95 tow lite 21' holding tanks
 

I was wondering how big are the holding tanks? Thanks hope to here from someone.

Welcome to the forum. Most of your answers can be found in the reference library. If you can't find your exact year, look at one close to yours. The information is pretty much the same. If I remember right, 30-33 gal. is around the capacity.

Hi-Lo Brochure - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

As I remember on my 97 towlite, 18gal gray ,18gal black ,30gal fresh water. The towlites built in the 90's had smaller holding tanks

I have a '95 21TL The fresh water is 20 gallons. The gray water is way too small. If it gets full it backs up into the tub. I looked at the number stamped on it I am guessing mine is 9 gals. The black water is bigger maybe 14. If it doesn't snow tonight I may go measure it.
You can use the formula provided by GizardLizard: length x width x height {in inches} divided by 231= gallons.

4 inches and still snowing so I can't measure. When we boondock I have an 11 Gal blueboy tank that I drain the gray water into.
If you do find out the size let me know.

95 towlite holding tanks
 

Thanks everyone I will be measuring my tanks this weekend.

Rolff - We use the grey water to put out our campfires. Seems to pretty much take care of never exceeding the tank's capacity and insures we don't start any forest fires.

By the next night, the campfire pit is dry enough that starting a new fire is no problem.

- Jack

I do the same thing. Just be careful where you do it. I have a friend that was cited by a ranger for doing this. The ranger told him that no discharge or dumping was allowed, even if it was gray water. It's been a number of years, so I don't recall if the campground was federal, state, etc.

Raul

My experience is that most all camp grounds do not allow the discharge of gray water. Actually never found one that did. Yet tent campers do it all the time.

I know. I'm sure the rules are in place to discourage dumping of black water, which I'd never do. I don't run a discharge hose out to the fire, I just empty some water into a pail I can put under the discharge pipe and then I carry it to the campfire. And, I'm doing this around 10:00 at night, so there's not too many folks about.

- Jack

Yeh, I have done the same thing, doesn't seem like gray water would hurt anything.

They say you should collect your gray water to use on the garden. I guess it all depends on where you go.

Great idea. Hard for a ranger to argue with you for putting out a campfire. Still, I like to leave enough gray water in the tank to flush the sewer line when I dump the black tank. By the way, do any of use those " wands " that stick down the toilet to spray the inside of the tank ? It's my least favorite camping task- dumping the tanks.

I use a "wand". It has a very high pressure spray that rotates. I've never had any problems with gunk remaining in the black tank. It holds the toilet valve open, and you can move the wand up and down to get at everything.

I think I'd rather have a Ranger complain about me using gray water than leaving a campfire burning. Once I stop filling my pail, it's just "water", so there's very little "exposure" time.

- Jack

Jack, I'm curious about your wand. If you hook your garden hose to it, how does it make "high pressure" from there to the end of the wand. Thanks.

Thanks I checked and I also have the 20gal freshwater tank so your probably right on the 9 grey and 14 black tanks

The wands have small holes at the tip, hence the higher pressure.

Correct - It all depends on water pressure in the hose. It helps to use a large 5/8 or 3/4" garden hose for this. DON'T use a 1/2" hose. Since the sprayer tip rotates, it directs water to every corner of the tank (and the tube into the tank if you raise it up to just under the toilet flapper valve).

- Jack

This is interesting. I often find I am at the mercy of whatever hose is available at whatever dump station I am at. Often they are not compatable with attaching another hose - or bringing it through the bathroom window. I run into this at state and National Forest campgrounds. So- I usually leave enough water in the fresh tanks to run off my pump if need be---and just sort of shoot the shower hose down the opening. Not much pressure----how does your set-up work.? Also- I've taken to using the "calgon" method of mixing calgon and water in the tanks to keep things slippery.

Rick, I don't actually "clean" the tank (with the wand) until I get the trailer home. I empty it at a dump station and then whatever's left inside is minimal. You can also run a lot of fresh water into the black tank through the toilet prior to the final dump to dilute things there. The trip from the campsite to the dump station will then mix things up and agitate the contents. I've found there is very little bad stuff left inside when I do it this way.

I also use the blue (formaldehyde) product in the black tank as a disinfectant and odor controller. I'm pretty sure this is what you find inside porta-potties, so I take that as an endorsement. I'd never heard of the "Calgon method", but it sounds like a good idea.

- Jack