How To Dispose Of Your Motorhome’s Grey Water

Having a sink, shower, and toilet on board makes for a great camping experience, and emptying your tanks is less daunting than you think it may be

There’s luxury and comfort in having your own toilet and shower with you. The convenience of having a motorhome on the road is undeniable, especially during winter when it’s cold and the campsite amenities are a good five-minute walk away!

With this convenience also comes the need to empty your grey water tanks. Depending on the type of motorhome you buy, this process may vary slightly, but in general it’s a relatively straightforward process.

What Is Grey Water?

Your grey water tank holds the used water from your sink and shower. This water is full of soap, washing detergent, food scraps, hair, and anything else that has gone down the drain. Similarly, your black water tank includes everything that’s come from the toilet.

Why Do You Need To Empty Your Tanks?

Wastewater need to be disposed of because it contains bacteria and harmful soil pollutants. The longer you store the water, the more time there is for bacteria to grow.

The key takeaway: Don’t hold onto your wastewater!

How Do You Dispose Of Grey Water?

RV Sales’ ex-rentals have a hose which connects to a tap beneath your motorhome. Simply turn the tap on and let it drain out through the hose.

Depending on where you’re camping, some site managers might allow you to water their grass with your fresh grey water (i.e. with water that you used just a few moments ago to clean your dishes). In other areas dumping this is illegal and you will be fined if you don’t dispose of your grey water at an appropriate dump spot. So make sure you check the grey water laws in the state you’re visiting.

On the contrary, grey water that you’ve stored for days and black water must always be disposed of in a dump spot.

Empty your black water first and then the grey water next (this helps flush out your sewer hose). At the end of your holiday you should properly sanitise the tanks as well.

Where Can Grey Water Be Disposed Of?

Most campsites across Australia have dump points which are usually free to use – though some places may charge a small fee. Never dump your wastewater into natural waterways (lakes, rivers, etc) or storm drains.

Check out the Motorhome Dump Points website for a general list of dump points in Australia.

How Often Should You Empty Your Grey Water?

We generally recommend that you empty your grey water every second day, but it really depends on how many people are travelling with you. Cruisin RV Sales’ ex-rental motorhomes are equipped with a sensor which tells you when your tank is full, but sometimes food scraps get stuck to this sensor – this might give you a false reading, so it’s best not to rely too much on it.

There also are a variety of guides on when you should empty your black water tanks. The number of days will vary depending on how many people are travelling with you, toilet paper usage, etc. As a general guide, you’ll want to empty it regularly to prevent build up.

To minimise your waste, you can use the bathroom and shower amenities when you’re staying at caravan parks. This will give you more time before you have to empty your tanks or refill your freshwater.

Tips To Make Your Life Easier

Two of the biggest headaches for dealing with grey water are broken hoses and food scraps.

It can be easy to crack the grey water hose if you’re not being careful. The most common casualty for hoses is when people leave them lying around and accidentally drive over them. So, keep your hose stored safely.

Food scraps on the other hand can build up in your grey water tank, clogging up your pipes. Invest in a drain guard or scrape your food scraps into the bin before you wash your dishes to save yourself the hassle.

So, What’s The Key Takeaway?

Emptying your grey water tank isn’t something to worry about and it’s a relatively straightforward process once you figure out how everything works.

As a rule of thumb, when planning out your holiday itinerary for your motorhome holiday in Australia, it’s a great idea to spend your last night at a campsite so that you can properly empty out your grey and black water tanks.

If you haven’t purchased a motorhome of your very own just yet, check out the used campervans and motorhomes for sale on our website. If you don’t see the type of vehicle you’re interested in, go ahead and submit an enquiry form so that we can contact you as soon as something is available. Or give us a ring directly on 1300 124 329.

Or, if you want to trial the van life for yourself, go ahead and organise a motorhome rental. Call our friendly reservation team on 1300 664 485 or check out our Cruisin’ Motorhomes and GoCheap Campervans vehicle pages to see what motorhomes are available to hire at our branches. Don’t forget to take advantage of our Try Before You Buy deal if you have your eye on one of the ex-rental motorhomes for sale at Cruisin’ RV Sales!