Dumping tanks at home

[OldBob]

I agree with using the Sewer Solution. It is a low cost way to dump at home. I ran 1" PVC from our Sewer port in our back yard to the front of the house. In fact just today we dumped our tanks having just gotten back home from a long trip all over the country.

[Mountainmanbob]

30 ft slight downhill.
Should be fine.
M-Bob

[FFred]

Pump outs into home systems is no problem , but,

A 120V maceriator with a 1 inch hose will work best long term.

If the sewage is going to a municipal facility no problem,

BUT if the sewage is going into a septic tank and waste field there must be no chemicals in the waste.

No "no stink" even if it is labeled Formaldihide free , it still has poison that may poison the septic tank system which then requires a tank pump out and digging up and replacing the drain field.

Know what you are dumping and where it is going in advance.

[ben31]

Originally Posted by Dano1955

I usually just use my neighbors flower beds. About a 10 ft run and it's only twice a year.

HA!!!!

[Robertpaul]

Like RP53, I oo have a macerator pump i just hook up to a garden hose and I only use it for the dump and pump.

[Restcure]

Originally Posted by fella10

... ??? ..... Either I don't understand your post, or you don't understand how the Sewer Solution works, ... SS is simply a macerator pump system, that doesn't use electricity, it uses a small water jet to break up solids and push everything thru the hose, ... not sure how you can do that without also taking ALL the water and everything else that's in the tank with it, ... SS does everything your Flojet system does, only better, ... no jammed gears, no electricity, no getting hot, ect. , ...... been using the same SS unit for over four yrs, on three different trailers, and no problems whatsoever, .... happy camping.....

I knew we had next to no bath grey in the tank so I tried it with that. I hooked up the sewer solution with a clear elbow and connected the flush and drain hoses. When I opened the bath grey valve I saw and heard what I expected - the little water in the tank draining into the pipes and stopping at the SS. And there was an air pocket at the top of the elbow, which I've always seen with the FJ when the tank is nearly empty.

I directed the water jet down the drain outlet and turned the water on. I followed the sound of the water to my sewer cleanout and heard it draining... so far so good. After several minutes I looked at the clear elbow again, but the air pocket had not gotten any larger, like it does when the contents are draining. I left it for half an hour with no noticeable change. Eventually I had to disconnect the SS and let the bath grey spill out. Good thing I didn't start with the black tank.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I think this has to do with the height of my cleanout:



My conclusion is that the only water making it to the cleanout was the fresh water coming out of the jet. And while said jet might move the tank contents uphill a little ways, it won't move them this far.

So I'm back to the FJ... everything that drains into it is chopped and actually pumped through the drain line. Noise, electricity and heat aside, that is the major difference between the FJ and the SS - the pump. That and the fact that the FJ works in my situation, while the SS does not. The FJ will drain a full tank in about five muntes.

If I'm doing something wrong with the SS, please feel free to be specific about what that is. At some point I might have the cleanout lowered. Until then, I'll use what works.

Originally Posted by Sharon455

I wonder if he's making the same mistake we made first time we used it. We had the jet pointing upstream and almost a overfilled the black tank. So, not knowing what was wrong, along with a few strong words between us, we would turn off the water and watch the tank trickle out. As soon as we figured out the directional jets we were hooked.

Nope! See above.

[Comanchecreek]

I live on acreage so can rinse and drain on the ground. I do a full dump at the dump station then rinse and drain before storage. Even with the best rinse at the dump, I still get dirty water at home. I run a high pressure water hose down the toilet, and tilt the trailer to the dump outlet side. As others have said here, there's nothing better for the maintenance of your black tank than getting them completely clean. I have always been amazed at how hard it is to get them completely drained, even in this day and age where trailers come with rinse outs. Most dump stations do not provide water out here anymore so that makes it even harder to get them clean.
By the way I use enzymatic additives to break up solid waste Works well. Have never tried the Geo method, but lots of people here rave about it.

[Brewhedd]

Originally Posted by Vince and Charlette

(2015 GT 364) I recently spent over $200 for a top-rated macerator. But, I have two problems, the first is just bothersome: to make it all work, I need a heavy gage 12v DC line that is about 30' long to reach from the battery to the dump port on the back left side of the MH. (Didn't think I wanted to run a permanent 12v line through the underneath. I have two bathrooms i.e. two dump lines, so would be quite a wiring job.) In addition to that, there is the macerator itself, the dump hose and the backwash hose. Wow, lots of stuff strung all over the place, where is the convenience? But a larger issue is going uphill. Even though I am only going about 12" up at my home, when I turn everything off, gravity does its thing and whatever is in the dump hose at the time comes back out when I disconnect it. (I suppose adding a check valve would work.) Advice welcome.

I have the Flojet and it makes it easy to dump at home through a 3/4" garden hose to my cleanout 40' away. I don't use the flush fitting on the pump just use my flush fitting on the TT and run water through until the drain hose is flushed. I ran the DC wiring from my rear storage area to the fuse panel 8' away. I have a 42 gal portable tank I keep in the back of the truck and if needed I can pump into it and empty it without taking it out of the truck. I wouldn't be without the Flojet.

[Gmar60]

After a house fire in 2015 I had to live in my Surveyor for 35 days until insurance co found us a rental. I purchased bayonet fittings for 3" ABS and ran 40' of hard line (much easier to clean) with 10' flex on each end.

[pmsherman]

Most of the responses have oncerned how to get the sewage from the tanks to the cleanout. I have a different take on this.

Most homes have two separate waste water connections to city sewer lines. One, the sanitary connection services your sinks and toilets. The storm connection services the downspouts. While you have your laundry in the garage, there's no guarantee that the garage drains are connected to the sanitary sewer. putting washing machine waste into the storm sewer isn't a good thing to do but dumping your black tank into the storm sewer is a definite no-no.

If your local city hall has copies of the plans for your house, you should be able to determine which sewer line that drain hooks up to. If they don't, you might have to try another approach to figuring out which sewer lint that drain goes to. It's also possible that local codes require the garage to be connected to the sanitary sewer in which case my concern is moot.

Phil

[KenandCarol]

All of our drains are connected to the sanitary sewer with the storm water going into the street curb and into the storm drain from there. So I shouldn't have the problem you're describing.

[Sharon455]

Septic system for us. It all goes into the big tank. Just another reason we don't use chemicals in the RV holding tanks.

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by Sharon455

Septic system for us. It all goes into the big tank. Just another reason we don't use chemicals in the RV holding tanks.

I would think that a tank that used the GEO method would be Ok to dump in a septic tank. It's not much different than a washing machine output, except the poo which is just like the toilet.

[Witch Doctor]

Forget all that stuff and just lower your clean out, let gravity do your work, your on the right tract now, water and waist run down hill, not up hill.

[Witch Doctor]

I wonder what the CORP OF ENG. Do at there CG sanitation system being most are septic systems, and look how many people dump in there's, way more that would enter your homes? I understand about how they work, but it doesn't seem to bother there septic tank or field, just a general question.

[SailorSam20500]

In my neck of the woods, they no longer allow storm drains and folks with them had to disconnect and permanently plug them.

[KenandCarol]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

In my neck of the woods, they no longer allow storm drains and folks with them had to disconnect and permanently plug them.

When it rains where does all the water go that is flowing down the street and curb? Here in California we have rain gutters around that house that just directs the water away from the foundation and into the driveway to flow into the street. The storm drains are at the curb and all that water is eventually flowed to the ocean through the flood control system. That is all I have ever seen around California and Colorado where I have lived.

[babock]

Originally Posted by pmsherman

Most homes have two separate waste water connections to city sewer lines. One, the sanitary connection services your sinks and toilets. The storm connection services the downspouts.

We don't have these in California. Just one going to the sewer.

[A32Deuce]

All my rain water goes on the lawn!

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by KenandCarol

When it rains where does all the water go that is flowing down the street and curb? Here in California we have rain gutters around that house that just directs the water away from the foundation and into the driveway to flow into the street. The storm drains are at the curb and all that water is eventually flowed to the ocean through the flood control system. That is all I have ever seen around California and Colorado where I have lived.

Same thing here in SE Michigan. Extension to direct water away from house foundation. Then it either just soaks into the ground or slowly makes it's way to the street where there are still storm drains. But the street option is really just for the front of the house.