Gray water... why?

Bluedogz said:

Dude, have you BEEN to a truck stop? Swear to God, I had drivers in my fleets that would simply go in a 5-gallon bucket until they couldn't stand the smell, and throw out the bucket and get another. 8 ounces of gray water would have been a blessing.

The gist of my question was to see where the general population fell in between "Boy Scout" and "IDGAF." Myself, I try to stick to the "don't be a d**k" rule when traveling, and it's worked for a month of Sundays.

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No, don't recall ever camping at a truck stop. In the west it's easy to find public land, and further east I usually park wherever... just off the road and on private land, if there isn't any NF. Never had an issue with that.

There are no guarantees since someone might complain, and there might be an LEO who is very concerned about making a quota. But generally not being a dick is a good policy that works just fine.

The big RV's have the grey directed into the path of the black water so it will rinse the hose out after in case any solids haven't fully rinsed through. I try to have a few gallons in there for that, and so no greases clog up my pipes.

Bluedogz….lets try a different approach. Tell us how YOU see YOURSELF doing daily living chores while living your dream.

Then we can help you critique that into effective water and energy conserving ways.

maki2 said:

Bluedogz….lets try a different approach. Tell us how YOU see YOURSELF doing daily living chores while living your dream.

Then we can help you critique that into effective water and energy conserving ways.

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What a great question...

I see myself generating gray water in three ways:

Washing dishes: so, detergent & food scraps. Left to myself, I'd probably just drain it onto the ground because 100% biodegradable.

Washing clothes: no scraps but 100% detergent. Not a clue.

Bathing/hygiene: Assuming I have a solar shower or similar, just.. runoff onto the ground...?

In Florida State Parks there are often "drains" every couple sites to pour your dishwater

These are a section of clay pipe buried upright leaving a foot or more above ground.........additionally wire mesh is placed in the bottom of the pipe............Critters are unable to access the food scraps

YMMV

Bluedogz said:

What a great question...

I see myself generating gray water in three ways:

Washing dishes: so, detergent & food scraps. Left to myself, I'd probably just drain it onto the ground because 100% biodegradable.

Washing clothes: no scraps but 100% detergent. Not a clue.

Bathing/hygiene: Assuming I have a solar shower or similar, just.. runoff onto the ground...?

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You are stuck in the rut of only knowing one way to do things because that is how you were taught in childhood. That is true of most persons transitioning to a very different way of living away from running water and sewage systems.

I never in 4 years I have ever had a need to wash my clothes at my campsite. You will not have a need to do so unless you plan on being away from towns for a number of weeks at a time. You can purchase lots of extra underwear as it does not take up a lot of space. You want to have two weeks worth of clothes. That does not mean 14 pairs of jeans and 14 shirts With no one else around to see some extra dirt stains on clothing…only you are there to notice it. Do daily sponge baths! Save back one clean set of clothes to wear into town on laundromat days. If you need to go into town every 14 days that is no hardship but instead it is an opportunity to get some fresh food at a grocery store as well as do laundry so you have clean clothes.

Dish washing. I NEVER have a pan of dish water with food scraps in it to throw out. As soon as you are done cooking and eating you wipe the pan and dishes out with a paper towel. Then you have a spray bottle filled with 50/50 vinegar and water. Spray the dishes and scrub with another paper towel. Job done, minimal water used. The cheapest paper towels in the store are good enough. If you are a campfire person the paper towel waste won’t even impact your trash hauling. For a greasy pan first absorb any excess grease onto a paper towel and wipe out sticky food wile it is still soft. A silicone spatula is a great pan scraper for that soft sticky residue then wipe that off onto a paper towel. Then a tablespoon or so of water heated in the dirty a nonstick pan will get any remaking grease transferred onto another paper towel because heating the pan liquify the grease allowing the paper towel to soak it up. Then just use the vinegar spray to finish the job. Oh and do buy a small hard plastic pan scraper to loosen tough spots.

Bathing, there are lots of eco friendly soaps. No problem letting that water soak into the ground unless there is a local ordinance from the BLM or NFS or other agency forbidding it.

I have one friend who does a lot of dishwashing as he is on a carnivore diet which creates a lot of greasy dishes and dirty dish water. When he sets up camp in the forest or desert he goes away from his immediate campsite and digs a cat hole. That hole remains open the length of his stay and the water that goes in just soaks into the ground. That is his water disposal hole for dish water. He fills it in on moving day before he leaves the area. Be sure it is not close to your camp as food laden smells along with the moisture will attract flys and rodents, possibly snakes as well. I do not need to do what he does as I do not have a very greasy pan and dishes issue.

I also have never had to wash my clothes, but then again I don't live full time on the road. If I plan to take a trip for 18 days, I pack enough clothes to last 20. I use a generic brand of Skunky, a soap soaked wet wipe. Just add a little water and it lathers up for a towel bath. I use paper plates and plastic silverware so I have a lot less dishes to wash. Like Maki2, I use the same clean up process for my cooking pots and pans. All of these practices greatly decrease my daily grey water creation.

I carry a shovel and a square paving stone (12" x 12"). I dig a hole about 12 to 18" deep near the van. I put the liquid waste in the hole and then cover it with the concrete paver. Before I leave, I fill the hole with the original soil and press it down.

For those who want to fuss, I have one question for you: Do you know what a septic tank is?

Just use your gray matter when dealing with gray water.

Happy Camper said:

Just use your gray matter when dealing with gray water.

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Clever!
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Somehow, I plan on intending to work it into my resumé...

Duh, what do tent campers do with grey water?
I do the same thing.
Used to live out of my tent in warm weather for many years, I'm not changing my ways even though I got nice rig with all kinds of comforts now.
I do pre clean dishes with napkins and sometimes vinegar before I take them to outside dish washing station
I use gentle bio soap on them. My food is non greasy stuff.
Brush my teeth outside with dyi toothpaste which is just natural minerals.
Wash myself outside too when its warm.
I like to look at the moon and stars when I do these chores.
I don't camp near others but tent campers discharge grey water every day, in crowded public campgrounds,not the end of the world.

And a little grey water on the ground is not an issue many places, unless there are signs up prohibiting it, usually because of bears.

And where that is an issue, I have seen it diligently policed.

I tend to stay out of "policed" places.

But tenters dump grey water in them too all the time, including Yosemite. Some trashy families from Centra Valley wash many filthy pots right in the water fill stations and nothing is being said to them

twomountainlions said:

I tend to stay out of "policed" places.

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That makes sense if you prefer not to deal with them.

twomountainlions said:

But tenters dump grey water in them too all the time, including Yosemite. Some trashy families from Centra Valley wash many filthy pots right in the water fill stations and nothing is being said to them

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How are you certain where they are from? That certainly is a large area.

Was just at Yosemite a couple weeks ago. It's a very busy place with many many tourists from literally everywhere.

The authorities know what their tolerances are in that local setting and probably have contingencies in place for those that don't do things properly. Maybe the drains from the filling stations are diverted and the water is processed differently than you would think from a filling station. This ain't their first rodeo either.

Sucks, but there's always going to be a percentage of people that are disrespectful to laws and rules. You would technically fall into that category with your disposal of gray water.

The point is that everyone has their own opinion of what laws they should or want to follow. I would love to see no trash or bad treatment to our lands. But there will always be outliers.

Happy Camper said:

That makes sense if you prefer not to deal with them.

How are you certain where they are from? That certainly is a large area.

Was just at Yosemite a couple weeks ago. It's a very busy place with many many tourists from literally everywhere.

The authorities know what their tolerances are in that local setting and probably have contingencies in place for those that don't do things properly. Maybe the drains from the filling stations are diverted and the water is processed differently than you would think from a filling station. This ain't their first rodeo either.

Sucks, but there's always going to be a percentage of people that are disrespectful to laws and rules. You would technically fall into that category with your disposal of gray water.

The point is that everyone has their own opinion of what laws they should or want to follow. I would love to see no trash or bad treatment to our lands. But there will always be outliers.

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Cause I know...
Nope Im not breaking any rules with my water disposal, sorry pal. I know the rules and express my opinion, karen's feelings dont concern me.

I'm going into Yosemite Thanksgiving week. First time in an RV- Van. I'm hoping it's not busy because everyone will be home celebrating.

The last time I went was during the pandemic we went back country camping and up half dome for a couple of weeks. It was awesome not many people. Although it was a bit hazy from the fires at that time.

twomountainlions said:

Cause I know...

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Cool. I couldn't figure out where everyone was from when I went there. I did hear a lot of foreign languages and talked to a number of people from out of the area though.

twomountainlions said:

Nope Im not breaking any rules with my water disposal, sorry pal. I know the rules and express my opinion, karen's feelings dont concern me.

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I don't know who Karen is. I think the meaning of the name continues to change according to those using it. Similar to woke.

twomountainlions said:

...[worsh] myself outside too when its warm.
I like to look at the moon... the end of the world.

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A barely-civilized refuses-to-be-housebroke certain somebody could make a whole slew of lewd responses to your imagery.
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I wouldn't, of course, but some might...

Karen (slang)

"Karen is a slang term typically used to refer to a middle-class white American woman who is perceived as entitled or excessively demanding."

For those who can look beyond their nose:

Karen people​

Ethnolinguistic group of people in Myanmar and Thailand
The Karen, also known as the Kayin, Kariang or Kawthoolese, are an ethnolinguistic group of Tibeto-Burman language-speaking people.

Do LTVA Camp Hosts get T-Day off? Or is just a Pilot Knob thing?

Tomorrow, I'm heading with some trash to the LTVA dumpsters to see if there's a line in the sand somewhere sometime.

The Chevron sells Glamis Dunes permits, maybe they should take over the LTVA fee, as well.