How to Make a Portable RV Waste Tank the Size You Need
Getting rid of black water is not the most thrilling task you will have when you use your RV. Finding new ways to cleanly dump the water is always helpful. Portable RV waste tanks are the way to go.
How to Make a Portable RV Waste Tank: To build a good DIY RV waste water tank, you need a strong sealed container. Add some wheels and a folding handle, as well as a vent. You will need to adapt the container's opening to fit the standard 3 inch sewer connection. After that attach a short collapsible hose to the hole and seal the joint. Getting the size you need depends on how many people will be using your RV's toilet
To learn more about portable RV waste tanks and how you can benefit from their use, just continue to read our review. Portable waste tanks may make your RV life a lot simpler and more fun since you do not have to break camp to empty them.
What Size Portable Holding Tank do I Need
To determine the proper size of a portable waste tank you should use, you need to ask yourself several questions before you buy. These questions include but are not limited to the following:
- How big is my family?
- How big is your RV's waste tank
- How many people will be using the RV’s toilet?
- How long is our RV vacation?
- Will some of those vacation days be spent boon docking?
If it's just going to be the two of you, and you won’t be traveling longer than a weekend, then you can get away with using a small portable waste tank. If you have 4 children and you will be gone two weeks, then probably the 40 gallon size would be best.
When you build your own homemade waste water tank make sure you weld a handle into place. You will want this handle to fold up for better storage. This will make transporting the tank easy. Also, get some durable wheels that will hold the weight and attach them at the bottom of the tank.
DIY Portable RV Waste Tank Tips
After you have answered the above questions, you now have a good idea on what size of portable waste water tank you need. This knowledge will help you select the right drum, barrel or even gas tank you should use to create your own portable waste tank.
Here are 3 good examples we were able to find:
#1. Convert a 55 gallon steel barrel- All you have to do is modify the opening to fit the 3” sewer hose connection size. Then weld the drum permanently to a wagon that has the weight capacity to hold a full drum or more.
Make sure you can also hook the drum up to the macerator for easy filling. Then pull or tow the wagon to the dump site and empty the drum.
#2. Using a 30 gallon plastic drum- again you would have to modify the opening to make sure it connects securely to the sewer hose or the macerator. If the macerator twists in 90 degree directions all the better.
You can attach the drum to a pallet with wheels or a wagon or simply just place a handle on it and carry it to the dump station or place it in the back of your truck, car or golf cart.
#3. Aluminum gas tank- of course, you want to make sure all the diesel or gas is completely removed before you start adapting this container for RV waste water use. After the gas tank is safe, you can weld some wheels and a handle to the tank to make transport easier.
Then you should modify the intake of the gas tank to fit the macerator or sewer hose. Aluminum is lightweight and should not add a lot of extra weight to your RV.
RV Portable Waste Tank Wheels
You will have a lot of flexibility in the type of portable wheels you use on your homemade portable waste water tank. The key is to figure out how much weight will be inside the container you use, the size of container and its weight.
Once you get those figures, you can find the right wheels to use. Keep i mind that a lot of the weight will be handled by the axles you use. This means that the axle should be as heavy duty as the wheels.
After you have got to this stage, you will need to figure out what kind of surfaces you will be going over when you move the tank from your RV to the the dump station and back. Having good tread will save you from getting stuck.
If there is one construction material you should consider it is rubber. This is probably the best wheel material to use as it provides good traction and smooths out many bumps.
Why Should You Use or Make a Portable Waste Water Tank
There is one very good reason why having a homemade or store bought portable waste water tank on hand. One of these days you will camp at a campground or other RV site and find that the dump station cannot be accessed by driving your RV up to it.
Portable tanks give you access all the time. If you need a second reason to build one, portable tanks keep you from breaking camp every time you need to make a dump run. You save time and frustration when using a portable tank to dump your waste water.
Some Final Comments
During our research we found that very few people built their own portable waste water tank for their RV. Most RV users opted to purchase theirs and then went on to create their own storage facilities for the extra tank.
Most RV users want to deal with waste water as little as possible and the store brands make that happen. Plus, they are already made to handle sewer hoses and macerators. This makes using a portable waste tank simple and easy.
