Bit of the OCD happening there, brushing and a hand sweeping the Potti incessantly , if you have a cat it will be in heaven 🥰... Great vid, the Potti's with the gauges come with the better flushing system too, but you are happy and doing number twos like a champ so all is well..
I loved your review!!!!!!! I'm sneaking my girlfriend into my house pretty consistently now, ( my mom is a Christian nazi). and one of the big issues we have is she has to use the bathroom in the morning usually my mom is awake now she can come over and not have to worry about holding her pee also will be reporting the noise level as we have to be sneaky
Thanks for the tips. Finally decided on one, went with the porta potty, 3-year warranty or quality is good. It is short. I just built a base for it. Wondered about chemicals. Especially flushing tank.. Which doesn't seem to be anywhere around except you're up. I'm guessing not a big deal. Just clean, and flush with water. My daughter Eco stuff. The toilet came with a pack of pods. Figured just liquid would mix better quicker. And I did get a bottle of Rubber seal conditioner. Just to make sure
Good review. I have the older model 135. I built a base for it, so it is the same height as a standard toilet. I use Thetford TP and their Campa-Chem deodorant toss-ins. If I had to do it again, I would opt for the higher capacity model. Obviously, it holds more and doesn't need a base.
Thank you! :) We just purchased the larger Thetford; Since both my husband and I have been home 24/7 due to the quarantine, we wanted more capacity as well. Both Thetford models are great!
This was a very helpful review! A question: my husband and I are thinking of buying one of these for a cross country trip with our son so we can avoid public restrooms. Would it be possible to dump this into an RV black water dump? Or would we have to empty into a toilet?
Hi, Alisa! A couple things: •I know there are some people who do dump their Thetford at regular dump stations, so it *IS* doable... •Personally, I prefer a toilet, due to the fact that they are wider (dump station holes are pretty narrow-- fine for using a black tank hose, less optimal for a pouring spout) + toilets are situated much higher off the ground than a regular dump station hole (which are IN the ground)... •BUT, everyone has their preferences. Maybe try both a toilet AND a dump station before you take off on your trip, so you can see which is easier for you. •Lastly, I'd probably suggest the next size up of this Thetford. On a trip with three people, you might find yourself going to a dump station pretty often with the smaller model. Have a fun trip! :)
I just got this model and going for a 4 day trip in my little cargo van..my question do you just use the holding tank chemicals? I'm trying to find the pink flush tank stuff but cant seen to find it online and it wasnt at walmart when I bought the sachets for the holding tank..any suggestions?
GREAT video. As for paper, another approach is to "ban" paper going into the device. And question (out of ignorance): isn't the "eco-smart" treatment an organic material that is perhaps diminished by the use of bleach ? I saw another reviewer talking about using BORAX in place of bleach, and like you -- every so often - not every time.
Thanks, this is super helpful! In your water tank, you just put water and tea tree oil? or do you use another additive? Thanks! And how much water do you add to the water tank? And how much water do you add to the holding tank. Thanks~ I can't seem to find any answers to thise questions on line. Thanks again.
I have the "345" , so it's 4 gallons fresh water and capacity of 3.2 gallons in holding tank. Does this mean that I put 4 gallons of water in the water tank? and then I'm totally confused about how much water to put in the holding tank. thanks again.
Hi Megan! The top portion is where you fill it all up with water (unscrew the top, pour into the tank). Recently, I've been adding in a couple bottle-squeezes of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint All-Purpose soap in with the water to that tank. When we "flush" w/the manual pump, it smells nice + keeps it a little cleaner. When you put in the chem treatment [pods, powder, liquid, whatever you decide to use (we've recently been using pods)], you'll need to dilute the chemicals w/water in the bottom tank [the "black water tank" that you'll dump]. I "eyeball" it, but w/o exactly measuring it, I'd say I put in about 1 liter of water in the bottom portion (a small water bottle size worth). Really, you can't go too wrong. It's a really user-friendly porta potti. Just experiment to find what works for you, and you'll be fine. :)
Yeah, fill up the top tank with fresh water- all the way up is fine. You'll KNOW when it's time to dump the smaller black tank portion- You can literally see 👀 what's in there, how high the waste is getting, how it smells... you'll know when it's time to dump it out!
@@debtfreerv6611 Thanks for that. My question is about how much water I need to start with in the black tank portion. My second question is "do you just add tea tree oil to the fresh water section?" Thank you so much.
@@debtfreerv6611 oh, ok! now I get it. Thank you so so much! And, when you use the "pods"- do you use 1 pod (the same that you're supposed to use for a 40 gallon tank??)... that seems kinda weird, but okay. sorry, for all my questions. we leave in a couple of days in our camper van for a trip and this is all new to me :)
Thx for a great review and honestly Thetford should give you a kick back because their instructions are complete crap! Pun intended. But seriously-they give no instructions on how much water and chemicals to use. I guess I’m pissin in the wind on this one.
Hey, how much of the eco-smart stuff do you put in your tank? If I did my math right it looks like it should be about a tablespoon, but what do you suggest? Thanks!
Hi, Shawna! They suggest 4 oz per 40 gallons (or 2 oz if you're using a portable camping toilet). A large bottle of Eco Smart is 36 oz, so you should be able to get 9 uses for a 40 gal tank (or 18 uses/bottle for a small camping toilet). I "eyeball" the amount now after I mentally divide up the bottle, but you could mark the bottle w/marker for each 4 oz or 2 oz, making each use easier. There are also chemical treatment "pods"; you can just throw in one of those in a 40 gal tank and add a little water (I used those for years- they were convenient.) I hope that helps!
This is so helpful, thank you! Do you think if we used it for pee only, we would still need to add the chemicals? My plan was to put toilet paper in a trash bag so the tank would be holding urine only. I don't want to be emptying poo, and it seems less complicated if we don't need to use the chemical. Thanks for any insight!
Hi, Rachel! Hmm... well, even urine will start smelling bad, I think. If I were experimenting using it that way, I'd try without chem treatment, BUT after emptying, I'd do a H20 + bleach rinse each time, and see how that works to keep any smells down. Just FYI: If you've never used a cassette toilet with chem treatment, the treatment is added to dissolve both toilet paper and poop- so when it's dumped, it should mainly be liquified. "Grosser" than just urine, but I don't think it's any more complicated. Whatever you decide, good luck! :)
@@debtfreerv6611 Ah good point! I was thinking I'd empty it daily, but you are right, it will eventually get a bit smelly. I'll experiment a bit. We are going to get this potty for our van!
Very cool! We experimented, too... a lot, actually. I give a rundown of all our toilet experiments here, if you're interested [it might give some insight into what's available, and/or what worked for us and what didn't]: debtfreerving.com/rv-toilet-reviews-thetford-incolet-loo/ Best of luck in your van! 🚎
Hi! With this model, we'd dump every 2-3 days (I always dump the tank before it's too full). We recently upgraded to a larger model (Thetford 365) which we dump every 3-4 days. We're both currently working from home, but if we were working outside of our RV, and used bathrooms elsewhere, that time would be stretched longer by a few days (maybe once per week). The 365 model, since larger, gets pretty heavy- So although I could dump it on Day 5, I never do. I hope this answered your question! :)
That's what chemical treatment is for: it breaks down poop so when you dump the tank, waste is either very much softened or it's completely liquified. The only time I could see it being a problem would be if you pooped then *immediately after*, tried dumping the tank; If the chemical treatment doesn't have a chance to break down poop, that might make dumping it difficult (and kind of gross). Otherwise, I wouldn't worry. For two of us, we dump our tanks every 2-3 days, and it's been easy to use + dump. No problems yet!
@@kigaku_yt yep. Although I always dump before it's completely full. Since this video, we bought a larger sized porta potti: Thetford 365 (5 gal waste tank), and I dump 3-4 days. We could go 4-5 days, but again, I always dump before it gets too full and heavy.
As far as I can tell, there shouldn't be a reason to try and open up the bottom. It's just where the waste lands. Specific parts like the flushing mechanism, the water line, and the elbow can be repaired if need be, but not the holding tank itself (again, qs far as I can tell). To find instructions on how to repair the parts, you'd have to look online at the Thetford site. I've never had to repair ours.
Hello! I tried scouring the internet to find the answer to your question, but unfortunately, I can't find it! :( BUT, my husband is 6 ft and weighs about 210 lbs.; He hasn't had any problems using our Thetford (if that helps)!
I use a small capful of bleach with 1-2 full coffee cups of water now- so it's dilluted. You're right, bleach isn't the best for seals. But it does keep the tank clean and takes the smell away (which can be terrible). When it comes to porta-potties: To each his own, whatever works best for you!
I use a small capful of bleach with 1-2 full coffee cups of water now- so it's dilluted. You're right, bleach isn't the best for seals. But it does keep the tank clean and takes the smell away (which can be terrible). When it comes to porta-potties: To each his own, whatever works best for you!
How much water to put in the bottom nobody really talks about that sorry not as thorough of a review as I hoped no mention of how much water and chemicals for the bottom container and what the difference between blue and green
How much H20 you put in your tank will depend on the size of your black tank or porta potti. For 40 gal black tanks in a standard RV, many people suggest pouring in 2-4 gal of water along w/the treatment, so the treatment can dissolve and waste won't stick/clump to your tank. Using the Thetford Porta Potti, we pour in about 1/4-1/3 gal of H20 to mix with the treatment. As for how much chem treatment you need, this again, depends on the size of your tank (how many gal of waste it holds). When you know your tank's size, look at the chem treatment label, whichever you decide to buy, and it will tell you the ratio of H20 to treatment depending on your tank size. Each type of treatment has its own ratio of water to chems, so it varies. I've also used both the green and blue liquid treatments, as well as powder pods-- all of them worked fine for us.
The eco stuff is literally crap... don't use it. Use the Thetford Blue stuff. I've tried both. So wrong on the eco stuff. For how much you're going to use it..... just go for blue.
I've used so many- Currently I'm using the pods, so I just throw them in the bottom tank now. No measuring, no worries. Glad you found the one that works for you- The "blue stuff" is definitely one of the most popular.
Nice review. Love it when you said “you look in it and if it’s coming after you” it’s time to empty.
Finally someone that shows the vent button!
Bit of the OCD happening there, brushing and a hand sweeping the Potti incessantly , if you have a cat it will be in heaven 🥰... Great vid, the Potti's with the gauges come with the better flushing system too, but you are happy and doing number twos like a champ so all is well..
I loved your review!!!!!!! I'm sneaking my girlfriend into my house pretty consistently now, ( my mom is a Christian nazi). and one of the big issues we have is she has to use the bathroom in the morning usually my mom is awake now she can come over and not have to worry about holding her pee
also will be reporting the noise level as we have to be sneaky
😂
Great video. A thorough explanation of a tricky subject.
I'm happy you found it helpful! :)
Thanks for the tips. Finally decided on one, went with the porta potty, 3-year warranty or quality is good. It is short. I just built a base for it. Wondered about chemicals. Especially flushing tank.. Which doesn't seem to be anywhere around except you're up. I'm guessing not a big deal. Just clean, and flush with water. My daughter Eco stuff. The toilet came with a pack of pods. Figured just liquid would mix better quicker. And I did get a bottle of Rubber seal conditioner. Just to make sure
Helpful as I was looking for something while van traveling...thanks!
Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Have fun in your van!! :)
Good review. I have the older model 135. I built a base for it, so it is the same height as a standard toilet. I use Thetford TP and their Campa-Chem deodorant toss-ins. If I had to do it again, I would opt for the higher capacity model. Obviously, it holds more and doesn't need a base.
Thank you! :)
We just purchased the larger Thetford; Since both my husband and I have been home 24/7 due to the quarantine, we wanted more capacity as well. Both Thetford models are great!
Thank you just got a new boat with this and no manual. Help us alot🙂
Awesome!! That's so COOL you have a boat!! Good luck with everything on the high seas! :)
Thanks for the informative video! I just ordered one, cheers!
Awesome! Hopefully it works out well for you! :)
Great review thank you!
This was a very helpful review! A question: my husband and I are thinking of buying one of these for a cross country trip with our son so we can avoid public restrooms. Would it be possible to dump this into an RV black water dump? Or would we have to empty into a toilet?
Hi, Alisa! A couple things:
•I know there are some people who do dump their Thetford at regular dump stations, so it *IS* doable...
•Personally, I prefer a toilet, due to the fact that they are wider (dump station holes are pretty narrow-- fine for using a black tank hose, less optimal for a pouring spout) + toilets are situated much higher off the ground than a regular dump station hole (which are IN the ground)...
•BUT, everyone has their preferences. Maybe try both a toilet AND a dump station before you take off on your trip, so you can see which is easier for you.
•Lastly, I'd probably suggest the next size up of this Thetford. On a trip with three people, you might find yourself going to a dump station pretty often with the smaller model.
Have a fun trip! :)
Excellent presentation. Super helpful.
I'm happy you found it helpful! :)
4:30 "... after every few dumps ..." I guess no pun intended lol
10-4on RV paper. Scott's brand RV paper is AWESOME!!!!!
I just got this model and going for a 4 day trip in my little cargo van..my question do you just use the holding tank chemicals? I'm trying to find the pink flush tank stuff but cant seen to find it online and it wasnt at walmart when I bought the sachets for the holding tank..any suggestions?
Can you clean it with a mixture of water and bleach? Thanjs
GREAT video. As for paper, another approach is to "ban" paper going into the device. And question (out of ignorance): isn't the "eco-smart" treatment an organic material that is perhaps diminished by the use of bleach ? I saw another reviewer talking about using BORAX in place of bleach, and like you -- every so often - not every time.
Thanks, this is super helpful! In your water tank, you just put water and tea tree oil? or do you use another additive? Thanks! And how much water do you add to the water tank? And how much water do you add to the holding tank. Thanks~ I can't seem to find any answers to thise questions on line. Thanks again.
I have the "345" , so it's 4 gallons fresh water and capacity of 3.2 gallons in holding tank. Does this mean that I put 4 gallons of water in the water tank? and then I'm totally confused about how much water to put in the holding tank. thanks again.
Hi Megan!
The top portion is where you fill it all up with water (unscrew the top, pour into the tank). Recently, I've been adding in a couple bottle-squeezes of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint All-Purpose soap in with the water to that tank. When we "flush" w/the manual pump, it smells nice + keeps it a little cleaner.
When you put in the chem treatment [pods, powder, liquid, whatever you decide to use (we've recently been using pods)], you'll need to dilute the chemicals w/water in the bottom tank [the "black water tank" that you'll dump]. I "eyeball" it, but w/o exactly measuring it, I'd say I put in about 1 liter of water in the bottom portion (a small water bottle size worth).
Really, you can't go too wrong. It's a really user-friendly porta potti. Just experiment to find what works for you, and you'll be fine. :)
Yeah, fill up the top tank with fresh water- all the way up is fine.
You'll KNOW when it's time to dump the smaller black tank portion- You can literally see 👀 what's in there, how high the waste is getting, how it smells... you'll know when it's time to dump it out!
@@debtfreerv6611 Thanks for that. My question is about how much water I need to start with in the black tank portion. My second question is "do you just add tea tree oil to the fresh water section?" Thank you so much.
@@debtfreerv6611 oh, ok! now I get it. Thank you so so much! And, when you use the "pods"- do you use 1 pod (the same that you're supposed to use for a 40 gallon tank??)... that seems kinda weird, but okay. sorry, for all my questions. we leave in a couple of days in our camper van for a trip and this is all new to me :)
Thank you.. 👍👍👍
Thank you for the clear description. What is the exact height after closing the lid. My camper van bed platform only has 13 inches high.
The dimensions of the 135 model are:
(L) 13.54 x (W) 12.13 x (H) 15.12 inches, so this one doesn't seem like it will fit your 13"high space. :/
I was so confused for a while, then I realized the video is backwards/mirrored, just curious, how come?
Mea culpa, a newbie mistake.
@@debtfreerv6611 No apology necessary at all! I just thought it might have been on purpose and maybe you had a tip or trick you could teach me lol
@@YouMotorcycle Ha! Nope, no tips or tricks. Stuff goes in, stuff shakes out. :)
I want to know how to empty it, like how do I separate the.bottom ( holding tank) from the seat?
Thx for a great review and honestly Thetford should give you a kick back because their instructions are complete crap! Pun intended. But seriously-they give no instructions on how much water and chemicals to use. I guess I’m pissin in the wind on this one.
Ha! Well, thank you, and I'm glad this helped!
Hey, how much of the eco-smart stuff do you put in your tank? If I did my math right it looks like it should be about a tablespoon, but what do you suggest? Thanks!
Hi, Shawna! They suggest 4 oz per 40 gallons (or 2 oz if you're using a portable camping toilet). A large bottle of Eco Smart is 36 oz, so you should be able to get 9 uses for a 40 gal tank (or 18 uses/bottle for a small camping toilet). I "eyeball" the amount now after I mentally divide up the bottle, but you could mark the bottle w/marker for each 4 oz or 2 oz, making each use easier.
There are also chemical treatment "pods"; you can just throw in one of those in a 40 gal tank and add a little water (I used those for years- they were convenient.)
I hope that helps!
This is so helpful, thank you! Do you think if we used it for pee only, we would still need to add the chemicals? My plan was to put toilet paper in a trash bag so the tank would be holding urine only. I don't want to be emptying poo, and it seems less complicated if we don't need to use the chemical. Thanks for any insight!
Hi, Rachel! Hmm... well, even urine will start smelling bad, I think. If I were experimenting using it that way, I'd try without chem treatment, BUT after emptying, I'd do a H20 + bleach rinse each time, and see how that works to keep any smells down. Just FYI: If you've never used a cassette toilet with chem treatment, the treatment is added to dissolve both toilet paper and poop- so when it's dumped, it should mainly be liquified. "Grosser" than just urine, but I don't think it's any more complicated. Whatever you decide, good luck! :)
@@debtfreerv6611 Ah good point! I was thinking I'd empty it daily, but you are right, it will eventually get a bit smelly. I'll experiment a bit. We are going to get this potty for our van!
Very cool! We experimented, too... a lot, actually. I give a rundown of all our toilet experiments here, if you're interested [it might give some insight into what's available, and/or what worked for us and what didn't]: debtfreerving.com/rv-toilet-reviews-thetford-incolet-loo/
Best of luck in your van! 🚎
I know the green chemical is better for septic the blue is bad for septic
Great review! Just curious, and I know this will be different for everyone, but how often do you have to empty the tank?
Hi! With this model, we'd dump every 2-3 days (I always dump the tank before it's too full). We recently upgraded to a larger model (Thetford 365) which we dump every 3-4 days. We're both currently working from home, but if we were working outside of our RV, and used bathrooms elsewhere, that time would be stretched longer by a few days (maybe once per week). The 365 model, since larger, gets pretty heavy- So although I could dump it on Day 5, I never do. I hope this answered your question! :)
@@debtfreerv6611 Thank you so much. That really helps. :)
Happy to help! :)
Im worried about poop. What if you have a lot of it. Or its really hard. Will it clog the drain pipe?
That's what chemical treatment is for: it breaks down poop so when you dump the tank, waste is either very much softened or it's completely liquified. The only time I could see it being a problem would be if you pooped then *immediately after*, tried dumping the tank; If the chemical treatment doesn't have a chance to break down poop, that might make dumping it difficult (and kind of gross). Otherwise, I wouldn't worry.
For two of us, we dump our tanks every 2-3 days, and it's been easy to use + dump. No problems yet!
@@debtfreerv6611 Ah thx!
No problem! :)
@@debtfreerv6611 for two of you, every 2-3 days dump for this model (porta potti 135 / 2.6 gallon waste tank)?
@@kigaku_yt yep. Although I always dump before it's completely full. Since this video, we bought a larger sized porta potti: Thetford 365 (5 gal waste tank), and I dump 3-4 days. We could go 4-5 days, but again, I always dump before it gets too full and heavy.
Thank you for the video very helpful
Glad it helped you! :)
Thx for video
Thanks for a great review.
Thanks for watching!
How do you get into the bottom tank for repairs?
As far as I can tell, there shouldn't be a reason to try and open up the bottom. It's just where the waste lands. Specific parts like the flushing mechanism, the water line, and the elbow can be repaired if need be, but not the holding tank itself (again, qs far as I can tell). To find instructions on how to repair the parts, you'd have to look online at the Thetford site. I've never had to repair ours.
Hi! What is the weight limit/rating for adults??
Hello! I tried scouring the internet to find the answer to your question, but unfortunately, I can't find it! :( BUT, my husband is 6 ft and weighs about 210 lbs.; He hasn't had any problems using our Thetford (if that helps)!
@@debtfreerv6611 Thanks ! Also if ANYONE knows how to do the optional bracket system please let me know . It came with no instructions
Great! Thank you!
I'm glad it was helpful! :)
Great review.
I'm happy you found it helpful!
So you carry this into a gas station bathroom?
Any public toilet would suffice. This can also be dumped at a regular RV dump station, depending on your preference/local accessibility.
"after every few dumps" lol
An unintentional double entendre! 😉
Bleach i thought was really bad for seals???
I use a small capful of bleach with 1-2 full coffee cups of water now- so it's dilluted. You're right, bleach isn't the best for seals. But it does keep the tank clean and takes the smell away (which can be terrible). When it comes to porta-potties: To each his own, whatever works best for you!
I use a small capful of bleach with 1-2 full coffee cups of water now- so it's dilluted. You're right, bleach isn't the best for seals. But it does keep the tank clean and takes the smell away (which can be terrible). When it comes to porta-potties: To each his own, whatever works best for you!
How much water to put in the bottom nobody really talks about that sorry not as thorough of a review as I hoped no mention of how much water and chemicals for the bottom container and what the difference between blue and green
How much H20 you put in your tank will depend on the size of your black tank or porta potti. For 40 gal black tanks in a standard RV, many people suggest pouring in 2-4 gal of water along w/the treatment, so the treatment can dissolve and waste won't stick/clump to your tank. Using the Thetford Porta Potti, we pour in about 1/4-1/3 gal of H20 to mix with the treatment. As for how much chem treatment you need, this again, depends on the size of your tank (how many gal of waste it holds). When you know your tank's size, look at the chem treatment label, whichever you decide to buy, and it will tell you the ratio of H20 to treatment depending on your tank size. Each type of treatment has its own ratio of water to chems, so it varies.
I've also used both the green and blue liquid treatments, as well as powder pods-- all of them worked fine for us.
The eco stuff is literally crap... don't use it. Use the Thetford Blue stuff. I've tried both. So wrong on the eco stuff. For how much you're going to use it..... just go for blue.
I've used so many- Currently I'm using the pods, so I just throw them in the bottom tank now. No measuring, no worries. Glad you found the one that works for you- The "blue stuff" is definitely one of the most popular.