ThetfordPorta Potty, Portable Toilet, Camping/Caravans/Motorhomes, Lightweight and Easy to Clean, 38.3 x 41.3 x 42.7 cm

After thinking whether we should, whether we shouldn't, we decided to buy a Porta Potti for our Campervan. Simply, it was the one of the best decisions we have made regarding the camper. It slots in nice and discreetly (we have it in a small box unit we use as a seat). It is so reassuring to have it, especially as we tend to go out for drives in the countryside where there are few, if any, facilities. Being a lady of a certain age it is a godsend and hubby has made good use of it too! It is very easy to carry empty, and if like us you will be emptying after every trip, you only need to put 2 litres of water in the tank and 2 litres in the flush, which is ample, and it is still easy to carry. The toilet can take 5-10 litres in both but we found that way too much for just the two of us and made it practically too heavy to carry. Using the solutions for the tank and the flush make it very pleasant to use and there is absolutely no smell at all, even when emptying. Very easy to clean/rinse out. It is very sturdy. As I have arthritic knee issues and cannot bend well, I have had no problem using it, even though it does seem very low at first. The bonus about one of these is that it can also be used in the home as a back-up or in a room for people who may be less mobile and cannot get to a toilet quickly. Don't take as long to decide as we did, you will not regret it.

Pretty perfect. :Doesn’t flex or creak (I’m 120kg)Utterly odorless. Seat comfortable. Height good.Flush pump handle system really works great.Huge tank. Easy to remove and carry. This process is clean and in no way unpleasant. Not the slightest leak.Level indicators for both tank and flush.Cheap.So so much better than my original caravan toilet.I’m using this half the week for half the year so it gets more than holiday use.Flawless bit of kit.

Fifty something certainly has its benefits. It also has its negatives and nocturnal urinary frequency certainly is one of them.The necessity of going up and down a long flight of creaky stairs at all hours of the night for a pee (and waking the household up) was getting a bit tiresome for all involved.We needed a downstairs toilet so started looking at all of the options given it was a basement bedroom with no accessible waste drainage.Now, I know that you can buy systems that pump waste up from such areas, but to say they are expensive is a understatement. Add to this the fact that just about anybody who has taken the plunge with such a system has ended up with an issue or two with them lead me to thinking of alternatives.We decided on a chemical toilet!Now, initially, the idea might seem horrifying to many, but we reasoned that just to use to have a pee at night time and having positive experience of exact same caravan toilets made it an extremely sensible idea.We were anyway building a larger than required sliding door walk-in wardrobe into our lower split level room, and so we decided just to create a small privvy room to one side of it at the same time simply by inserting a cavity wall.A lilo floor and skirting was installed, and one paint job later (plus wall toilet roll holder and gel dispenser) and we were ready for the purchase of the star of our sparkling new privvy... The toilet itself!As ever, weeks of research were undertaken by self, as I really did not wish to end up with leaks, mechanical problems or unreliability...It didnt take me long to end up with the decision to buy only Thetford.Given their pedigree in caravan/leisure chemical toilets that part was not at all difficult.At first I loved the look of their all singing and dancing electric flush 565E.. The shape is just fab, it has electric flush and it looks very elegant and most like a standard toilet.I had no qualms about the emptying and maintenance (all the thetford models being largely the same), but what did put me off was the presence of a number of mainly Amazon reviews stating early electric pump failure.A new pump can be procured, although it is quite expensive, and the possibility for it to go again was high up in my mind. Given batteries would be constantly required, I reasoned how much harder would it be just pushing a small manual pump bellow?All was not lost however as I noted the same toilet can be purchased in a manual pump variant (the 565P).. The trouble was, was this pump to fail, where could I get another...? I searched every outlet and could not source a replacement. This worried me as these pumps do fail... For a toilet costing over a hundred quid I thought this might end up problematic.I then happened across this toilet, the tried and tested manual pump 365.Same flush tank size as the 565 series, same waste tank.. Same in every way except £40 or so cheaper and with a manual pump mechanism that can be bought from a great deal of sources for £15.Sold...So how has it been???Fabulous!!The flush and waste fluid last for ages.One strong push on the pump below swirls enough of the flush liquid to contact and cleanse the entire bowl.It never smells and only needs emptying for (regular peeing only for 2 people) once a month, and then it's only half full and so is easy to carry upstairs to the toilet with its carry case handle.Emptying is as simple as remove the cap, tip into the toilet, press an air valve button which removes any splashy glugging, then flush away...Simply then pour a bit of blue chemical back in (dont bother with the recommended water if peeing alone, as urine will quickly dilute the chemical anyway and it will give you an extra penny to spend or two).. Good advice I assure you, from a life long caravanner ;)The top bit then simply fits back onto the bottom waste tank bit.. Top up with flush and water if necessary, then you are sorted again for many a week..The pump flush is obviously very quiet compared to a conventional toilet, and it never leaks...Knowing caravan toilets by Thetford, the seal is reliable and will only need changing once every few years at a tenner a shot. It can be kept in good nick by smearing a little silicone spray or olive oil onto it every time you empty it.. this isnt strictly necessary, but will extend seal life a little.We worried it would slide around when you sat on it.. It doesn't, down to the weight of the flush water.. it is comfortable and exactly the same height as our conventional toilet. The blade is only required if doing a number two into this toilet, as you need it to seal the toilet in order to fill the bottom with a few inches of flush fluid to do your business into. If you are just using it to have a sit down pee, then you can simply leave this blade open indefinitely, as the flush fluid cleaning the bowl and the waste tank blue chemical ensure the urine is made odorless and neutral. There is never a whiff leaving the blade open, but those who dont like this can close the blade after peeing and flushing if they wish.The only time we shut the blade is when we need to in order to carry it upstairs to empty it...And that's it..A truly swish little water closet for very little cost fabricated out of our wardrobe project.An absolutely massive boon for absolute minimal cost.We did wire lights into the wardrobe and so there is a light in there, but here is a top tip whether you have lighting or not..Buy one of those little body heat sensoring battery powered toilet bowl lights and pop that on this toilet.They cost 3 to 5 quid and give plenty enough low intensity light enough for you to creep out of bed for a pee without waking up your better half.This toilet works fantastically for us, and is actually cleaner and less odourous than a standard toilet giving the chemical aspect.Please do not be horrified by the thought of doing the same, as although it might seem a bit of an unorthodox home solution, please just think how much it differs to a standard toilet and how little it will cost in comparison (especially if there are insurmountable plumbing issues).I can also assure people horrified about using it for a number two (as I once was before using one for this out of necessity due to a lack of site facilities on a caravan site), it will soon become comfortable second nature should you need to do so, although this is not a night time requirement at any time for us...Sorry it was long winded, but I hope this helps someone:)

This is a fantastic item. Didn't take long to set up. Once you've put the pink deodoriser fluid in with the flush water and pump it through the system it leaves a pleasant smell behind. Blue cleaning fluid mixed with a small amount of water coating the bottom of the waste tank mixes with the deodoriser when used again neutralising any smell. Easy and quick to empty and rinse out. Perfect for any occasion where a toilet is required.PS. Don't wait until you have used it to empty it. It's not difficult but practice is required to get the waste fluid to go where you want it to, into the toilet. Practice with water a few times, trust me, I speak from experience.

Looks look and is well made. Has a high capacity, only need emptying every five days. Is very clean, no smell, with toilet fluid. The flushing button is stiff though.

The best out of all of them is this one, it's a higher seat so your not bending down as far as all the others.Too large for a camper van though, this is more designed for motorhomes, a large capacity so no need to constantly empty.We can go 5 days usage between 2 people fully using it before an empty.It feels like a solid and robust build quality.All in all a great buy for a motorhome build.