Owning the Best RV Toilet in 2023 – Everything You Must Know

First Things First – Do You Really Need RV Toilets?

There’s a lot that determines whether you need or want a toilet in your RV.

Your physical abilities, camping style, length of your outdoor endeavors, and other factors highly contribute to the RV-toilet decision you make.

If you find it hard climbing down the RV in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature, then having an RV toilet is a choice you can’t turn down.

Why You Should Have an RV Toilet

If you’ve settled on having an RV toilet, you’re already several steps ahead of enjoying your time in your RV.

Here are some of the advantages of RV toilets.

a)  They use Water Effectively

The most common type of toilets used in RVs today is composting toilets.

A composting toilet is well known for its ability to use water and save energy effectively.

Water is one of the commodities you only have in limited measures in an RV, and you would welcome any idea that helps you minimize spending it.

If you are going to a region with inconsistent water flow, you will certainly appreciate the presence of a composting toilet in your RV.

b)  They use Limited Space

Another admiration for RV toilets comes from their compact sizes. Space is also another limited luxury you enjoy in an RV, especially if you are taking other people.

The toilet will only take a small space in your RV, leaving you with enough room to do your other businesses.

Their reduced size also lets you move around your RV easily, clean them, fix when broken, and lift them off when dumping away waste.

c)  They Are Convenient

You never know when the call of nature will come knocking and how aggressive it could come.

Even if you are packing next to a public toilet, moving there can be a challenging decision to make at night.

An RV toilet solves all these problems. It helps you remain safe inside your RV and answer your nature calls right within the comfort of your RV.

d)  They’re Easy to Install

A compact small-sized RV toilet can only be easy to install and use.

They come with guidance booklets inside the unit to help you with an easy and quick DIY installation after you’ve bought one.

Whether you’re going for a permanent Rtoilet or just a temporary portable one, you can rest assured that the installation guidelines will always be straightforward.

 e)  They’re Environmentally Friendly

One of the greatest concerns when buying an RV toilet is whether it will contribute to environmental pollution or it will help improve everything.

RV toilets, mostly composting toilets, help you have a cleaner, less smelling environment in your RV and offer the human waste as compost fertilizer.

You can deposit the decomposed and broken-down human waste into your garden or any vegetation around your RV.

The Different Types of RV Toilets to Consider

There are various types and models of RV toilets you can consider for your RV depending on your needs and various other factors.

Some of the most common types of RV toilets to buy include the following.

a.  Traditional RV Toilets

Like the porcelain and plastic toilets you find in traditional homes, traditional RV toilets require water for them to function.

However, traditional RV tanks aren’t installed over septic tanks or sewer connections like the traditional residential-style toilet.

Instead, a traditional toilet is connected to an outside holding tank where the liquid and solid waste are dumped into once you flush the toilet.

You’ll need an electric flush or a foot pump to flush the contents of your toilet bowl down the holding black tank.

The black tank is typically plumbed to the side of your RV and connected to your toilet using a sewer hose. The sewer hose is also used to drain the black tank into a dump point.

A traditional RV toilet is easy to handle and replace as the black tank empties through the sewer hose, so you won’t have to handle the liquid and solid waste manually.

A plumbed-in toilet like this needs excellent plumbing services and enough water to maintain cleanliness. In cold winter seasons, the water might freeze and cause health problems.

It is not a great option when you’re riding into a drier area, and you need to conserve water.

b.  Cassette Toilets

A cassette toilet is a small toilet that is portable but can be fixed and connected to a black tank using a sewer hose. The cassette toilet can be removed through an access panel on the side of your RV.

A cassette toilet also comes pre-installed by the manufacturer, so you can easily fit it into place through the access panel.

Its RV black tanks are smaller and can only hold about 4.5 to 5 gallons of waste. You, therefore, need to empty them when full constantly.

You can buy additional RV black tanks to keep you going if the tank is full and you’re not in a place to dump the waste.

They have a rotating toilet bowl makes them a convenient choice for the tight space in your RV.

However, this toilet has its shortcomings too. It comes with a smaller holding tank; dumping waste is more manual, it’s difficult to self-install, it uses chemicals, and it has the potential to freeze when winter knocks.

c.  Composting Toilet

A composting toilet is best described as an earth-friendly option and a great choice if you aim to conserve water and put solid waste to good use.

Since a composting toilet uses no water, they are a welcome option for cold weather and camping.

And even better, most of these toilets have a textured lid to help seal in any awful smell. Other models include ventilation fans to help with maximum air circulation so you can enjoy the fresh air.

You also won’t need to worry about installing a black tank for water storage. You’ll, however, need a holding tank to work as a composting medium.

In the holding tank, you’ll sprinkle composting materials like coconut coir or peat moss from your local hardware store or online shops.

A composting toilet is easy to install and less stressful to maintain since you won’t need water, chemicals, or plumbing services. You can easily go 3-4 weeks before emptying the solids tank.

However, you will need the power to keep most of these toilets functioning. You’ll also need to empty away from the liquid waste after every few days, which can be very tiring and unhygienic to handle.

d.  Portable Toilets

A portable camping toilet is the best option if you’ve got limited space in your RV and are not considering investing in plumbing.

Since you won’t need to fix them permanently, portable toilets are the easiest to install.

You’ll only need to secure them so that they are firm enough to sit on when answering your calls of nature.

Most RVers prefer using a composting toilet as it is the cheapest option around.

With the detachable holding tank, you can empty the waste to a dump station or a residential toilet once you’re back home. It would help if you always had at least some gloves on in case of spills to protect your skin.

The shortcomings of this toilet option are that it can freeze in winter, and it uses chemicals that can be harmful.

e.  Gravity Flush Toilet

It is common for people to assume the toilet in an RV is a gravity flush toilet anytime there is no specific information on the type of toilet installed in the RV.

They are mostly always right because most RVs have this type of toilet installed.

More often, you’ll find gravity flush toilets made of porcelain or plastic. Most of them are fitted with a foot pedal flush that you can step on to open a hatch at the bottom of the toilet bowl.

The foot pedal also helps in rinsing the toilet bowl when you’re all finished with your toilet business.

Additionally, gravity flush toilets have black tanks that hold water and waste pushed down by gravity from the toilet bowl once you’ve flushed. The black tank then holds everything until you evacuate it through the sewer hose to an RV dump station.

Since these RV toilets use black tanks, you’ll have little or nothing to worry about crazy smells or build-up.

Most RVs come with ready plumbing for gravity flush toilets, which means you’ll have little planning to do or to worry about.

On the flip side, these RV toilets use lots of water, which is not a good start for RVers who need to minimize their water consumption rates.

You also have to dump your waste into a dump station, which doesn’t augur well with many RVers.

f.  Macerator Toilets

One major challenge RVers face when using RV toilets that use water is the Poo pyramid.

A poo pyramid is basically the accumulation of too many solid wastes, including poop and toilet paper, and little water or liquid to break them down.

When the poop and toilet paper combine, they form a mound that can get big and heavy, giving you a hard to get out.

The solution to this problem is using a macerator toilet. It helps by pulverizing the waste, as it breaks it down into finer particles that you can easily transport out when the holding tank gets full. The blockages caused by the wads of toilet paper and other waste no longer become a call for concern when using this toilet option.

With the breakdown, you’ll have fewer clogs in your hose when dumping the waste into a black tank.

These RV toilets can pump up waste against gravity so that you can install them in any position without worry. They also have a smaller hose diameter, which helps minimize odor when dumping the waste.

On the negative side, the dumping tank tends to work slower with the thinner hose. The toilet also uses more water and energy than any of the available RV toilets that use water.

How to Maintain and Care for Your RV Toilet

Regardless of the type of toilet you choose to buy, you’ll always have problems with the toilet if you don’t take good care of them. However, you can avoid all these problems by doing the following:

Keep the Tank Clean

Most RVers only concentrate on emptying the holding tank and continuing with the cycle.

One important thing they mostly forget is to clean out the tank. You can usually do this by pouring a healthy cleaning product down the toilet bowl and emptying the content into your next dump station.

You can always maintain a regular cleaning schedule to keep your toilet clean at all times.

Use Your RV Toilet Paper Effectively

Anytime you use your toilet, especially for the long calls, you’ll obviously need to use toilet paper. While it is possible to use regular toilet paper, RV toilet paper is always recommended.

The sewage system in an RV toilet is somewhat delicate. It is not as robust as the gravity flush system or the sewage systems of residential toilets.

That is why you should use it much differently as you use your house toilet, including using a different type of toilet paper.

An RV toilet paper disintegrates faster than normal toilet paper, minimizing the chances of clogging your sewage system or black tank.

If you can’t get RV toilet paper for your RVing endeavors, you should settle for a regular household toilet paper that dissolves faster in water.

However, you should use this toilet paper as little as possible to avoid them piling and clogging your toilet’s drainage system.

Keep an Eye on the Toilet Seal

The toilet seal is not visible when you look at your toilet from the outside because it is situated at the bottom of your toilet on your bathroom floor. The small wax ring is important for keeping smelly water from spreading all through your bathroom floor.

If you fail to check it regularly, you might not know when it starts failing to work, and that could be detrimental to your toilet’s health.

Ensure you keep the seal clean to prevent a leaky situation. You can protect it from drying out by applying a plumber’s grease.

Check the Chemicals that Go into Your RV Toilet

Sometimes you’ll inevitably need cleaning chemicals when using an RV toilet. Depending on the model and type of toilet, the chemical requirements may vary.

Avoid going for backstreet chemicals that are manufactured and sold cheaply. Seek your plumber or dealer’s advice on what chemicals you should use for your toilet type and only go for the recommended chemicals.

Empty Your Tank Just on Time

Leaving your tank to be excessively full before you empty it can pose many risks. The most common problem you’ll face when you fail to empty it on time is an unusable toilet.

You will need an extra tank to overcome such a predicament or wait until you get to the next dumpsite to eliminate the waste.

To avoid getting into such a fix, always empty your tank when it’s two-thirds or three-quarters full. If you have a tank indicator, it should let you know the level of waste in the tank.

Do not empty the tank too early, either. This compromises the effectiveness of the chemicals from breaking down the waste.

The Best RV Toilet Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Since the availability of a toilet in your RV is an important aspect of survival in an RV, you might want to choose a perfect toilet for the job.

Choosing an RV toilet that entirely meets your needs can be challenging, and without proper research, you may end up with a disappointing toilet.

You don’t need to go through a challenging time when choosing your toilet. Below is a comprehensive RV toilet review and buyer’s guide to help you make informed choices when buying your next toilet.

The Best RV Toilet Buyers Guide

So you’re out shopping for your next RV toilet and are worried sick of what to consider for a perfect toilet?

You don’t need to worry anymore.

Here are some of the key factors you should consider when buying a perfect toilet for your RV.

a)  Comfort

One of the most crucial elements of a great RV toilet is its comfort. It would help if you had a toilet that will make you look up to your next business in there.

The market is full of various models of RV toilets, and they come with varying levels of comfort. Some are more comfortable than others, and that’s why you should give a keen eye when choosing your next toilet.

Some toilets will install a toilet seat that closes slowly and is made of more comfortable wood than a plastic toilet seat.

You should ensure you only settle for a toilet seat that is much easier to sit on without too many complications.

b)  Size and Height

The limited space in your RV demands that you be so considerate of the size, shape, and height of everything that goes into it, including toilets.

If you were to buy a perfect toilet for your RV, it has to fit well into your bathroom space to give you excellent services.

It is indisputable that a larger and higher toilet is much easier and comfortable to use. However, if you only have enough space for a medium-sized toilet, a larger one will only make things difficult for you.

The best way to choose a toilet that perfectly fits your RV is by picking a recommended model for your RV.

c)  The Toilet Type: Portable or Plumbed-in

Almost all toilets used in RVs fall in these two main categories. You can either have a portable or plumbed-in toilet.

For plumbed-in toilets, you’ll have to permanently install them in your RV’s bathroom space and connect them to a black tank for water and a waste tank for waste.

They are the closest resemblance to the traditional home toilets. They are also the most comfortable, and you won’t worry about frequent emptying of the toilet.

The portable toilet option is much different. You don’t need permanent connections to black tanks and water tanks.

All you need is a holding tank where you’ll be flushing the waste to be held temporarily before you dump them at the right place.

These toilets are more versatile and are perfect options for every other outdoor event, not just the RV. However, you have to do with their small sizes and less comfortable nature.

If you’re in for a temporary solution, then a portable toilet is the best choice to make, but if you need a permanent solution, then a plumbed-in toilet is the way to go.

d)  The Material used

Plastic, wood, and ceramic are some of the most common materials you’ll find in an RV toilet.

If you’re considering plastic RV toilets, then you should pick one that’s made with durable plastic that will serve you more than a few trips in your RV.

You should choose toilets made of ceramics if you consider a more permanent toilet option for your RV. Ceramic toilets are more durable and more luxurious; you barely realize you’re using a camping toilet when using one.

e)  How easy it is to Empty

The best portable toilets are the ones designed to give you the easiest time to empty. They are hygienic and easy to empty, so you don’t have to worry about tilting them in various angles to get everything out.

You should check how the emptying hose is connected and how easy it is to eliminate waste before buying.

You also don’t want to end up with awful splashes all over you when emptying the holding tank.

RV Toilets Reviews – The Best Picks

The market is full of RV toilets from different brands and companies. However, only a few brands are doing a great job in meeting and superseding consumers’ needs.

The top 4 RV toilet brands that are doing exceptional work include:

• Thetford
• Dometic
• Porta Potti
• Nature’s Head

Each of these manufacturers has produced various excellent models over the years, and we’re going to look at one of the best models from each brand.