Step Van Black/Grey Tank?

[Ratteler]

I'm in the planning stages of a stealth Step Van Tiny home.
Does any one have advice / instructions on adding Black and Grey Tanks as well as possible battery mounting under the Step Van?
I've never lived in a RV of any kind, but I live in a single room NYC apartment.

 

[RvDreams]

Welcome Ratteler to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[gizmotron]

Does any one have advice / instructions on adding Black and Grey Tanks as well as possible battery mounting under the Step Van?

It won't be stealthy once you mount the drain gate for the tanks hanging out the side of the bottom of the van. That's a dead giveaway. I have a passenger van build in progress and have the drains built as low as possible inside the back cargo doors of the van. I open the doors, hook up the flexible sewage line, and then pull the waste gate on the tank. It's all hidden from view.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Step van? Step van! You have so much room for tanks! I dont have tanks. I use biodegradable soap, sink plug, a transport bucket, and a compost toilet. Way better off than a conventional toilet and black tank. Also put my batteries inside to keep them climate controlled and happy. Post photos of your project!

 

[mpruet]

I’d be hesitant in trying to put grey/black tanks underneath the rig. First of all that will reduce your clearance and require a good bit of additional plumbing. I’d probably go either composting or cassette toilet. Cassette is much easier to install.

In addition to ground clearance, you need to consider four season support. Any water outside of the rig becomes a point of freezing unless you make the tanks heated, and heated tanks increase the drain on your batteries. If you are living in the rig in areas where it can go below freezing, then in all probability you’ll have the interior insulated and will have some form of heating before you go to sleep. So the probability of freezing is much less than something exposed to the air under the rig.

Just an FYI - it can (and does) go below freezing during a winter night in the desert southwest.

 

[abnorm]

I installed  a toilet and black tank back in 2019 out in the desert .............

Tank:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z5BF2WZ/
(You also need a special grommet they show on that page to insert the "pipe" into the tank)

Dump Valve:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00594B1KA/

Toilet:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006H938M/

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I would install the tank under the step van inside of the sliding doors, if that makes sense. In other words under and slightly behind the cab seats. I would just strap them to the aluminium cross bars with metal strapping bolted on a bit like the way your fuel tank is strapped on. The reason to use this area is to leave the other spots under the van for storage compartments. There is a lot of room under there for tanks and storage. If you have to access the tanks from the side you could cut an access point through both walls that the slider pocket door slides in. So with the door closed you can reach through to gain access. That is where I would install water tanks and black water tanks if I were to on my kurbmaster. I have several storage boxes bolted to the cross beams along that same line with RV storage doors to access them from the outside. I have left the area mentioned on the drivers side for a water tank at some point or maybe a black water tank or both. There is a lot of space under there and your ground clearance will not be affected assuming your tank is not super deep. As for your battery you could mount them in one of the storage boxes under there. I found a mount from another step van and mounted my extra battery under the hood. Before I found the mounting bracket I made a box in the stepwell on the drivers side to house my battery. I use it for a tool box now but if I wanted a second house battery it could go there. There is still room to put my foot down to get in.

 

[highdesertranger]

I would like to add that by adding that tank and toilet that made abnorm legal and self contained in the eyes of the BLM(10 gallon min. black tank) Now he can camp anywhere at the LTVA's. Composting, cassette, port-a-potties do not meet the requirements and you will need to camp close to the outhouses if that makes a difference to you. Highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

My RV is not a 4 season one. Overnight temps down to 22 have not been a problem but it warms up during the day. At 16 degrees, I have broken PEX tubing on the outside from freezing. Prolonged freezing temps would be a problem, time to move!

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

I would like to add that by adding that tank and toilet that made abnorm legal and self contained in the eyes of the BLM(10 gallon min. black tank)  Now he can camp anywhere at the LTVA's.  Composting,  cassette,  port-a-potties do not meet the requirements and you will need to camp close to the outhouses if that makes a difference to you.  Highdesertranger

Compost and cassette toilets don't meet the requirements? Why is that?

 

[highdesertranger]

You need to ask the BLM as to why they don't meet their requirements, I have no idea. It has been discussed here for years,, I posted the regulations 4 or 5 years ago. I thought it was a sticky but I guess not I can't find it. Highdesertranger

 

[crofter]

Review of the LTVA rules with eagle eric. 



Bob's LTVA video from a few years ago.



Sorry but neither video says why blm has these rules, gotta toe the line if you want to stay though. -crofter

 

[highdesertranger]

here's the link to the thread,

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=14981&highlight=ltva

and here is a link to the BLM rules for the winter LTVA's,

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2007-09-25/pdf/E7-18896.pdf

the part about waste tanks is on page 54454 section 17

wow that was 6 years ago,

highdesertranger

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Ok thanks. I camp on BLM, but not the LTVA places. I just figured if you're not leaving cow pies all around camp, then you're good. Pack in, pack out.

I have step van, plenty of room to mount a black tank, but I love my compost toilet. I can go many weeks without emptying it and there is no smell. I'm back and forth about doing a grey tank. Life would be much simpler with a grey tank...

 

[gizmotron]

It's basic human nature. The BLM does not want people with little 3 to 5 gallon porta potti cassette toilets dumping in remote pits on any of the LTVA's. With 10 gallons or larger people can wait till they can get to a dump station. I remember when that became a problem. People were dumping their larger RV tanks in improvised pits back then. It became a real problem. Not all compost is created equal. Who knows if that one will get reconsidered?

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Wow, people are gross. Just go to the dump station.

 

[orangeminnie]

When the Rule says "wastewater", do we KNOW that they're referring only to black water? Our friend has a popup with a 15 gallon permanent gray water tank, with a 5 gallon cassette toilet. Also, if our friend says that they are camping with another party that DOES have a large black water tank, will that work anymore? (It apparently used to).

 

[vanvanvanvan123]

Step van? Step van! You have so much room for tanks! I dont have tanks. I use biodegradable soap, sink plug, a transport bucket, and a compost toilet. Way better off than a conventional toilet and black tank. Also put my batteries inside to keep them climate controlled and happy. Post photos of your project!

Mr Plethora Can you go into a little detail for me? i am newbie. The soap, the sink plug, etc.. I assume this is regarding toilet issues. Can you explain please. Thank you

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Anytime I'm out in the wilderness, I wash things with biodegradable soap if it is getting dumped on the ground. My shower is outdoors. My sink drains to a pipe under the van. I can use a sink plug to choose not to drain sink. I can also put a bucket under sink drain pipe to collect waste water and transport to dump somewhere else. So all that is not toilet related, just how I ethically deal with gray water. It can be a pain sometimes, and I wish I have a dedicated gray water tank for the sink, but maybe one day.

The compost toilet is a basic urine divider into two separate containers. Urine goes into one and gets dumped at some point by hand. The solids gets mixed with diatomaceous earth and coco coir to stop bugs and odor and also gets dumped every two months or so by hand.

 

[RonDean]

Anytime I'm out in the wilderness, I wash things with biodegradable soap if it is getting dumped on the ground. My shower is outdoors. My sink drains to a pipe under the van. I can use a sink plug to choose not to drain sink. I can also put a bucket under sink drain pipe to collect waste water and transport to dump somewhere else. So all that is not toilet related, just how I ethically deal with gray water. It can be a pain sometimes, and I wish I have a dedicated gray water tank for the sink, but maybe one day.

The compost toilet is a basic urine divider into two separate containers. Urine goes into one and gets dumped at some point by hand. The solids gets mixed with diatomaceous earth and coco coir to stop bugs and odor and also gets dumped every two months or so by hand.

I have a similar system and procedure, except I added a gray water tank with a standard RV output connection. If I do stop where a dump or sewer connection is available, I go ahead and connect up and all liquid goes down the pipe.

In the great outdoors, I use a bucket to carry greywater where it will be a benefit to plant life. My composting toilet is similar to yours and I am SO happy to have gotten rid of the black tank option.