At 10:29 AM 7/12/2001, Steve Suprata wrote:
>I was regularly dumping my porta-potti( I don't know
>what brand really)at my parents house in their toilet.
>One day while they were at work I went over to dump
>it. I fumbled with the front door lock while holding
>the potti and finally opened the front door. When I
>shiftef my hands to carry the potti through the door,
>I mistakenly grabbed the latch that holds the sump
>section to the bowl section. The two came apart and a

The actual Thetford Porta-Potti would not do this -- the sewage chamber is
sealed (unless you pull the flushing handle, of course).  To empty it you
remove the upper section and carry only the lower part to where it will be
dumped.

We have the smallest one (Model 135) and are quite satisfied with it.  It
works well and can be dumped without getting yourself involved in the
mess.  There are two points to bear in mind:
1) When dumping, you're supposed to open the dump tube and point it where
you want the stuff to go, then push and hold the venting button.  When you
do this the stuff comes out with a rush, and can splash if you're not
expecting it.

2) Before using the device you should open the flush gate and look to be
sure the sewage chamber is not already full -- there is a vent that opens
to the top of the sewage chamber when the flush gate is pulled, and excess
sewage will flow out of that vent to make room for the stuff coming in.

3) (our two main weapons are surprise and fear and fanatical devotion to
the pope) it pays to remember that a lot more goes in the sewage tank than
comes out of the flushing tank.  This may seem obvious -- heck, it is
obvious -- but it still managed to surprise me.  In fact the P-P is
extremely economical with flushing water because there is no plumbing, just
the bowl and a hole into the sewage chamber.

david

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
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