Dirty dishes and grey tank

[JanetA]

IN my humble opinion, GREY water is NOT polluted











In MY humble opinion GREY water is NOT polluting. It's just water w/ a little soap etc in it. Soap is naturally a wetting agent,, which,, if poured on grass,, is GOOD for it. Water is water. most places ive been around are suffering ferociously from drought,,, so dumping a little (not even a gallon) of dishwater is not harmful to anything! NOW,, B LACK water,,, that is DOO DOO water,,,is actually probably not bad for the earth sans the treatment we put in it,, but I would say NO to letting that go on the ground. I like the idea of pouring your dishwater into the toilet, even so and we lots of time do that. I lived out in the country for 25 yrs and all my grey water went on my lawn... even my bath water. only septic went in the septic tank. (toilet water) and if it weren't for tht grey water,, my lawn wouldn't have gotten watered. So, only one side of my yard was green.

just putting my 2 cents worth into this conversation.

[snowball]

ok this is somewhat confusing...if you are in a campground with full hookups wash your dishes in side and drain your tanks before you leave
if boondocking you get used to using as little water as possible. There I did take my water out and put it in the wash but don't think I was suppose to... I find for me that I wait until I have more dishes to do as I find myself filling the sink for fewer dishes the same as for a bunch so usually collect a couple three days of dishes and use paper plates/cups as well...I also don't run water to get the hot water. will run the water into the tea pot when it is starting to feel warm then run it in the sink and start heating the water as I usually want hotter water a long the way and by then it's cold in the pipes so use water that I've heated up ...I boon dock for months at a time...when my husband was a live he dumped the tanks (using a pump and big barrels ) about every two weeks and at that time I didn't dump the water in the wash
this past year I used the honey wagons was there from late Dec to mid April think they pumped me out once perhaps twice although I go into town and take showers
sheila

[chalet05]

I have been in campgrounds that did not have facilities for tenters to do their dishes. The two I can think of offhand were state and COE. Sites weren't full hookup so I didn't hesitate to toss dish water, but nothing nasty since I don't cook. Then again, I'm not big on dogs and men peeing on the grass either.

[MelissaD]

Found these 2 articles. Perhaps they will help.

http://www.rvboondockingnews.com/2010/1 ... issue.html

http://www.burningman.com/environment/r ... water.html Which has some interesting ideas on how to deal with it.

[BayouLady]

If a campground has tent sites they usually have a place for dumping the sink water. Sometimes they even have a sink area for tenters to wash dishes.

That's what I figured the big wash tubs were for, because they do have tent campers, but I do like the idea of dumping it in the toilet to fill that tank. I have seen that you are not suppose to dump the black everytime when it is low, but I don't camp enough to leave that sitting. The place that I have been going, has bathrooms, showers, washers and dryers.

As for the pictures, we are getting there but I am having an issue uploading an avatar. Gotta get, 7:30 dentist appointment, oh what fun !

[havingfunnow]

I've always used the day's graywater to douse the campfire. There isn't a lot; I'm pretty miserly with water usage.

[judi]

There are very few soap or detergent products that don't change the pH of water. When the pH is changed it disturbs the natural balance, and is harmful to aquatic life. Water you pour out onto the ground eventually makes it's way into the aquifer system. It may seem like you're pouring out such a small amount that it is of no consequence, but it really does matter.

[Gentleladybear]

If you use paper plates and paper cups you fill the landfills. Only time you need to worry about dishwater is if you are boondocking. Then I would wash dishes once a day and pour the dishwater outside. This is a common sense question. If you have hookups and/or a dump station then it is all according to the number of days you are there. If I am in place for a couple of weeks or so and my tanks get full, I disconnect run to the dump station, dump and come back.

I was just in a state park that a guy with a pop up camper had outside showers, which went directly on the ground and when he filled his grey water collector, from whatever he used it for, he dumped that on the ground. He did not even attempt to use the sewer hookup at his site. I was a bit shocked at the fact no one approached him about this. Nothing was to be connected to the trees, he has two large hammocks tied to the trees. Broke all the rules and no one said anything. All grey water he had went on the ground, not sure what he did with the black water.

[Colliemom]

I do dishes in my sink, at the end of the day when I am through with dinner. That way, one time and I don't use a lot of water either. Never dump gray water on a campsite, but have let my fresh water tank drain on occasion when I am leaving and don't need water anymore. No harm in that cause it's just plain ol' water.

Two things to keep in mind. Being a Summer Ranger at a MI State Park for 16 years and cleaning the toilet/shower buildings. B. Don't wash dishes in the sinks in the bathrooms unless they have a sink for that reason. I use to find people doing that in the regular sinkst and had to tell them to stop. It is a health department rule and also, who wants to brush your teeth or wash up in a sink that somebody was using for a dish washer. fPlus the metal pans used to scratch and mark up the sinks Also, shouldn't rinse dishes or even wash them at the water fountains either. Here again, public health is an issue, people drawing water off for whatever they need it for. Common sense should be the rule, although a lot of people figure they are on vacation and common sense goes out the window. Believe me, I've seen it all.

And I use paper plates too, depending on what I am eating.

[BayouLady]

There are very few soap or detergent products that don't change the pH of water. When the pH is changed it disturbs the natural balance, and is harmful to aquatic life. Water you pour out onto the ground eventually makes it's way into the aquifer system. It may seem like you're pouring out such a small amount that it is of no consequence, but it really does matter.

Interesting, I spray my citrus trees with soapy water along with my backyard, it helps against some bugs and with dogs, my backyard smells better after. I started doing this when Beck was diagnosed with cancer and its much better than using products that are loaded with harmful toxins. Soapy water will also kill wasps and wont hurt your plants. Now of course, this is clean soapy water, no food particles.

[judi]

Actually, the food particles are probably the beneficial part - kind of like compost. I use praying mantis for aphid control - I can buy them at the local nursery. I tried to use lady bugs but they just fly away!

If you use soap for washing dishes and you know you are going to pour the dish water out (and not in your grey tank) try to find soap with a pH of 7. That's neutral, and not acid or alkaline.

[JudyJB]

Washing dishes outside and leaving the remnants on the ground is the same as dumping grey water and nearly all campgrounds forbid it because it is unsanitary and attracts bugs and animals. There is nearly always a sink on the outside of a restroom facility for tent campers to wash dishes.

I use a lot of paper and wash dishes only once a day. If I am very short of grey water tank space, I also do dishes in a dishpan set in the sink and dump it into the toilet. Having a plastic dishpan helps prevent things from breaking and also uses less water. Makes a good space to put all the counter things when you drive.

I get really irritated if I see someone washing dishes at the water faucet in their site because it means when they leave that someone like me will have to hook up the next day right next to their dirty dishwater remnants!

[drocknut]

I use one of those Coleman plastic double sink things. It works great when I'm wanting to conserve tank space and I can use the water in it to flush the toilet. I do admit I did dump it out on the ground once at a campground because I just wasn't thinking and there wasn't anywhere provided to dump it. I usually only do dishes once a day if there are a lot of them but sometimes wait a few days since it's only me and the dog. Using less water is definitely good but when ya gotta use it it's good to have. My pet peeve right now is that the sensors aren't always accurate and I can't see my tanks because they are enclosed so it's a guessing game about how full they are although with time I'm sure I'll figure out how long I can go before I'm full.

[JudyJB]

If it were just soapy water, it would not be a problem. However, most grey water contains food particles from doing dishes. We all know that grey water in our tanks smells from time to time because of these food particles.

My objection is dumping water containing food particles in a public area that must be used by other people.

Also, I do reuse paper plates and bowls when I can. If I eat something dry on one, I use it for something else. I also drink water from my fresh water tank and refill water bottles so I do not contribute those to the dumps. (I love cold water and freeze water in water bottles because it is too hard to make all the ice cubes I would need.)

[Olive6001]

What do tent campers do with their grey water? Surely most have at least some. I'll bet it waters plants