Dump station tips, tricks and mishaps.

[GlacierGus]

w-o-w x2!

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by Road-King

PM sent...

Could you share this info with the rest of us and post it here. Would appreciate it.

Thanks, Rick

[Road-King]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Could you share this info with the rest of us and post it here. Would appreciate it.

Thanks, Rick

Well I didn't want to hijack the thread. I'll start a new thread with the mod...

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by Road-King

Well I didn't want to hijack the thread. I'll start a new thread with the mod...

Thanks, Road King

[Road-King]

Originally Posted by grayfox

Could you share this info with the rest of us and post it here. Would appreciate it.

Thanks, Rick

For the mod look at this thread...

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post257868

[cmulvey]

Originally Posted by unyalli

Curious, anyone using or witnessed use of one of these? RV Macerator Pump & RV Waste Disposal Accessories

I made one using a garbage disposal. Found the plans somewhere on the internet. Fairly easy to make, however...

I had been spending nights in my camper while my inlaws from Germany were visiting so they could have my bed. After a week or so I figured I should dump my black water tank.

Having recently made my macerator, I figured what better time to try it! I asked my Father in Law if he wanted to help.

I explained to him that it was my first time using it so if he could please stay by the plug and in case of an "emergency", pull it.

With all hooked up I pull the black water valve. All is going well. Macerator humming away. I begin to note slight seepage where the dump hose connects to the macerator. The slight seepage becomes a thin stream and before I know it the hose pops off!

Black water spewing everywhere. I yell to my Father in Law - "Shalt ab" (turn off)! He's no where near the plug but comes running as he hears my yells. By this time I was at the plug turning it off and I was fortunete enough to be able to shout to him "druck zu, druck zu (push closed)" as I frantically pointed at the valve. There was black water everywhere which he eventually did.

My Father in Law thought the episode was quite funny so it was pretty hard for me to be too upset.

After cleanig up the mess, I found that I had failed to tighten the hose clamp that secures the drain hose to the coupler.

[Road-King]

Originally Posted by cmulvey

After cleanig up the mess, I found that I had failed to tighten the hose clamp that secures the drain hose to the coupler.

As we say in the south, Bless your heart or Segnen Sie Ihr Herz...

[Timex]

Ya'll stop that funny talk now!

[arlee453]

So, on the subject of macerators...(and cmulvey, thanks for sharing that story, I could almost see it happening)...

Can anyone tell me more about these macerator systems? How would they work on TT where you don't have an enclosed sewer outlet?

I've looked at them, and it seems to me that the advantages of them are.

-You can leave it hooked up all the time so it's quicker to setup to dump
-You don't have to be careful about how you place your hose and it can pump uphill
-it may make it quicker to fully empty the tanks
-the hose is a smaller diameter, so it takes up less space

Disadvantages are
-may not be able to leave attached in a TT
-Expensive ($400-500 for a pump and some hoses? wow...)
-still have to wrassle a long length of hose, and we use the revolution hoses which compact down pretty small if you squeeze them down and put the caps on

What am I missing here? I just don't find the whole process that much of a pain in the rear? What is the real advantage of a pump system and would it make sense to use on a TT with the external outlet where you can't leave it installed all the time.

[cmulvey]

Originally Posted by arlee453

So, on the subject of macerators...(and cmulvey, thanks for sharing that story, I could almost see it happening)...

Can anyone tell me more about these macerator systems? How would they work on TT where you don't have an enclosed sewer outlet?

I've looked at them, and it seems to me that the advantages of them are.

-You can leave it hooked up all the time so it's quicker to setup to dump
-You don't have to be careful about how you place your hose and it can pump uphill
-it may make it quicker to fully empty the tanks
-the hose is a smaller diameter, so it takes up less space

Disadvantages are
-may not be able to leave attached in a TT
-Expensive ($400-500 for a pump and some hoses? wow...)
-still have to wrassle a long length of hose, and we use the revolution hoses which compact down pretty small if you squeeze them down and put the caps on

What am I missing here? I just don't find the whole process that much of a pain in the rear? What is the real advantage of a pump system and would it make sense to use on a TT with the external outlet where you can't leave it installed all the time.

For me the main advantage is for those rare instances that I have to dump my tanks at home so I'm not carrying that "stuff" with me on another camping trek.

The main purpose (IMO) of the macerator is to allow you to dump your waste via a 3/4" or 1" hose. Even with the use of chemicals, there will be some items in your tank that would ordinarily clog a hose of that size.

As in my case where I converted a garbage disposal to use as my macerator, it reduces those objects that would normally clog a small diameter hose to such a size that they flow freely through it.

Another benefit of the macerator is that you don't need a 4" "dump station" at your house. You can feed the hose into a sewage drain, your home toilet, etc. I mysef have a 4" sewer access at my home due to clogged home sewer in the past which I feed my macerator hose into (which is approx 35' away). Without the macerator I'd need multiple sections of 4" drain hose and would have issues with slight rises in elevation along the 35' route.

For me, my macerator stays at home, for those rare occasions I need to dump while here and I would never recommend leaving it hooked up full time.

Hope this helps with your understanding of the use.

I never would have paid what they charge for a macerator but I ran across plans for making youur own and it so happened I had a garbage disposal from Son in Law and most everything else needed for project so I thought I'd give it a try. Am fairly happy with the results and the cost savings of project - Priceless!

[DaveWJunior]

Here's what I do to "help" prevent surprises. I keep a supply of plastic grocery bags (Walmart's are fine, but Target's are thicker) in with my dump supplies. Before I take off my drain cap, I put the bag over the pipe as far as possible and open the cap while using the bag as a large "glove". This way, if anything has slipped by (or been "accidentally" let by) the grey/black water valves, most or all of it end up in the bag instead of on your shoes and on the ground. If it does, dump the bag into the dump site and throw the bag in a trash can.

[Timex]

I'm sorry if some of you might disagree with this statement: I don't feel like it is the end of the world if I drip a little waste water from my tank onto the ground. I will wash off the dump station site whether I made a mess or not. And try to leave it cleaner than when I found it. I wear rubber gloves(the kind that goes half way up my forearm) and will wash off around the dump pad before I pull my valves. Pre-washing off aides the post washing off.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Timex

I'm sorry if some of you might disagree with this statement: I don't feel like it is the end of the world if I drip a little waste water from my tank onto the ground. I will wash off the dump station site whether I made a mess or not. And try to leave it cleaner than when I found it. I wear rubber gloves(the kind that goes half way up my forearm) and will wash off around the dump pad before I pull my valves. Pre-washing off aides the post washing off.

Barry,

Just so I know what you are saying.

You do not use a sewer hose when you dump your tank at the dump station?
"A little waste water" is gray water I am hoping. As bad as that is (IMO), it must be a different world in Mississippi if dumping black water on the pad at a dump station is considered normal... Sounds stinky to me...

[Timex]

Of course I don't dump on the ground! But if a few drops hit the ground I don't look over my shoulder for the EPA. I WILL wash it off as best I can(hopefully) into the dump hole. After dumping my grey water tank(WITH HOSE) there is some dripping from the hose as I store it in my bumper. If that is against the law....I guess washing my truck in the driveway is too!

Not everyone in Mississippi is a hayseed.

And no, I was not the guy dumping at the dump station without a hose!

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Timex

Of course I don't dump on the ground! But if a few drops hit the ground I don't look over my shoulder for the EPA. I WILL wash it off as best I can(hopefully) into the dump hole. After dumping my grey water tank(WITH HOSE) there is some dripping from the hose as I store it in my bumper. If that is against the law....I guess washing my truck in the driveway is too!

Not everyone in Mississippi is a hayseed.

And no, I was not the guy dumping at the dump station without a hose!

Thank heaven! Glad that got cleared up!

And NO I did not think those from Mississippi are anything other than great folks! I went to Pilot Training at Columbus MS for a year and spent MANY wonderful temporary duty assignments in Biloxi with the Hurricane Hunters and the Airlift squadron there.

Obviously the reason the non-potable hose is there is to clean up minor spills that are inevitable when using a "Blue Boy" or "drips and dribbles" when closing down the valves.

Somehow I read your post to mean something completely different.
I apologize.

[Road-King]

Originally Posted by Helmsey

It finally happened to me.... I pulled up to the dump station this weekend to leave and there was a fella backed up close, dumping with no hose. His wife was standing close by with the water hose "helping" things down the concrete to the hole in the ground.
DW and I both just shook our heads. I got out and asked him if he needed a hose to borrow, that I would gladly let him use mine and he informed me no hoses were needed with this type of dump station. I politely pointed to the sign next to the dump site and showed him the step 1 and 2 on the instructions on how to use the station.
1. connect sewer hose to RV securely
2. place end of hose in waste receptacle before opening valves.

We decided not to empty the trailer there, didn't want to walk around in his freshly dumped stuff. Ours will just have to sit in our tanks another couple weeks until we get out again.

After reading this I thought it was just some Dude who doesn't know better. Until last week when we were camping.

I needed to dump my gray after three days so I dumped my gray into the blue boy and take it to the dump station. As I pulled up there was a guy with a horse trailer/camper just dumping on the ground with the cover to the dump propped open with a rock. I offered to let him use my hose if he didn't have one. He said he was just dumping "a little gray water".

He pulled up to to let me get to the dump and stopped to empty trash out of his truck. As I pulled up there was bits of TP all over the place and some eye glasses laying by the drain. I asked him if he lost his glasses and he came over and using a paper towel picked them up and tossed them into the trash. As he walked away I said "a little gray huh...?". He just keep going, got in his truck and left the park.

There is a sign there explaining how to dump your waste water. I still can't believe how lazy and or careless some people can be.

[Bill_C]

I have long drain lines with the valves close to the tanks. I was always getting a little stinky water at the cap when I removed it. I always needed to hold the sewer hose under the cap when I removed it. It saved spilling but was pretty gross. What I did was cut the drain line back from the cap and installed another drain valve right at the cap. Now the liquid can run all it wants. It is stopped at the outlet valve, is always dry when I remove the cap. It is also a nice safety.

[Helmsey]

Originally Posted by Bill_C

I have long drain lines with the valves close to the tanks. I was always getting a little stinky water at the cap when I removed it. I always needed to hold the sewer hose under the cap when I removed it. It saved spilling but was pretty gross. What I did was cut the drain line back from the cap and installed another drain valve right at the cap. Now the liquid can run all it wants. It is stopped at the outlet valve, is always dry when I remove the cap. It is also a nice safety.

I've had the same problem with one of my grey tank valves. I got one of the twist on valves that attaches like the sewer hose does and put it on. Much easier to install for me and results were perfect

[Herk7769]

Me too.

[OldCoot]

Me too, with a clear elbow as a further check for possible leakage.