Incinolet

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

I will never-Never-NEVER use another storage tank type of toilet system...NO EXCEPTIONS!...pipe it up-bolt it down and plug it in....that's it...if I'm on the move I use a plastic bag and toss it out in the rest area garbage. If I'm over niteing I put up the stack and use the electric toilet.It's too simple! Very clean -No noise-No smell -No fumes with a stack....best $1500 I've spent on a RV applience.....geof

[Gary Atsma]

So... I take it you like it then, eh?
(DOH! Every time my Canadian cousins come over I start talking like that!)
Seriously(me? right!), does it require much maintenance?

[volvoman]

do you have a contact address and phone # for electric toilet. can you use it going down the road? do you burn off after every use? how much room do take up over a rv toilet?

[Doc Weaver]

incinolet.com

we use ours while going down the road. Of course you have to have your generator on.

takes about an hour to burn it up. If you need to use it before the hour is over....no problem...just restart the timer by pressing the start button.

It is about the size of a regular toilet, only stainless steel. it sits just a few inches away from the wall.

GK has his capped off when traveling. I have a clothes dryer, three flapper vent on mine, so I can use mine whenever I have power. With two adults, I empty the ash tray every 5-7 days. All I can add to GK is . "Blackwater BAD!!!"

[jbeech]

If I am understanding this, when not on shore power the generator needs to run for an hour to burn up the download, right? The downside is a $200 toilet, $250-400 poly holding tank, plus another $100 for assorted valves, hose, etc makes it about 3X the ante going in. The upside is no blackwater tank, chemicals, special toilet paper, backwashing, rubber gloves, or fee for emptying at the truck stop or RV campground.

I'm leaning toward incinerating, but would like to learn more.

[Doc Weaver]

I get teased for having an electric toilet, but once people see it in action they change their tune. I've got friends that travel on entertainer coaches (buses) full time with incinolets and they wouldn't go back to black water for anything. Its a strong investment in the beginning, but it is definitely worth it.

[jbeech]

Am I correct in assuming it's a generator-only operation? Or is it practical to operate off the truck's batteries while the truck idles? I mean, is this an alternative at all? I wonder because I have a Honda 6500ES but it's heavy, and burns gasoline instead of diesel. Since I'll be pinching pennies out of cashflow I'm not looking forward to buying another generator (not immediately) and would prefer to get something on the order of 20KW when I do so I can plug in the truck and run the house when-and-if as well.

Meanwhile, I've discovered two gotchas thus far. First, during the PM, the steering box leak at the Pitman arm turned out to not be a $5 seal and an hour's labor but a complete $1100 R&R. Second, I didn't loook closely enough and the front roof of the box has some damage, which has been repaired with silicone but looks like it still leaks because there are three missing rivets. That and it doesn't look like an especially good repair . . . yes, both are on me for getting in a hurry - heavy sigh.

Anyway, back to electric toilet ops using onboard power while idling, is this practical, or not?

[Bob86ZZ4]

I don't think you could do it with just the batteries. I think they need 120v and a fair amount of amps. I suppose you could do it with a good size inverter? Or what about a propane one? Didn't Randy get one of those?

[bushpilot]

damn as much as i hate dumping the black tank - ill continue to do it for 2000 bucks

they only require 15 amps (1800w) but they use it for 45 minutes to an hour every time you "flush"....am i right to assume (from reading) that if the process starts and someone "goes" while in process you have to RE-START the process....i can see the process running a lot and never ending (think guest or beer drinkers).

im not fond of the fact that you have to buy & use SPECIAL liners either.

considering in the course of 14 days on my mother in laws curb, my wife and i never filled our 60g black tank (and we dumped it at an interstate rest area - for FREE)...the black tanks isnt so much an issue.

the GRAY tank fills a LOT faster....and i have used the GRAY water to water friends lawns when it got full (or ive leeched it down the storm drain - ala cousin eddie / xmas vacation)

[jbeech]

Well that's an interesting take on the blackwater issue. Elsewhere, not in this thread I don't believe, someone mentioned a 3:1 ratio between graywater and blackwater usage. This makes sense because we consume a lot more water while showering than flushing in a day (I'm not big on the military showers either). Is 3:1 a concensus?

Hmmm, this thread poses food for thought, especially right now while I am watching pennies as my cash flow recovers from the truck acquisition (I only finance what I can't afford outright, e.g. the house) because otherwise I delay or do without. Another issue is Lynn hates short toilet bowls, which the incinolet has.

Finally, someone mentioned a propane powered device, what's the background on this?

[bushpilot]

if its just my wife & i - a WORST case is 2:1 (gray to black).
if 2 or 3 guys at a race - its probably better than that.....shorter showers and a lot more
port-a-john (and GRASS) use.

usually (on a long weekend) race (thursday thru sunday) or a 3 day camping trip, i end up FILLING my black tank w/ water just to get a full pressure "empty"....i rarely have ever filled the black tank (2 weeks on my mother-in-laws curb was the closest ive come)....sure we used the facilities in the house but i showered in the coach more often than in her house.

ill also add - that i dont pay to dump. we've been fortunate that along our regular paths, there are plenty of REST AREAS that offer free dump tank use.

our storage space has a dump station & wash bay as well...so if i cant find a free rest area, ill just carry it home, rinse and dump my tanks at our storage bay.

[jbeech]

It would only be my wife and I (we attend RC model helicopter weekend events instead of racing). I'm happy enough using event-supplied Port-O-Lets for liquids but like my wife, I want to place my rear on a known-clean surface.

Generally, events are 2-3 days long. There are one or two events a year, which are the better part of a week . What I don't have a clue about is planning for the discharge/washout of blackwater.

Anyway, once home I can't bring the truck conveniently close to the septic tank (it's probably 40' to the tank from the nearest concrete and I'd rather not get on the grass. As for graywater, I don't think I'd mind dumping it on the gravel driveway going to the back building (I'm on 5 acres in central Florida, but not in the boonies).

In case it's not obvious, you guys have forgotten more than I know - or put another way - what I know wouldn't fill the inside of a matchbook cover if I were using a dull crayon.

1. How do I learn if there are convenient places to dump blackwater, which are free?
2. Also, what's the typical charge at a Flying-J, or the like?
3. Is it based on capacity, or a flat rate?

I'm not really keen on the whole blue-glove hose-handling thing but realistically , I expect to use the truck about a half dozen times a year, give or take. Moreover, we'll rarely be using it more than a few days at a time because usually we take our plane to events. Short of developing wanderlust, in which case I can re-evaluate the situation, I want to be sure about the whole electric toilet vs. blackwater handling situation. After all, I'm only adding one additional holding tank but due to my woeful lack of experience it's very difficult to know whether dumping is the pain in the rear some describe, or not.

[bushpilot]

wondering if we should start another thread -

flying j charges 10 bucks (per dump) now (no longer free, even when fueling)

the problem w/ flying j - it works if your REALLY full, but there will be people waiting behind you to fuel up (assuming you use the RV lane & not the truck lanes).

i always felt rushed when dumping at Flying J...and i never had time to rinse my tank.

lots of state rest areas (usually at the entry & exit of each state/line at a minimum) have dump stations (weve found some, in florida were closed)...but along our path between texas & virginia there are plenty of rest area / free dump stations....and theres rarely a wait or pressure to rush.

Google

also many (not all) campingworlds have dump stations, which usually dont charge for dumping (even to non-members).

Google

and there are even published books on where dump stations are located (id call ahead where possible just to confirm, and before i went out of my way).

gray water (assuming its just wash/soapy water and NO BIO/WASTE) can have an odor to it...at least mine does...and if dumped on the grass in close quarters (at night is best) it could smell....but a little watering in, is all you need to kill the odor....i DONT do this at campgrounds.....and i NEVER do it during the day light (too many folks would think you were dumping black water).

for your dumping (distance at home) - most would recommend a maceration pump set up....ive heard of some dumping/pumping w/ a maceration set up as far as 75 or more feet (up hill)....and all you need is a garden (size) hose.

[Doc Weaver]

I don't understand the short toilet bowl. it actually sits higher than normal toilet seats.

cant you build a basement box for your current gen set? I used to run the gas gen before I went diesel, while running down the road. they don't burn much fuel.

[jbeech]

Basement box - whole slew of questions. Starting a new thread for this.