Cassette Toilets Could be a Better Alternative to Composting Toilets
Cassette toilets can simplify the plumbing system for a tiny house, camper van, or RV. Plumbing is one of those trades that can be downright nasty, at least for me. I’m good at it until you turn the water on. Many of you feel the same way.
In van conversions, I’ve seen water systems as simple as a couple of 5 gallon water jugs under the sink. One for fresh water, one for grey water, and that’s it. Plumbing done! No black tank, no grey water tank. No toilet at all. Very basic. Camper vans, with such limited space, really don’t have room for much more anyway.
Nature’s Head solid waste compartment.
If you are going to live full-time in a tiny house, skoolie, or RV, you’ll probably want an actual home-like infrastructure with hot and cold running water. Even then, the thought of installing a flushing toilet with a black tank can seem like too much plumbing for many folks. That’s why you so often see a composting toilet of some type. Professionally-made composting toilets like Separett or Nature’s Head are really expensive. In some tiny houses, I’ve seen some less-expensive homemade contraptions that are beyond disgusting, all in an effort to simplify the plumbing.
What If There is a Better Alternative?
Have you ever emptied a composting toilet? There’s a jug of pee and a bucket of “solids,” hopefully in a bag. These you carry through your house and dispose of somehow. But there’s a better way, even a less expensive way, to create a modern sanitary facility in your tiny home.
Lesson from converted camper vans
For this I take a lesson from converted camper vans. These snug tiny dwellings have very little space. If they have a toilet facility at all, it’s frequently just a portable toilet stowed under the bed. My family used one in our pop-up camper when the kids were small. We live in mountain lion country, so you don’t want to step outside at night to pee. It worked great and was a breeze to empty. We’d often empty it into a campground’s pit toilet outhouse. I noted that, by the next day, that outhouse smelled a lot better from the chemicals used in the portable toilet.
The portable toilet was way easier to empty than draining the tanks on the RV I have now. I could also just empty the tank in the toilet at home or a gas station potty if we were on the road for a few days.
Portable Toilets
The portable toilet shown here is a Camco brand. The top half flush tank holds 2.5 gallons of fresh water and has a toilet with a lid, seat and bowl. On the top of the toilet, there is a cap that can be removed to fill the flush tank with clean water. On the other side there is the bellows-type pump that flushes the water into the tank for waste removal. The sides feature latches for securing the toilet to the waste tank.
On the bottom half waste tank, there is a sliding gate valve that opens for waste, and closes to create an odor- and watertight seal. It has a 5.3 gallon waste holding capacity. The back of the waste tank has a cap that can be removed for easy emptying. The sides of both the top and the bottom have handles for easy transport.
A portable toilet requires even less plumbing and installation than a composting toilet. Because they aren’t permanently installed, you can easily pull them out of your vehicle or tiny home and put them in a privacy tent.
Permanently Mounted Cassette Toilets
As shown in the YouTube® video below, a permanently installed cassette toilet with an external door for waste removal is a great way to go. The “honey bucket” exits the van or tiny home through an external door.
The advantages of a permanently mounted cassette toilet are:
- You don’t need to try and maneuver a portable toilet through the tight space of a tiny home.
- You won’t be carrying a bottle of urine or an open box of poo through your house.
- The “honey bucket” (cassette) exits at a level easy to access when you are standing outside the vehicle, which makes it way easier and safer to lift.
- Their water and waste capacity is usually greater than a portable toilet.
Thetford Cassette Toilets
The most well-known manufacturer of cassette toilets is Thetford. These guys have clearly put some major thought into their designs to diminish the ick-factor of mobile toilet emptying. To install this toilet, you build the enclosure, plumb it into the main water tank, and create an access hatch in the side of the van for access to the cassette. The C223CS enables you to connect directly to the RV water tank for its water supply, the C224CW toilet model has its own integrated 2.4-gallon water tank.
The toilet seat swivels so you can access the best area of a tiny bathroom for maximum comfort and usability.
The cool features of the Thetford C223CS and C224CW cassette toilet are:
- Electric push-button flush
- Space saving bowl can rotate 180 degrees on its base
- 4.75 gal. waste tank capacity
- Waste tank level indicator
- Integrated no-splash pour spout
- Waste tank with handle and wheels to facilitate easy dumping
Thetford has several models of cassette toilet, all equally well thought-out
This Thetford 32811 C402C Cassette Toilet features an electric flush in a built-in bench-style model toilet that’s perfect for a “wet bathroom”. The working mechanism in the holding tank is removable, so the inside of the tank is easy to clean and maintain. An advanced level indicator display shows the levels in the waste holding tank. It comes in a left- or right-side cassette removal configuration.
Features of this model include:
- Electric push button flush
- Waste holding tank on wheels
- LED display indicates when waste tank is full
- Integrated no-splash pour spout
- Waste tank capacity: 5.1 gallons (19.3 Liters)
- Flush water tank capacity: 4 gallons (15 Liters)
- Waste tank is removed from right side (while sitting on toilet)
Cassette toilets deliver the best of both worlds: the comfort of indoor plumbing, and the convenience of a holding tank that’s accessible from outside the vehicle. No more carrying a holding tank through the vehicle to empty it! Cassettes save space, too.
Here’s a YouTube® Video Showing the Entire Process of Emptying a Thetford Cassette Toilet
Additional Accessories you Might Want for Your Cassette Toilet
Thetford makes a host of great products for use with RV toilets.
Tank additives for cassette or portable toilets
Thetford makes Aqua-Kem holding tank additives, which I have used. They have over 50 years experience. True Blue Aqua-Kem breaks down solid materials, liquefying waste and toilet tissue, ensuring a no-clog experience.
Formulated with a powerful detergent that cleans the holding tank walls and drain lines, maintaining the tank and lines in top shape. It’s 100% biodegradable and is safe for septic tanks, RV and boat holding tanks, recirculating toilets, and portable toilets. True-Blue will not adversely effect any public sewer treatment plant. It actually compliments what they do, so it’s safe to pour into your toilet at home. I usually pick it up at Walmart.
Most RV toilet chemicals will do a good job. Just stay away from any containing formaldehyde.
Cleaning products for cassette toilets
Cassette toilets are usually all plastic so you’ll want to use cleaning products that are gentle to plastic. Scrubbing Bubbles™ and a paper towel are all I’ve ever needed.
You can add toilet paper. The tank additives are supposed to dissolve it, but we’ve just always put ours in a trash container that has a lid like the one shown here.
Never flush any feminine hygiene products or hemorrhoid pads.
Here are more pages of the Tiny Life Consulting website you’ll be interested in
Composting Toilets and Zoning Laws
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