Find best RV alternatives for your RV in the instance the camper toilet is spoilt, worn out RV toilet parts, RV toilet leaking, tired of cleaning the RV toilet, no water to flush RV toilet or you have run out of RV toilet paper.
Can you replace an RV toilet with a regular toilet? Yes. It is possible to substitute a camper toilet with a regular toilet and is working well. However, it is not just a plug and play thing. Alternative RV toilet brands have to be well fixed and properly maintained just as motorhome toilets. Caution need to be taken or you end up messing your whole RV toilet system.
Keep in mind that having the best RV toilet can go a long way to enhancing your overall camping experience. Some RV toilets come with temporary RV toilet tanks but some have to be linked to an RV toilet system to be used.
What It Entails To Using Standard Home Toilet in RV
Permanent Connection to Sewer Line
Mostly, RVers replacing an RV toilet with regular toilet use it in a permanent site in a park model either a mobile home park or a site with a fixed foundation.
Then, the RV toilet outlet would have to be redesigned in a manner that the outlet now linking regular toilet is connected directly to the sewer line. Next, you replace the mounting flange in the RV toilet with a residential standard toilet mounting flange.
Also, it is worth noting that an RV toilet uses much less water compared to a regular toilet and water must be considered if you have to do the discussed replacement.
Too Much Water Use When Flushing RV Toilet
When using an RV flush toilet, a single flush of RV toilet uses about a half or less of a gallon to completely flush down your waste. On the other hand a regular toilet uses about 3 to 4 gallons of water per single flush.
However, if you are using a modern toilet they use much less water. Besides the toilet paper you use affects the amount of water you need to flush. Get more tips about RV safe toilet paper.
Improved regular toilet can flush a pee with about 0.5gallons per flush and poop can be flushed with about 1.5 gallons per flush. Although RV toilets generally uses much less water per flush compared to a standard toilet.
So, it is actually not viable to use regular toilet in RV because flushing the toilet can deplete your RV water from the holding tanks and the RV sewer or the waste tank will be full with just a few times of flushing.
Frequent Damping of Waste
Unlike home toilets that are linked to sewer system, camping toilet have to be dumped. Normally, assuming a population of about 2 people engaging in fulltime RV living the waste tank can be emptied after every 6 to 10 days of use.
However, substituting the RV toilet with a standard regular toilet you are likely to have to empty the toilet every single day or risk messing you RV with waste.
That is why if you are to use a regular toilet in an RV consider hooking it directly to the sewer line. You do not want a scenario of emptying and cleaning the waste tank every day.
I tell you from experience that the process of emptying and cleaning the waste tank is not pleasant at all. You do it because you have to do it.
Costly Project
Replacing the RV toilet with a regular home toilet can be costly. It is because plumbing has to be redone in a way that the waste are channeled to the correct damp station such as a sewer line.
Furthermore, you may also need to redesign all the drains including the shower, sinks, and kitchen drain to be damping the wastes to the sewer line.
Building Codes
You have to keep in mind that as long as you have choose to modify your RV plumbing works, building codes apply. The resultant design must be standard based on building codes of your country or city.
Otherwise, you can be arrested for doing a shoddy work that is another extra cost.
Trailer Movement Interference
Now that you had already plumb your waste system to a fixed sewer line in a campground, imagine what happens when you want to move?
You have to remove all those connections and replace back the toilet with RV toilet then link it to the RV sewer. That is just a waste of time and resources.
All is not lost. For one reason or the other you may desperately need an alternative to your current RV toilet. Remember call of nature comes irrespective of your current challenges such as a damaged RV toilet. Getting best quality RV toilet would save you lots of stress during camping.
Why Use Alternative RV Toilets?
Here are some commonly used alternatives to RV toilets that you can actually consider especially if you main objectives of seeking alternative toilet is to:
Minimize water use:
Water can be a scarce resource in many areas including when you are boondocking. So, getting a better toilet option can be a good decision to make. Besides, using regular toilet paper in RV can be used when you use regular toilet in RV.
Stop using RV waste tank:
In the instance your sewer pipe or holding tanks meets a rock and burst, environmental waste damp anywhere as you move about can land you in jail.
Avoid dumps:
Traversing in areas in which the dumping sites or sewer connection are far and inaccessible can be a big headache especially when having a full waste tank in your RV but have no hook up to a dumping station.
RV Toilet Alternative You can Use
Circumstances may force you to replace RV toilet with standard toilet. There exists several types of RV toilets alternatives that you can choose. RV toilet types vary in terms of cost and handling.
Thus, based on your needs you can choose best RV toilet from the various list types of toilets options that suits your objectives of replacing RV toilet.
a)Bucket Toilet /Luggage Loo/Bag Toilet
Portable bucket toilet is super cheap. You do not have to incur any plumbing or installation cost to start using the bucket DIY. However, you have to close the lid immediately to prevent bad odors.
Besides, you have to empty it as soon as possible when you come across a recommended dump site. It is not a flush toilet and thus good to use in places where water is scarce.The toilet comes in various variation such as bags for bucket toilet,
Example of best bucket toilet for camping include but not limited to:
- Amazon bucket toilet
- Anaconda bucket toilet
- Bags for bucket toilet
- Camping bucket toilet
- Composting bucket toilet
- Cabelas bucket toilet
- Collapsible bucket toilet
- Camco toilet bucket
- Emergency bucket toilet among other camping bucket toilet
b) Dry Toilet
It is a special quiet RV toilet that is among the best camping toilet that does not use water. Dry toilet is a standard ideal toilet.
So, how does a dry toilet work? The toilets operation is based on its unique toilet design that allows immediate waste separation. The solids waste (poop) gets separated from the liquid waste (pee) helping the toilet hold more before damping the waste.
Besides, the separation prevents bad odors from forming and thus no stink. Also, the liquid in the toilet can easily be dump in a waste dump site even after 2 or 3 without stinking. Since it has no added water the toilet does not fill fast.
Furthermore, the solid waste can even go up to 3 weeks before being emptied. Besides, you won’t see maggots in RV toilet since the toilet is dry with no conducive environment for maggots to flourish. Thus, minimal to no odor from RV toilet. Thus, dry toilet is among high quality RV toilet.
c) Composting Toilet
Dry composting toilet works just as the dry toilet by separating the solid waste from the liquid waste. Dry composting toilet is also known as airhead composting toilet.
When using a composting toilet, the waste separation significantly reduces volume of the waste and reduces odors if any. So, does a composting toilet smell? Not much. The smell can even go unnoticed. Besides, portable composting toilet has a toilet seat that is comfortable to use.
Furthermore, the composting portable toilet is actually environmental friendly, no black tank use, no added chemicals in case you are allergic, minimal odor and easy to dispose.
However, replacing RV toilet with best composting toilet is expensive. Installing a composting toilet cost is high because the toilet has to be built into the RV and needs to be connected to RV electric system since it uses a small ventilation fun to eliminate odors.
Furthermore, liquid waste has to be dump frequently. Generally, composting toilet for RV may require more input to installing it. Besides, since composting toilet price varies you can always find a good toilet that matches your budget as there are also cheap composting toilet in the market.
If you want to buy composting toilet here are some examples you can consider:
- Dry composting toilet/Airhead composting toilet
- Bambooloo composting toilet
- Indoor composting toilet
- Outdoor composting toilet
- Luxury composting toilet
d) RV Cassette Toilet
Portable cassette toilet acts like the regular toilet only that you do not use water to flush. The motorhome cassette toilet is placed in a fixed location over a removable waste tank that you empty once full.
Apart from peeing, you can also poop in cassette toilet. However, just like dumping any other waste, it is unpleasant when emptying cassette toilet waste tank.
Beside, if you can get a hook to a sewer line or a recommended dump site then flushing cassette toilet waste can be done then clean the toilet with toilet chemicals.
If you want to buy cassette toilet, here are few examples of best cassette toilet you can consider:
- Thetford cassette toilet
- Caravan cassette toilet
- Dometic cassette toilet
- Hymer cassette toilet
- Argos cassette toilet
e) Portable RV Toilet
Portable camping toilet acts like a cassette toilet but requires no fixed place. Portable RV toilet has an ideal standard toilet seat that is comfortable to use. Also, portable dry toilet uses no water but portable flush toilet uses water to flush.
Once full, the toilet can be emptied in an RV dump station of a standard home toilet bowl connected to a sewer line then flushed. Portable toilet are good alternative when you have no time to repair RV toilet when damaged.
The portable toilet types are many from which you can make a choice. Some examples of commonly used portable toiler include but not limited to:
- Dometic portable toilet
- Walmart portable toilet
- Camco portable toilet
- Thetford portable toilet
- Reliance portable toilet
- Composting portable toilet among others
NOTE
When using the RV toilet alternatives, you are not limited to using toilet paper. Actually, you can use diverse brands of toilet paper that you feel comfortable from whichever stores. The range is wide including but not limited to
- Charmin toilet paper
- Scott RV toilet paper
- Costco toilet paper
- Amazon toilet paper
- Thetford RV toilet paper
- RV toilet paper Walmart among others
How to Use RV Toilet without a Mess (Video)
It is common that when you are new to RVing, sometimes even using a toilet becomes a problem. Do not worry. Here is a video to visually help you use an RV toilet.
