Since the speak is about potties (and heck, that's a big reason why we
started thinking of using a trailer), a few things have occured to me. First, we
haven't taken our unit out yet, so we still are virgins to most of the dump
thing. We have a small Wallmart portapottie that we use for reenacting events
(you never know when the event portajohns will overfill). Dumping that tiny
thing is relatively easy (go to a bathroom, sit it on a toilet and release the
lever)--nothing stays in it long enough to get yucky. OTOH, can't stand the
scent of blue goo (is that what folks mean by "chemicals?")--though we found that
sealing it up in a canvas cooler cover not only hides its presence, it
somewhat seals off the scent of "blue." So, probably not going to go the chemical
route!
However, there is one kind of toilet folks may want to consider if they are
re-doing their black systems. We've encountered composting toilets that parks
maintain in remote, environmentally sensitive areas on backpack trips. We
were really impressed--they don't smell at all! Every time you do a #2, you
scoop in some enzyme activated sawdust. In the end, you do end up with composted
sludge, but according to the hut staff who've dealt with it, disposing it is
not nearly as gross as the ripe stuff! Has anyone tried this kind of set up?
On a totally different subject--was surveying the toaster this weekend(lovely
in the snow here in VA)... It came with a rear spare tire mount, apparently
installed when the unit was new. The previous owners detatched it to paint it,
but never replaced it. Now, after reading several online airstream
restoration sites, I notice many folks have said that anything mounted to the rear is a
big no-no. Now our unit is a 1961 Safari--and that's earlier than the units
that started to have the drooping problem. We've also got the hitch side
crowded with the battery and gas tanks--not much possibility of fitting the tire
there too. So, will we really regret reattaching it?
Mary