We have been on the road for 11 months, and my understanding of what happens to waste water in a caravan grey water tank has changed over that time. In the beginning I thought grey water was just that, grey water, what I did not know was it can turn into Black water quickly.

In the not too distant past, when there wasn’t so many travelers dumping the grey water on the ground at campsites probably wouldn’t have caused any problems, but as this lifestyle and caravaning/camping in general has become so much more popular, the volume of grey water getting dumped has increased markedly. So changes are needed as to how grey water is handled.

What is Grey Water?

Grey water is the water that comes from your kitchen sink, shower, washing machine (non toilet waste), it will contain soaps, food waste, hair, dead skin cells and any other grime and gunk that can fit down a plug hole.

In a lot of caravans, it goes into a grey water holding tank and/or straight out on the ground, or down a drain.

Now if you have observed the water coming straight out of the pipe, you may notice it does not have a pungent smell and you would be correct in thinking this is relatively harmless water, ok you wouldn’t drink it, but if you got it on your hands you wouldn’t be too concerned. Also it would be unlikely to harm any plants/wildlife, so in a dry area you would be doing the plants a favor by giving them some extra water.

Where Does Black Water Come From?

The grey water tank in a caravan can contain grey water for an unlimited amount of time, but the problem here is that after a short amount of time, as short as 12 hours in hot humid conditions, the bacteria and other nasties start to multiply, you see, this environment is a perfect breeding ground for bugs/germs.

If you have ever emptied a grey water tank that has contained grey water for a few days or more, then you will immediately notice the smell. Very pungent. Unlike before, with the grey water coming straight out, you would not even want to touch this stuff, let alone smell it. Imagine someone pulling up at a campsite and just dumping this stuff on the ground? If everyone did this we would all be going into cesspits.

So when on the road what should you do with this grey/black water? A difficult question as sometimes you can be in places where it is not easy to get rid of it.

What We Do

We have not been perfect, to begin with we did not appreciate the grey water turning to black water, we learnt this later on. Also the caravan getting a bad smell in it after driving with a partially full grey water tank, yes we have been there, and also scratching our heads as to why was this happening.

So moving forward, after much research and thought, we have put some plans into place to handle grey water responsibly.

• If able, don’t store it. Unless there is a sign which says you must be fully self contained, or no grey water on the ground, then it goes on the ground or down the drain straight away.
• If possible, use a sullage hose to direct it to a tree or in the bushes.

• Minimize water usage.
• Caravan parks usually have drains for grey water. Make this your next stop after a campsite that requires you to keep your grey water contained.
• Dump points, using a portable container. Many dump points are above road level, meaning getting your sullage hose out won’t work. You won’t be able to empty the grey water tank properly. Use a portable container.

• Food scraps are a nightmare for your grey water tank, (and they smell). Scrape leftover food into the bin before washing your dishes, we use wet wipes or paper towels to remove most of the left over foodstuffs off the plate before giving the plates a final wash.
• Use biodegradable products

What Not To Do

• Don’t let your grey water go into your neighbors campsite
• Don’t empty onto the road while driving, easily detectable and fineable and not nice for those following.
• Never dump grey water in natural waterways like rivers, lakes, or storm drains. It’s harmful to the environment and often illegal.

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