If you’re a newcomer to caravanning, the thought of emptying your tourer’s toilet could seem a daunting prospect. After all, it’s something that no one is going to want to get wrong. The good news is that when it comes to how to empty a caravan toilet, there are only a few simple steps involved.
A further positive – so long as you empty your cassette toilet regularly and use the right dosage of the best caravan toilet chemical, this task shouldn’t be as grim as you might expect.
Before we go any further though, something to remember – never empty your cassette toilet anywhere but a dedicated waste disposal point.
To begin, simply unlock the cassette locker so you can open the hatch. To do this, you will generally have to nip either the yellow or orange handles together with the grey grip, which will release the cassette.
The cassette should be quite easy to slide out now – if it isn’t, never force it or you risk breaking it. Should your cassette not be coming out, the most common cause will be that the toilet blade hasn’t been closed, subsequently locking it in place. Close it and you should find the cassette now comes out.
Emptying a cassette toilet has been made easier nowadays by the fact that the vast majority of them will come with one or both of wheels and a handle, making transporting them from your caravan to the designated waste disposal point much simpler. These are generally one of a dedicated toilet or either a stainless steel or ceramic tray with a central hole.
Whatever form it comes in, once you have reached it, retract the handle and undo the pouring spot. After you’ve removed the cap, put it somewhere safely out of the way – one caravanning mistake we can guarantee you will not want to make is having it fall into the disposal point!
Now, holding the orange pressure-release valve button on the top down, pour the waste into the disposal point. It’s important to hold the button down as it lets in air, so lowers the chance of any splashing.
After it’s been emptied, rinse the cassette out (only set it to a gentle flow), adding around a litre or so to the tank. Swill it around the tank, empty and repeat until the cassette no longer has an odour.
Get the cap from wherever you put it, fit it back on and rotate the spout back before returning to your caravan to add the correct dosage of toilet fluid (very much a caravan essential) to the cassette.
A red ‘full’ light will come on, letting you know when it needs emptying – and don’t put off doing so when you see it! A tip we’d advise – keep an eye on how quickly you fill the cassette, as that way, you will be able to empty it before it reaches the brim.
If you’re not quite sure about what fluids you should be using in your toilet, we talk you through what you need to know as we answer “what chemicals do you put in a caravan toilet?”.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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