“How to make a toilet in a motorhome?” is a piquant, but quite important question; sooner or later, most travel enthusiasts who are interested in traveling in a motor home ask them.
In principle, there is currently a solution and it is quite simple: use a ready-made dry closet, they are now sold in many hardware stores.
But here I will tell you about how it works integrated toilet in a motorhome. So let’s start with a virtual tour of the camper’s bathroom.
The bathroom in the motorhome is shared, that is, we have a shower, a washbasin, and a toilet in one common compartment. Moreover, the floor in the bathroom doubles as a shower tray. And the toilet is also located in this tray.
The circle on the left is a handle-button; it performs two functions: it opens the toilet flap with a simple mechanical turn and turns on the water drain when pressed. Flushing water in a camper toilet does not work the same way as at home; here an electric pump turns on, supplying water to the walls of the toilet. As long as you keep the button pressed, water flows. I released the button and it stopped. The nozzle is located almost horizontally, so water irrigates the surface in a uniform layer in a downward spiral.
The circle on the right is a container for toilet paper. Why is she hidden there? Because our shower is located right here and if the paper is not hidden, it will get wet during the next session of water procedures.
Human waste is collected in a separate container, rather than in the common shower and kitchen drain. Access to it is provided from outside the camper; there is a special hatch on the left side. And that’s right, there’s no point in carrying a pot of poop around the room if you need to free the container.
The lower part is a container for poop, it comes out like a drawer in a chest of drawers and slides along the guides. The top container is a container for water that will be used to flush everything after someone goes to the toilet. The vertical transparent tube on the right allows you to estimate the available volume of water for draining.
On the waste container there is a flap for the glasses, which was mentioned above, and the circle to the left and above in the photo is a connection for the handle in the bathroom, with which we open and close the glasses. The button in the upper right corner is... I forgot what it was. Next time, maybe I'll look and add. Most likely the waste level float. On the left is a rotating pipe with a lid through which the contents of the motorhome toilet are drained.
Water for flushing the toilet is poured into a separate tank; access to it is in the same place, on the left side of the motorhome.
There are special additives for both the lower container and the upper one. One chemical is added to the water, and another is added to the drain tank. These substances are designed to dissolve waste and minimize odor.
We bought a used motorhome. with the toilet cleaned and not used for a long time. But we bought a toilet brush (because we read on the Internet that this is generally the first thing you need to buy) and both types of additives. Then, however, we read that it is better not to use a brush so as not to scratch the surface of the toilet. Supposedly, it is initially quite smooth; before going to the toilet, it is advisable to wet the surface with the flush liquid, briefly pressing the flush button, do the work and it should all fall into the waste tank. But using a brush like this can ruin the quality of the coating and then you will have to constantly use it... Then you will have to put it somewhere when moving. And it’s still so dirty... In general, the version with a smooth surface looks believable.
What is the situation with the smell, does it spoil the trip? In general, we have already had to verify in practice that if we use liquids from Thetford (Thetford), which we bought in the Medtekhnika chain of stores in Kyiv, then for at least 4-5 days in the Crimean heat there is no smell at all. I didn't have a chance to check it further. These liquids, by the way, are also different. We poured red into the top tank and blue into the bottom.
There are domestically produced liquids, they cost 2-3 times cheaper, but as a rule, domestic products are inferior in quality to branded ones, so we haven’t had time to test these liquids yet. We decided to first fill in the branded one as a standard, and next time - the domestic one, just to have something to compare with. When new information appears, I will definitely add it.
By the way, performance characteristics (approximately): the capacity of the lower tank is ~20 l, the upper tank is ~15 l.
Sometimes a car has to perform such unusual work that it is even difficult to imagine. Everyone is accustomed to mobile X-ray and dental rooms, mobile television studios, auto shops, etc., but the order of the St. Petersburg mayor’s office, which was carried out by employees of the bus branch of the Minsk Automobile Plant, caused at least a confused smile with its unusualness.
And the story is this...
A little over a year before the 300th anniversary of the “city of Petrov”, the administration of St. Petersburg turned to AMAZ with a very exotic order - to manufacture on the basis of a Minsk bus... a mobile public toilet!
In anticipation of the upcoming celebrations, and therefore a huge number of guests on the streets and in places of mass celebrations, the mayor's office could not help but think about how to satisfy a natural human need. Experts from city utility services have come to the conclusion that the “capacity” of the public toilets available in the city is clearly not enough for the expected influx of city guests, albeit short-term. In this regard, it was decided to install additional stationary dry closets. However, after calculating how much this method of solving the problem would cost the taxpayer, the city administration abandoned this idea. And then another option was found: if you make the toilets mobile, for example, on the base of a bus, then you will need much less of them. Such a mobile complex can be transferred in a matter of minutes to where it is most needed at the moment.
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The residents of St. Petersburg addressed the Minsk bus builders with this delicate request. It should be noted that Belarusian buses are well known in the Northern capital and are popular due to their reliability and reasonable price. The order was so unusual that the Minsk residents initially refused it. There was even an opinion expressed that the production of this kind of vehicles would do no less than damage the image of a reputable enterprise, but the management of the branch and its director Gennady Sinegovsky decided to take a risk. By the way, when the developers studied the information available on this topic, it was discovered that in the 1960s, similar sanitary vehicle complexes made on the platform of Czech koda buses successfully operated in the city on the Neva.
Specificity obliges
The principle of operation of such sanitary vehicles is not complicated and is as follows: the bus drives up to a service location where there is a well with access to a fire hydrant and sewer drain (there are plenty of such places in any city). The machine has two connecting couplings in the lower part of the body - for hoses for supplying cold water and for discharging feces into the sewer. After the storage tank is emptied and washed, the “plumber” bus is ready to receive a new batch of clients.
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As the base model, the developers chose the MAZ-103 low-floor city bus, equipped with a pneumatic kniling system (tilting the bus body). It was the “low-floor” that met the customer’s requirements in all respects, and one of the main conditions was the ability to serve people with disabilities. Just a few months after the start of work, Minsk residents produced two experimental self-propelled sanitary and hygienic complexes, which received the factory index MAZ-163. The doors of the toilet stalls and interior partitions were manufactured at the MAZ-Kupava plant, which specializes in the production of plastic panels and isothermal bodies. Inflow fresh air and interior ventilation was provided by three powerful electric fans. The drive for opening the entrance doors was controlled by duplicated buttons from both the driver’s and cashier’s seats. There were booths specially designed for disabled people. A special entry and exit point was made for their strollers.
If there were no particular problems with the choice of the base model, the layout of the cabin and the layout of the equipment in it caused heated debate among the developers. Several options were worked out, of which two were chosen, receiving conventional indices in the form of the Latin letters M (man - “male”) and W (woman - “female”). The first option was equipped with three toilets and five urinals, the second option – with six toilets. Both models had two washbasins.
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Representatives of the leadership of St. Petersburg, led by Mayor A. Yakovlev, liked the first presented samples of the MAZ-163 so much that twelve more “toilets on wheels” were immediately ordered. True, the first copies had Finnish plumbing fixtures, and the subsequent ones, in order to reduce the cost, were made in Russia.
The order was completed on time and with high quality. As a result, all fourteen cars, at the request of the buyer - the St. Petersburg Vodokanal - painted in the company's blue and white tones, worked successfully during the celebration of the anniversary of the city on the Neva. They can still be seen on the streets during public festivals.
It remains to add that the development of the Minsk bus builders is protected by utility model patents in the Republic of Belarus and in Russia.
Moreover, you can now do your “wet work” without fear of Art. 20.1 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation “Petty hooliganism”. Let us remind you that, according to this article, it is easy not only to face a fine of 50 to 1000 rubles, but also to face administrative arrest for up to 15 days. And what’s especially nice: relief from the torments of long-suffering (by the way, very harmful to the body) was brought to us not by overseas miracle technologies, but by our native Russian engineers.
True, with some restrictions: the “Mono” mini-toilet they created, which can be used without leaving the steering wheel, is designed exclusively for men. However, the authors of the invention say that they are already working on a special adapter that will allow the weaker sex to send their natural needs directly in the driver’s seat without shame or remorse. Well, let's wait, but for now let's return to the hero of our material.
This original product we purchased it in one of the capital’s online stores, and then tested it in conditions big city, namely in a real car stuck in a real traffic jam. You will find a video of the test data below. Let's say right away that the tests were successful, although not right away - the first attempt ended with the tester's wet pants. But first things first.
“Mono” is unlike any other on our market. However, there is no need to talk about analogies here, since products from other manufacturers (by the way, exclusively foreign - Serbian, Japanese, Chinese) are positioned as universal - suitable for men, women, and children.
This “versatility” is expressed in the form of a “duck” at the end of a hygiene bag, into which you are invited to place your genitals. Well, we tried. Alas, neither the woman who agreed to the experiment, nor even a representative of the stronger sex, while sitting in the car, could attach the “duck” so that the urine would fall exclusively into the receiver. That is, all these “Serbs”, “Japanese” and “Chinese” are designed exclusively for use in a standing position - for men, and in a classic position - for women.
In other words, you need to get out of the car. Our Russian product is a different matter, if you know, of course, how to approach it correctly.
The diameter of the neck of this “device” is more than sufficient to accept “devices” of any size and is placed on the manhood without the slightest problem. But there is one important nuance, if you don’t take it into account, you can wet yourself a little (which is what happened to us on our first attempt). The cuff of the bell must be tucked inside - then a check valve effect is created and not a single drop will fall on the clothes.
In this case, the bag that receives the liquid and contains a superabsorbent that turns it into a gel in 10 seconds should be held with a slight tilt - that is, it should simply hang over the edge of the seat. These two simple rules make the whole process quite comfortable and completely invisible to others.
There are no analogues to the “Mono” mini-toilet on the domestic market.
The gel, as we have seen, is firmly held inside, does not leak and does not smell. This means that after using it, the compactly foldable bag does not need to be immediately thrown out of the car window, littering your city. It, along with its contents, can remain in the cabin without any problems until you reach the nearest garbage bin. For example, for the purity of the experiment, we drove it in the cabin of our car for more than a day - and nothing! There were no leaks or stinks anywhere, and the manufacturer himself claims that when folded, the used mini-toilet can be stored for up to two days.
Many people now have cars, and in large cities almost every second resident considers purchasing a car a necessity. As a result, the number of traffic jams on city streets is constantly increasing, and the time that residents of the capital and residents of cities with national significance spend on traffic jams is also increasing. This problem The city authorities are solving it little by little, but there is a problem that comes with this.
Why
In every large city (and especially in megacities) there is a disadvantage that is not very convenient to talk about. However, getting rid of this disadvantage always has a chance of becoming a great way to make money while helping the city. In this article we will talk about paid toilets, but not ordinary ones, but mobile ones. Recently, entrepreneurs in Moscow and several other large cities have been very active in opening various projects that are related to traffic jams.
Selling fresh newspapers and snack bars on wheels, as well as unique bathhouses on wheels are now already operating, not so long ago they began selling audiobooks in traffic jams, but the most important thing is still missing to create a toilet on wheels. This business has only recently begun to be developed, because the competition here is quite low and this business will certainly become successful, since in a long traffic jam you will certainly find many people who want to go to relieve themselves, since this desire, unlike hunger or boredom, is extremely difficult to overcome. But the business of installing mobile toilets, of course, is better suited for large and densely populated cities, where it will become more in demand than in the outback.
Story
Belgian Marc Callant thought of adapting a box with a toilet to his own car. The toilet stall has two compartments: the actual toilet on wheels and the waiting room. The opportunity to wash your hands is also available, which makes the device stand out from most familiar dry closets.
Of course, this is just a development for now. The price of such a box may well be approximately six thousand euros.
Not long ago, one businessman opened a mobile toilet, converting an Oka car for this purpose. The design of the mobile toilet is patented by the developers. It is a self-contained device that is suitable for all seasons and can fit almost anywhere and move extremely quickly to literally anywhere in the city. A toilet on wheels can be used not only in traffic jams, but also, for example, at public events, and can also be sent to order, for example, at corporate events or picnics in nature. Very practical, isn't it?
