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Hi,

Just back from bank holiday and met a motorhomer who had fitted a vacumm toilet inplace of his casette. i didn't want to look stupid( ok more stupid as I'm going to be a newie to motorhoming) but what is the difference?

thanks

Sandils

I can't tell you the difference in a motorhome, but in an aircraft a tanktop (smilar to cassette) has the bowl sitting on top of the tank and uses toilet fluid in the tank while a vacuum toilet the tank is remote from the toilet and when flushed only uses a small amount of water to rinse the bowl and anything in the bowl is sucked down a pipe to a remote tank using a high powered vacuum pump.  The system is used as it can use vacuum pumps on the ground and at low altitude but once pressurised it uses the pressure difference between inside and outside the cabin to create  the vacuum,  the electric vacuum pumps stop operating above a certain height. On aircraft the waste can hit the tank at speeds of 100mph or more 

Bit of overkill to fit one in a campervan, apart from anything the air outlet from the tank stinks like you would not believe when the pumps are operating.  It is basically drawing all the air that has been sitting in the tanks and venting it out under pressure.

The only vacuum toilet I have used "at sea level" was on a yacht. This discharged the contents either into the sea or into a holding tank to be emptied once out at sea.
The vacuum was worked by a hand pump and levers worked where the contents went. It was a tricky arrangement as getting the proceedure wrong would mean sea water coming up the pan and flooding the yacht.

The only advantage that I can see in putting one into a motorhome, would be to save on the amount of flush water being used.

happybonzo,

I have just got to ask what's a SOG type toilet ( i might regret asking)

Thanks to others for thei