Re: [VACList] porta-potty

[Rob Super <rms@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Consider buying, and retaining the Porta-Potty. We are in fact in the 
process of completely re-doing the interior of our '73 Safari and one 
of the first decisions was to replace the worn old toilet with a PP. 
Reasons, in no particular order:

1) The weight, when full, of a relatively large black tank is gone. 
(May be important in rear-bath units like ours.) You could also pick up 
that tank space to use for storage.

2) Easier repair/maintenance. (And when necessary just buy a new 
one--don't even have to plug it in!)

3) Easier dumping at more locations. Sure, you have to unclip the top 
half and then lug the bottom somewhere to dump it, but it's not that 
heavy, and you never have to struggle with, clean up, or store a big 
stinky hose. And you don't need a dedicated sewer connection or dump 
station: a pit toilet, vault toilet, many public restrooms or your own 
home facilities work just fine.

4) More water on board when boondocking: PPs have their own clean-water 
resevoirs (typically 4-6 gallons), so you're not drawing from your main 
tank to flush.

5) Better use of space, and because it's not "hard-wired" to a big tank 
there are also more placement options  We plan to set up ours on a 
floor-level slide-out that disappears into a base cabinet: occupies 
bathroom floor space only when in use, and when stored there's still 
usable cabinet and counter space above it.

There are downsides, of course: you have to dump a bit more often, and 
so may want to keep a small "blue-boy" around to extend capacity in 
some situations; the Porta-Pottys are probably less durable than many 
built-in toilets (so it's a good thing they're easy to repair/replace); 
and, at least for most Airstreams, they're not authentic.

On balance, for us, the pluses far outweigh the minuses--your opinion 
may vary!


Rob