How about a recirculating RV toilet?

An RVer moving into the world of "boondocking" away from the world of RV parks and utility sites was concerned about dumping black water. After another RVer showed him his recirculating toilet, the question arose: Wouldn't a recirculating toilet be just the thing for boondockers?

First, what's a recirculating toilet, and how does it work?

A recirculating toilet looks a lot like a common RV toilet, only it's not "moored" to the floor of the RV, being completely portable. Rather than dumping waste into a mounted holding tank, the system uses stored water and chemicals that dissolve the solid waste and then recirculate the wastes and water for multiple flushes. The wastes are contained in the toilet system, and when full, the unit is taken out of the RV and the contents dumped at an appropriate location.

You may have already experienced a recirculating toilet if you've taken a trip on a Greyhound bus or a flight on nearly any airline. Recirculating toilets are common on those conveyances.

So how about eliminating the worry about emptying holding tanks with the use of one of these "recirc" biffies? Several RVers who've used them report that while they do work, depending on your use level, these toilets have to be dumped every few days. So how often do you have to dump your RV black water holding tank? Will you be out in the boonies longer than your black water tank can wait for a dumping? True, it's easier to carry a recirc toilet out to the car or truck and drive it to a dump station than it is to hitch up a trailer, or maybe even break camp with a motorhome to head out to dump tanks.

But there are other considerations. First, the cost of a recirc toilet isn't something to take lightly. A popular recirculating toilet is manufactured by Thetford, the Electra Magic Model 80. Look to pay somewhere over $400 for the unit. The money layout doesn't stop there – you'll need to keep the thing "charged" with holding tank chemicals to kill the bacteria.

We've heard from RVers who've used recirc toilets, and the most common expression we hear are things like, "Yuck!" and "Stink." While the holding tank chemistry does supposedly kill the odor of the wastes, it tends to replace it with a lingering sort of fragrance that most people would prefer not to have hanging around their RV. Would you like to have your in-flight drinks served to you in the airplane bathroom?

If moving your RV away from your boondocking spot every couple of weeks to dump the holding tank isn't workable, consider a couple of alternatives: A "blue boy" portable waste tank to haul away the wastes, or a "porta potti" style portable toilet which uses fresh water and doesn't recirculate your waste products. The latter are a whole lot less expensive than recirc toilets, don't use near as much chemical, and from our own experience, smell a whole lot less offensive than visiting an airliner bathroom.

Stop that SeaLand seal leak

Many RVers have the popular SeaLand RV toilet stowed away in their bathroom. Sad to say, like other RV toilets, occasionally the SeaLand gets a bit cranky and begins to show some signs of age. A typically reported problem is the water in the bowl vanishing mysteriously, sometimes accompanied by an unwelcome blast of odor from the holding tank.

Often the problem is the rubber seal around the ball valve in the bottom of the bowl. Yes, you can cure the problem by taking the toilet apart and replacing the seal, but wait! You may be able to solve the problem with a less invasive procedure. At times a build up of minerals around the seal will no longer allow for a water (and stink) tight seal. A simple clearing away of those minerals may relieve you of the problem, and the hassle of a remove-and-replace job.

Here's what some creative RVers have done to clear up a seal problem.

Bowl cleaner trick: Some swear by pouring E-Z RV Bowl Cleaner (Valterra product V88229) in the bowl. Of course, if the bowl leaks excessively, it may take quite a few "pour it in, let it sit" cycles for you to make this one work.

Banish it with a brush: Get a small brush, like a toothbrush, and after opening the valve, do the "dental hyginist" trick around and around inside the seal. Minerals (and other not-so-foreign material) can sometimes get stuck in the seal. Obviously you'll want to reserve this toothbrush for the biffy, not your mouthy!

Shoot it! Nah, leave the gun in the gun safe, shoot it with silicone lube. DON'T use stuff that contains petroleum products, which includes the ever-popular Vaseline. Rubber and petroleum are pretty much incompatible in a sort of dog-eats-cat scenario. Yes, it might work for a while, and then your rubber seal may vamoose permanently.