How many free camping sites require a grey water tank?

Luke.sleeman

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Jan 14, 2019
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Victoria
I'm looking at getting setup for a lap around highway 1. We are interested in free camping. I'm curious to hear people's experience with free camping and grey water. Do many sites require you to have a grey water tank? Does it vary by region? How much grey water do people accumulate and where do you go about discharging it?

At the moment it's looking like I will get some form of grey water tank, bladder or tote. But I'm still thinking carefully about what exactly I will need. As always weight and price need to factor into the equation as well.
 

MDS69

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Jul 6, 2014
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I think we are yet to here first hand experience on this issue. It is always someone’s cousins neighbours butcher.
 

Smergen

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Jun 8, 2014
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We went all the way around the country, mostly on Highway 1, and there was no more than handful at best if I recall. And most of those were in Qld. I'd never consider installing a grey water tank after that experience!
 
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mikerezny

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Sep 11, 2016
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Free camping anywhere near a water catchment area will often state grey water must be fully contained and taken off-site. Cowarr weir in Victoria was one. Portland (Vic) RV stop is another that requires grey water to be contained.

Some sites are very strict and require adherence to the CMCA definition of self-contained.

If you happen on to one of these sites (Cooktown, comes to mind, but I may be wrong), a grey water tote must be fully sealed, and the van outlet must have a tap to ensure no grey water escaped when the hose to the tote is removed.

cheers
Mike
 

Glen Bundesen

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Jan 12, 2014
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Been around AU many times and never come across a site which requires contained Grey Water. BUT - have just installed them as there is increasingly more noise about them and we are planning our next East West trip. having one only adds a few KGs for the extra tank and pipe.
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Camped in many types of free camps, if you go by the Camp Books and Apps, lots state you must contain grey water, I think I've found a couple that actually do with a sign at camp area..................Places like Brown Bros Winery free camp, Temora Railway Station and others located in town require fully self contained so some form of grey water retention is needed, which is understandable some places ask you to put it around a tree, I think the biggest problem is the stupid people who just let it flow all over the place, camp for a week and don't move the hose, the next person turns up to a swamp, places like Bulahdelah definately need it or it would be a smelly swamp.................
I built a GWT out of PVC pipe, my grey flows into the tank and will contain about 90 lts, more often than not it free drains to water a tree but the hose gets moved around, if I do contain I usually bucket it around a tree of an evening, on the rare occasion I move off with some in the tank, I just pull up down the road and water a tree.........some tend to verge on hysteria regarding the grey water, they usually haven't a clue why though ......... there's still lots and lots of Septic Soak systems out in the country which would scare the crap out of them.

Not to mention a lot of country towns with Dump Points don't want you dumping grey water in their tanks because they dont have a sewer, its a pump out and at $300 or more it can be a costly exercise, mostly common sense dictates what should be done............ most of the camps that have signs that take 5 mins to read the DON'T list I bypass as they are usually full of ding bats........... We used grey water at our old place pumped from out grey tank onto the lawns or garden for over 20 years and the septic hopefully didn't flow too far but kept the gum trees alive, no town anything at that place other then electricity...........no extra arms or heads so wasn't too harmful.......................but I can count to 22.
 

Glen Bundesen

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Jan 12, 2014
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I have a Sterling, so put a 52ltr tank for the sink and another 52 ltr (or whatever size would fit between the floor joists) for the shower/wash basin (ie 2 separate tanks) and have one hose with a T piece to connect the 2nd outlet. Have 4 taps (on each tank 1 to open/close the outlet and one to open/close the tank) and installed a Hepvo waterless valve on the pipe from the shower to stop water flowing back into the shower.
 

1DayIll

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Apr 26, 2016
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I have a Sterling, so put a 52ltr tank for the sink and another 52 ltr (or whatever size would fit between the floor joists) for the shower/wash basin (ie 2 separate tanks) and have one hose with a T piece to connect the 2nd outlet. Have 4 taps (on each tank 1 to open/close the outlet and one to open/close the tank) and installed a Hepvo waterless valve on the pipe from the shower to stop water flowing back into the shower.
I am guessing that this just adds weight to the van?
 

Glen Bundesen

Active Member
Jan 12, 2014
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Perth WA
Be only a few kgs - water tanks and straps n taps aren't heavy and I removed a big section of pipe as I now have each outlet near the tanks.
You are keeping the same water weight onboard but in different tanks!
 

Drover

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This is my GWT when under construction ................ holds about 90lts and today I will stop by this nice tree near me a drain it before we hit the road.

gw01-jpg.38661
 
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Crusty181

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Feb 7, 2010
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We went all the way around the country, mostly on Highway 1, and there was no more than handful at best if I recall. And most of those were in Qld. I'd never consider installing a grey water tank after that experience!
Spot on @Smergen, Ive done a lot of freecaping as you know and I think your being generous with "handful". I wouldn't have a vile toxic bacteria breeding cesspool dangling under my van either. Ive got a Bunnings 30lt potable water container we use for extra freecamping water, and I've that twice as a grey water tank.

Ive seen gazillions of people empty their toilets at dump points, but I'm yet to see a single punter emptying a grey tank. Most vans have at least 160ish ltrs of water onboard, but grey tanks of 50lts or so ... hmmm make me thunk where does all the grey water actually go ??? (thats a rhetorical question, I know exactly where it goes)

Many many caravan parks have no sullage systems for vans to connect to, and they actively encourage your waste to flow as free as a bird. These places required permits and inspections to operate, and operate under the same legislation, council rules and health requirements as any freecamp does
 
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Crusty181

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Just remember that of grey water is contained for more than 24 hours it is deemed to be black water and must be disposed of into Blackwater catchment.
Wow, I didnt know that. At the risk of coming off as a petulant school boy where did you find this info. If that's the case most people are capturing harmless greywater, converting it to a toxic blackwater and then dumping it on the side of the road.
 
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Drover

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, I have seen it written some where, dismissed as Enviro Nazi clap trap, my 200 lt grey water tank at the old house wouldnt pump out sometimes for a few days so that would mean I was pumping certified black water onto my lawn ?????????? ...... mind it wasn't nice smelling at the best of times especially when I had to service the pump, read de clog of hair, girls shed as bad a scats............... wonder how some would get on cleaning the grease traps in the olden days when no sewer..?? .............part of the olden days one doesn't want to revisit.
 

DRW

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May 29, 2013
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I’m on the road currently but a council did have this written about the danger of keeping grey water, it was a NSW council but can’t remember whhich one. We have a grey water tank that we use occasionally when in towns or hard stands but it gets emptied usually the same day when we pull up for the night
 

crackacoldie

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Jan 8, 2013
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Wow, I didnt know that. At the risk of coming off as a petulant school boy where did you find this info. If that's the case most people are capturing harmless greywater, converting it to a toxic blackwater and then dumping it on the side of the road.
I got it from a council, can't remember which one now, but my thoughts exactly. Someone behind a desk has made a risk of pollution from where there was very limited risk.
 
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Crusty181

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I got it from a council, can't remember which one now, but my thoughts exactly. Someone behind a desk has made a risk of pollution from where there was very limited risk.
You can use the following statement in your every day life (possibly with the greatest potential effect at home).

"A quick search of the IntaGoogleWeb establishes beyond any doubt that regardless of the fact @crackacoldie has no memory or clue why, what ever he says is absolutely 100% correct "

The basic premise that greywater can become septic very quickly when stored pops up all over the place in credible suppositories of Govt and Bureaucratic archives, including EPA docs, Building Commission docs, Health Dept docs etc etc. Well done young man, keep up the forgetful but incredibly accurate input. Left to fester for relatively short periods in storage, the levels of harmful bacteria in greywater will quickly and vastly outnumber the bacteria in black water.

Yes, its apparently safer to drink your poop water than your stored shower/sink water, what a horrible thought. You can blame @crackacoldie for that one.

Hands up who's up for fitting a greywater tank ?????
 
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crackacoldie

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Jan 8, 2013
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You can use the following statement in your every day life (possibly with the greatest potential effect at home).

"A quick search of the IntaGoogleWeb establishes beyond any doubt that regardless of the fact @crackacoldie has no memory or clue why, what ever he says is absolutely 100% correct "

The basic premise that greywater can become septic very quickly when stored pops up all over the place in credible suppositories of Govt and Bureaucratic archives, including EPA docs, Building Commission docs, Health Dept docs etc etc. Well done young man, keep up the forgetful but incredibly accurate input.
Still doesn't become toxic if released immediately though. Go figure we must store it....