# Fresh water, grey water and the cassette toilet: servicing your camper abroad

> Where to fill and empty, how to keep tank water hygienic, why grey water stays out of nature, and how to handle the cassette toilet.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/magazine/rv-water-and-waste/

*By CampingSpirit Editors, 2026-09-13*

Living in a camper comes down to three liquid flows: clean water in, grey water out from sinks and showers, and toilet waste out. None of them is difficult, but all three have rules that change slightly at each border, and a full tank at the wrong moment can end a pleasant stop. Knowing where service points are, and how to use them without causing trouble, is a basic part of travelling abroad.

Prices and rules below are examples from listings and guides as of 2026. They differ by municipality and operator, and anything specific, such as a fine, should be checked on the local authority’s own page.

## What a service point offers

A service point is usually a box with a water tap and a drain, sometimes with a separate toilet-cassette emptying point. In Germany it is a Ver- und Entsorgungsstation, in France an aire de service, often with a borne such as Euro-Relais, and in Italy the service is part of an area di sosta or sold separately. Many stations are independent of any pitch, so a stop for water and waste takes ten minutes and can be done without staying overnight.

Costs vary. Guides describe disposal as often free, with fresh water paid for separately, around €1 per 100 litres from coin-operated systems. In one French example, a token for 100 litres of drinking water cost €2 and draining was free without a token. Carry small coins and, in France, ask at the tourist office or shop that sells tokens. Fresh water tanks typically hold 60 to 100 litres, so a refill every few days is usual.

## Fresh water and hygiene

Water that stands in a warm tank is the main risk. A Swiss touring-club guide describes untreated water as safe to store for about three days, after which temperature and light matter more. Stagnant water in pipes for more than four hours is regarded as stagnation water that can collect microorganisms, so run the taps until the water is cool and fresh. Do not use a campsite’s hose to fill the tank; carry your own, rinse it first, and store it in a separate bag.

Twice a year, at the start and end of the season, the tank should be cleaned with a brush and a suitable product, then the whole system flushed by running the cleaning solution through every outlet for about five minutes. When the vehicle is parked for a longer break, the fresh-water tank should be empty. Many travellers use tank water for washing and cooking only, and buy bottled water for drinking where the quality is uncertain, particularly in southern regions where tap water is strongly chlorinated.

Treatment can add a margin of safety. The Swiss guide names silver-ion preservers, filters and submerged UV units as options, and advises flushing the tank thoroughly before the first fill after storage. For a boiler, a German magazine cites heating above 60 °C for more than 50 minutes without drawing water as adequate thermal disinfection, and 30 minutes at 60 °C for combi heating systems. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for the specific equipment, as these are guideline values.

## Grey water: do not drain it in nature

Grey water holds soap, grease and food residue and belongs in a service-point drain. Dumping waste in nature or into street drains is illegal across Europe and can lead to substantial fines, and the penalty is set locally, so no single figure applies. A street drain may lead untreated to a stream, because it is not clear whether it is a storm sewer. The simplest habit is to empty the grey tank at each service stop, and to use less water in between.

## The cassette toilet

The cassette toilet has a removable tank that is emptied at a designated point, never into a campsite washing sink and never into nature. Most cassettes hold roughly 15 to 20 litres, so with two people they need emptying every few days. Always empty into a toilet-waste inlet at a service station, at a campsite’s chemical-toilet disposal point, or at a municipal connection to a treatment plant. If chemical additives were used, only these designated points are suitable.

On additives, biological products are widely described as gentler than chemical ones. Some chemical products contain formaldehyde-releasing agents such as bronopol, while formaldehyde itself was reclassified by the EU in 2014 as a confirmed carcinogen and can vaporise into the living space. Check the label and the disposal instructions, and note that even biological products may still be refused at some stations.

## Finding service points and a simple routine

Directories and apps list service points, including those without parking: the ADAC Campground Guide, Alpacacamping’s station search, Campercontact and park4night, among others. Entries are user-supplied, so recent comments matter, because stations are sometimes out of order, frozen in winter or closed. A routine that works is to plan service stops when passing a town, empty and fill in the same visit, and keep a spare day of water in canisters.

Service-point etiquette is simple. Rinse the drain area after use, do not wash the vehicle or laundry there, keep to the time needed and let others pass when a queue forms. In frost, water points may be shut off for the season, so in winter plan the fill-up before arriving in colder regions and drain exposed lines when the vehicle will stand unheated.

## Sources

- [Trinkwasser-Hygiene in Wohnmobil und Wohnwagen (TCS Camping)](https://www.tcs.ch/de/camping-reisen/camping-insider/ratgeber/reisevorbereitung/trinkwasser-hygiene-in-wohnmobil-und-wohnwagen.php)
- [Wasserhygiene im Wohnwagen: Frischwasser sicher nutzen (promobil)](https://www.promobil.de/tipps/tipps-und-tricks-zur-wasserhygiene-im-caravan-wasserwerk/)
- [So funktioniert eine Wohnmobil-Entsorgungsstation (PiNCAMP)](https://www.pincamp.de/magazin/ratgeber/wohnmobil-camper-van/wohnmobil-entsorgungsstation)
- [Entsorgung (promobil)](https://www.promobil.de/entsorgung/)
- [Toilettenzusätze (camper.help)](https://camper.help/toilettenzusaetze/)
- [Borne camping-car Euro-Relais (Haute-Mayenne Tourisme)](https://www.atlantic-loire-valley.com/accommodation/campervan-sites/borne-camping-car-euro-relais)