Everything You Need to Know About Wastewater Tote Tanks

It’s the worst part of RVing.  It’s time to empty your holding tanks. It’s totally necessary and certainly “evil” if you aren’t on a site with sewage hookups. Not only is this unpleasant experience but it can also be a huge inconvenience, especially if you are at one location for a long period of time.  You will have to disconnect the power and water supply from your travel trailer, raise any stabilizers that are in place, bring in your RV’s awning, disassemble your outdoor patio gear, and hook up to your tow vehicle just to drive to the dumping station and empty your tanks. I am sure you could think of a million other ways to spend your time. Well, we have a solution that will save you loads of time and inconvenience … a portable wastewater tote tank. 

Tote tanks are designed to connect directly to your RV or motorhome’s wastewater outlet(s) so any grey or black water automatically goes in it.  When your tote is full it is easily disconnected and you can wheel it over to the dumping station and dispose of its contents. These tanks come with connections at both ends which help in eliminating any unwanted spillage while you are emptying it.  Seems simple enough, and it is. The question now is what sizes are available and what features do they offer?

Depending on your needs, various sizes are available ranging from 5 to 42 Gallons, which for all of our Metric-using customers is roughly 18.927  to 158.987 Litres. Keep in mind that these tanks can become quite heavy and the largest sizes can weigh in at well over 300 pounds when full. Good thing these totes come with wheels!  Different models will give you the choice of 2 or 4 wheels so keep the filled weight in mind. The 4 wheel option is definitely recommended on the larger tanks.

Some portable tote tanks have built-in handles that can double as a connection to your tow vehicle’s hitch. You also have the option to purchase a tow handle or strap.  If you do decide to tow the tote with a vehicle, remember to go VERY VERY SLOW. It goes without saying that NO ONE wants their tote spilling on the way to the dumping station.

Some of the handy features that are offered include:

• Liquid level Indicators to let you know when it is time to empty

• Auto-stop to prevent overfilling and spillage

• Garden Hose connections allow hassle-free cleaning of your tote after dumping

RV Part Shop offers tote tanks from Thetford, Barker and Tote-N-Stor.  

Thetford offers a collapsible ladder mount setup for you to store you tote tank when you’re on the road without taking up valuable storage space in your motorhome or travel trailer.

Now that you have all the information, the only thing left to do is to check out our website and decide on the perfect tote tank for your RV!