Disposing of grey water

[rookeryview]

Tonight's noob question;

How do you dispose of your grey water?
..Where and how while on a decent site in the UK?
..When using a CS or Britstop?
..When wilding?
Or do we not use this feature in the UK?
Does anyone use biodegradable liquids for washing up/hands which go into the grey water tank?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Hotel California]

Most campsites have special drainfacilyties for waste water and another for emptying a chemical toilet.
Don't know for britstops , when camping on freespots it is best not to dump any kind of waste it gives a bad reputation to campers in general .
Even if it is just water and soap from washing up cleaning some plates and cups , for an outsider it seems your dumping waste...
Some campers put a bucket under the opened waste tank and empty the bucket in the sanitairy on campsite...
Guess all depends on how much wast water you produce ,
On campsites it is not that much as there are facilyties .
I just drain ours sometimes on the driveway when back home , above the sewer

We for the moment use " green " soap but don't think there's much difference in general

 

[rookeryview]

I take your point about an outsider seeing you suspiciously dumping an unknown liquid.
Surely, only the best camp sites have a drive-over draining point?, so is everyone using these? Or are you taking it home, dropping it along the road, collecting it in a bucket and taking it to the elsan point or for a walk to the hedge, or just leaving the tap open...
That's why I was wondering about using biodegradable products, as you will then have a "landscape healthy" liquid which could be dropped anywhere within reason, discretely away from immediate habitation obviously. This is the way we are heading I think.

Anyone else prepared to be honest about their grey habits?

 

[mick599]

Yes will answer with honesty and watch the flaming start.
Most sites have a drive over drain, but when wilding I tend to drain into a bucket and pour in to a drain or public WC.
Now for the big one
When it is raining and I mean raining not bit of drizzle I do open the drain tap and bobs your uncle.
Now before you all start, we wipe all our greasy washing up with kitchen roll the wash up so our discharged grey water is no more than dish water.
In my opinion no worse than washing a car! Must say though I would never drain grey water when parked up as the uninitiated may think the fluid is of some other origin? So as long as you leave NO TRACE then alls fair.
Have to say though even with our 100 litre fresh have never had a full waste tank and had to drain in such a way that it has been a problem.

( for all who say 100litre fresh? I have the Autocraft 70litre tank fitted as a auxiliary, fits in front of and round the spare wheel.

 

[2into1]

Most campsites have a waste water drain at each fresh water standpipe, so you can decant into a container and dump there. Obviously a 'drive over' proper system is easier if available.

 

[GrannyJen]

As a predominantly Britstop and Wild camping user, I have found all sorts of places.

For once the continental LHD characteristics of the Cali are an advantage. The van drains to our pavement side. Just drive into most roadside lay-by's and there is a grid drain. Pull up with rear nearside wheel just before it, all the grey waste goes down the mains drain.

A bucket, I use a wacky folding, then a polite word with britstop owner, "do you have anywhere I can empty my waste" ... normally gets a positive result.

Public loo's at a push. Carry a bucket in.

Quite often, if you are borrowing someones field, they will not mind you emptying Grey waste by a hedge line or similar.

 

[rookeryview]

Great tips Jen, especially the road drain alignment one. Perfect solution for everyone anywhere. Job done.

 

[andywa119]

I never close the waste tank. Just let it dribble out. It is just a bit of mucky water as you can't put solids down the sink with risking a block. Also don't think I generate that much waste anyway, no more than a camper who has no waster container anyway. I don't wash any dishes or wash down in the Cali sink. Different if I was in a motorhome with showers etc.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[teeboy]

Ditto - never close it - but also hardly use the sink for anything. Might occasionally drain pasta, or run the tap to fill a kettle, and very rarely clean teeth in the sink (if it is raining), but we mainly washup and clean teeth in the campsite facilities.

 

[BayCatOne]

I know there are many threads on the subject but they're a couple of years old so I'm asking again from the perspective that vehicle design might have changed and new good ideas / products might help out.

So my only experience with this is having a separate grey water tank that sits under a caravan. Then you bring that to empty on site. I've never seen one of those 'drive over drains' that where discussed in other threads.

If I was to get a grey water tank/container what do you recommend?
I'm not too crazy about carrying an open container like a bucket, so something with a lid would be great.

Still waiting for my van so I can't check to see how it looks underneath. Videos online only shows water coming out in a wide spray/trickle when opening the valve which makes me think I might have to add a funnel or a short hose to get the water into a container of some sort.

Pictures are always a bonus of your setups because it helps if you're not too sure what you're looking for as a newbie

 

[Loz]

A the Cali has a tank. you dont need to leave something under it all the time, only when you come to empty it, so if you already have a collapsible sink or collapsible bucket/bin, why not use that as dual purpose?

 

[BayCatOne]

Yes that I know so it's more the fact when you have to empty it and what your experience is. What works best to empty into and then to carry away to where it needs to go.

 

[Meoncoast]

Most club sites I have used have a drive over drain, open the valve and you are done. To be honest, I rarely have much it the tank as on-site we tend to use washing up areas, usually hot water there. Tea dregs go in a bucket and tipped when washing up.

 

[BayCatOne]

So then IF, there's no drive over drain and you have to sort it out some other way; what do you do?
What tank/container is recommend that works with a T6?

I can't be the only one that has this "problem". Or I might just be that I'm not yet experienced enough with camp/van life. (I know hiking though)

 

[Max-Felix]

My (then to be) wife had the perfect solution on the first evening of a six month EU trip many moons ago last century - as it was so windy she threw a rock into the bucket under our T3 camper - the subsequent crack meant we never had to worry about emptying the bucket for the next six months - marvellous!

 

[Loz]

So then IF, there's no drive over drain and you have to sort it out some other way; what do you do?
What tank/container is recommend that works with a T6?

I can't be the only one that has this "problem". Or I might just be that I'm not yet experienced enough with camp/van life. (I know hiking though)

I think you are over thinking this problem. use a collapsible bowl or bucket and carry the water to the drain or the washing up sink or even the septic drain point and just pour it in...

If you worry too much about this the other stuff will mess with your mind so much you will never leave the drive

 

[BayCatOne]

Haha, well this is how it's done at Swedish campsites I've visited with a caravan attached to my car. The long walk to the room where you pour it out down the drain. So this is in my world "how it's done". That's why I'm asking. But reading here everyone is just winging it if there's not a drive over drain option.

 

[Loz]

Haha, well this is how it's done at Swedish campsites I've visited with a caravan attached to my car. The long walk to the room where you pour it out down the drain. So this is in my world "how it's done". That's why I'm asking. But reading here everyone is just winging it if there's not a drive over drain option.

It's only grey water not sewage..

 

[motacyclist]

How can anyone use the sink for anything useful apart from keeping bananas or something in?

We only ever wash up in one of those collapsible bowls if there are no facilities, then carefully distribute the water along the hedgerow edge of the pitch. No doubt someone will come up with a reason not to do this, but aren’t we told in times of drought to water our plants with grey water?

Anyway, since we got the Ridgemonkey there’s hardly been any washing up! Paper plates and a wipe with kitchen towel!

 

[GrannyJen]

Tonight's noob question;

How do you dispose of your grey water?
..Where and how while on a decent site in the UK?
..When using a CS or Britstop?
..When wilding?
Or do we not use this feature in the UK?
Does anyone use biodegradable liquids for washing up/hands which go into the grey water tank?

Thanks in anticipation.

First, don't have any

If you do, and you do manage to fill the whole tank up, and you have no disposal facilities in the vicinity, such as wild camping, then carefully dispose amongst hedgerows, assuming it's grey and no noxious chemicals used.

Most Cl's and CS's will have a CDP, in fact I think it's mandatory and it can go down there.

Britstops, well, how on earth are you ever going to fill a 30l tank up using those? In any case an obliging landlord will often point you to a handy drain.

To be honest, I have spent days and days wild camping and never managed to fill the waste tank. Should it happen, a collapsible bucket and responsible draining.

 

[Properjob]

I know there are many threads on the subject but they're a couple of years old so I'm asking again from the perspective that vehicle design might have changed and new good ideas / products might help out.

So my only experience with this is having a separate grey water tank that sits under a caravan. Then you bring that to empty on site. I've never seen one of those 'drive over drains' that where discussed in other threads.

If I was to get a grey water tank/container what do you recommend?
I'm not too crazy about carrying an open container like a bucket, so something with a lid would be great.

Still waiting for my van so I can't check to see how it looks underneath. Videos online only shows water coming out in a wide spray/trickle when opening the valve which makes me think I might have to add a funnel or a short hose to get the water into a container of some sort.

Pictures are always a bonus of your setups because it helps if you're not too sure what you're looking for as a newbie

I saw those same pics you were talking about when I was waiting for ours to come - the ones where the waste water dribbles out near the wheel... one person had even made a funnel gadget to direct it.... Good news, the latest t6s have already had thus improved with a pipe that pokes out a little so it's even easier to direct into a bowl...

 

[BayCatOne]

Thanks, that was a good answer!
Then I can basically pick up whatever and it should work properly.

 

[Hotel California]

Regarding where witch tank drains:
Again a quick search will show you how and where both the tanks drain
Some clever people take the time to post pictures...
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/draining-water-tank.18790/#post-218359

 

[rookeryview]

Since raising the original question, we use good environmentally friendly products, and then you can drain or throw your waste water anywhere; in the hedge is best. You can drain your whole tank by driving over a road rain water drain, or as I often see, some people drive off site and then flip the handle and leave a thin line along the road.
We normally keep our drain open these days, so any small amount will soak away under the van if we don't have a bath in the sink

 

[ArunAlec]

Since raising the original question, we use good environmentally friendly products, and then you can drain or throw your waste water anywhere; in the hedge is best. You can drain your whole tank by driving over a road rain water drain, or as I often see, some people drive off site and then flip the handle and leave a thin line along the road.
We normally keep our drain open these days, so any small amount will soak away under the van if we don't have a bath in the sink

I think leaving the drain open when on a campsite, especially a site where people might be pitching tents would be frowned on.