Here’s how to shed some much-needed light on the business of emptying your toilet cassette outside daylight hours…

Like many of us, Rod empties his toilet cassette in the evening to ensure there are no late-night-red-light dramas! This is fine in summer, but during the winter months – Rod is a confirmed all- year-round traveller – it can be dark before he gets a chance to do it.

Rather than scrabble around in the gloom with such a, shall we say, delicate cargo, he decided to fit a service light inside his toilet cassette locker.

1 Fortunately, Rod had a pair of Cob 12V day-running-lights kicking around in his garage (as you do). He’d bought them because they were cheap, just £1.97 for the pair, and knew they would come in handy one day.

Rod considered fitting a switch that activated automatically when the locker was opened, but worried that any mechanism might foul on or hinder the removal of the cassette. Instead, he decided to fit a large, easy-to-find switch with a flat bottom. One that could simply be bonded to the sidewall of the compartment.

2 After a little searching around on eBay, he found the perfect solution: a large foot-operated switch. It cost just £2.19 and fitted the bill perfectly – although how he was planning to get his foot in there we don’t know…

The Cob lights came supplied with their own double-sided adhesive pads for fixing. Once they were in place, he used numberplate adhesive tape to securely fix the switch to the sidewall of the locker. Rod says he has found this tape to be an excellent and versatile adhesive in the past.

The motorhome's cassette locker

Next, Rod used snap-lock splice connectors to link the switch into the power supply for the flush tank pump.

He decided to take the female spades out of the connection plug. They have a little barb that needs to be depressed, using a small clockmaker’s screwdriver, then you simply pull them from the plastic plug.

Finally, Rod opened the crimp, fed the switch wires alongside the supply wires and then recrimped the fitting back together for a nice, neat finish. A single Cob light is rated at 6W, and he calculated the current draw at 0.5A – not enough to cause any issues or overloading of the circuit.

He was certainly hoping that the flush and the light would not be operating at the same time!

3 Rod found his new light worked really well when he was emptying the toilet cassette at dusk or in the dark. He leaves the light on while he’s away on his ‘mission’, which highlighted another benefit…

The service light makes emptying the toilet cassette locker much easier
The service light makes emptying the toilet cassette locker much easier

4 … if the ’van occupants don’t know what you’re doing and want to use the facilities, they’ll lift the toilet lid and be blinded by the halo of light from below! So there’s no chance of any accidental puddles… and all for under a fiver.

The cassette locker light

Looking for more great DIY inspiration? Then be sure to head to our Back to Basics – DIY & Maintenance category, where we’re sharing simple projects that could make all the difference when you’re on tour! 

Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of practicalmotorhome.com, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.


Are you looking for some help with choosing the ideal park to stay at for your first trip? Then our guide to the best motorhome sites and the best campervan sites is bound to help!


If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Motorhome magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things motorhome related.