80K Motorhome 2018 and still walking about with a box of s..
Discussion
Been looking at second hand motorhomes and, of course, some new ones.
I can't believe that in 2018 you can pay 80K and still be expected to walk around with a cassette of s
t.
Is it really like this? Every modern yacht and canal boat has a holding tank, sure you nave to connect a hose and press a button.
Are you really still walking about with smelly cassettes as if it were the 1970's?
I can't believe that in 2018 you can pay 80K and still be expected to walk around with a cassette of s
t.Is it really like this? Every modern yacht and canal boat has a holding tank, sure you nave to connect a hose and press a button.
Are you really still walking about with smelly cassettes as if it were the 1970's?
OK so you would have to move your motorhome to discharge the waste tank; is this such a problem?
Is weight such an issue? What would a 150 litre plastic tank & pump weigh, perhaps 25kg empty?
From the replies so far it seems that the technology hasn't advanced a great deal since toilet "cassettes" were invented. Anyone care to put a date to that invention?
No wonder the Jeremy Clarkson's of this world hold caravans and motorhomes in such low regard. LED lighting, self aligning satellite dishes, solar panels, satellite moving map navigation systems, Euro 6 diesels and you are still walking about carrying a cassette of sh!t!
Please, someone tell me there is an alternative system.
Is weight such an issue? What would a 150 litre plastic tank & pump weigh, perhaps 25kg empty?
From the replies so far it seems that the technology hasn't advanced a great deal since toilet "cassettes" were invented. Anyone care to put a date to that invention?
No wonder the Jeremy Clarkson's of this world hold caravans and motorhomes in such low regard. LED lighting, self aligning satellite dishes, solar panels, satellite moving map navigation systems, Euro 6 diesels and you are still walking about carrying a cassette of sh!t!
Please, someone tell me there is an alternative system.
Except in an emergency) 
It's not the empty weight, they need to allow for full weight. And there's no infrastructure in place (unless you drive to a marina) so very limited market until there's significant uptake. Which there won't be due to the expense and the initial inconvenience.
The cassette really doesn't bother me, although we do have a no.2 ban.
I own a 1992 RMB Mercedes A-class and must be one of the rare ones with a black tank. Identical to a marine unit, I suppose.
It'll easily hold a week's worth of kaka for a family of four and just requires parking over a suitable manhole, connect a 4-inch diameter flexi-hose, pull a valve and it's all gone in seconds.
For remote emptying, a pump connects to the valve and a hose will take the contents a little further. Connecting to the grey tank afterwards (identical fittings) cleans the pump and hose.
It'll easily hold a week's worth of kaka for a family of four and just requires parking over a suitable manhole, connect a 4-inch diameter flexi-hose, pull a valve and it's all gone in seconds.
For remote emptying, a pump connects to the valve and a hose will take the contents a little further. Connecting to the grey tank afterwards (identical fittings) cleans the pump and hose.
chainy said:
Never seen those before, Impressive bit of kit, you'd need to be using it a lot though otherwise you'd be throwing your money down the toilet..In the 2 years we had our van and 30+ outings I used the toilet about 3 times. Always a pee in the middle of the night when it was lashing it down. There was almost always somewhere with a toilet IME. Even in the middle of rural wales you can find public toilets. Then if wild camping find a bush just try not to scare the midnight ramblers club who all have super bright head torches on and appear out of literally thin air... about 30 of them.... ask me how I know..
red_slr said:
In the 2 years we had our van and 30+ outings I used the toilet about 3 times. Always a pee in the middle of the night when it was lashing it down. There was almost always somewhere with a toilet IME. Even in the middle of rural wales you can find public toilets. Then if wild camping find a bush just try not to scare the midnight ramblers club who all have super bright head torches on and appear out of literally thin air... about 30 of them.... ask me how I know..
I'd rather no ask if its all the same.
I've never found the cassette toilet a major problem, but I think a tank probably would be (at least in the UK / Europe). I have never yet found a site that has a black waste / chemical point suitable for getting close with a motorhome / pipe. You'd probably need a 10m+ pipe and that would not be nice to clean / coil back up / store!
Our cassette has wheels which makes it easier, but I have to be honest that on less than smooth tarmac surfaces I tend to carry the whole cassette as the wheels aren't great on hardcore / gravel surfaces. I normally empty it every 2 days (full or not) so that (a) Its not too full and heavy and (b) it doesn't get a chance to start smelling awful.
We no longer use "fluid" chemicals as I found this a pain, instead we have moved to using the dishwasher style capsules which you just drop down the toilet followed by a couple of litres of water - They are easier to store, easier to use and most importantly they just work without causing an eye burning chemical smell at first. They cost a bit more money, but are so much easier and simpler to use.
We do have a no dumping rule in the motorhome (unless we are somewhere that doesn't give us an option), however if it has to be done then it has to be done - always give it a good rinse at the next empty (and actually key is to not empty it too soon afterwards - give the chemicals a chance to work a little.
Our cassette has wheels which makes it easier, but I have to be honest that on less than smooth tarmac surfaces I tend to carry the whole cassette as the wheels aren't great on hardcore / gravel surfaces. I normally empty it every 2 days (full or not) so that (a) Its not too full and heavy and (b) it doesn't get a chance to start smelling awful.
We no longer use "fluid" chemicals as I found this a pain, instead we have moved to using the dishwasher style capsules which you just drop down the toilet followed by a couple of litres of water - They are easier to store, easier to use and most importantly they just work without causing an eye burning chemical smell at first. They cost a bit more money, but are so much easier and simpler to use.
We do have a no dumping rule in the motorhome (unless we are somewhere that doesn't give us an option), however if it has to be done then it has to be done - always give it a good rinse at the next empty (and actually key is to not empty it too soon afterwards - give the chemicals a chance to work a little.
So RMB is the answer.
Anyone have any links to RMB reviews, problem areas or advice (recommendations) about RMB dealers? All the secondhand RMBs I have found are in Germany, some nearly in Poland. It's a long drive from SW France, anyone have any good experiences with German RV dealers near major airports? Thanks.
Anyone have any links to RMB reviews, problem areas or advice (recommendations) about RMB dealers? All the secondhand RMBs I have found are in Germany, some nearly in Poland. It's a long drive from SW France, anyone have any good experiences with German RV dealers near major airports? Thanks.
Our first MH, a Laika had a black holding tank, but finding places to empty it were a pain. We also had a black waste tank on wheels so at least we didn't need to move it on-site. As it was our first MH I thought it would be a good idea, it wasn't. I seem to recall that you had to empty it in designated places because of the chemicals.
Our next two MH's had cassette toilets which I found much easier, next time I will buy a spare cassette as we spend a lot of time trekking round Europe, often not staying on sites with facilities.
Our next two MH's had cassette toilets which I found much easier, next time I will buy a spare cassette as we spend a lot of time trekking round Europe, often not staying on sites with facilities.
cayman-black said:
Ha i have been looking too. No leather steering wheel , one airbag, no sat nav, a lot with no reversing camera all this on £60-70k plus motorhomes, they are options though but i feel these small things should be standard at this price.
It does appear that some of the manufacturers do start with the absolute base model of Ducato and then the buyer has to spec it with things like driver pack (Aircon / Passenger Airbag etc) - but when I looked it did appear that most UK specification MHomes doi have this box ticked on the build sheet.The prices of the options can also be eye watering. My Pilote was specced with a single reversing camera (Looks down when reverse is selected) - My old van had a twin camera setup (one looking back as a rear view / one looking down when reversing) - PIlote charge approx £350 for this additional camera however I found that the van was pre-wired and I spent £60 on a second camera (identical to the one already fitted) and spent 30 minutes fitting it by basically finding the wire in the trim panel and plugging it in.
Sat Nav - I use a £150 Garmin Motorhome/Caravan unit which takes into account van size / weight to direct me, gets updated regularly and can be moved to other vehicles if required - I find this a better option
Leather Steering Wheel - Nice, but I'm not fussed either way - its a van
I often wondered why 90% of motorhomes are based on the Ducato. Obviously the newer ones will be fine to drive but our Mk1 ducato is pretty horrible to drive. (I love driving it though but its a pain) Recently borrowed a transit of a similar age and the transit was far better to drive in every way despited having 5 times the mileage and having never been serviced (at least in the 20 years my father in law has had it)
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