Clear your mind before you set up

[FRRVR]

Had another long week with tons of work still unfinished at my place of employment. As I am setting up for the weekend at the campsite my mind was still at work. I hook up the water and had it running for a while. I normally hear the water tank fill. I am not hearing anything. So I go and try the faucet and get nothing. So I walk to the bathhouse to use the facility all the while the water is still running. I return and actually have a clear head. I look at the hose and see that it is in the black water flush. I panic for a second and turn off the water. I check inside, no issues.

What a brainfart and luckily no issues. So be sure to clear your head.

[SeaDog]

Setting up is simple but does require that a person have their head in the right place or issues can arise. Good nothing got to far out of hand.

[wmtire]

If you want to make sure that never happens again and also improve the situation, you can do what I did, which I learned here on the forums.

You just need to get a hose quick connect and 90 degree water faucet with T.





You leave the male end of the quick connect in your RV's fresh water port (so there is no way to connect anything but the female end of the quick connect, and you will always know that's the fresh water port)

You then permanently connect the female end of the quick connect to the 90 degree faucet/T, and your fresh water hose to the bottom of the T. You will leave the T attached to your hose all the time. No need to unhook it.



You now have a usable faucet at your RV's fresh water intake if needed for outside water, and also can open this faucet to relieve the pressure from the hose when disconnecting from the campgrounds water tap.

Setup/takedown is a breeze. To setup, you just attach your water hose to the campground faucet, then attach the other end to your RV with the quick connect (which is already attached to your hose/T, since you leave it connected)

Takedown, you turn off the campground water, open up the 90 degree faucet at your RV to relieve pressure. Now unhook from campground water, release your quick connect at RV, and hold it higher than the other end to drain out water in the hose. Roll it up and be ready for the next trip. I also screw the end of the hose a couple of turns to the 90 degree faucet end to make sure nothing gets inside the hose between trips.

Here are the links to the parts.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-20135-B.../dp/B003BZCZZE

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-22463-D.../dp/B000BEZNSO

[DavidBo]

Excellent advice, same applies when it's time to break camp. This past August we took our Rockwood on an impromptu trip to West Texas on the run from hurricane Harvey. After a few days we got word that it was OK to go home and my area fared reasonably well, but I was still concerned. Kept everyone in the trailer with the AC running while I hooked up, then got them in the truck and car when I was ready to roll. The DW was kind enough to point out the power cord was still connected to the service before I pulled out. That would have been fun.
Made it home safe, got lucky as my damage was limited to an already worn out fence getting knocked down. Hammered it back together enough to let the dog loose to do his business, then sat my butt down and updated my pre-drive checklist!

[DougW]

Every time I see a post about connecting to the flush instead of the city water connection I wonder why the manufacturers don't put a different color connector on the black tank flush, sure would make things easier.

I think I just might paint my Black flush yellow or red to help me to not make this mistake.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by DougW

Every time I see a post about connecting to the flush instead of the city water connection I wonder why the manufacturers don't put a different color connector on the black tank flush, sure would make things easier.

I think I just might paint my Black flush yellow or red to help me to not make this mistake.

I think I'll glue a small mirror over my flush connection with the caption 'Are You Sure?" written under it.

[Dan n Gerda]

Amen! Best advice in a long time! Dan

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by DougW

Every time I see a post about connecting to the flush instead of the city water connection I wonder why the manufacturers don't put a different color connector on the black tank flush, sure would make things easier.

I think I just might paint my Black flush yellow or red to help me to not make this mistake.

I changed my fresh water inlet. Is recessed and is Chrome with a screw on cap. And its just below the fresh water connection that I changed to one with a door.

[The Newsoms]

Our black flush connection is black and the fresh connection is white.

[SailorSam20500]

Apparently Forest River / Flagstaff got the word on this kind of problem. My connections are labeled. I do get a bit nervous using the black tank flush though - wish it was BELOW the power connection.

[card16]

My 2016 Cardinal 3450RL has a black water flush connection which is actually black.

[ProfChuck]

I use a hose Y with shutoffs. One goes to the filter and has a white hose with a short white hose from the filter (outside filter) to the city water connection. The other goes to a short green garden hose (non-potable water hose) with a second shutoff valve just before entering the black water rinse inlet. In order to put water in the trailer you have to connect to the city water and then open the valve to the filter. If you are going to rinse, you have to close the fresh water valve and open the valve to the green rinse hose and then open the valve at the trailer. Makes you think a bit about what you are doing, but, still not infallible.

[wmdave17]

I like the Paperless App that I have on my IPhone. You can create checklists for whatever you want, Groceries, To Do etc., and it's readily available. I created one called Trailer Check List, haven't forgotten any thing since, before that I had left hatch keys and other things at a camp site one time.

[Jakieboy]

Great advice all around. My wife and I have found that the best defense against a brain fart is to (a) clear your mind of all thoughts except the task at hand, whether setting up at camp, rigging up at home for the trip, or rigging down after a camping trip; and (b) develop a routine of tasks and duties to share. In our case, my wife handles all of the tasks involved with securing the interior of our fifth wheel before preparing for travel. I handle all of the chores involved with the exterior before a trip. Same goes when we arrive and set up at a destination. Then, before pronouncing the tasks completed, each of us inspects the other's work!! My wife loves nothing better than to find something that I either did not do, or did not do to her satisfaction. I have learned that this makes her very happy, and a happy wife makes for a happy life!! So.....sometimes I remember not to lock all the hatches securely so that she can tell me about it when we drive. Ssshhhhh.....please don't tell her about this!!~

[RadRik]

Originally Posted by FRRVR

Had another long week with tons of work still unfinished at my place of employment. As I am setting up for the weekend at the campsite my mind was still at work. I hook up the water and had it running for a while. I normally hear the water tank fill. I am not hearing anything. So I go and try the faucet and get nothing. So I walk to the bathhouse to use the facility all the while the water is still running. I return and actually have a clear head. I look at the hose and see that it is in the black water flush. I panic for a second and turn off the water. I check inside, no issues.

What a brainfart and luckily no issues. So be sure to clear your head.

Sigh...been there done that. Thought I had it hooked the hose to the city water hookup and was flushing the black tank. At least the black tank was rinsed well.

[RadRik]

Originally Posted by card16

My 2016 Cardinal 3450RL has a black water flush connection which is actually black.

That's a good idea. I may take a sharpie and make mine black.

[glsimms]

Originally Posted by FRRVR

Had another long week with tons of work still unfinished at my place of employment. As I am setting up for the weekend at the campsite my mind was still at work. I hook up the water and had it running for a while. I normally hear the water tank fill. I am not hearing anything. So I go and try the faucet and get nothing. So I walk to the bathhouse to use the facility all the while the water is still running. I return and actually have a clear head. I look at the hose and see that it is in the black water flush. I panic for a second and turn off the water. I check inside, no issues.

What a brainfart and luckily no issues. So be sure to clear your head.

I'm surprised no one picked up on the fact the OP had a clear head after after goin' to the dump! So the next time you need to clear your head, you know what to do-do.....

[texasbuckeye]

This is a good post for all the new campers out there. It doesn't matter if you've never been camping or a seasoned "pro" . . . we all make mistakes. Most of them are when you are in a hurry, maybe pissed off at a terrible leg in your trip, issues with the wife or kids, a visitor from another campsite wanting to talk when you're are trying to set up or break down camp. We have all done bone-head mistakes and in the future . . . will do them again. Hopefully, lesson learned . . . a RV'er has to learn to laugh at himself. If not, others will do it for you ! ! Happy Camping

[benchmarks]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

Apparently Forest River / Flagstaff got the word on this kind of problem. My connections are labeled. I do get a bit nervous using the black tank flush though - wish it was BELOW the power connection.

I’ve asked this question on here before regarding the full way termination valve. Is this just the black tank pull valve? Also, why does the the label refer to valve(s). Is there more than one?

[Bayoudave]

We were camping and some time in the night I heard the guy behind me crank up to leave. When he left I heard a loud pop. It was dark and so I just went back to sleep. The next morning as I walked to the back of the trailer there lay his cord still plugged in. I unplugged it brought it home and put an end on it and now have a free extension cord.