Water tank and gray water disposal thingie magicie

[birol]

I am thinking that, we will not really be using the water sytem (yeah right Finally has a water system alright !!!) at this rally. We use paper plates and plastic cutlery and get rid of them .... Will I regret not gettinga  gray bwater thignie magicie and connecting it and not getting water hose and stuff ? To be honest I am little bit strapped for cash (After all the expensive stuff I had to get) and and also tired of working on Finally all the time. I just want to be finished this week and declare it ready to go ......

So what do you guys think ? Do I need the water to run in it ?

[tlhdoc]

Birol I can help you work on your water system at the rally.  If you don't have any leaks and the pump works it will be easy to do.  I also have a secret way to solve leaks in the pipes.  All you should need for a drain is a bucket (with a lid is better) to drain your water into.  You will need something to hold water so that you have water to wash hands or what ever.  What did you use at the RJ Ranch? :confused:

[birol]

Finally has a manual pump, and a water tank ..... that is all.

At R.J. ranch everything was thrown away, and we washed the breakfast grill and by using the tap on the next site (I know very bad). Hands and mouth was ashed at the washrooms


Am I to carry the bucket to the restrooms ? Ewwww, it will spill and everything

[chip]

B--

I will assume for the sake of this post that you have a sink, with a push-pull water pump and a (galvanized) water tank that will hold 5-10 gallons of water.  The sink will likely drain through a small hose directly onto the ground.  

My suggestion:  Don't bother with the built in water system.  Just do like you would if you were tent camping (in the MOAT)--(but, Bring a hose.) Wash whatever dishes you need to wash (you'll need at least two dishpans-one for soapy water and one for rinse water) and, yes, carry the gray water to an approved dumping facility.  Just downplay the "eeeewww" factor.  Then it  just becomes one of the chores that needs to be done, right after doing dishes.  (You do have chore-doers that will be going along, eh?  And you will be using the campground facilities for personal hygiene, right?

Benefits:  You don't have to tow 40-80 pounds of water;  don't have to worry about leaks;  water containers are cheap;  your other campers will learn that camping involves some of the same chores that are involved at home, with some modifications.

And on top of that, Tracy and the Gang from Central PA will be there to help you make sure that your system is ready for the next trip.  

I wish I could be there.  Drummerboy is a great campground, and I would love to see "Finally."  


Disclaimer:  AlloftheaboveisjustwhatIwoulddoifIwereinyoursituation.  You,ofcourse,canmakeupyourownmind.  Andhaveagreatcampoutirregardless!  

[birol]

Yeah got a sink, but the water tank is just a plactis tank, nto a galvanized tank. I guess I would have to have something (bucket) under the water escape place or extend a hose to the bucket there or whatever .... I will check the prices for a hose and bucket I am not even sure if any water which goes into that tank can be used or not !

iwilldefinitelyenjoythecampgroundwithorwithourwaterandmakethemostofthisopprtunitytohaveanexceelntweek.

[tlhdoc]

Birol you have water and electric on your site (I think).  So we will check out your water system and you can borrow someones sewer connection to dump your gray water.  I don't plan on going to the dumpstation myself, just dumping at one of my neighbors that has already said I could.

[Gone-Camping]

I don't remember about the 1965 model, but the newer ones had both a water fill for the tank and a city water 'input' connection, and a check valve between the two to prevent the tank from back-filling from the city connection. If that's so, then you won't even have to worry about the tank. Not sure exactly what you have there in your unit. The plastic tank is normal, that's what almost all of them are made out of, even the classy Coleman/FFT's have plastic tanks...for that matter so does my Hybrid!

If you don't have a city water connector, then make sure you bring some bleach along so that you (and those that are helping you) can properly sanitize the tank and the entire plumbing system.
 
If you got a Wal-Mart in your area (or stop at one along the way), you can pick up one or two of the blue 7 gallon "Aqua-tainers" and use them to catch gray water in. Those white RV/Marine hoses are not expensive if you buy them from Wally World either!

[wiininkwe]

B, I used a hose from the washing machine as a discharge hose from the sink to the gray water tank.  It's just the right length, and we never get it confused with our other hoses.  We took a bit of advice from some of the other campers, and I got a small plastic adapter from the Dollar General store ($1.29) that you would hook to your home outdoor faucet if you were going to run two hoses from one faucet.  Attach it to the discharge place, and then attach the hose to that.  The extra end on the adapter allows for some venting, and the water runs out better.  There are other ways to do that, and I'm sure someone will show you, but to get started this is a cheap and effective way. We started with a white plastic bucket, and then graduated to a blue jug from Walmart, ($7.00).   The bucket is ok, but the jug has a screw on lid with a hole for the hose, keeps things more out-of-site, and has a handle for carrying, and a pour spout for easy pouring.
It sounds like you have got Finally sooo ready for camping, and you and your family are going to have sooo much fun in her. (Him?)  I forgot, is it a her or a him?  
 
everyoneontheboardfeelsthatFinallyisourstoo,acommunitycamperandwe'reall
waitingtoseehertakehermaidenvoyagewithyourfamily.remembertotakelotsofpics
sowecanallbepartofthefun.
 
T

[angelsmom10]

Our '85 Starcraft had the pump faucet, but we never used it.  We just did like we used to do when we tent camped.  We had a 5gl collapsable jug we would go up and fill at the faucet, heat water to wash dishes in a pot, put in a plastic dish pan and rinse from the jug.  We'd fill it up everyday, but it worked great.  Jug I believe was about 5-10 at WalMart and the dishpan was a few bucks.

[Steve-o-bud]

Birol, while camping in Yosemite National Park, there are no hookups whatsoever. So, the way we dealt with the water situation:

We have a Coleman battery powered shower pump w/shower head. This is nice, because the shower head itself can be adjusted to stop the flow of water. The 'input side' has a fitting which threads directly to a Coleman colapsable 5 gallon water jug. It also can be submersed into a bucket of water, stream, etc, to use as a source of water.

We used this setup to fetch water and pump water from the colapsable jug to fill the 20 gallon tank.

As for gray water, we used a 12 quart bucket to carry the sink water back to restroom, pouring it into a toilet for disposal. This way, I am able to keep track of the amount of water being used. Since it is only sink water, it is not too gross...

We have a Coleman shower enclosure, and I carry a second bucket, and a mason's mixing tray. I use the mason's tray (obtained at home depot), as a catch basin in the shower enclosure. I fill the bucket with nice, hot water. The battery power pump input is submersed into the bucket, and viola, I have a nice hot shower! The 12 quart bucket provides enough water to wash the hair (what remains!), the body, and luxuriate for a minute or two. When I'm done, the drain water goes into the bucket, and is hauled away to the restroom for disposal.

I also learned that at a hookup site, it is just as easy to take my grey water bucket, and pour it into the sewer drain, as it is to hook up a drain line, which generally doesn't flow too well under the best of conditions.

[birol]

Checked WM, the water thingies are 7 bucks, not bad at all. I think I will get some sort of a hose to catch the grey water and see how it works. I can not see myself carrying it to the restroom or whatever though, 6.5 gallons is a lot fo weight, a car trip I guess ....

[CAPEd CODger]

Hey Birol,
Cheryl and I are gonna be on a full hookup site with the ROO, so I will be happy to let you borrow our blue tote container for the week.
I should have what you need to get it hooked up, too.
C U there!

Bob

[birol]

Thanks Problem solved    

Birol

Hey Birol,
Cheryl and I are gonna be on a full hookup site with the ROO, so I will be happy to let you borrow our blue tote container for the week.
I should have what you need to get it hooked up, too.
C U there!

Bob

[MommaMia]

Heck... you have so many friends that I'll bet you won't even be eating at your own camper anyway... so no need to worry about wheter or not you'll have water for washing!

[Gone-Camping]

I should have what you need to get it hooked up, too.

If I remember correctly from my fathers 1965 Starcraft, the gray water drain in that thing just came out an open hose in the bottom of the trailer, so SOME engineering might be in order here. Likely you can some how extend that hose on the camper (I don't believe there is any kind of fitting on the end of it unless someone has added it), shouldn't be too hard to figure a way to get it into the container. Back in 1965 the idea of catching gray water was unheard of, so everyone just let it drain on the ground!
 
You might still pick up the aqua-tainer, use if for fresh water if you don't get the sink working. It can always be used for gray water at a later date too.
 
I'd go ahead and borrow the tote tank though, it'll have wheels and a pull handle, so you just drag it to the dump station or a site with sewer hook-ups.
 
I really wish I could go on this one, but just don't have any vacation time this year. However, by next summer I'll have some time, perhaps I'll be able to squeeze that one in!