Pictures of tow vehicles and trailers

I can understand an occasional dishpan of water for someone backpack hiking, but any time there is a holding tank, it is a place for bacteria to breeed. Dish water is (surprisingly) classified as black water, even if it is going into a "gray" water tank. I used to think that black water was just what went down the toilet. However, it makes sense that food and grease particles can also breed bacteria, so dumping a gray water holding tank is not as innocuous as a dishpan of water. Army Field Sanitation training also taught me that it is not proper to just dump water on the ground. The proper way is to dig a soakage pit or trench away from water streams/supplies and then to cover it over when done. I doubt the Forest Service or any campground would look kindly upon RV owners digging soakage pits or trenches for disposal of gray water.

For me, I see the outside shower as a way to rinse sand off from the beach or to rinse muddy feet before going inside for a proper shower. I don't see it as a substitute for the inside shower.

 If rinsing off outside, no soap. Water only. Nothing wrong with that as long as the water can drain properly.

This is Blu, our 2018 R-Pod 180.

Congratulations on your new pod and happy trails!

Originally posted by malkbean2 i will just say this. The pathogenic bacteria from fecal matter is way way more of a threat to health than grey water. I would even go as far as to say grey water is no threat to health at all.

Have you ever rinsed a piece of chicken off before cooking it? Then you may very well have introduced salmonella bacteria into your gray water tank. Other food-borne pathogens may also find their way into the gray tank. The warm, moist environment in the gray tank provides a good environment for them to multiply and grow. That is why holding tank dumping should only be done at a proper dump station.