When you are looking for an RV or trailer, you want to have the comfort of your home to make your trip more convenient. Many trailers are created to mimic your home’s comfort by providing you the same amenities you use day-to-day in your home. From having a kitchen with an oven and sink, to tv hookups, showers, and a working toilet, trailers have everything you need to have a successful trip.
An RV toilet is designed for poop and pee and can be used, safely. However, there are a couple of extra steps while using the toilet, and each trip where you use the toilet means that you have to take care of the waste, which includes draining your waste water at appropriate dump stations, flushing your sewer lines, and cleaning your toilet.
The article below will cover how RV toilets work and how to help them function to the best of their ability. We will cover the proper way to use your RV toilet and what you need to know about RV toilets.
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Can You Poop in an RV Toilet? Or Does Something Bad Happen?
As we mentioned above, you can freely poop in your RV toilet. There are a few steps to take to ensure your RV toilet will continue working correctly.
- Ensure there’s water in the toilet bowl: Unlike a regular toilet, RV toilets don’t have a lot of standing water in the toilet bowl. You can put water in the toilet bowl by partially pressing on the toilet foot pedal.
- Once you are finished, use an ample amount of water to flush.
- Add extra water to your tank, and always keep a little water in your bowl, and you are good to go.
That little bit of extra water in the bowl essentially is a smell-stopper from the sewer pipes. You don’t really want that sewer gas inside your RV.
Pro tip: Make sure you keep your black tank valve closed until your tank is nearly full. By keeping it closed, you build up pressure to wash all the contents out when you dump your tanks. If you leave your valve open, you are likely to have excrements dried on your tank, making it harder to dump.
How Does an RV Toilet Work? (How Do I Drain The Poop?)
An RV toilet is a little different from a household toilet because of how it is built and how waste is dumped. In an RV, you will have a grey water tank and a black water tank. The black water holding tank will hold all of the waste that comes from your RV toilet.
Water will come into your toilet by using the foot pedal. You access water by hooking up to city water or using your freshwater tank. Either way, water will be pumped into your toilet from one of the water sources, allowing you to use the toilet normally.
A significant difference between an RV toilet versus a household toilet is that you have to find a way to dump it once your tank is full. Many campgrounds will have sewer hookups at your site, but if not, you will have to drive your RV to a nearby dump station.
One incredibly important step to dumping your black tank is to make sure you leave the black tank valve closed until your tank is full. This allows pressure to build up to flush your tank thoroughly.
How To Dump Your RV Toilet Waste
Dumping your RV toilet waste is a somewhat involved process. Make sure your black water tank is near full for best dumping results.
Many campgrounds that allow RVs have dump stations, but if not, you may have to hunt out a standalone RV dump station.
- Park your RV with the sewer drain adjacent to the dump station (a dump station is often just a pipe in the ground with a hookup for sewer hoses)
- After you ensure the sewer valve is closed, Attach your Sewer Hoses from the RV sewer line to the dump station sewer drain
- Open your black water valve first and drain out your sewer lines
- Add extra water to the sewer lines (you can dump water down the toilet) to flush out the sewer lines
- Close the sewer valve
- Open the grey water valve and drain all your grey water (shower, etc)
- Close your grey water valve
- Detach your sewer hoses and stow them
- If a freshwater hose is available, it’s a courtesy to spray the area down for the next RV.
This family made an awesome video showing the whole process. Check it out:
How to Clean an RV Toilet
It is essential to make sure you have ways to clean your RV toilet and keep your black water tank clean and fresh. You can take some steps to make sure your tank is clean and decrease the smells that can come from your toilet.
Ice Cubes
Many people have found ways to clean their tanks while they are moving that have been effective in keeping their tanks debris free. One way that has been incredibly helpful is by pouring ice cubes down your toilet after you drain your tank and before you drive.
While you are driving, the ice cubes slosh around and knock off any stuck-on debris while you go. Once you arrive at your destination, you can dump before you set up, and you have a fresh and clean toilet and tank.
Holding Tank Treatment
There are also plenty of holding tank treatments that you can drop in your black tank that will keep down smells and break down any built-up matter. All you have to do is dump the liquid or pouch into your toilet once you dump it.
You can also put a small amount of fluid in after you dump and before you drive, to clean your tank while you drive. RV holding tank treatments are available at many RV stores such as Camping World and Gander Outdoors, as well as Walmart.
RV Toilet Paper
When you have an RV or trailer, you will probably learn about the importance of having toilet paper that deteriorates quickly. If you use toilet paper that stays together, it is highly likely that you will create a clog in your toilet. Part of keeping your RV clean is using the correct products in your bathroom, such as RV toilet paper.
Tank Flush
Over time it is recommended to flush your tank. On the outside of your rig, there is commonly a space that is labeled as the tank flush valve. You can hook up a hose to your rig and hook up your sewer hose to allow your tank to flush out thoroughly. Flushing out your tank is essential to keep smells down. It is necessary to flush your tank until you see clear water flowing into your black tank.
No matter if this is your first time RVing or you are a seasoned RVing veteran, it is essential to know how to use your RV toilet as well as how to keep it cleaned.
Conclusion
Having amenities in your RV, trailer, or fifth wheel allows you to have a memorable and comfortable trip. There are plenty of amenities that trailers come with that allow camping to be easy and carefree.
One amenity that is incredibly convenient to have while camping is your own bathroom. Having your own bathroom allows you to shower and use the bathroom without having to go outside of your trailer.
An RV toilet is an added amenity that makes camping with your trailer a breeze, and understanding how your RV toilet works is important. RV toilets are similar to household toilets but have many differences as well. RV toilets use water from the fresh water tank or city water to allow you to flush and easily use your toilet.
Many people wonder if they can poop in an RV toilet, and throughout this article, we explained that yes, you definitely can poop in an RV toilet. Make sure that if you have to poop in your RV toilet, you fill your bowl with water and use plenty of water afterward. Also, keep your black tank valve closed until you have to dump your tank.
RV toilets are an added convenience to your camping trip, and knowing how to keep them cleaned and how to use them is excellent information to know.