Toilet talk

You’ll also want to drain your cassette toilet before you leave the campsite. Campervans have a simple all-in-one unit often referred to as a Porta Potti (a brand name used like ‘Hoover’), chemical loo or cassette loo. Freestanding loos simply split into two sections, with the lower section (or cassette) holding all the waste liquid. Campervans with fixed built-in loos have a cassette that simply slides out of the side or rear of the vehicle. These are often hidden behind a small external door, with a plastic catch needing to be released before the cassette can be slid out. Helpfully, they’re often wheeled and have a pull-out handle like a flight case!

With all loos, there’s a separate interior blade that needs to be opened to use them and this must be shut prior to emptying. Many have a locking device to prevent the cassette being extracted with the blade open.

Campsites have emptying points marked on their site map that will either be labelled as ‘Chemical Empty’ or ‘Elsan’, the latter is named after a popular brand of fluids. To empty all cassette loo types, you need to rotate their emptying funnel, unscrew the cap and then tilt them over the empty point before pressing in the air release valve. Loos have two types of fluid in them: a waste tank fluid (blue) that you pour directly into the holding tank and a rinse fluid (pink). These can be supplied in a variety of different brands and types, and be aware if they’re chemical or environmentally friendly biodegradable. An increasing number of campsites now insist on the latter so check beforehand, or you may not be able to empty your tank there. If the campsite does not have somewhere to empty your loo, you can flush it down your toilet at home.