Tips for Managing Your RV Holding Tanks While Dry Camping

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The weather is lovely right now, and for many families, that means it’s time to do some boondocking. I love boondocking. It’s just such a good way to escape into nature and fully immerse yourself in the beauty of it all, with the added bonus that you don’t have to spend a dime!

That said, dry camping does come with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges? Managing your RV holding tanks while you’re parked in the boonies. Here are my top tips for managing your holding tanks so you can stretch your boondocking trips.

Making Your Fresh Water Last

First, let’s talk about making your fresh water last. Most of these tips will also reduce the amount of gray water and black water you’re putting into your waste tanks, so really, they kill two birds with one stone.

Keep Wet Wipes on Hand

I always keep wet wipes on hand, especially when boondocking. We use these to wipe up spills, clean ourselves between showers, and even wipe dishes off. I like to keep regular baby wipes as well as some antibacterial wipes around, so I’m prepared no matter the situation.

Take Navy Showers

Speaking of keeping clean, even if you have all the best baby wipes in the world, you’re still going to need to shower once in a while. If you choose to do this in your rig, it is important to use as little water as possible. This is where the navy shower comes into play.

To take a navy shower:

1. Run just enough water to get wet.
2. Turn the water off while you lather up.
3. Run just enough water to rinse off.

Change Your Shower Head

Another way to reduce the amount of water used while showering? Replace your RV shower head. I can’t believe the amount of water those stock shower heads waste, and they don’t even offer good water pressure.

I much prefer an Oxygenics shower head, which manages to use less water while giving better water pressure. Changing the shower head is pretty much the easiest DIY RV project ever, so there’s really no reason not to do this.

Buy Disposable Dishes

Washing dishes is another task that requires a lot of water. The best way to reduce the amount of water you use while washing dishes? Skip washing them altogether by using disposable dishes whenever possible.

Obviously this isn’t the most eco-friendly option, and it does mean dealing with the trash when you’re finished, but sometimes it really is the best option, especially for extended boondocking trips. For what it’s worth, biodegradable/compostable plates, bowls, and cutlery are all widely available in major grocery stores and online, so if the budget allows, you might look into splurging a little on those.

Wipe Dishes Before Washing

Of course, you’ll still need to use standard pots and pans for cooking, even if you only use paper plates and cups afterward. Before washing these things, use those wipes I mentioned above to wipe them out really well. This will make cleaning a lot quicker, reducing the amount of water used. It’ll also prevent any food from making its way down your RV drain, which can cause clogs, especially if you’re using very little water.

Reuse Gray Water

When you wash dishes, take showers, or wash your hands, catch that gray water in a dish tub that you place in the sink or shower. You can then store the gray water in a jug and use it to flush your toilet. This is great because it means you don’t waste precious fresh water on a task that can be done just as well with slightly dirty water.

Refill with Jugs

Lastly, if you use all of these tips and still run out of fresh water before you’re finished dry camping, know that you can refill your fresh tank without moving. To do this, simply grab some five-gallon jugs and fill them at a local water fill station. You can then use the jugs to fill your fresh tank a bit and stretch your trip that much longer, as long as your waste tanks aren’t already full.

Managing Gray Tank Space

Reducing the amount of fresh water you use will automatically help reduce the amount of water you put into your gray tank. That said, if you’re looking for more ways to save space in your tank, try these ideas.

Shower Elsewhere

Perhaps the most helpful thing we do to reduce the amount of water we put in our gray tank is finding ways to shower outside of our rig. Sometimes this means using our outdoor shower (you can actually buy special tents that allow you to do this privately). More often though, we head to a local gym or pool to shower. We’ve also used coin-operated showers in state or national parks, as well as the occasional truck stop shower.

Sometimes finding a public pay shower can be tricky, but if we can find one, that’s what we use.

Dump Dishwater Outside

I mentioned catching your dishwater and using it to flush above. This is what you should do if you can. However, if you find you have more flushing water than you need, don’t put that gray water down the drain. Instead, as long as you’ve used biodegradable soap at all times, you can safely dump your dishwater (or shower water, for that matter) outside on the ground.

Reducing Your Black Water Output

Of course, you should also cut back on how much black tank space you use. Here are my top tips for doing that.

Use Public Toilets

First and foremost, always use public toilets when you have the chance. If you’re out as a family, ensure that every person uses the toilet before heading back to the RV. If there is a pit toilet near your boondocking spot, use it. Those who can easily go outside should do that. All of these methods can significantly reduce the amount of flushing you need to do in your RV.

Only Flush When Necessary

There will be times when you do have to use your RV toilet. In these cases, only flush when needed. Basically, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow,” or if you do feel the need to flush liquid waste alone, turn the pump off and “flush” without any water.

Invest in a Composting Toilet

Finally, if you plan to do a lot of boondocking, you might consider upgrading to a composting toilet. My family has not actually done this (yet), but we know lots of avid boondockers who have, and everyone we have talked to has been happy with the change.

Depending on how it’s installed, a composting toilet can remove the need for a black tank altogether, meaning you can use the black tank for gray water. It also means solid waste is collected and thrown away rather than dumped in the sewer, so disposing of your waste is a whole lot easier.

Finding Places to Dump and Fill Your Tanks

No matter how much you manage to conserve waste tank space, you will eventually have to dump your gray and black tanks. On top of that, you’re going to need to refill your fresh tank at some point. This means finding both a dump station and a fill station. Fortunately, in many parts of the country, this is surprisingly easy to do.

I recommend using apps and websites to find the closest dump stations, as well as spots to fill your fresh tank with potable water. Some of the best apps for this are:

• Campendium
• iOverlander

It’s also helpful to know that there are usually dump stations at truck stops, so if all else fails, find one of those.

More Tips for Managing Your Tanks

The tips above will help you make your water supply and tank space last as long as possible while boondocking. That said, you will also want to make sure you’re taking steps to keep your tanks healthy between boondocking trips.

Preventing Tank Clogs

It’s important that you avoid clogging your waste tanks. Unfortunately, conserving water means putting less water down the drain, which means less liquid to break down whatever you put into your waste tanks. Here are some tips to help counteract that:

• Use RV toilet paper.
• Grab a tank treatment.
• Dump only when at least half full.
• Avoid putting food down the drain.
• Backflush the tank after every trip.

Cleaning Your Wastewater Tanks

Our waste tanks get pretty gross when boondocking. For this reason, we like to clean them regularly. Here’s how:

1. Dump the tanks.
2. Use a backflush tool.
3. Fill and dump tanks again.
4. Add a gallon of water and a tank treatment.

Cleaning Your Freshwater Tank

If you’re using your freshwater tank to hold water for drinking and cooking, you’re going to want to make sure it’s as clean as it can be. For this reason, I recommend cleaning your fresh tank at least once every six months:

1. Fill the fresh tank with water and a ¼ cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water.
2. Pump the black water through the lines by using the water pump to run each tap.
3. Allow to sit overnight.
4. Empty the tank and lines completely using low-point drains.
5. To rinse, fill the fresh tank with clean water.
6. Pump the clean water through the lines by using the water pump to run the taps until the fresh tank is empty.
7. Repeat the rinsing process until the bleach smell is gone.

There you have it, all of my top tips for managing your RV holding tanks while boondocking. These tips have worked for my family on countless dry camping adventures. Which ones will you use to make your boondocking trips more manageable?

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