How To Empty A Caravan Toilet – A Step By Step Guide

Not sure how to empty a caravan toilet? As fulfilling as it is to travel in a caravan, there are a few sacrifices that you’ll have to make. One of them is having to deal with your own waste on a more intimate level.

Every caravan owner has to learn how to empty a caravan toilet with their bare hands.

In this article, I will teach you step-by-step how you can empty your caravan toilet. You will also learn when to empty it as well as the proper place to empty it. By the end of this article, you will be able to empty your toilet in 5 mins.

How To Know When To Empty Your Toilet

As a general rule, you should empty your toilet when the waste holding tank is full. You’ll know that by looking at the indicator located on the front of the toilet (this is the case for Thetford cassette toilets).

You don’t need to wait for the waste holding tank to be full though. You can always empty your cassette toilet prematurely if you happen to be passing by a dumping point.

Doing so will reduce the risk of any unwanted leaks or smells. If you’re constantly moving around, this will also help prevent you from getting a full tank when you’re halfway between caravan parks.

Lastly, make sure you thoroughly empty and clean your toilet before putting the caravan into storage for any period of time.

Where To Empty The Toilet

It is best to empty your toilet at the designated dumping points. You can find them in the WikiCamps app. They are usually covered with a blue lid that has an RV with a down arrow symbol.

Alternatively, you can empty your cassette toilet at home. The contents of your cassette toilet are no different than what you flush in your toilet so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Never empty your toilet in stormwater drainage, a composting toilet, public toilets, bodies of water, in the ground, or any undesignated place. It is your responsibility to find a dumping point or empty it in your house.

Step By Step Guide To Emptying The Toilet

Step 1: Find a dump point

As discussed earlier, you should only empty your portable toilets in designated dumping points. So the first step to emptying your toilet should be to find a dumping point.

Alternatively, you can empty it in your home toilet.

Step 2: Remove the waste holding tank

A portable toilet is composed of two halves, the other half is the actual toilet, while the bottom part is the waste holding tank.

Separate the two by removing the top half from the waste holding tank by lifting the lock at the back of the toilet. Make sure the slide valve is closed to prevent any leakage.

Step 3: Take the waste holding tank to the dump point

Now that you’ve separated the waste holding tank, take it to the dump point.

Leave the actual toilet inside your caravan.

Step 4: Swivel the spout outward and remove the lid

Swivel the spout so that it’s pointing outward and remove the lid.

Step 5: Empty the waste holding tank

Once the spout is pointed outward and you’ve removed the lid, it’s time to empty the waste holding tank.

Point the spout to the hole of the dumping point and press the bleed valve. It allows air to get into the tank and allows the waste to flow out easily.

Step 6: Rinse the waste holding tank

Using a hose or tap (they are often adjacent to the dump point), put 1-2 litres of water inside the tank, shake it, and pour it back out. Repeat this process 2-3 times to make sure there are no leftovers inside the tank. You can add a scoop of detergent if you want to be more thorough.

Step 7: Add the toilet chemicals

Drop a sachet of toilet chemicals inside the waste holding tank to help break down waste and eliminate odor.

You can also use the liquid form sold by Thetford. However, I find that sachet drop-ins are much more convenient.

Step 8: Close the lid and reattach the top part of the toilet

Once you’ve done that, you can close the lid, swivel the spout back and reattach the top part of the toilet so you can start using it.

Conclusion

Emptying a Thetford cassette toilet is very straightforward. All you have to do is follow the 8 steps I outlined above which only takes around 5 minutes.

You’ll know when it’s time to empty your toilet by looking at the indicator located at the front of the toilet. Alternatively, you can schedule your emptying to make sure that you never get in a sticky situation where you need to ‘go’ but the toilet is full.

Remember to only empty your toilets at designated dumping points which you can find using the WikiCamp app. If you have access to a private toilet, you can also dump the contents of your cassette toilet there.