# What's so bad about emptying your chemical toilet down the loo / drain ?



## 77W (Sep 5, 2012)

Well forgive me for what may seem like an obvious question but as per title, what is so bad about emptying your chemical toilet either down your loo at home or as others may do lift the manhole cover in your garden & pour it down there ie it ends up directly in the same place but avoids spashes  ( yuck ) in your bathroom.

I use only a tiny amount of toilet blue in my cassett so can't see the problem, what is it that I'm missing ?


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## DTDog (Sep 5, 2012)

Is it bad??
It's what I do !!!


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## mariesnowgoose (Sep 5, 2012)

Me too.


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## Smaug (Sep 5, 2012)

Me too & I have a septic tank rather than mains drainage. 

I have found that using public loos it can take 2-3 flushes to clear the water after emptying, but apart from that I don't know of any problems. But then, what do I know?


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## lotty (Sep 5, 2012)

I do that too! 

I'm moving to a house on a septic tank so is that ok too?


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## MikeH (Sep 5, 2012)

Me too.  I've used public loos in the past but felt embarrassed by the stink.  I'd spray a can of Oust in the cubicle but still,  it would honk so I do it at home with the bathroom door closed and the window open.


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## ellisboy (Sep 5, 2012)

It's just the same as flushing the toilet,all ends up in the same place :scared:


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## Firefox (Sep 5, 2012)

Yes. Just empty it down the loo or I use a foul sewer MH in the front garden. I use very few chemicals in mine anyway. The odd shot of blue in the flush tank maybe.


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## Smaug (Sep 5, 2012)

lotty said:


> I do that too!
> 
> I'm moving to a house on a septic tank so is that ok too?



Hasn't stopped mine working, but I only empty into it it once or twice a year & there is a huge (6'x8'x8') brick settlement tank with another similar sized one for the fluids to slop into & soak away. Not had many problems over the 30 years we have lived here & what we've had have been due to soap/ grease blockages or heavy rains reducing the ability to soakaway.

Never even any noticeable smell with the lids on, even in hot weather (not that there's been much of that this year so far!)


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## Bigpeetee (Sep 5, 2012)

MikeH said:


> Me too.  I've used public loos in the past but felt embarrassed by the stink.  I'd spray a can of Oust in the cubicle but still,  it would honk so I do it at home with the bathroom door closed and the window open.



Stop eating curries in the MH!!

I use the loo or open our manhole. Use bio tablets if out for weekend and empty quickly at end of trip. If just using for jollies ie days out where there is some use but not a lot, I put a quantity of green bio loo liquid, probably the same as a soap tablet!!


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## mariesnowgoose (Sep 5, 2012)

You know what, this thread is just full of cr*p :lol-049::lol-053:


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## Hawthorn (Sep 5, 2012)

*Anyone tried biological clothes washing liquid instead of toilet chemicals?*

Read it on a forum that biological clothes washing liquid equals the job of toilet chemicals. Gave it a try with Tesco value  biological clothes washing liquid and it works a treat. At a fraction of the cost. It's made of same enzymes etc to break down the waste.


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## ellisboy (Sep 5, 2012)

:nicethread:


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## mariesnowgoose (Sep 5, 2012)

Hawthorn said:


> Read it on a forum that biological clothes washing liquid equals the job of toilet chemicals. Gave it a try with Tesco value  biological clothes washing liquid and it works a treat. At a fraction of the cost. It's made of same enzymes etc to break down the waste.



We're going to use bio wash in future. Got a bit of blue left, but bio after that.


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## herbenny (Sep 5, 2012)

I get the fit of giggles when hubby makes the dreaded climb up the stairs to empty ours :lol-053: ...I have the toilet sense of humour of a five year old :lol-061:


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## gaz2676 (Sep 5, 2012)

me too......... cant help it


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## GARY ENGLISH (Sep 5, 2012)

*Toilets*

My mate has one that works with charcoal and a fan.Still smells especially if you are outside when the fan goes.


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## vwalan (Sep 5, 2012)

hi .in small doses you may get away with it .but in larger ones it kills the bacteria in the tank. 
putting it in a drain or down your toilet if you are on main drains it gets thinned out thousands of times by others . 
i have seen loads of domestic waste septics spoilt by careless use of blue and green chemicals . even bleach etc can do it . 
if you have a septic then i wouldnt tip blue or green chemicals down the loo or the drains . 
in fact i would only use special  toilet cleaners that are specially made for that use. 
i have also seen the problems on campsites that have their own private systems . they normally have a seperate holding tank just for chemical waste . that can be emptied and disposed of in other ways . 
i know once it cost a campsite near here thousands to have their sewage system cleaned and re fertilized with good waste . took most of the summer to sort it . all because someone had not thought about the chemical tank . they were doing alterations and decided to risk it all going in their sewage system. 
another problem of septics is dish washer water and auto matic washing machines this again floods the holding tanks with powerful chemicals that literally wash the good bacteria out . also if roof water is put in this can cause problems . ideal this should go in flood drains or soak away,s. usaly its only country properties that have this type of sewage systems . towns have normally got rid of them and its easier to get into the mains . 
even some toilet papers have been known to cause problems . and things like those toilet duck wash things . it really is a science . 
hope this helps .


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## mrs t (Sep 5, 2012)

*Septic Tank*



lotty said:


> I do that too!
> 
> I'm moving to a house on a septic tank so is that ok too?



Dont know if Im going off the subject with this but if you are using a septic tank then only use Non Bio products.  The reason is that bacteria need to digest all the cr*p etc that goes into the tank and Bio products kill the bacteria.  You then end up with a useles 'dead' system which would have to be re-activated or worse still emptied before necessary.  You also need to be careful about bleaches which you put down the loo or drain - Parazone is good but if you want to use other makes,read the back of the bottle to make sure they are safe to use. We have been off mains for about 20 years and touch wood not much in the way of problems.  The only thing that ever caused us grief was when I decided to save money and changed to Lidl recycled loo paper which I thought would be 'green' - the system wouldnt break it down and (unnoticed and over time) it formed a solid mass in the tank and the ony solution was call out the tanker.


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## lotty (Sep 5, 2012)

mrs t said:


> Dont know if Im going off the subject with this but if you are using a septic tank then only use Non Bio products.  The reason is that bacteria need to digest all the cr*p etc that goes into the tank and Bio products kill the bacteria.  You then end up with a useles 'dead' system which would have to be re-activated or worse still emptied before necessary.  You also need to be careful about bleaches which you put down the loo or drain - Parazone is good but if you want to use other makes,read the back of the bottle to make sure they are safe to use. We have been off mains for about 20 years and touch wood not much in the way of problems.  The only thing that ever caused us grief was when I decided to save money and changed to Lidl recycled loo paper which I thought would be 'green' - the system wouldnt break it down and (unnoticed and over time) it formed a solid mass in the tank and the ony solution was call out the tanker.



I already use non Bio washing powder, so I will have to check my cleaning products too to make sure. 
Generally on the loo roll side are most ok?


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## n brown (Sep 5, 2012)

herbenny said:


> I get the fit of giggles when hubby makes the dreaded climb up the stairs to empty ours :lol-053: ...I have the toilet sense of humour of a five year old :lol-061:


the day i don't at least smile when someone farts,do me a favour and shoot me


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## herbenny (Sep 5, 2012)

n brown said:


> the day i don't at least smile when someone farts,do me a favour and shoot me



:lol-061::lol-061::lol-061:


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## mrs t (Sep 5, 2012)

lotty said:


> I already use non Bio washing powder, so I will have to check my cleaning products too to make sure.
> Generally on the loo roll side are most ok?



I am erring on the side of caution these days and stick with Nouvelle.  Stay clear of the thick quilted varieties as they must take a lot of breaking down.  One easy way to tell if loo paper is ok is put a few pieces in a jar with some water and shake it, if it quickly dissolves then its fine.  I tried doing that with the Lidl one (too late) and after two weeks it still looked the same!.


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## Mastodon (Sep 5, 2012)

We have a SOG therefore no chemicals, but can be fragrant when emptying. To overcome this I sawed a chunk out of the outside soil pipe and put in a rodding eye at waist height. This causes an outbreak of smugness every time I empty...


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## Cherryl (Sep 5, 2012)

*Chemical Toilets*

Hi everyone - I have just joined the forum and arrived in the UK from Australia a few weeks ago. My husband and I have bought a motor home and plan on travelling for a couple of years around the UK and Europe. We had an off-road caravan back home and used a couple of tablespoons of Napisan dissolved in about 2 litres of water in the loo and this worked a treat. Kept the loo clean and smells to a minimum. We are doing the same here and have also used public toilets where necessary to empty the cassette. I cannot see that this would cause any problems.


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## antiquesam (Sep 5, 2012)

It's my fault. I shouldn't be reading this while eating, but I have to say the subject stinks.:tongue:


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## Milney (Sep 5, 2012)

*toilet*

Guys n Girls
  Is there a law you cannot poor the loo waste down the sewer drain in the garden? not the land drain i know!!

Col


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## Milney (Sep 5, 2012)

*Curries*

Cannot Boycott curriesssssssss.....Nooooooo:rulez:


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## vwalan (Sep 5, 2012)

no not really . but lifting a cover thats not in your property could be termed theft . .at least that was what i was told by our local water board . but as a water rates payer in one area it kind of should allow you in others . 
but there are health and safety issues 
plus there are issues with duty of care and controlled waste transfer issues . there are licensing issues for tipping this controlled waste . all very technical .waste management licensing regulations 1994 .
its accepted you use toilets but bulk tipping could come into the licence scheme . think large onboard tanks some up to 300litres are the problem . 
but you could have a job explaining if caught lifting manholes .


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## DRoader (Sep 5, 2012)

I wouldn't appreciate someone emptying their toilet waste down a grid near me.


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## vwalan (Sep 5, 2012)

never tip down a storm grid . even worse in hot climates like spain can stay there for months . lots do dirty monkeys .


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## bestyman (Sep 5, 2012)

Speaking as a plumber, I would say to check before lifting a manhole and emptying down there.

With some properties all the sewage and rainwater is mixed together, so it does not matter which manhole/drain you use. 

On some properties you will have separate systems for foul and rainwater. You will see usually two sets of manholes close together, possibly at different depths. The rainwater side may discharge into a stream for example, while the foul goes to the sewage works.

To check try flushing toilets with the manhole lid off and see if you see anything.


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## vwalan (Sep 5, 2012)

trouble is when they tip in the road flood drains . that should be seperate as the oil on the roads mess,s the works up as well. 
all interesting stuff though waste management . what with wet waste and dry waste (skips etc )i found it all interesting . if you have kids encourage them to think about it . theres a future in it for them . a good one as well.


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## lotusanne (Sep 6, 2012)

Do you work with it VWAlan (not literally!!) ?  Or is it something you are interested in?  When you go to remoter places you realise how protected we are from lifes waste producs, with toilets, rubbish bins, bin collection etc .  When you have to deal with it all youself it gives you more of an appreciation and a need  to think about its disposal


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## groyne (Sep 6, 2012)

If you're interested in waste disposal this museum Abbey Pumping Station Museum, Leicester worth a visit if you are in the area.



> There is also a unique inter-active toilet with a see-through bowel and cistern, where the journey of an object can be followed from flush to drain.



My kids (and me and the Mrs) were fascinated with this.


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## northernspirit2001 (Sep 6, 2012)

*Toilet rules*

Only 2 rules are hard and fast with MH WC, 

1. Always open flap fully before number 2's
2. Always close flap after 

Getting myself some lunch now, yum....


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## vwalan (Sep 6, 2012)

hi lotusanne.
yes i did work in it , did 7 years well mostly in summer . i worked for the biggest enviromental waste disposal company down here . most of the work was directly for south west water. i worked on the sewage and the fresh water side. 
  i found it really interesting . specially as i usually get off to north africa in the winters . clean water etc better ask loads of questions . 
i had a great time . because of my interest i got to go to alot of very modern sites in sewage and waste disposal.
have also visited several incinerator plants here and abroad . also desalination plants in morocco. even got a chance to go to a world health conferance in gambia about sewage and waste . i often think i hada chance to work for the water board as a teenager . thought it was a crap job . looking back might have been a mistake . but then life is strange . at one time i worked building one of the works i eventually worked at . was handy as i could remember the lay outs and helped me get further into the workings . 
i find the waste industry very interesting . when you pull the flush a whole new world starts to happen . 
had several jobs all interesting ,butcher slaughterman.garage . truck driving .tyre fitting .building .
liked them all. just changed because i needed a new adventure .


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## vwalan (Sep 6, 2012)

yes no regrets . but i can recommend it to youngsters ,even more if they have good science grades . even just waste as in rubbish is a job that is underrated there is a future in waste management . 
but yes i probably would have got bored . changed jobs often . very often found the knowledge from one job got me into the next . always was impatient . but never mind . had a good life . no regrets and happy .  cant ask for more .


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## 77W (Sep 6, 2012)

Well looking at the replies I guess I had the wrong end of the stick,  for some reason I thought it was not really that good an idea to put the contents of your cassett down the drain.

I understand totally that if you did that in a rain water drain then that's asking for trouble ( the man hole in my garden goes to the sewer ie the rain water goes somewhare else )  so I guess that's ok then.

Vw Alan you sound like me , it's nice to have tried lots of things in life, I wish  I could say I had no regrets though , Yep I have a few, not many but a few, anyway that's another story.


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## vwalan (Sep 6, 2012)

have you regrets or just a memory that says i should have tried something else . making mistakes dont cause regrets . so long as you dont make it again . my first job as a butcher was for one of the uk biggest importers exporters at the time . helped me in loads of jobs since then . few telephone calls here and there . even years later i found it useful .we imported meat from brazil ,later i imported vw parts from brazil . guess what . same chap handled it in brazil . 
i would look at your regrets and i bet they were only mistakes . dont regret it festers . smile move on dont do it agaion.


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## lotusanne (Sep 6, 2012)

Coincidentally there was a fascinating problem on about the history of toilets looking at their invention, adoption, countries that still have raw sewage and no toilets at all ending with looking at research funded by bill gates into a completely revolutionary way to deal with sewage - microwave it, turns it into plasma and the gas produced then fuels the system, hence no waste of fresh water for flushing and no cost to power it.  Also looked at compost toliets recycling nutriens, worth a watch if interested


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## vwalan (Sep 6, 2012)

most of the works round here have generators putting leccy into the grid . powered by the gas from the s--t.
my next door neighbour built them based on MAN truck engines with these big gennies on the back. 
there as been several ways to get rid of it . one is to make it into pebbles .they can dry it so hard that even if put back into water it doesnt take it in . was designed as a gravel for drives but didnt catch on . 
as a steam engine enthuisiast i am also interested in the london sewage system that used big beam engines to help in the treating of sewage . all fits in nicely with the tin mines here in cornwall etc . 
if your interested there is a safe sewage matrix http://www.adas.co.uk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=f_CX7x_v4nY=&tabid=211&mid=664
this is about treated sewage to land etc . interesting reading .


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## MATS (Sep 7, 2012)

*The outside loo*

I am blessed to have a working original 'outside' loo with pull chain still working so that where mine goes...then use rain water from the butt to flush tank and toilet.  

I also have a radar key so I use disabled WCs when on extended trips the road  - more privacy to do the dirty business. You can get the keys off amazon now without proving you are disabled.


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## Ironjaws (Sep 7, 2012)

Like vwalan I used to spend most of my working life allied to waste disposal as a civil engineer. Always a very interesting subject, sewage disposal. I would never empty the contents of the cassette into a septic tank, they really are a very delicate system. Most people think they have no problem because all is below ground and no activity can be seen. A septic tank does need to be emptied every so often to remove sludge build up. With respect to toilet paper we do use the Thetford, ridiculously expensive stuff as it really does break up quickly and when emptying the cassette no nasty splashy gloop, gloops! There are a few alternatives here in France but all pricey. As a side note to the squeamish, most people who I met who worked with 'live' sewage had substantial appetites.


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## mariesnowgoose (Sep 7, 2012)

Ironjaws said:


> As a side note to the squeamish, most people who I met who worked with 'live' sewage had substantial appetites.



When I was a wee lass, every time we passed a pig farm, or somewhere with particularly smelly animal waste, my Dad used to say "Ah, lovely! Breathe deep, it'll give you an appetite!" :lol-053::lol-049:


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## vwalan (Sep 7, 2012)

hi mats .i also have an old outside chain pull toilet . it used to go to a septic tank in the corner of the garden . unfortunately the bungalow got modernised about 30yrs ago and now as inside toilet and bathroom and was connected to the mains , shame really it had worked for 70 yrs with out mains . could save a few bob on charges . have thought about reverting back but cant be doing with it . still have the septic tank . its a double chambered block built tank . now as an old lorry container sat over it to stop my kids prying when they were young. 
nice having an outside loo stops mucky feet trailing in when playing in the garage or garden. lots round here arent on mains water but have bore holes . i,m on mains . shame again .


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## Smaug (Sep 7, 2012)

MATS said:


> (snip)
> 
> I also have a radar key so I use disabled WCs when on extended trips the road  - more privacy to do the dirty business. You can get the keys off amazon now without proving you are disabled.



Thanks for that. I keep my boat at Caernarfon & the toilets are locked in the evening to prevent vandalism. Now I will be able to use the disabled toilet & avoid pumping raw sewage into the harbour if I need to go in the evening.  Aren't forums great! :heart::banana:


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## robbiec0 (Sep 15, 2012)

Isn't progress wonderful. 50 years ago we used to eat in the house and cr*p in the garden, now we eat in the garden and cr*p in the house.


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## mandymops (Sep 15, 2012)

Hawthorn said:


> Read it on a forum that biological clothes washing liquid equals the job of toilet chemicals. Gave it a try with Tesco value  biological clothes washing liquid and it works a treat. At a fraction of the cost. It's made of same enzymes etc to break down the waste.


OK, I use the Thetford pink in the flush tank and green in the reservoir but I have to travel miles to get the stuff. If you use the biological clothes washing liquid, where do you put it? In the flush or the reservoir?


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## scotchjock (Sep 15, 2012)

We lived in a touring caravan for two and a half years while I built our house. I dug a hole in the garden to empty the cassette into. We have no neighbours and an acre of garden and there was absolutely no problems. Twelve years on and there has never been any sign of anything untoward. We have a septic tank now and use only white paper and no chemicals or bleach in the house.


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## vindiboy (Sep 15, 2012)

77W said:


> Well forgive me for what may seem like an obvious question but as per title, what is so bad about emptying your chemical toilet either down your loo at home or as others may do lift the manhole cover in your garden & pour it down there ie it ends up directly in the same place but avoids spashes  ( yuck ) in your bathroom.
> 
> I use only a tiny amount of toilet blue in my cassett so can't see the problem, what is it that I'm missing ?


  Absolutely no problem at all. I empty my Cassette down a Manhole at home every time we return home from a Jolly, as my wife always uses the Loo on our way home even if I have just emptied it at a Campsite, as for  putting it down the toilet bowl, no problems either, but as you say you can get splashes, We use No chemicals in our Cassette as we  have a SOG, but the stink is bad when emptying  so better if it goes direct to the Manhole.


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## Smaug (Sep 17, 2012)

mandymops said:


> OK, I use the Thetford pink in the flush tank and green in the reservoir but I have to travel miles to get the stuff. If you use the biological clothes washing liquid, where do you put it? In the flush or the reservoir?



Many loos flush off the main water tank, they can only put the chemicals/ bio liquid in the waste tank. Why worry? Why do you need coloured (or frothy) flushing water anyway?


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