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quoteKeep away from the crowds and make more use of your on-board washroom facilities, including your motorhome or caravan toilet.
For many, the thought of a number two in the loo might be an absolute no-no – but in the “new normal” world you might not have a choice. In a recent poll, only half of caravanners used their on-board facilities fully and a quarter just used their toilet and washbasin for liquids only!
In this video, we’ll show you how to prepare, use, empty and maintain your caravan or motorhome’s toilet cassette. If you’re about to start fully using your onboard facilities for the first time and are worried about smells and hygiene stay tuned…
What is a chemical toilet?
Unlike most toilets at home, chemical toilets do not flush into a sewer system, instead, toilets in caravans and motorhomes empty into a cassette which is then removed and emptied at a chemical waste point, also known as an Elsan point.
The toilet cassettes are prepared with chemicals, before use and if you visit a caravan accessory store, you’ll see many chemicals on the shelf for the toilet.
What do these different toilet chemicals do?
There are two common coloured motorhome and caravan toilet chemicals, these are blue and pink.
The blue chemical is used in the cassette to aid breaking any solids down and to neutralise any odours.
Pink chemicals are used in the flush tanks of some caravans. This helps keep the toilet fresh and smelling pleasant.
You will notice, however various other colours including green and purple. Green chemicals are an alternative to blue additives and are ideal for environmentally conscious campsites, or those that use septic tanks.
More and more campsites now specify the use of green toilet fluids as they try to limit their environmental impact on the surrounding areas. It’s worth checking with your campsite before you visit if they have any limitations on which chemicals to use.
SOG toilet kits
For those who don’t want to use chemicals at all, there’s a Sog toilet kit, which uses an extraction fan to push odours from the toilet cassette through a sealed pipe path via a charcoal filter to the outside of your leisure vehicle. Sog kits cost around £174. To find out more visit www.soguk.co.uk.
How to prepare your motorhome or caravan toilet
Each caravan toilet chemical will have instructions and guidance on the strength and dilution of the additive.
First, remove the toilet cassette from the housing and unscrew the cap. Inside the cap, there will be clear markings for measuring out the blue or green chemical. Once measured, pour in and add the correct amount of water to dilute. Then, simply replace the cap, and reinsert into the caravan.
On some caravans, you also can top up the flush tank too. Fill with water and add the pink flush additive here.
If your caravan doesn’t have a flush tank, but you’d still like to use the flush additive, simply mix up a small amount in an old shower gel bottle and keep next to the side of your toilet. (Make sure you keep out of reach of children and label that it’s for the toilet and DO NOT DRINK). Or, you can buy a ready-mixed spray bottle.
The toilet is now ready to use.
Top tips for using your motorhome or caravan toilet
- Start by opening the hatch lever on the side of the bowl.
- After using the toilet press the flush button on the top for about five to 10 seconds.
- Once all the water has flushed away, close the hatch and the toilet lid.
- When it comes to toilet paper, you can buy special paper that breaks down easily in the toilet cassette, however, cheaper brands from the supermarket will also breakdown just as fast.
- If you’re particularly worried about mess, there are things like toilet bowl liners, which fit onto the caravan toilet bowl and can be flushed into the cassette where they breakdown. These keep the toilet bowl clean and are ideal if you have children. Or you achieve a similar effect by crossing over a few sheets of toilet paper in the bowl
- To keep the caravan toilet clean, don’t be tempted to use bleach or harsh chemicals you find around the house. Over time these chemicals can make plastics brittle, perish rubber seals and can lose the shiny surface of the plastics. Instead, use cleaners specifically designed for plastic surfaces and caravan or motorhome bathrooms.
- Don’t flush anything like wet wipes, antiseptic wipes, kitchen towels or sanitary products into the toilet cassette. These items can clog up the insides when emptying the cassette and also the local drains.
When and how to empty the toilet cassette
How often you empty the toilet cassette depends on how much you use it. As a rough guide, for a family of four using the toilet regularly, at least every one-and-a-half days is probably to be expected.
Thankfully, there’s a handy indicator on the toilet that will show when the cassette needs emptying.
Here’s 10 easy steps to empty your caravan or motorhome toilet…
- Make sure the hatch lever is closed – you won’t be able to remove your toilet cassette without doing this.
2. Go outside and remove the cassette from the housing. It’s probably a good idea to wear some gloves to keep hands clean.
3. Take the cassette to the nearest service or chemical waste point.
4. Extend the neck of the cassette and remove the cap.
5. Place the cap in a safe place away from the drain – you’ll be amazed how many get lost at this point!
6. Press the small button that allows air into the cassette and gently pour out the contents into the waste point.
7. Once empty, re-fill with water (not directly from a drinking water tap of course!) and gently agitate the contents. Don’t be too aggressive.
8. Empty and repeat this process until the water is clear.
9. If the cassette feels heavy, it might be that you have toilet paper wrapped around the mechanism. This is common and very easy to resolve. Remove the slide cover and twist the knob to open the hatch. If you can see the issue, pour water into the cassette and try to dislodge the tangle.
10. Once done, close and replace the cap and the toilet cassette is now ready to be prepared as before.
After emptying your toilet cassette, always wash your hands (or gloves) thoroughly.
At the end of your holiday, empty the cassette as normal and also make sure the flush tank is emptied. Draining a flush tank can vary from one caravan to the next so look at your user manual for more information.
It’s important that the flush pump is run to remove any liquid from the pipework. This will also reduce any frost damage in the winter months.
If you have a lot of flush liquid in the tank, don’t waste it. Instead, empty the flush into an old water bottle and reuse on your next trip.
Maintaining your motorhome or caravan toilet
Periodically spray the rubber seal on the cassette with some silicone lubricant to keep it supple. Also, in winter, when the caravan is in storage, keep the hatch seal open to prevent the seal from sticking to the cassette lid.
Another maintenance job is occasionally cleaning the toilet cassette. Simply pour in the required amount of toilet cleaning product and fill with water, allowing the chemicals to do their job.
And that’s it. If you do feel squeamish about such things, don’t worry. By the time you empty the cassette, the contents have been broken down by the chemicals and it’s really not as unpleasant as you might think.
Over to you…
Got any tips for using your motorhome or caravan loo to share with others? Feel free to comment in the box below.
How ironical this article is: I’ve always been careful with the emptying and flushing of our Thetford C260 cassette toilet now in its 10th year. But last Sunday 16/07/2023 just before emptying, flushing and recharging, in preparation of leaving motorhome site I noticed toilet’s slider valve wasn’t operating correctly. Managed to remove toilet cassette and found on examination the slider valve wasn’t closing fully, after emptying and flushing it there was the sound of something large and plasticky rattling about inside. On returning home and realising something was wasn’t right with the cassette, I needed to know what was inside and found a great video on YouTube, titled: Practical Caravan – how to replace a “Thetford toilet cassette seal” – https://youtu.be/_OCJSU21wwY, It shows how to get into cassette and what’s inside and around slider mechanism. On inspection found a crescent shaped slider guide/limiter had sheared away from the mechanism’s body. Googled a search and found mechanism replacement cost was £30 – £45. But have fixed it for under £7 by drilling out locating pillars and their position on slider mechanism’s body, fitting and clamping it in place with 3 x M3 x 50mm SS machine screws with nylon sealing washers and SS nylon lock nuts, the locknuts being located on inside of cassette mechanism, sprayed all the rubber seals with silicone grease. On reassembly it now operates like new but a lot stronger for it. HSE wise: made sure the toilet cassette was well cleaned and disinfected and wore protective gloves.
We also value our privacy and comfort, using our ‘van toilet as required so needing to frequently empty and recharge it. When swilling out the cassette it is VERY important not to do so so vigorously that the level float is dislodged or broken. They are expensive to buy, IF one can be found, and tortuously difficult to replace.
Don’t forget to leave a gap in the toilet flap when travelling. If not pressure builds up in the cassette and you might have any liquids left in the cassette blown out of the toilet when you next use it.
Many years ago I was an apprentice paper-marker and in fact I have run numerous tests on toilet tissue for my on board toilet. Final result :- there is no difference between normal household toilet tissue and the so called very expensive caravan tissue. In fact there are more sheets per roll on household toilet tissue.
For cleaning the bowl I used a foam cleaner and a thick kitchen towel – no contact with me and great fragrance. Foam cleaner generally around the motorhome is better than liquid everywhere as we know.
Also the Jeyes Blu blocks when used in domestic cisterns will eventually foul the mechanism and I’ve seen it happen. The thick blue stuff layers onto the valve etc. So I wouldn’t trust blu blocs or I suspect some own brand toilet fluid which appears to be jeyes blu in water.
Best toilet fluid I found was actually in Aldi. Best fragrance.
Also try some of the waste pipe cleaner (not bleach / gentle) and leave it to sit on the blade for a while to clean it and more great fragrance.
This is a useful article on a topic which the main caravan camping clubs seem to avoid. A few q’s.
1. How long does it take the blue fluid to break down a poo job?
2. At a recent stay on a CL site the grey water and loo disposal were at the same point ….. should they be separate or not?
3. Is the blue liquid harmful to the aquatic environment when it eventually reaches there?
4. Do the green liquids work effectively on poo jobs?
Thanks
Good article.
To save lugging large heavy loo blu bottles
we transfer some to the Kids old Drop Shot
drink bottles with squirt tops.
A pair of these fit neatly next to our cassette housing, ready to shot from the hip the required no.shots.
These last approx 10 days, so easy and no mess etc!!
Thanks for the feedback Iain. Just make sure you label the bottles so the kids don’t drink out of them!
if your flush button stops working is there an easy fix
Hi Ray, you’ll probably need to check that the pump isn’t broken. It might need repairing or replacing.
Last year, on advice from a friend, we started using bio washing liquid in our holding tank instead of the Blue.. As it was a very short season it wasn’t possible to test it fully but I found it worked fine and smelt better too.
Please help clarify for me… When you use the toilet do you open the flap before hand so the urine/ no. 2 drops straight into the cassette, or do you wee onto the flap then flush some water, then open the flap so the wee and water drops into the cassette at the end?
Hi Kat, it’s down to personal preference really. Some people open the flap, wee, then flush and close, and some leave the blade closed, wee, then flush, and open the flap up to empty contents into the cassette. The main thing is to always close the flap /blade after you’ve done your business to keep smells from the cassette to a minimum.
Seriously there is nothing to worry about using your loo for a number 2. I’d rather take a dump on my own caravan toilet knowing when it was last cleaned and who else had used it and being familiar with and able to monitor their hygiene standards than some random cubicle which has been battered 24/7. As long as you use the right products the chemical disposal is not that bad at all… I am a new caravanner, since August last year and until I’d used the toilet and disposal point for the first time I had been dreading it up until then. I was relieved, quite literally when I discovered it’s easy as pie and the cassette always seems to keep really clean with the chemicals
Tip, don’t press the air release button unless holding the casette horizontally. Otherwise you will end up with a load of blue coloured waste pouring over your feet….
Great tip Chris!
The flush pump some times doesn’t work and it looks like an expensive job
to get it fixed not a bit just go to how to fix a pump on your iPad and follow the
Instructions,clean out the pump test and replace ,simple no cost solution
Toilet back working in half an hour .
We have never used our on board toilet for no.2s, but if needs must … we have decided to give the compostable anglers’ toilet liners a try. They are single use only, but prevent solid waste going into the cassette and swilling around there until emptied.
Very helpful, better to see how it should be done rather than reading in a book. Just be careful with decanting fluid / chemicals in to a bottle that is a drinks bottle.Using a bottle with a safety cap.
Thanks Andy. That’s a very good point.
Thanks Andy and good point.
Good point Andy. Thanks for commenting.
to prevent condensation over winter months I put saucers filled with salt around the van and it absorbs all moisture. You can dry out the salt and use again next winter
Hi great article thanks. Our booking for July has said their shower block will be closed so it’s now important to get this stuff right. One tip I would add is before emptying, open the blade for ten seconds which lets any flush fluid left in the bowl drain into the cassette. Then close it again. I sometimes forget and end up with pink fluid in the cassette housing which has to be mopped up.
Thanks Kevin.
Whilst a seasoned camper and having been Motorhoming for 15 yrs I found the article very interesting especially reading the comments which I’ve never seen so many replies to. We mainly tour using the CMC and CCC club sites and so have used their toilet facilities the only times the washroom and toilet have been fully used for No.2’s is when the grandchildren have been holidaying with us. One thing I’m not quite clear on though is the SOG system, I under that it is chemical free but it only seems to be a negative pressure ventilated system my toilet is a Thetford C260 and it has a ventilation fan and filter. The filter unit connects to the base of the toilet cassette when in position, the fan can be operated prior to use or when the toilet flush is used and is timed to run for around 10 mins, I’ve changed the filter on a yearly basis and it also looks to be a carbon filter but Thetford don’t say this is a chemical free system so what’s the difference?
There’s more on the sog system here Barry: https://www.soguk.co.uk/
It sounds like you might have one fitted, if you have a pipe that feeds to the outside…
Very good article and video. Only fault let down a bit by the video showing the filler cap on the shelf which could easily be knocked into the drain. I always put mine on the floor well clear of the drain.
The loo should not be flushed until the loo cover has been shut. Stops germs being driven around the space.
Good article for those that are new to using their mh or caravan. I know you may think it’s advertising but as already mentioned by some other people. A SOG kit is by far the best way to go and totally environmentally friendly. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Tim, a few people have mentioned the SOG kit
That was a good article and very informative, we used ours fully for the first time at the national a few years ago and then wondered what all the fuss was about. I particularly thought item 5 on emptying was important as I nearly lost a cap and now it’s put way out of the way lol.
Don’t forget if you have a wastmaster your toilet cassette will fit on top under your two flexy straps as this may be more stable for you to wheel to disposal area and two jobs done in one trip
A very good article but no mention of the sog system.Would be appreciated
Newbies beware. Raised, broad or shallow drains at the disposal point and strong winds are not a good combination, so make sure you keep your mouth closed when emptying the cassette. LOL
A useful article although I have long been conversant with onboard facilities. It was interesting to learn that the cheaper
supermarket toilet paper breaks down in an onboard facility just as well as the designated product. Thetford toilet roll
is a good deal more expensive than the domestic variety!
Many thanks,
Tony
Crikey, I never thought I needed instructions as to how to empty my cassette toilet. But having said that, I didn’t know about those bowl liners; never heard of them before. I might try those. I use my toilet for both, never concerned me. One thing, I have never bothered with dedicated loo roll and I buy the same market leading classic brand I use at home (not a cheap one, but not highly luxurious) and never had an issue with it not breaking down.
You haven’t mentioned the use of the “SOG” system of cheimical free toilet. It uses a small fan that draws fresh air though the cassette when the flap is open. The extra oxygen aids decomposition and saves the cost of expensive chemicals. It can pay for itself over a couple of seasons. The only maintenance is to replace a carbon impregnated filter perhaps once a year.
Thanks for highlighting John.
Nope, not in my van. Liquids only.
Excellent information especially for new caravanners as I remember things like this being a little daunting when you first start out, Its difficult to remember everything or expect to get things right first time. I used to put a few post-its around to help when I first started just to refresh my memory and help me get things right.
Why do people have a toilet an don’t use it ?, I put a cap of Zolflora into the number two catcher excludes the smells a treat an makes it sweet.
Excellent article, very informative for people who will be using their onboard toilets for the first time and people like us who have been using them for years as we only really go to field type sites with just a tap and somewhere to empty the effluent. Have to admit that the cassettes are a lot smaller now than the full width old style onboard Thetford cassettes that when full you had to have the strength of Geoff Capes to manhandle.. Well done, enjoyed this video.
With regard to adding toilet fluid, not all makes have a measurement wthin the toilet cap, such as on the Dometic Toilet. So use the guide on the additive bottle if available.
I find it hard to understand the taboo about toilets, they are quite sanitary to use these days, not like the early ‘Bucket & Chuck it’ type introduced by Elsan some years ago!
I have one of the older, larger Toilet cassette’s and because the wheels on the cassette are not designed for use on rough ground I use a folding sack trolley. I bought it in one supermarkets. I use a bungee hold the cassette and tank liquid, spare gloves onto the trolley.
An informative article / video for newbies and the slightly squeamish alike. The only warning I have is that before emptying the cassette remove the slider from over the entry aperture (cassette seal) because if like mine it is a little bit loose, guess where it’s going to end up as you gently shake out the contents into the disposal point.
Good article. I wondered what that orange button was for! Thanks.
Very informative
Once cassette empty when you are leaving site put a tiny squirt of washing up liquid in the cassette and about 50ml of water and leave to agitate on the way home, empty out in the sewer or loo at home and bingo you have a nice clean cassette for next time.
Thanks for the extra tip Diane
Thank you so much!
We’ve just bought our first motorhome and your toilet cassette video is absolutely brilliant and clarified so many things.
Fantastic!
Thanks Stephen. Have a great time in your first motorhome.
If you shake to hard this can dis connect the float linkage but is can be re fitted inside the tank
You haven’t mentioned cleaning the pump for over wintering. If the pump is not sterilised black lumps of sludge can block the pump. Rinse through with Milton is suggested
Thanks for sharing Bob. Great tip.
How long does it normally take the blue to dissolve the solid stuff. My one experience was not at all after 12 hours in the tank and found it hard to shake out – it wasnt the best experience. Is the idea if stuff doesnt come out first time, just leave it in there and let it continue to break down?
Common sense and as we often stay on a French Aire’s, this is what we do regularly. It is after all, why Motorhome are so convenient.
We would rather use our own facilities than those on some campsites – particularly in France on many occasions! We know how clean ours are but unfortunately, not all campers are as particular – even without Covid 19
It would be good if you had been a bit more specific about what to use to clean the bowl..but a good article. Ty.
Hi Susan, there are plenty of caravan and motorhome cleaning products available. Theftford have a toilet bowl cleaner and a bathroom cleaner. These are specifically for caravan and motorhome toilets. https://www.towsure.com/thetford-chemical-toilet-bowl-cleaner-750ml
When using a drinks bottle for chemicals always label. Either what it is or ‘do not drink’ sorry to be pedantic but it’s best to be safe. Best wishes Anne Miller
Thanks Anne – I’ve added this to the article.
This very true bout cleaning nd maintaining the toilet after we’ve used the toilet in winter we out a small amount of diluted ZOFLORA into the cassette leave hatch open it keeps ur toilet smelling nice always check ur caravan before during the winter if it possible to do so put condensation bags in bathroom toilet kitchen living room u may need bowls or bucket to catch to drops for condensation bag help keep damp nd mould away we use the yellow bags as u can dry them out in ovens or radiatas reuse them there a great produce to buy we out bout 6/8in sliver the caravan
Thanks for the tips Wendy.
Very helpful
I never use on site facilities i always use our on board toilet and shower, I like my personal privacy and its no problem at all , clean and no smells.
I found this video very helpful and will use the information presented in it on our next trip thank you. I rate this at 4.6.
We used to buy the blue sanitary liquid but it is not cheap. If like us and you empty the cassette between 1-2 days (No:1s only) or immediately after an emergency No:2, this can be expensive, refilling with the required blue. We now use Jangro lemon gel floor cleaner (available in 5 litre bottles) or a very cheap brand of fabric conditioner instead, saving a large amount when touring for over 4 months each year and unlike the blue liquid, they do not contain formaldehyde, and they have never let us down. Also over time, the blue deteriorates the polystyrene float inside the cassette thus disabling the FULL warning light on the toilet.
Very good. I now no how they work
I have a campervan & use a porta potty for pee only. How about this for No., 2?
We use the blue chemical block in it rather than the liquid equivalent as if need to empty & replace it saves us our limited room & weight.
really good article, following advice from the well known Diamond Dave ( Dave Newbald ) we now use a Biological cleaning tablet the same as you would use in you washing machine in the cassette as it is biological it aids breakdown of the contents, it’s certainly worth watching Dave’s videos on servicing a toilet cassette in fact he has a few videos on YouTube.
We have never fully utilised our onboard toilet, but if we must we will. We will be happy just being out in our caravan.