Transcription
What is a cassette toilet? How does a cassette toilet work? How do you dump a cassette toilet? These are questions we get asked all the time about our cassette toilet system in our Class B campervan. I'm Kait, I'm Joe, and we're the Russos. We've been using the Thetford cassette toilet system for over a year, and in this video, we're gonna answer all of those questions and share our experiences with the cassette toilet.
Let's tackle the first question: What is a cassette toilet? Essentially, it is a permanent toilet with a portable black tank. Our toilet is installed in our camper van, and this is the portable holding tank. This one is made by Thetford, and it is 4.6 gallons. They do have other models, but this is the one that we have in our van.
Cassette toilets have been used in Europe for a very long time, and they're quite popular there. They are becoming more widely used in North America. You might be wondering why use a cassette toilet system over a traditional black tank that's popular in RVs in North America. Well, for us, it's because it's simple and easy to use, but more importantly, we have more options in terms of dumping this cassette over a traditional black tank in the RV.
When we took delivery of our van over a year ago, we weren't so confident. The idea of using a cassette toilet was a big unknown. The big question mark for me, once we get moved into our camper van, is the cassette toilet situation. How easy is it for them to dispose of their cassette toilet, and does it really give them the freedom that they think it's going to? I'm curious to see how long this cassette toilet is gonna last us and how we're gonna go about dumping. I think that's going to be interesting.
It's time to dump the cassette. Kate was hesitant for her first dump, but quickly learned that it was nothing to be afraid of. So, how does a cassette toilet work? Well, the system is actually fairly simple, and we're gonna focus on the Thetford system that we have installed in our Class B camper van. There are three main components: the toilet, the black water tank, and a water source.
Let's go inside, take a look at the toilet. The toilet bowl turns on its base to maximize the small space. There is a handle along the outside of the toilet bowl that will open and close the valve with a waste holding tank below. Once the valve is open, push the flush button and close the valve after the water has drained. The water is connected to our freshwater tank. Next to the flush button, a red light will indicate when the waste tank is full.
To access the cassette, there is a door on the side of the van that you open up. Pull the cassette out. Now, the door does have a lock on it, but we've never used a lock. We're really not worried about someone stealing our used cassette; it would be kind of gross. It's really easy to pull open two tabs, open the door, drop it down, lift up the handle, and then pull the cassette straight out.
The cassette holds 4.6 gallons. We never let the cassette get completely full. One of the reasons is because water is over 8 pounds per gallon, and if this were full, it would be close to 40 pounds for this little guy. The nice thing is they do provide wheels and an extendable handle, so you can put it along the ground and drag it like a suitcase. That's why a lot of people nickname these suitcases.
For the past year, Kate has been the person dumping the cassette. Yes, for the second year, I've taken over, but I'm gonna let the expert explain how to take care of everything that's in this cassette. All right, here's how you dump a cassette toilet. To dump the waste tank, make sure the valve blade handle is in the closed position. Open the cassette door outside and pull on the safety catch to pull out the tank. Carry or roll the cassette to a dump station or a bathroom. Once you're there, remove the spout on the tank and lift it over the dump hole. Once the spout is pointing downwards, press the vent button. Hold the tank over the dump hole until all the waste is emptied. Pour water into the waste tank, gently swish it around, and empty the tank again until the liquid is clear, and that's how you dump a cassette toilet.
Now, we are staying at a full hookup campsite at Narrows Too Campground in Maine. We don't always stay at campgrounds. A lot of times, we like to boondock. So, other options to dump this cassette is, let's say, a public park. I'd take the cassette, walk into the restroom, and dump the contents directly into the toilet. Another option is porta-potties. We preferred this over the traditional black holding tank that was in our Class A RV because we were limited to going and finding specific RV dump stations to dump our black holding tank.
Here are some tips that we've learned after using a cassette toilet for a year. To save tank space and for easier rinse of the cassette, only use it for number one, which is how we've been using it for over a year now. We have used it for number one and number two. The cassette works fine for number two; we just choose not to use it for that. Plus, it also avoids the use of chemicals to keep any smell down. Now, we've met fellow cassette toilet users, and they tend to follow the same rule. It just makes life easier.
Another way to save tank space is we put the toilet paper in the trash can, and we followed this rule when we had the Class A as well. And another perk of doing that, you don't have to worry about what kind of toilet paper to buy. Dump frequently. We like to dump every few days, regardless of whether we're full or not. The reason for this is it helps keep down odors and it gets us into a good habit of dumping so that we don't get fooled in the middle of the night and have to run outside to take care of the toilet. Well, you don't want is for that red light indicator to come on in the middle of the night, and you don't have a place to dump your cassette.
Keep the lid down. At certain times, pressure can build up inside of the cassette, so by keeping the lid down, you avoid any sort of splash when you go to flush the toilet, and trust me, you don't want to be in the splash zone. Cleanliness really is next to godliness. Keep your cassette clean to avoid any bad odors, which leads us into an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. Make sure to read all the directions on how to use the cassette properly with regards to cleaning and maintenance. The valve blade, in particular, does require maintenance, so that's something you want to stay on top of.
One question we've been asked a lot as well is, what are we doing when we're boondocking, we're out in the middle of nowhere, and there isn't a place to go dump the cassette? Well, the answer for us is pretty simple: we go outside. So, we make sure to follow any rules about waste outside by either digging a hole or picking up after ourselves. But we find that to be a really good solution, and we don't have to worry about filling up the cassette. A lot of times, what we'll do, especially if it's really cold outside, is we'll save the cassette for those moments during the middle of the night or early in the morning when you don't want to go run outside. And then the rest of the day, we'll spend going outside whenever we make that trip into town. Then we'll take the time to go dump the cassette, clean it out, and it will go right back out boondocking. So, we haven't had any problems in that regard.
What do you think about the cassette toilet? I like it, and I think I've said in multiple Q&As that I would never go back to a black tank because I find it so easy to use and so easy to dump. Yeah, day-to-day life, I find the cassette a lot easier. There was a little bit of adjustment getting used to saying, "Hey, you know, got to go in the morning, let's go find a place to go to the bathroom if we're not at a campground." But once I got into that routine, I don't miss having that old-school black tank.
I think, as with anything, van life, RV, cassette toilet, black tank, it's not for everybody. No, and you sort of have to adapt to a new way of life, just as we adapted to living in a tiny space from a 1200 square foot home to a Class A RV, and now down to a van. And we adjusted to the cassette toilet. It really works out well for us now, and I don't think we would give it up.
So, that is everything we've learned over the past year about the cassette toilet, how we use it, how we dump it. And it's certainly not the end-all, be-all. It's just how we do it, and it's not for everyone, but we enjoyed the cassette toilet, and you might find that a black tank is better suited for you. Whatever you end up choosing, at the end of the day, hopefully, you are getting out on the road and exploring. Thanks for watching, guys, and we'll see you on the road.