I dont usually post but I considered this serious enough to rate a mention...
My wife, Eryn and I recently returned home from a two month trip... During our trip we unfortunately witnessed the most disgusting thing we have ever seen... I say this with some authority as Eryn has recently retired after forty years as a nurse and I have been a nurse, ambulance officer and an army medic... Here goes...
We were parked outside a public amenities block in a very small town... Although small, this town is at a fairly major junction and stop over for people travelling up to and around the gulf region... The public amenities had toilets, showers and a dump point...
While we were parked there a mobile home pulled up and parked near us... The driver got out, went to the rear of his vehicle, pulled out the toilet cassette then walked to the dump point... He placed the cassette on the ground opened it up and then picked up the hose and turned it on... He then shoved atleast 300mm of the hose into the cassette... When he was happy with the amount of water now inside the cassette he pulled the hose out and threw it on the ground... After emptying the cassette into the dump point and putting it back on the ground, he picked up the end of the hose, formed a spray with his finger, sprayed the outside of the cassette and then shoved the hose back into the cassette...
He then cupped his hand over the cassette outlet, holding the hose in place with his thumb, picked the cassette up and proceeded to shake it... I assume, endeavouring to dissolve what ever was left inside...
When he was happy, he put the cassette down, pulled out the hose and dropped it on the ground then emptied the cassette again... Obviously satisfied the cassette was empty and 'clean' he capped the cassette and then picked up the hose by the end, formed a spray and rinsed off the outside of the cassette again...
Once he was finished he turned off the hose, walked back to his vehicle with the cassette and put it back where it belonged... He then returned to the drivers seat and shut the door...
At no time did this person make any attempt to wear any form of personal protection...
At no time did this person make any attempt to wash his hands, before during or after the cleaning process...
At no time did this person make any attempt to disinfect the end of the hose or the tap before, during or after the cleaning process...
Unbeknown to us, a camper trailer had pulled up the other side of the mobile home... The passenger got out and went straight to the hose, turned it on, picked it up by the end and shoved atleast 300mm into the water tank filler...
We were a hundred metres from a public pottable water supply but hundreds of kilometres from any form of sterilisation to clean the tank... hundreds of kilometres from medical aid...
Unfortunately this was an isolated incident only in severity... Out of the many people we saw emptying toilet cassettes at dump points, only one person made any attempt at personal protection... He wore gloves, leather riggers gloves... Can you imagine what has been absorbed into the leather after multiple uses...
Just saying, Never use the hose or the water near the dump point to fill tanks with water. The water can be recycled and non potable.
Came across backpackers washing dishes with hose from dump point. Tap clearly labelled non potable. Looked at me blankly when I said they should use the tap 10mtrs away. Yes they spoke English.(aussie?)
Be careful, what you put into tanks.
Goes without out saying a bottle of disinfectant is a necessity when emptying cassettes.
Icky one for me last week. At a CP. Dump points on every site they said. Clarified and asked if they were for black water. Yes.
There were two "dump Points" grouped in four taps (drinking water) Would have been OK for grey water as hoses were poked down in them from the surrounding vans. But emptying cassettes? Not for me. At least the water hoses used belonged to campers so they should have known where they had been. Walked very carefully around the puddles I can tell you.
I really don't think what happened is all that bad or unusual.
Re the bloke from the motorhome not even attempting to wash his hands - I reckon that when he formed a spray with his finger he would have effectively washed his hands - he did this 3 times apparently. It's not clinically clean but 'clean'. Also the cassette contents should have been sterile if the correct sterilising agents were used. It got rinsed 3 times so the dude is aware of making sure it was 'clean'. Possibly when he got back into his motorhome he used soap to wash his hands thoroughly.
The theory is that dump points do not normally take raw sewage, they take 'treated' sewage which in theory is safe. (but I would not drink it!)
Sometime I think we worry too much about "germs".
Personally I always carry a short length of hose for those dump points that have none plus I wear throw-away gloves and screw my nose up when performing this operation. I'd never use water from a dump point to fill my tank...generally there will be a sign saying it's not potable.
I dont usually post but I considered this serious enough to rate a mention...
My wife, Eryn and I recently returned home from a two month trip... During our trip we unfortunately witnessed the most disgusting thing we have ever seen... I say this with some authority as Eryn has recently retired after forty years as a nurse and I have been a nurse, ambulance officer and an army medic... Here goes...
We were parked outside a public amenities block in a very small town... Although small, this town is at a fairly major junction and stop over for people travelling up to and around the gulf region... The public amenities had toilets, showers and a dump point...
While we were parked there a mobile home pulled up and parked near us... The driver got out, went to the rear of his vehicle, pulled out the toilet cassette then walked to the dump point... He placed the cassette on the ground opened it up and then picked up the hose and turned it on... He then shoved atleast 300mm of the hose into the cassette... When he was happy with the amount of water now inside the cassette he pulled the hose out and threw it on the ground... After emptying the cassette into the dump point and putting it back on the ground, he picked up the end of the hose, formed a spray with his finger, sprayed the outside of the cassette and then shoved the hose back into the cassette...
He then cupped his hand over the cassette outlet, holding the hose in place with his thumb, picked the cassette up and proceeded to shake it... I assume, endeavouring to dissolve what ever was left inside...
When he was happy, he put the cassette down, pulled out the hose and dropped it on the ground then emptied the cassette again... Obviously satisfied the cassette was empty and 'clean' he capped the cassette and then picked up the hose by the end, formed a spray and rinsed off the outside of the cassette again...
Once he was finished he turned off the hose, walked back to his vehicle with the cassette and put it back where it belonged... He then returned to the drivers seat and shut the door...
At no time did this person make any attempt to wear any form of personal protection...
At no time did this person make any attempt to wash his hands, before during or after the cleaning process...
At no time did this person make any attempt to disinfect the end of the hose or the tap before, during or after the cleaning process...
Unbeknown to us, a camper trailer had pulled up the other side of the mobile home... The passenger got out and went straight to the hose, turned it on, picked it up by the end and shoved atleast 300mm into the water tank filler...
We were a hundred metres from a public pottable water supply but hundreds of kilometres from any form of sterilisation to clean the tank... hundreds of kilometres from medical aid...
Unfortunately this was an isolated incident only in severity... Out of the many people we saw emptying toilet cassettes at dump points, only one person made any attempt at personal protection... He wore gloves, leather riggers gloves... Can you imagine what has been absorbed into the leather after multiple uses...
Ethanol hand steriliser is king on tap etc also .. I use it before and after ., Some don't have concrete area to wash things down which makes things difficult . But I wash or clean area after use . The sun soon kills any germs . But it's the thought of germs and smells ., Strange we often frown on other ., I dropped some grey water at free camp in bush ., Got some looks . I said it was "shower water only". The people laughed thinking it was black water !!! Sheesh !!
And then you criticise the one person you did see wearing gloves!
By the way, when I clean our cassette I make sure I don't spill or splash it onto myself to start with.
As Hako says, you have no idea what he did cleanliness wise once he was in his motorhome. Perhaps he had a full shower and decontamination before moving on.
He did empty the cassette into the dump point at least, so he got that right.
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Regards Ian
Chaos, mayhem, confusion. Good my job here is done
If you agree with craigneryn or not, use the post as a reminder to check what you do and decide if you can do it better or more hygienic. Sometimes we get into habits and put no more thought into how and why we do something a certain way.
I didn't think the first guy did too much wrong actually. I never wear gloves. I always use hand sanitizer which I keep in the drivers door, you wouldn't see me use it anyway. I rinse out at least 3 times with the hose till the water runs clear then I hose down the dump area to leave everything clean. The only idiot I can see there is the campertrailer owner who then used that same tap and hose to fill his tank. That is no no.
PS Not sure why such a long winded story just to tell such a short tale.
-- Edited by Happywanderer on Monday 28th of August 2017 06:37:27 PM
I didn't think the first guy did too much wrong actually. I never wear gloves. I always use hand sanitizer which I keep in the drivers door, you wouldn't see me use it anyway. I rinse out at least 3 times with the hose till the water runs clear then I hose down the dump area to leave everything clean. The only idiot I can see there is the campertrailer owner who then used that same tap and hose to fill his tank. That is no no.
PS Not sure why such a long winded story just to tell such a short tale.
-- Edited by Happywanderer on Monday 28th of August 2017 06:37:27 PM
I agree HW, dump points are a known "black area" so precautions should be taken when using these facilities. I would never onboard water from the hose at such a place when potable water is usually available for the asking or a donation.
Frank
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Avagreatday.
Kathy and Frank currently at Home near Quirindi NSW
I didn't think the first guy did too much wrong actually. I never wear gloves. I always use hand sanitizer which I keep in the drivers door, you wouldn't see me use it anyway. I rinse out at least 3 times with the hose till the water runs clear then I hose down the dump area to leave everything clean. The only idiot I can see there is the campertrailer owner who then used that same tap and hose to fill his tank. That is no no.
PS Not sure why such a long winded story just to tell such a short tale.
I agree. The second bloke is a bit of an idiot or a fool.
The first bloke was only getting his own back so all should be OK there.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
It's a bit like freezing works or abatores . Shove a camera in there and put it on ACA and your guaranteed to get a negative reaction . Just things we have to do we don't want to think about !!
