A brief introduction to the Caravan Toilets

Everything you’ve had wanted to learn about your toilets, but weren’t sure if you should inquire

It’s possibly the least exciting aspect of caravanning, but it’s only when you’re at the middle of the night, and it’s throwing it out at the peak of the typical British summer that you realize the bathroom inside the caravan can be worth the weight of gold in metaphorical terms.

In the olden days there was a time when you had to carry an umbrella, a torch, and a waterproof rolls of toilet paper to fight the elements in those moment of necessity. If you were camping, you may have an outdoor toilet of some kind, but no matter the size of your tent, or an awning, it’s inside your tent.

The introduction to the toilet with chemicals – first installed as a stand-alone unit, then integrated into the bathroom – brought comfort and luxury to a level that was not recognized and meant that, the modern day toilet will never again be caught out…

The types of toilets for caravans

Cassette Toilets

Modern caravans come with the cassette toilet. The toilet is built into the caravan once it is constructed and, in your bathroom all that you see is a comfortable seat on a flat panel or a pedestal. There is possibly a lever opening door to the trash tank, and the button for flushing. The waste tank (the cassette) is accessible from outside . This means that the procedure of disposing of waste – which is actually not nearly as hazardous as many people imagine is performed completely outside the caravan in order to make the experience as clean and pleasant as it is.

Chemical Toilets

The past was when older caravans might have been constructed with bathrooms. However, before the advent of cassette toilets and widespread, many had a separate chemical toilet. They either operate similarly similar to a cassette toilet having a flush tank as well as an empty tank joining together into one unit but segregating for emptying the waste and refill the toilet flush – also known as an example of a Porta Potti or as a unit, which needed to be empty together when it was full and able to hold a tiny volume of flushwater.

Toilet facilities

How do chemical toilets function?

The clue lies in the name, chemical toilet. Instead of flushing waste into an sewage system and then to a large-scale disposal facility The caravan toilet stores the waste until it is able to be removed – every day or less often depending on the use of the toilet – at the facility offered by the place you’re staying at.

Chemicals are utilized to begin with the breaking process for debris and removing the odour that is inevitable prior to it being disposed in the system that your facility utilizes. This could be a cess pit , the underground storage tank which holds waste and has to be regularly pumped out or the septic tank which utilizes a fundamental treatment procedure to separate liquid and solid waste, and allows treated water to soak up.
The issue is with formaldehyde.

In the beginning, chemical toilet waste fluids were built on formaldehyde which is excellent at eliminating the bacteria that are present in human waste and causes it to break down rapidly. One of the drawbacks with it is that it kills the bacteria employed in septic tanks for instance, or other larger-scale treatment processes and prevents them from working.

In the end, modern chemical companies do not tend to make use of the ingredient (though certain manufacturers use it, so be cautious) and are comprised of a variety of other ingredients which seek to fulfill the same task, however not affecting treatment systems later in the future. They include biocides that control harmful organisms, as well probiotics and enzymes, which are based on the same principles as probiotic drinks that enhance the bacteria. But there are some drawbacks and the way biocides are controlled over the next few years will become much more strict and both enzymes and probiotics, though effective, require a long time to get going – 12-14 hours. If your toilet experiences regular or frequent usage, you could have to empty it prior to when they’ve begun to show any effects. Thus, products like Qalkem’s Eco Green have been developed to help break down the process running quickly, without impacting treatment later on.

No harmful chemicals

Many people are familiar with the brand name Elsan Chemicals, a specialist in chemical manufacturing also produces an organic compound that functions as flush fluid and waste fluid. It does not contain harmful chemicals, so as per the manufacturer the waste cassette is able to be dumped into the Septic tank. Dometic is perhaps most well-known for its fridges as well as its range of chemicals, such as waste-tank tablets that reduce the risk of spills, as well as various cleaning solutions for toilets, to the overall caravan.

The waste is stored in a tank that will be later emptied The toilets in caravans require flushing systems, similar to those one would be found at home. This must be mostly water that will carry the waste away once you’re completed. Typically, toilets that have flush tanks in contrast to those with direct-feed water supply systems will have an ingredient that is chemical due to two reasons: firstly, it helps aid in flushing the waste away and avoid it adhering to the bowl. Secondly it gives off pleasant scents to cover the smell of the tank that holds waste.

Chemical Alternatives to Suggested Chemicals

There is an idea that suggests instead of using chemical products, that some people are against in principle, laundry products could be utilized instead. Particularly, biological washing liquid – the more affordable the better – can reduce the solid waste, particularly inside the tank.

But, they do it through enzymes, and as we’ve observed, they aren’t as effective as needed, possibly creating a buildup of odours that emanate from an empty tank. It’s also possible that fabric conditioners can be added to the water tank used to flush. This can give a pleasant scent during flushing. However, this mostly a disguise technique rather than addressing the issue at hand.

There is also debate about the impact it could impact sewage treatment processes in the future; however, at home, the waste of washing machines and toilet could be discharged through the same system of sewage. greater concentrations could cause harm to septic tanksfor instance since they are made to wash clothes, not to treat human waste. They can also contain bleach.

To be on the safer side, we recommend the use of specific fluids specifically designed for the task on hand.