Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 08:42:42 -0700
Reply-To: Tobin Copley <tobin.copley@UBC.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tobin Copley <tobin.copley@UBC.CA>
Subject: Re: porta-potti
In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20010712105345.03121a60@pop1.attglobal.net>
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At 11:05 AM -0400 7/12/01, David Beierl wrote:
>At 10:29 AM 7/12/2001, Steve Suprata wrote:
>>I was regularly dumping my porta-potti( I don't know
>>what brand really)...I went over to dump
>>it. ...I mistakenly grabbed the latch that holds the sump
>>section to the bowl section. The two came apart...
>
>The actual Thetford Porta-Potti would not do this -- the sewage chamber is
>sealed (unless you pull the flushing handle, of course). To empty it you
>remove the upper section and carry only the lower part to where it will be
>dumped.
>
>We have the smallest one (Model 135) and are quite satisfied with it. It
>works well and can be dumped without getting yourself involved in the
>mess. There are two points to bear in mind:
>1) When dumping, ...the stuff comes out with a rush, and can splash
>if you're not expecting it.
>
>2) Before using the device you should open the flush gate and look to be
>sure the sewage chamber is not already full...
>
>3) (our two main weapons are surprise and fear and fanatical devotion to
>the pope) it pays to remember that a lot more goes in the sewage tank than
>comes out of the flushing tank....
>
We also have a Thetford Model 135, and we love it. I agree with
David's comments, and to his two points, may I add:
4) (and a nice red uniform) Beware when opening the waste gate
shortly after large gains in altitude--particularly when combined
with high temperatures. We had a, ah, surprise when Christa went to
use the potti in our old '76 westy standard in Mexico after climbing
from Puerto Angel (elevation sea level) to the summit of the
Sierras--Occidental or Madre? I always get them mixed up--on highway
175 (elevation near, possibly well above, 10,000 feet). So the waste
tank has a pretty good seal, right? And the air pressure is a lot
less at 10,000+ feet than sea level, right? And the tank got shook
up but good on the very twisty bumpy hot grind up the mountains. So
she did her business, bent over the potti to pull open the waste
gate, started to pull it open and...
Good thing the westy had a sink on board, and we had plenty of water
and soap. We got her and her clothes cleaned up fairly quickly, but
the flock-lined inside of the pop-top roof required a more exerted
effort in scrubbing...
T.
--
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Tobin Copley Bowen Island, BC, Canada 49deg 23'N-123deg 19'W
'82 Westfalia 1.6L NA diesel ("Stinky")
'97 son Russell =============
'99 daughter Margaret /_| |_L| |__|:| clatter
1995: 'Round US, Mexico, Canada 15,000 mi {. .| clatter!
1996: Vancouver to Inuvik, NWT 7,400 km ~-()-==----()-~
Previous buses: '76 westy deluxe (Daisy), '76 westy standard (Mango)
http://www.sfu.ca/~tcopley/vw/
| 
