My 2¢: We live in the UK and we have a much earlier version of this Thetford toilet on our 2003 folding camper. We've never had any problems with it, but we stopped paying for the proprietary liquids long ago. Instead, when we're preparing for a trip and following every drain-and-rinse, we chuck a scented liquid laundry detergent capsule (aka: pod) into the cassette along with a couple cups of water. I don't know how things are in the USA, but in the UK there's a choice between laundry detergents which have enzymes and those which do not; we always use the with-enzyme detergent for this purpose. We've found that the trailer jouncing around on even paved roads in good condition for a few hours results in so much agitation of the contents of the cassette that TP and any solids turn into a sort of disgusting-looking but not too-bad smelling soup. The fact that the only chemical we use in the cassette is a normal, domestic product means that we feel no compunction about putting the contents of the cassette down any sort of toilet, so we don't need to find a dedicated black-water dump facility. Also, laundry detergent is obviously available in any supermarket, so we don't need to worry about maintaining a supply of the branded product. Another minor benefit is that the detergent capsules live in a sealed plastic box, so there's never any risk of smelly chemicals spilling.
@@turkeyphant The only reason I can see to use bleach is in an attempt to sterilise the effluent. That seems pretty pointless to me. Whatever microorganisms are in the tank came from those who are using it, so it's not like there's any danger of catching cholera or some other deadly disease from it. In any case, there's no reason the person emptying the tank should come into contact with the liquid. Our experience is that the contents of the tank don't smell wonderful, but nor does the toilet belch a hideous stench every time the flap is opened to empty the bowl. Obviously, our noses might be less sensitive than yours, and it's also possible that any stray odours come from our tank vent to outside more easily than other arrangements.
Thanks for your time, effort, and expertise. This was useful.
You Bet!
My 2¢: We live in the UK and we have a much earlier version of this Thetford toilet on our 2003 folding camper. We've never had any problems with it, but we stopped paying for the proprietary liquids long ago. Instead, when we're preparing for a trip and following every drain-and-rinse, we chuck a scented liquid laundry detergent capsule (aka: pod) into the cassette along with a couple cups of water. I don't know how things are in the USA, but in the UK there's a choice between laundry detergents which have enzymes and those which do not; we always use the with-enzyme detergent for this purpose. We've found that the trailer jouncing around on even paved roads in good condition for a few hours results in so much agitation of the contents of the cassette that TP and any solids turn into a sort of disgusting-looking but not too-bad smelling soup. The fact that the only chemical we use in the cassette is a normal, domestic product means that we feel no compunction about putting the contents of the cassette down any sort of toilet, so we don't need to find a dedicated black-water dump facility. Also, laundry detergent is obviously available in any supermarket, so we don't need to worry about maintaining a supply of the branded product. Another minor benefit is that the detergent capsules live in a sealed plastic box, so there's never any risk of smelly chemicals spilling.
Don't you need some bleach or stronger chemicals?
@@turkeyphant The only reason I can see to use bleach is in an attempt to sterilise the effluent. That seems pretty pointless to me. Whatever microorganisms are in the tank came from those who are using it, so it's not like there's any danger of catching cholera or some other deadly disease from it. In any case, there's no reason the person emptying the tank should come into contact with the liquid. Our experience is that the contents of the tank don't smell wonderful, but nor does the toilet belch a hideous stench every time the flap is opened to empty the bowl. Obviously, our noses might be less sensitive than yours, and it's also possible that any stray odours come from our tank vent to outside more easily than other arrangements.