Black Tank Size...

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Tebpac

Tebpac

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 20, 2016
Posts
71
Location
State College, PA
In our current search for our first TT, we have come upon a TT that is near the top of our short list.  The one thing I did notice is that the black tank seems on the smallish side.  (28 gal)  We plan to boondock a fair amount.  To us that means weekends away will be in National Forest or BLM areas.  As we extend our travel, we want to be in a place we can stay a week or 2 without moving about much.  A few of the other TT's  have  black tanks 10 to 15 gal bigger.  Wasn't sure what the "regular" size of a black tank is for most trailers.  I understand we will need to learn water management etc for any trailer we purchase. Just wondered if the size was a bit smaller or obscenely smaller.

 
The grey tank is also importand to your plans,,you might be thrilled with the floor plan or some other feature of the unit, but you need to realistically study your intended needs and uses to be happy over all.. I will bet it will be YOU that will be doing the "chores" of tank emptying and the other required jobs of RVing,, it really is NOT like a house.>>>Dan  ( my grey is 48 and black is 45 potable water 100,, we like boondocking and do alot of it)
 
28 gallons is "small" if you hope to boondock for a week at a time.  Some people get by on less, but years of potty training where water is abundant makes that a challenge for most of us. Your mileage may vary...


You will probably want a portable auxiliary tank even with a larger black tank.  Those are often called a "blue boy", since many of the wheeled, portable tanks are blue in color.
http://www.doityourselfrv.com/blue-boy-waste-tank/
 
Yeah, 28 gallons is on the smaller side. However, if the gray and black tanks dump from the same pipe, an option might be to install a shutoff valve at the end the pipe, which will enable both the gray and black tanks to flow together, essentially making one common tank. Some RVers who boondock a lot have done that to extend their time camping, because once the black tank is full, the party's over.

Kev
 
28 gallons may be on the small side but very doable depending on the number of people using the travel trailer. We have a 30 gallon black tank and are able to boondock for two weeks without an issue. Two adults, no kids. Our 40 gallon grey tank is much more of a limiting factor than the black tank.
 
Too many personal variables to give any meaningful advice. You will just have to try.  And learn as you go.  As Rocker demonstrates, a lot can be done with 29-30 gallon capacity, but whether you can achieve t
 
Thanks all.  It will mostly be my wife and I but my one daughter may come on extended trips (or maybe not).  I thought it sounded small but being just the two of us, I thought it was doable. Then again, I don't want to be tied to our BT.
 
Some folks can get by with a pint or less per flush, so 25 gallons could be 200 flushes. But at a quart or two per flush, that could be as little as 50.  And then there is the question of your willingness to let liquid wastes accumulate between flushes, which can drastically reduce water use.  Or maybe the guy using an "alternative venue" some of the time.  Then there are the personal health factors such as prostate problems, yeast infections, Irritable Bowel, etc.  that can cause greater frequency of flushes. 

You probably never thought about it at home, but you could keep tabs on toilet use for a couple days and get some idea what your baseline habits are and then contemplate how much (if any) you might be willing to alter them in the name of water conservation.

Remember, you have to have water to do the flushing as well as a place to store it after the flush.  Would you be willing to save gray waste and use it to flush ? Some people do that to extend their time span.
 
Just the wife and I.  Our grey and black tanks are both 37 gallons, or about that.  Black tank we can do 5 days.  Grey tank 3 to 4 depending on the number of showers.  We just flush the stool so there is plenty of water in the black tank.
 
Just by way of comparison, we have a 17 gal. black tank. DW and I have frequently dry camped 4 days without filling it completely.
 
We have a 35 gallon black tank, and can EASILY go 5-7 days without getting close to filling it.  We had another couple with us for 4 days, and even then only filled it 2/3.  We are judicious with our flushes, but not skimpy.  Don't want to learn about "poop pyramids"! 

I'd say you'd be completely fine for several days, but of course YMMV.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Some folks can get by with a pint or less per flush, so 25 gallons could be 200 flushes. But at a quart or two per flush, that could be as little as 50. 
Click to expand...

Gary's right on the math.  I've done it and think 150 flushes is a good number.  But if you really want to conserve, turn off the water to the toilet and use a gallon jug of water to clean and fill after each use.  You'll save water each time you flush since you won't be running water into the tank when you depress the pedal. 
 
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