Porta potti 335 setup

[Kirx]

Forget the faffing around with chemicals.
Dishwasher or washing machine tablets work the same, smell a lot nicer & are far easier to carry around than a bottle of that blue liquid that stains everything.

 

[Kirx]

Totally agree - I use a bio-tab, no smells, no issues - hate carrying all of those chemicals, space is premium

 

[aileron346]

We do use the pink Thetford flush chemical but i agree it’s just an expensive ‘air freshener’ = chemical smell and I think I’ll probably stop using it. In the tank, a bit of green Thetford chemical. Not sure how properly ‘Green’ it is, but just in case it is better for the environment, surely better to use than the blue. We have come across campsite in the U.K. and France banning blue toilet additives.

The most eco-friendly fluid (paradoxically?) may be one called ‘Blue Bio’ popular among boating people. Low packaging, dosing bottle, concentrate refills and U.K. made.

 

[Lewisd3]

That’s all great advice. Thanks everyone for your input.

Are you off to Bestival? In Dorset?

 

[Richard16]

How do I set up the potti please?
I know the flush tank is 10L and the waste tank is 10L.
The two of us are off to a festival for four days and I don’t know what amounts of each liquid to use.
How much pink liquid to flush will I need in total?
How much blue to liquify will I need please?

As an aside, we bought one of these Maxxcamp covers; it's grey & a perfect colour match for the van interior, brilliant as a disguise for when the 335 is in the van & a very handy footstool too. cover-camping-toilet.aspx

 

[crookrise]

You can use the same fluid for rinse and waste. Also we have only ever used waste tank for wee. For a poo we drop in a

Addis 7 Litre 100% Biodegradable Compost Food Caddy Liner

Perfect fit, then dispose of in appropriate bin.
​

 

[The Tall Luthier]

No. The

Are you off to Bestival? In Dorset?

No, the other end of England. Kendall calling

 

[Dill Tart]

Couple of extra things from my experience of porta potties:

• waste tank takes 10l including your waste and flush so you’ll fill it before you’ve used all your flush, don’t be over zealous flushing or it’ll fill quickly
• if you find the 335 a bit low an 18l “Really Useful Box” will raise it to the height of a normal loo (the box is actually really useful for storage so no wasted space)
  • View attachment 96602
• at festivals we have the loo in our driveaway awning in the day and bring it in the van at night (the noise is really annoying to other campers if you’re opening the van door at night)
• if we’re overnight stopping the loo stays in the van. In the day it sits under a Dunelm ottoman box, not on the Really Useful box mentioned above (the ottoman slides over the loo upside down and the top goes on the top -which is the actual bottom of the box) at night the box can fold down or be kept as a box to put your clothes, etc in. When up, the box makes for a great footstool, extra seat or coffee table
  • View attachment 96601
• when we’re travelling we have the loo inside the van secured at the back of the driver’s seat (uk) with roc straps. Handy for 2 reasons:
  • frees up space in the back of the van
  • the passenger can use the loo if they’re desperate and you can’t or don’t want to stop
  • View attachment 96607
• don’t use bleach in the loo, it rots the rubber seals. When home I clean the loo with diluted bleach in the bottom, scrub round with a long handle brush (ikea do a good kitchen one) and thoroughly rinse straight away

We

Couple of extra things from my experience of porta potties:

• waste tank takes 10l including your waste and flush so you’ll fill it before you’ve used all your flush, don’t be over zealous flushing or it’ll fill quickly
• if you find the 335 a bit low an 18l “Really Useful Box” will raise it to the height of a normal loo (the box is actually really useful for storage so no wasted space)
  • View attachment 96602
• at festivals we have the loo in our driveaway awning in the day and bring it in the van at night (the noise is really annoying to other campers if you’re opening the van door at night)
• if we’re overnight stopping the loo stays in the van. In the day it sits under a Dunelm ottoman box, not on the Really Useful box mentioned above (the ottoman slides over the loo upside down and the top goes on the top -which is the actual bottom of the box) at night the box can fold down or be kept as a box to put your clothes, etc in. When up, the box makes for a great footstool, extra seat or coffee table
  • View attachment 96601
• when we’re travelling we have the loo inside the van secured at the back of the driver’s seat (uk) with roc straps. Handy for 2 reasons:
  • frees up space in the back of the van
  • the passenger can use the loo if they’re desperate and you can’t or don’t want to stop
  • View attachment 96607
• don’t use bleach in the loo, it rots the rubber seals. When home I clean the loo with diluted bleach in the bottom, scrub round with a long handle brush (ikea do a good kitchen one) and thoroughly rinse straig

Couple of extra things from my experience of porta potties:

• waste tank takes 10l including your waste and flush so you’ll fill it before you’ve used all your flush, don’t be over zealous flushing or it’ll fill quickly
• if you find the 335 a bit low an 18l “Really Useful Box” will raise it to the height of a normal loo (the box is actually really useful for storage so no wasted space)
  • View attachment 96602
• at festivals we have the loo in our driveaway awning in the day and bring it in the van at night (the noise is really annoying to other campers if you’re opening the van door at night)
• if we’re overnight stopping the loo stays in the van. In the day it sits under a Dunelm ottoman box, not on the Really Useful box mentioned above (the ottoman slides over the loo upside down and the top goes on the top -which is the actual bottom of the box) at night the box can fold down or be kept as a box to put your clothes, etc in. When up, the box makes for a great footstool, extra seat or coffee table
  • View attachment 96601
• when we’re travelling we have the loo inside the van secured at the back of the driver’s seat (uk) with roc straps. Handy for 2 reasons:
  • frees up space in the back of the van
  • the passenger can use the loo if they’re desperate and you can’t or don’t want to stop
  • View attachment 96607
• don’t use bleach in the loo, it rots the rubber seals. When home I clean the loo with diluted bleach in the bottom, scrub round with a long handle brush (ikea do a good kitchen one) and thoroughly rinse straight away

We have the same Dunelm box, £10 I think? Also if put on the drivers seat is a useful step up into the ‘upstairs’ at night.
We tend not to dilute the liquid in the cassette other than 250-500 ml of water and slosh it about a bit, it then gives more wee capacity.

 

[chockswahay]

You can use the same fluid for rinse and waste. Also we have only ever used waste tank for wee. For a poo we drop in a

Addis 7 Litre 100% Biodegradable Compost Food Caddy Liner​

​

Perfect fit, then dispose of in appropriate bin.​

​

View attachment 96662

Now that does seem a good idea are you using the bags on a 335? That would solve the whole empty/flush/clean fiasco that goes with a loo full of poo!

 

[dspuk]

Such a lot of loo chat! We have the Thetford 335 as well and like many it‘s for nights only and no 2s on the loos!

When driving it fits perfect in the boot at the back right, no movement, nicely out the way. We see a lot of Otteman chat - just takes up space in the living area to us and we like to travel light, no extra tat. Also do not want to lose valuable cupboard space so going in there is not a solution for us. As soon as we get to site we throw up a small pop up festival tent that was 30 quid or so from GO and it goes straight in along with bedding and other bulky items like our SUPS. Then on a night, very last thing we do before climbing upstairs it to pull it in and that’s us in for the night. Back in the tent in the morning.

As for the OP’s orgiinal question - it’s written on the bottles but does take a little deciphering. I ended up watching their videos. We use the pink and blue, because I prefer to use stuff that is designed with and for the item and we know it wont damage the seals per sey. 2L and 60ml of blue in the bottom and we half fill the top (about 5L I think) and whatever it says in the bottle, it’s not much. Not convinced by all the dishwasher tablet advice, seems a odd hack to me, but sure it works for some. The important ratio is the bottom either way, for obvs reasons. You could likely just use water and Zoflora if you liked in the top. It’s realy just to rinse the top and leave a nice’ish smell. It’s still got stuff in the top from three trips as you don‘t actually use much, just a couple of presses.

 

[Foxy FLF]

What @Velma's Dad said.

A tip from our experience: we don’t fill the top tank above half. If you have a full top tank and a pretty full bottom tank, it takes some moving about. Top tank fill lasts much longer than a bottom tank fill. Top tank can be easily topped up too.

If you’re in the devil-may-care crowd that stores it under the sink, a piece of 18mm MDF cut to shape placed in the bottom of the cupboard for the bog to sit on, makes getting it in and out much easier as you don’t have to get it over the door runners both ways.

What a tip. Genius idea. That’s this weeks project sorted.

 

[Foxy FLF]

Forget the faffing around with chemicals.
Dishwasher or washing machine tablets work the same, smell a lot nicer & are far easier to carry around than a bottle of that blue liquid that stains everything.

He’s right !!

 

[ParachuteMan]

Forget the faffing around with chemicals.
Dishwasher or washing machine tablets work the same, smell a lot nicer & are far easier to carry around than a bottle of that blue liquid that stains everything.

Are the tablets the uncoated, crumbly ones, or the plastic covered ones that dissolve in water ?

 

[Viktorgeorge]

Are the tablets the uncoated, crumbly ones, or the plastic covered ones that dissolve in water ?

Either for us.

 

[andyinluton]

Are the tablets the uncoated, crumbly ones, or the plastic covered ones that dissolve in water ?

Uncoated ones individually wrapped are best for storage.

 

[Anthony1]

Get rid of it and go popaloo. No cleaning. No chemicals. Folds flat. Tie a knot in it and bin it. Jobby done

Or bivvyloo

 

[flying banana]

At risk of becoming too engrossed in human biology... with two of us travelling we certainly don't fill up the Thetford 335 every other day. We tend only to be using it at night, during daytime there are invariably other options.

(Being yet more analytical (sorry!) if a human produces typically 1,500 millilitres of urine a day, even even two of you were peeing exclusively into the Portapotti tank without using any other facilities, you'd take more than three days to fill it up.)

We've never found the Thetford to smell at all.

I just wanted to make those counter-points for any newbies etc reading this. While some people swear by disposable bags, or pee in a bottle, we've always found the Thetford a very practical bit of kit and we wouldn't be without it.

Youve obviously never drank alot of beers when camping

 

[CaliforniaCylus]

Youve obviously never drank alot of beers when camping

I pee 2.5 to 3.0l overnight...

 

[Lost Boy]

After much planning and reorganising cupboards, I was about to but the Thetford and the tray for under the sink (don't judge) but having read all of the comments on here and the fact that its unlikely to get much use to be honest, its more for emergencies or wild camping where there is no pub etc. nearby, I am tempted to save the space (and the money) and go for the Popaloo. It seems you can do without all of the chemicals and liquids and it can be disposed of in a normal bin, I see some people are supportive but haven't heard anyone with a downside...any views?

 

[flying banana]

After much planning and reorganising cupboards, I was about to but the Thetford and the tray for under the sink (don't judge) but having read all of the comments on here and the fact that its unlikely to get much use to be honest, its more for emergencies or wild camping where there is no pub etc. nearby, I am tempted to save the space (and the money) and go for the Popaloo. It seems you can do without all of the chemicals and liquids and it can be disposed of in a normal bin, I see some people are supportive but haven't heard anyone with a downside...any views?

I use popaloo. I'm 8 days in now wild or free camping in the outer hebrides. Used it once.was a life saver, if you know what i mean. Dumped the bag in a skip when passing. Rest of time for the obvious ive found toilets and showers etc to use. Pubs, cafe, even the ferry. No chemicals needed. As a man in the night needing a p1ss, i go in the bushes. It's just p1ss. No chemicals. All natural, apart from the whiskey filtering through.