfort station a little more bearable, especially in lousy weather!
We usually set the teepee up in the back corner of the cs so as to afford some privacy. Not only is the teepeee a nice way to get the portta potty out of the PU to afford the user a degree of privacy, it is also a great conversation starter with your neighbours who have not seen one.

[tlhdoc]

The tetford?? White bottle... stuff from walmart... Ours is a cassett potty maybe I need to add more water to the holding area??? All that # 1 and the little bit of water that "flushes" it stinks after a day  or so . especially if it is really hot outside...

That sounds like the same stuff I use.  Are you using 4 oz. (half a cup) of the blue stuff?  I cover the bottom of the potty with water and then add the blue stuff.  I am guessing that you are not adding enough of the blue stuff.  Do you close the flap on the potty when it isn't in use?  If one of the kids leaves ours open I can smell the chemical smell in the PU, but not a "bathroom smell".  The only other thing I can think that could cause your problem would be if the chemical would have been frozen at some point in time.  Not all of the liquid blue chemicals can handle freezing.  Hope this helps.

[Tim5055]

OK, I'll jump in here.

We have a Thetford 135 (the small guy) and always keep it in a "potti tent" just outside the pop up..

We use the blue stuff, but no measuring here - pour some in the bottom of the potti tank and add a little water.

We have never had an odor that I can identify.  But, it is possible that it is because we keep it outsid in the tent.

Our Porta Potti

[griffsmom]

Scope and potty in the same sentence. What has this board degraded into??? Lori---I should have known that you had something to do with this!!!
 
gsm x2

LOL! Actually Scott, that other post you made about kneeling to use your pot was a bit TMI. Now I have a visual I'm not sure I'll ever be able to shake....
 
Thank you everyone for your input on the potty issue. We bought one today on sale at CW. DH, being the gadget boy that he is, couldn't resist Thetford's top-of-the-line electric model. I am hoping that it will fit under the gaucho sofa in our PU, since that's where I want to store it. Even if it doesn't, I am so so sooooooo happy to have a potty in the PU--not only for my 3 y/o's "peeps on the potty" bedtime delay tactic, but for my own middle of the night trips!!! (It's never a question of if, only of when! :rolleyes: ) The tip on rubber gloves is a good one too!
 
Who'da thunk that buying a portable toilet would make a person so giddy with joy!?! :J

[mikewilley]

We have a Thetford, like most folks.  Mine has an indicator on it that tells me when it is getting full.  We only dump when the indicator says it needs it and have never had a problem with odors or leaking.

BTW, if you follow the instructions emptying and cleaning is not nearly as disgusting as I thought it would be.  You should note however that anything you get the blue stuff on will stay blue!

cheers,
mike