Where and how do I empty the chemical toilet?
Helpful tips for care and cleaning
Everyone would like to avoid emptying the camping toilet. But disposing of the contents of your chemical toilet is far less unpleasant and time-consuming than you think. It is important that you keep a few things in mind.
Table of contents
- Use the disposal stations!
- Where can I find the disposal stations?
- Black water and grey water
- What should I pay attention to when emptying the camping toilet?
- A no-go when emptying
- When do I have to empty the chemical toilet?
- How do I clean my toilet?
- Sanitary additives
- Conclusion: you get used to it
Use the disposal stations!
Even though even chemical toilets can now be filled with biodegradable sanitary additives, the disposal of the toilet tank is only allowed at suitable stations. Please never empty the contents of your camping toilet into a gully or worse, out in the countryside. Only the special disposal stations, also called "dump stations" or "sani-dump", ensure that the "leftovers" are disposed of and processed properly. Theoretically, you can also dispose of your chemical toilet in your own toilet in the house. On the campsites, however, this is forbidden for hygienic reasons.
Where can I find the disposal stations?
On campsites, the disposal stations for chemical toilets are very often located in an adjoining room of the sanitary facilities or at the entrance to the campsite. But they are also sometimes found in parking lots or at motorway service stations. Depending on the system used, these are small houses or stations. Usually there is a column with a water connection and a drain hole in front of it, sometimes with a lid, into which the contents of the toilet cassette are tipped. In this blog post you can read all about automatic disposal stations.
Since 2014, there has been a patented solution for automatic emptying of the cassette toilet: The CamperClean machines can be found more and more frequently on German and European campsites. Here, the contents of the cassette are emptied, cleaned and filled with an ecological sanitary additive at a charge.
Black water and grey water
Did you know that toilet contents are also called black water? Not to be confused with grey water, the waste water from washing hands, showering and rinsing. It has happened that some campers have poured their toilet down the grey water drain. It's a bit disgusting when there are toilet paper remnants and the remains of the previous owner hanging in the drain. If you are unsure, you should simply ask the site manager or other campers.
The disposal stations are marked accordingly by signs or symbols. As soon as you arrive at the campsite, you can take a first walk and look for such markings.
You can find an overview of waste disposal stations on the road here:
Disposal Stations in Germany as PDF
What should I pay attention to when emptying the camping toilet?
The slide valve that separates the waste water tank and the toilet must be closed. Then you can remove the tank via the service hatch on the mobile home or caravan. Now transport the waste-holding tank to the drainage station. This sometimes looks like an oversized toilet bowl with an additional hose, or there is a hole at the bottom with a water column.
Don't be afraid of unpleasant odours, because the additives of the chemical toilet provide a pleasant scent, decomposition and a change in colour of the contents. It takes some time for the faeces to decompose, so it is quite possible that the contents, including the toilet paper, can still be recognised.
Proceed as follows:
The cassette must be tightly closed for transport to the disposal station.
With the rinsing hose you can rinse the last remnants out of the cassette by letting in water, shaking the container gently and emptying it again. You can repeat this process until only clear water runs out.
Here you can find a new waste-holding tank
A no-go when emptying
You must not use the fresh water hose for cleaning the toilet. Please make sure you know which hose is for the toilet and which hose is for the fresh water supply. In addition, every camper who comes after you will be happy if you leave the station clean and without toilet paper residues. You can use the toilet brush and the water hose for this.
When do I have to empty the chemical toilet?
The camping toilet manufacturers are called Thetford and Dometic and they currently build cassettes with a capacity of between 17 and 19 litres. It is recommended to empty the waste-holding tank at the latest when the red lamp lights up. Depending on how many people you are travelling with, you may have to empty the toilet of your family of five the next day at the latest. If you are only travelling as a couple, emptying on the fourth day is probably enough. When it is hot outside, it is advisable to dispose of the toilet contents more often than in autumn or winter weather.
Check the contents before going to bed so you don't have to empty your toilet in the dark at night.
How do I clean my toilet?
Especially the slider with the rubber seal should be cleaned regularly with water and a dry cloth and the rubber kept supple with a care product. Some campers use denture cleaner to freshen up the cassette. This is an option, but remember that this cleaning tablet is used for one glass of water and your toilet can have a capacity of up to 19 litres. As a general rule, we recommend that you clean your toilet, as well as all the other components of your camper, before putting it into storage and shut down the cassette with the slider open and no water for the off-season. In this blog post you can find out exactly how to clean the waste-holding tank thoroughly.
With these products you can clean the toilet bowl and the waste-holding tank
Sanitary additives
Fritz Berger offers a range of cleaning and care products for the cassette toilet. Household cleaners are generally not recommended because they often attack the rubber seal and can damage the toilet. Here it is up to you whether you use a conventional chemical sanitary additive or an ecological one that works with micro-organisms. If you switch from one to the other, we advise you to rinse the cassette thoroughly with water beforehand, as the two sanitary additives cancel each other out when mixed. There are liquid sanitary additives that you can dose yourself and additives that are offered ready-dosed in the form of sachets. Learn more about sanitary additives and their effects in this blog post.
Conclusion: you get used to it
Even if it is one of the less popular tasks, the toilet cassette is quickly emptied with the right steps. And we promise you: the more often you have cleaned the tank, the quicker and easier this activity will be for you.
The corresponding disposal stations are well marked, easy to find and perfectly equipped, as they offer all the necessary tools such as a hose or brush.
