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Topic ClosedOutside Shower Dishwashing Station

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dr.becky View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Outside Shower Dishwashing Station
    Posted: 16 May 2016 at 10:24am
When dumping water the dirty water is not as much as an issue as the debris in it is what creates odor and attracts animals.  So strain the water with a fine steel strainer and then throw away the debris in the garbage.
When running rivers and tent camping We set up a three bucket system, that is a leave no trace ethic.  One five gallon bucket for "spuge,"  to first rinse the debris into, then a soap pan and a rinse pan.  If we are using river or stream water I do a third pan with bleach water.  All three are collapsible, the bucket, and "river" sinks are square roll up.  I got them from Campmor or Sportsmen's Warehouse.  I have had them for about 10 years so they last.  When done with then I clean then from clean to dirty, dump the spuge through the strainer, pour the soap water in the spuge clean and dump through the strainer, pour the rinse/clorax water in the soap pan, rinse it, then in the spuge and all is clean!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2016 at 9:21am
Hi,
We're going to be Rpod owners in the near future. Now we camp in a Teardrop, so our dishwashing is outdoors. We use a 5 gallon bucket under the spigot, and dump the gray water at the campground dump station. When we boondock, we try to find an inconspicuous spot to dump the water. Not ideal, but what we are limited to with the TD.
Diane and Michael
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2016 at 8:42am
This from the Great Smokey Mountains NP campground rules:

Waste Water
Dish water and bath water must be drained at utility sinks or dump stations, not on the ground. Do not wash or bathe in streams or at water fountains. RV sewage should be drained only at a dump station. Showers and utility hookups are not available in the park. Showers may be available in nearby towns.

TT
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techntrek View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 10:04pm
Waste water isn't legally gray water unless it goes through a sink or shower drain.  Black water of course comes from the toilet.

Taking a shower or washing dishes with the outside shower is not gray water, and I've used the outside shower on my pup and pod for dishes many times.  Soap is biodegradable (whether or not it is labeled "camp soap" or "biodegradable"), and green magazines and websites tout using dish water to water plants.  There are campgrounds that have policies against outside showers and dish washing, but I've rarely found them.  Certainly there is a moral obligation to not leave behind food particles and mud puddles.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 9:30am
Originally posted by Don Halas

I appreciate the heads up, but I still believe there's an alternate use of the outside shower for cleaning up large cookware.  Anyone offended by that would probably be better suited staying at a Marriott.

I can only speak for myself and, I believe, most if not all of my camping mates when I request that you not bring your gray water policy to Florida.
Bob and Joyce
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Don Halas View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 8:35am
We have tent camped for many years and only recently upgraded to the Pod.  Part of the desire to do this is that recently two of the campgrounds we've been to don't have a dish washing station.  In fact I'm finding RV parks less desirable than traditional camp grounds for us.

If a park has a no gray water policy, I guess that would totally negate the shower for any use, including its intended use.  We normally try and remove most waste from dishes and pots and pans with paper towels before washing so there is normally only soapy water waste.  Soapy water that I don't want splashed on interior cabinets and all over the Pod floor.

I appreciate the heads up, but I still believe there's an alternate use of the outside shower for cleaning up large cookware.  Anyone offended by that would probably be better suited staying at a Marriott.

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edjco View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2016 at 7:26am
Thats how we do our dishes. We set up a table there and place two of the grey bus boy "haul" tubs that you buy at restaurant supply places. Hot soapy water in one and rinse in the other. The existing showerhead works fine for this. We dump the dish water somewhere out of the way and have never had an issue with it. There is a certain size haul that just barely fits in the cabinet of the 179. We stack one in the other and store them in the cabinet.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2016 at 5:53pm
I always wash my dishes outside. I just find the inside sink is too small. I have two tubs, one for suds and one for rinsing. I fill them inside and bring them out. Nearly every campground I have been in the Northwest has waste water dumps (kind of a 3 ft. high volcano shaped drain) every fourth or fifth campsite. I never just dump it in the site. I guess if there wasn't a waste water dump I would just dump into my grey water tank. But I like to avoid it if possible.
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2016 at 9:47am
Originally posted by Don Halas

I'm not suggesting all dish washing outside.  Just the big things like a Clam pot that are way too big for the sink and likely to make a mess of the pod interior when washing.

I'd rather have that mess on the outside, not the inside.


And some campgrounds insist that you haul that mess off with you when you go (in your grey water tank).

It's not a question of what you wash, it's a question of what you do with the waste water.  There are places where you can get away with dumping it on the ground, although it may not be a great idea even in those places.  There are other places where it is simply not allowed.  I don't know how much trouble you'd be in if you got caught, but you wouldn't win a lot of friends among the other campers.

There are usually wash areas in or around the restrooms in those campgrounds that don't allow dumping of grey water on the ground.  Use their water -- it has lots of pressure and it doesn't deplete your tank.

For what it's worth, the no grey water rule technically applies to using the outside shower as a shower too.

TT
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Don Halas View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 May 2016 at 7:23am
I'm not suggesting all dish washing outside.  Just the big things like a Clam pot that are way too big for the sink and likely to make a mess of the pod interior when washing.

I'd rather have that mess on the outside, not the inside.


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