Few things are more uncomfortable than being on a road trip and needing to use the bathroom without a gas station or rest stop in sight. Luckily, if you’re in a motorized RV with a full bathroom setup, you’ll have a toilet within a few feet of you.
Regardless of the state you plan on traveling through, you’ll be allowed to use the bathroom, even when driving your RV. You can even take a shower if necessary!
However, using the bathroom in a moving RV can be dangerous. You’ll need to remove your seatbelt and walk to the toilet. While simple in theory, there are a few safety factors to consider before using the bathroom in an RV while the vehicle is in motion.
Key Takeaways
- If you need to take a shower while driving in an RV, stick to quick showers, sit down while showering, and install non-slip surfaces (like non-slip shower mats).
- When possible, bring the RV to a complete stop before using the bathroom facilities.
Is It Legal to Use the RV Bathroom While Driving?
If you are driving in a Class A, Class B, or Class C motorhome, it’s perfectly legal to use the bathroom while driving.
However, if you are towing a travel trailer, fifth-wheel, or another type of tow-behind trailer, it’s illegal to use the bathroom while the trailer is in motion.
Towable RVs are not equipped with seat belts and are, therefore, not designed to have people riding in them while in motion. However, if you bring the tow vehicle and the accompanying trailer to a complete stop, people can exit the towing vehicle, enter the RV, and use the bathroom.
Safety Concerns for RV Passengers
Obeying road and RV laws is your number one concern while driving or towing an RV. However, ensuring that you and your passengers remain safe on the road is just as important. Though legal, using the bathroom in a moving RV can pose safety risks.
For example, moving RVs tend to rock and sway quite a bit, which means that it’s easy to lose your balance if you’re walking to the restroom or using the toilet.
Additionally, there’s also the chance of coming to a sudden stop or getting into an accident. Therefore, it’s important to be cautious and walk slowly and steadily if you want to use the RV bathroom while the vehicle is moving.
The RV Toilet: How It Works and When to Use It
Now that you know you’re allowed to use the toilet in a Class A, B, or C motorhome, let’s look at how RV toilets work.
Flushing Mechanisms and Maintenance
Though you sit on RV toilets and use them in the same way you would a residential toilet, they have very different flushing mechanisms.
Most RV toilets have a foot pedal that you step on to activate a gravity-flush system. Pressing the pedal simultaneously releases water and opens the toilet flapper, allowing the contents of the toilet to flow into your RV’s black tank.
Because they don’t have as much water pressure as a residential toilet, the only things you should flush down an RV toilet are toilet paper, liquid waste, and excrement. Avoid flushing hygienic products and other trash. Otherwise, you’ll likely clog the toilet pipes or the black water waste tank that collects toilet waste.
Water Pump and Fresh Water Holding Tank Considerations
Your RV contains a water pump that plays an essential role in the gravity-flush toilet system. The water pump enables water to flow to the toilet, even when the RV isn’t plugged into shore power at a campground.
Therefore, it’s essential to have your RV’s water pump turned on. Additionally, you’ll need to confirm that you have enough water in your fresh water tank, since you won’t be connected to a direct water supply.
Using the RV Shower Safely While Driving
Using the toilet in your RV bathroom while driving is one thing, but taking a shower is a whole other endeavor. While it’s technically legal and possible to use your RV shower in a Class A, B, or C motorhome while in transit, there are a few safety considerations to keep in mind.
Non-Slip Surfaces
Your slippery shower floor is the first safety hazard you should address if you want to shower on the go. Standing and balancing in a moving RV is hard enough, without throwing water, suds, and slippery surfaces into the mix.
Non-slip surfaces can take the form of a small shower mat that grips onto your shower floor. These non-slip mats can significantly reduce the chances of you slipping and falling while taking a mobile shower.
Stability Aids
Along with non-slip shower mats, it’s also a good idea to have grab bars in your bathroom. By installing grab bars within the shower itself–and the walls located near the vanity area–you’ll reduce the risk of losing your balance and falling.
Check the Grey Water Tank
When you use the shower in an RV, the water funnels down the drain and into the grey water holding tank. If your grey tank is full or semi-full, there’s a chance that taking a shower will cause the tank to fill up and flood your bathroom. Therefore, it’s important to check the water levels in the grey water tank before taking a shower.
Make Sure the Water Heater is Full
In addition to a working water pump, you will also need plenty of hot water in your water heater when showering in your RV. Having a full water heater will negate the need to run your RV’s built-in generator while you’re on the road.
Be Quick and Careful
Finally, it’s important that you don’t take long, leisurely showers inside a moving RV. Instead, you should only use your RV shower for quick rinse-offs and refreshes. It’s wise to be as fast and efficient as possible, so that you don’t spend more time standing in the shower than necessary.
Consider a Shower Seat
Installing a shower stool or seat inside your shower is a quick way to enhance your RV shower experience. Rebalancing after hitting bumps and dips in the road is not only uncomfortable but potentially dangerous.
Friendly reminder: There’s much less of a risk of falling or hurting yourself while you’re sitting, as opposed to if you’re standing in a moving vehicle.
Final Thoughts
In addition to being allowed to use the bathroom in a moving RV, you’re also allowed to play games, use the internet, watch TV, and perform other activities. No matter what you’re doing, however, it’s important to properly prepare your RV so that you and your passengers can remain safe.
In the same way that it’s important to stay safe within your RV, it’s also important to protect your RV while it’s parked in storage. Consider using Neighbor, a peer-to-peer storage marketplace to find safe and affordable storage options for your rig while it’s not in use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use an RV as a Daily Driver?
Using an RV as a daily driver is certainly an option. However, RVs typically don’t get very good gas mileage and are difficult to maneuver in high-traffic areas, so they aren’t typically used as daily drivers.
Can You Sleep Anywhere in an RV
There are restrictions as to where you can sleep in an RV. Rest areas, certain gas stations, campgrounds, and designated RV parking areas are usually the only places where you can legally park and sleep in an RV.
How Does an RV Toilet Work?
An RV toilet utilizes a unique flushing system that transfers waste from the toilet bowl directly into a black water tank, providing an effective waste disposal solution.
