Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Started a new build which will include a drop floor down the center but a sit down shower and toilet at regular floor height.

I have found, but not yet acquired, a combination shower pan and toilet holding tank. The unit includes a toilet flange and vent fitting topside and separate bottom drains for the shower and holding tank. There are models available with side drains rather than in the center. All else needed would be a low rise toilet, gray-water holding tank for the shower, three waterproof walls, and a shower door or curtain, and hand held shower head.

Has anybody used this or a similar product? I know some have built there own using fibreglass and/or tile.



The shower will drain into a dedicated holding tank - would a trap be needed?

I don't have an answer you are looking for. Can you tell me where you found this combo pan available. I have notes on something similar some where, and now almost at this point of having to figure out real solutions. Just for additional alternatives, I was looking at the Thetford cassette toilet as an option. Some where there is also a shower pan that can be added. The cassette solution would eliminate plumbing for a dump valve, but needs an external door. Not sure which way I choose yet.

http://www.rvsurplus.net/ was one site: Use the drop down menus or search "shower toilet combo." I've seen the exact same graphics on other sites so perhaps they are using a common source.

There are similar products on a couple of other websites but considerably more expensive. RV Surplus has them for $115 and $159 while most others are 2x and 3x that. Their shipping is high but still a better deal overall. You can pay as much or more for just a holding tank.

To me the cassett out the side door system is barely a step up from a porta-potti, not that there is anything wrong with either. I currently use a Lugable Loo bucket and plastic bags with cat litter.

Since I plan to camp more this winter with my new build and have the space was looking for a bit more convenience.

Now if I'm in a park with a heated bathhouse that's where I'm going for a long leisurely hot shower. A sit down shower with limited hot water would just be my backup.

M C

I am actually about to do the exact same thing, using the exact same pan !
In my opinion, you DO need a pee-trap below the shower. I understand that stpace is limited in our under floor areas. But the purpose of the trap is to avoid odors from coming back up from the grey water tank.. And you and I both know they do have some odor. Especially after a few days in the heat..
My thinking is build the "room" for the shower and toilet from plywood, glue some FRP panels on 3 walls inside, then a curtain on the open end. I'm thinking about making the room another 2' longer, to allow a little "Dressing space" outside of the shower, a place to hang a towel, etc. With a 24' trailer, I've got the room I think. The width of these pan/tanks makes them have a small footprint overall.
Then just plumb my shower and kitchen sink drain to a grey holding tank, and there ya go !
Another option is to just run the grey water pipes to the dump valve, and carry a rolling porta tank with you. When you get to where you're going to set up, roll out your tank, roll it under the trailer, and put in your hose, and open valve.. Keeps you from having to mount any tanks under the trailer.

Thanks for the input and the reminder that I am sometimes guilty of p**ing in the shower myself.

I should have already figured that out - I use a couple of capped plastic water cans to collect gray water from my kitchen sink (it does have a trap) on my first build and if I don't empty them as soon as I get back they get pretty rank from food scraps, bacteria etc.

I've allowed plenty of room for both a black and gray water tank on my current build so that's not a problem.

Is there any reason you would not want to run the discharge from the gray water tank through the black water tank? I'm not talking about constantly draining into it but positioning the gray higher than the black with the gray valve kept closed. After (or even while) draining the black opening the gray valve and letting that discharge run though the black and out its vavle.

My thought was to provide additional rinsing of the black without backflushing or putting a water wand down through the toilet. Both of those procedures seem to hold some risk of contamination.

M C

In this scenario, our grey tanks will be below the back water tank. So using grey to flush that tank isn't feasible. Unless I'm being dense and not following you correctly.

You've got it right if using the combination unit as shown the shower drain sans trap or gray water tank is on the same level as the black tank drain.

But I've also found the shower pan with the elevated section for the toilet but without the attached black water tank and have also considered just using a flat shower pan and cutting a hole in one end for a toilet flange. In this case I would mount the black water tank lower than the gray. This idea germinated before I had planned to include a shower and having a gray water tank for the sink at a higher level than the black.

So in this configuration, using gravity to drain the gray into the black, is there any reason that would not be feasible, practical or wise?

I recognize a backflow preventer would be needed on the gray drain so the black did not back up into it.

M C

Well, 33% of all you need to know to be a plumber is that poo won't run uphill... So I don't think there's anything stopping someone from doing what you suggest.. When we've owned typical RVs or motorhomes in the past, I'd always dump black, then run the grey and allow it to flow back into the black; in hopes that it would have some "flushing" action..
I don't know if it was effective or not.
Oh yeah, don't bite your nails, and payday is on Friday.. Now you're an officially licensed plumber.

Those tanks work fine. The blackwater tank tends to be a little small. And yes you would need a trap between the shower and greywater tank.. You could skip the trap, But anytime the shower was not in use you would need to cap the drain. Even a greywater tank gets a funky smell after a day or two in the summer. You will also attract drain flies if you leave it open. FWIW you could probably pick up a shower pan and two decent sized poly tanks for about the same money maybe less..

You dump the black water tank.. Close the valve then dump the greywater tank. You do not dump the black and leave it open then dump the grey.. Doing that can cause water and other stuff to slosh back in the greywater tank from the black water tank.. The only reason for dumping the black water first is so the water from the greywater tank will rinse out the sewer hose..

To clean the black water tank you use a spray wand and rinse the tank from the toilet.. Something you can't do to the greywater tank since it doesn't have a large opening going straight down into the tank...

I have one of these as well, but I am not ready to install it yet. the built seems very quality.it comes with a 9.54 gallon tank (if I calculated it right) and should hold more than 20 flushes. with the thetford Toilet with water saver.
more than I will use it on a average weekend.

i bought mine here for $159.00 http://www.rvpartsnation.com/product/15 ... shower-pan

If thats all you need it should work well. 10 gallons is a pretty small tank though. Not sure how much experience you have with RV toilets, But sometimes it takes a few flushes in one visit lol.. Two people over 3 days can use more then you think. As long as you know you need to conserve a little you should be fine though even more so if you don't have any women staying in the trailer.... The plus side to having a small tank is you want the tank at least 50% or so full before you dump. So you won't have to add much water to the tank when you go to dump it..

universal_exports wrote:I have one of these as well,

Thanks for the pic and input - the seller's catalog illustrations leave some unanswered questions

So the holding tank comes with it but is not permanently attached? I assume the hole for the toilet flange is already cut. That should make installation fairly easy. Do you anticipate the need to reinforce the underside part of the pan where the toilet is installed or will it rest directly on the holding tank?

I am starting to lean more toward a level shower pan mainly because with the trap the shower drain with the stepped pan would be considerably lower than the black tank. The other consideration I've found a local (Dallas Ft Worth) supplier who also sells a matching one piece three-sided surround.

I still like the stepped version for a tight application but since I've got the space will go with a level pan and a larger flatter black water tank.

M C

Universal_exports,
What did you do (or plan to do) for a tank vent?
This is the one I"m about to order.. Just want to make sure I have my bases covered before ordering.

I plan on running a 1 inch tube inside the wall and out the side for venting,

I plan on building a 4 inch "box" for the raised portion to set on so the toilet/person is it is not sitting on and putting weight on the tank.

there is a 1 inch piece of Styrofoam between the tank and the plastic tube right now, not sure why it is there, should I remove it? there is also one on the bottom of the shower piece as well, maybe it iwas placed there just for shipping, I dont know.

it came assembled and has a hole straight though it from top to bottom.

something to keep in mind is toilet height, if you use a stepped up pan like this you need a short toilet, other wise it will be like 20 inches from the bottom where your feet are to the place your butt sits.

universal_exports wrote:

I know this is a long shot, but I was wondering where that jalousie window might have been found. I want something similar and have been coming up dry. Thanks