Two way shower

[gmrubin]

What is the collective's opinion of a two way valve on the shower drain. Set one way the shower would drain into the gray tank, set the other way it would drain to the ground. Most of my boondocking is in the desert southwest and shower water seems a lot cleaner then normal gray water.

I will have a composting toilet so I may be dumping the pee bottle into the gray tank at times. I wouldn't consider dumping that. I'm planning 100 gallons fresh and a 50 gallon gray tank and would like to go up to 2 weeks without dumping. I can periodically refill the fresh tank with my four 5 gallon water jugs.

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by gmrubin

What is the collective's opinion of a two way valve on the shower drain. Set one way the shower would drain into the gray tank, set the other way it would drain to the ground. Most of my boondocking is in the desert southwest and shower water seems a lot cleaner then normal gray water.

I will have a composting toilet so I may be dumping the pee bottle into the gray tank at times. I wouldn't consider dumping that. I'm planning 100 gallons fresh and a 50 gallon gray tank and would like to go up to 2 weeks without dumping. I can periodically refill the fresh tank with my four 5 gallon water jugs.

It's never a good idea to simply dump grey water on the ground. It's not meant to be in the desert, so try to take it away with you.

Leave only footprints (and tire tracks) and take only memories.

In forested areas it's perfectly fine to pour grey water under hedges and inside thick shrubs. They will use the water and the small amount of contaminants will not hurt areas with thick growth.

[gmrubin]

Originally Posted by Twigg

It's never a good idea to simply dump grey water on the ground. It's not meant to be in the desert, so try to take it away with you.

Leave only footprints (and tire tracks) and take only memories.

In forested areas it's perfectly fine to pour grey water under hedges and inside thick shrubs. They will use the water and the small amount of contaminants will not hurt areas with thick growth.

Even if I use some kind of Eco-Friendly soap? Most van campers that I associate with have toilet/shower tents outside their vans and naturally the shower water goes to the ground.

I'm not considering dumping the gray tank on the ground, just shower water.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

At a minimum take a plastic tote box filled with LIMESTONE rocks (local big box store) and dump the drain in the top or high on one side and the outlet Low on the opposite side to drain it with a valve to valve the outlet off so you can take whatever is left in home with you to wash the rocks off in your own property.
The limestone rocks actually kill the acids in the water being dumped and filter some other things to a point?
As a life long backpacker/camper I don't agree? But there are ways and measures that can be taken.
I have several other more complex ideas for a boon docker that is on there own property to build a more permanent type set up.

[ol trunt]

I don't want to camp on top of your shower leftovers so tack a note to the nearest cactus to give me a heads up. Jack

[gmrubin]

Thanks for the replies. I see that it is frowned upon herein and I thank you for your opinions and will take them under advisement.

An unfortunate truth in the van dweller world is that outside showers are the norm whether in toilet/shower tents or out in the open in unpopulated back country areas.

I am neither a van dweller nor a skoolie dweller. I am building my skoolie because I'm fed up with the junk that the RV industry produces and I like to spend January and February in Quartzsite and surrounding areas hanging with van dweller friends.

Since I have no black tank I will look into a higher capacity gray tank maybe coming close to my fresh water capacity of 100 gallons.

[joeblack5]

May be look into evaporation... it seems that is a possibility at burning.
man. Do a recirculating shower, save a lot of water to and as it is , what you do not use you do not have to carry.
I for sure would not worry about having a solar bag shower and letting the water disappear in the ground, but that is me.

Later J

[gmrubin]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

May be look into evaporation... it seems that is a possibility at burning.
man. Do a recirculating shower, save a lot of water to and as it is , what you do not use you do not have to carry.
I for sure would not worry about having a solar bag shower and letting the water disappear in the ground, but that is me.

Later J

How does a recirculating shower work? I wouldn't want to be washing in yesterday's crotch stank.....