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Old 02-01-2016, 11:17 PM   #1
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What size hoses do we need?

We just bought our first travel trailer, a used 2011 Rockwood Mini Lite without any hoses. We know we need a white hose for drinking water, a larger wastewater hose for black and gray water disposal, as a garden hose for flushing the systems(?). My questions are what length waste hose do we need (10, 15, or 20) ? Do we need a wand for cleaning the black water tank when dumping? What about those hose supports for the waste hose? We have a pretty good owners manual provided by the previous owner, but no experience with these systems any help will be greatly appreciated.
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Old 02-01-2016, 11:40 PM   #2
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So for the water hose, you will need a dedicate potable water hose and yes they are the white drinking water hoses. Length will be determined by where you stay and where the water spigot is. I would recommend getting 2 - 15 ft hoses. This will allow you more options. You will need a sewer hose and again length varies so I have a 20 ft and a 10 ft. This covers most situations. The Mini Lite does not come with a black tank flush so unless it has an aftermarket one, no need there. That being said, I would recommend getting one of the flush wands that you put down the toilet to help clean the black tank. This would require one of 2 options. You can get a kit that hooks to the bathroom sink and will allow you to have water to use the wand from inside the bathroom. When we had our micro lite, I used a regular 20 ft garden hose and ran it into the bathroom through the window and then used the wand that way.

The mini/micro lites are good campers and we really enjoyed ours. The only reason we sold it was to buy a bigger unit. Enjoy!
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Old 02-02-2016, 12:54 AM   #3
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It is very rare for us to have a site with water so I have to pull from the nearest spigot after my initial fill at check-in. I started with one 25' hose and some years later I now have 150' available. That takes care of most situations. Any further I fill a portable tank. 100' of my hose is a collapsible white that resembles a miniature fire hose so it takes up little room. For a sewer hose, so far 20' is working and I have another 10' available if needed. This is at the dump station. I have never had a site with sewer.
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Old 02-02-2016, 05:49 AM   #4
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Depending on the campground will determine how long of hoses you will need.

You can get a clear elbow for sewer flush if you want. Sewer hoses come sectional, the campground we go to the most we have 25 feet worth. Buy a decent quality hose don't buy the really cheap ones. We are currently using Rhino but other brands are good as well. As far as hose supports there are several styles. As you camp you will see more as to what others use.

Same with water buy a decent quality hose not a cheap one. For sewer flush quality is not as important. When putting your hoses up hook the ends together so nothing crawls in.

Some campgrounds the hookups are toward the back of the trailer some are in the middle. Some further away....... There is no standard for where hook ups are.... And many campground do not have sewer hookups so a dump station would be used for waste water.

It is hard to say buy a x feet hose but for most places 25 feet is rule of thumb (my opinion) some places may need more some less.

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Old 02-02-2016, 06:54 AM   #5
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You can also get a blue drinking water hose from CAMCO that doesn't show dirt, asphalt, etc. nearly as much as the white ones do.

Camco TastePURE 50' Premium Drinking Water Hose, 5/8" ID - Walmart.com
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Old 02-02-2016, 07:53 AM   #6
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Check out the clear flow water hose at Amazon. They roll up relatively flat on like what you would use to store an extension cord. I always find unwieldly hoses to be a PIA to store and carry. Valterra used to make one, which is what I have. I've used the windup garden hoses that are fabric covered too. They don't last a season without springing leaks.
As far as the sewer hoses go I bought the "blue line" kit with the extra fittings in '07 and am still using it today. Lot of people like the rhino. I've been happy with the flush king over the wand method.

Many posters, many opinions

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Old 02-02-2016, 08:50 AM   #7
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We carry two 25' potable water hoses, a couple of external filters and assorted fittings/regulators cutoffs, etc. in a flat tote. That way all the potable water stuff is in one place. We also did the square fence post sewer hose holder mod and carry a 20' and a 5' hose and all the fittings for both in it.

We usually also carry a 25' or 50' garden hose and sprayer to use around the campsite.
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Old 02-02-2016, 11:38 AM   #8
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Thanks so much for your responses. I'm sure we will have many more questions before our first camping trip this spring. Good to know you all are here to help
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Old 02-02-2016, 12:27 PM   #9
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The sewer hose will last longer if you keep it on the hose supports and off the ground.
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Old 02-02-2016, 12:39 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by rjshiflet View Post
You can also get a blue drinking water hose from CAMCO that doesn't show dirt, asphalt, etc. nearly as much as the white ones do.

Camco TastePURE 50' Premium Drinking Water Hose, 5/8" ID - Walmart.com
X2

I like the fact that it has stainless fittings and strain relief. You may also want a 90 degree fitting if your fresh water inlet is high up. That way that hose isn't pulling on the inlet.
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Old 02-02-2016, 12:52 PM   #11
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X2

You may also want a 90 degree fitting if your fresh water inlet is high up. That way that hose isn't pulling on the inlet.
It also prevents kinking of hose. Don't forget your toilet chemicals as well. Later RJD
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:13 PM   #12
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I have:
- 2 x 25' white potable water hoses
- 2 x 20' Rhino sewer hoses + swivel coupler to connect them
- 1 regular medium quality water hose dedicated for the black tank flush
- 1 clear plastic 45 deg. sewer elbow
- 1 Camco Sidewinder sewer hose support (15' long)

I agree that you're best to get better quality hoses rather than constantly replacing the cheaper ones.

If you have the black tank flush from the factory that's fine. If not, I recommend the Valterra Tank Wand. The Flush King type products do not not work. See this video.

I keep my sewer hoses, fittings, black tank flush hose and rubber gloves in a large Rubbermaid tote in the truck bed. I keep my potable water fittings in a small locking lid container in an outside compartment near the city water connection.
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:13 PM   #13
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We're in line with most of the other folks on here, too. For drinking water, we use the white hoses and I keep three hoses on hand (I think it's 2 at 25' and 1 at 15', allowing combinations of 15', 25', 40', 50' and 65'). Only had to use more than a single hose once, but sure glad I had it. For the gray and black water, I have the Rhino but like someone else mentioned, there are several similar and equal products out there, just don't go cheap - big mistake! I believe the one I have is 30' but it compresses down to around 4' when stored. I got the sloping support thing for the hose, too, and use it every time. You can lift the hose to make it drain if you want, but you need to be careful doing so or you'll pull it out of the dump port. At the end to the RV, I got a clear plastic port so I could tell what the dump water looked like when I was done. I always dump the black water, then the gray water to wash things out. It just allows you to see how much gunk may still be coming out. At the end to the dump station, make sure your hose has the type of connection that screws into the dump port. Also, in a lot of places, you'll need that little rubber donut thing if they don't have the screw-in connections. A couple of other things to consider:

1. I carry a plastic storage container entirely dedicated to the black water stuff - nothing else goes in it. Just more sanitary and I had plenty of storage room under the coach.

2. I also have a plastic spray bottle that I feel with bleach water and keep in the water bay. Before I connect to anything, I spray both the hoses and the faucet with it to sort of disinfect things. You never know when the last guy who unhooked did so just after dumping his black water. Paranoid maybe, but cheap protection.

3. It never hurts to have a pressure regulator with you, just in case. I have an adjustable one with a pressure gauge on it that I just leave attached to the water inlet of the RV.

4. When I store the drinking water hoses, I coil them up, then hook one end of the hose to the opposite end of the same hose. Keeps dirt, bugs, etc. out of them while stored.

5. When hooking up the water, always hook the hose to the faucet, turn on the faucet and let it run for a few seconds. This cleans out the hose, empties any sediment, etc. out of the park's lines and gets the air out of the hose so you don't blow it into the RV's water system. Once the flow is clear and no air, just cut off the water, connect to the RV and turn it back on.

More info that you asked for, I know, but hope it helps. Have fun!
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:27 PM   #14
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2. I also have a plastic spray bottle that I feel with bleach water and keep in the water bay. Before I connect to anything, I spray both the hoses and the faucet with it to sort of disinfect things. You never know when the last guy who unhooked did so just after dumping his black water. Paranoid maybe, but cheap protection.
That reminds me. I use an aerosol can of Lysol to spray down the drinking water faucet and then rinse it well before hooking up my white hose. I've seen people disconnect their sewer hose with their bare hands and then disconnect the water hose immediately afterwards. Disinfecting the faucet makes me feel a little more comfortable.
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:35 PM   #15
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Thanks, itat - I hadn't thought about Lysol, but it's a good idea. I just use the bleach and don't worry with any rinsing, etc. Keep a spare bottle of bleach for refilling. Talking about what some folks do, I watched an older couple outside Atlanta one morning disconnect their black water hose from the RV and leave it hooked to the dump inlet. They then proceeded to disconnect the drinking water hose from the RV and run it through the dump hose to rinse it out. Yummy! Had to wonder how many parks they had hooked that hose back up to the faucet after doing that with it!
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:45 PM   #16
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Dump hose supports can really save you from "accidents". The hose can flop around like a snake when that sudden rush comes down the line. You should add plenty of life to your dump hose that will pay for the supports plus they help in keeping things always going downhill with less junk getting trapped inside.
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:52 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by JHurtgen View Post
We just bought our first travel trailer, a used 2011 Rockwood Mini Lite without any hoses. We know we need a white hose for drinking water, a larger wastewater hose for black and gray water disposal, as a garden hose for flushing the systems(?). My questions are what length waste hose do we need (10, 15, or 20) ? Do we need a wand for cleaning the black water tank when dumping? What about those hose supports for the waste hose? We have a pretty good owners manual provided by the previous owner, but no experience with these systems any help will be greatly appreciated.
I have two 1/2'' x 25 foot water hoses (easier to handle) and as far as sewer hoses I have a 5', 10' and 15' foot Valtera Dominator hose kits. I also have a sewer sponge ring (donut) that I use when the sewer hook up is not threaded. I also have one of those sewer hose support to keep the hose off the ground and at the proper pitch to drain. My camper as a black water tank flushing system which I use to get the tank clean. If you don't have that feature you can get a cleaning wand or install a tank flush system yourself (Tornado Permanent Tank Rinser with Remote Connection - Camco 40126 - Sewer Flushing - Camping World). Make sure you sanitize your fresh water system and NEVER EVER use your fresh water hose to clean your black water tank...get disposable gloves!. I always use a water filter (Camco Water Filter with Hose - Walmart.com) and pressure regulator when I hook up to a campground water supply.
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Old 02-02-2016, 01:55 PM   #18
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Hoses

You need to get at least 2-25' hoses for camping. If you go to different locations I can guarantee 2 will be needed sooner or later
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Old 02-02-2016, 02:29 PM   #19
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Watch you tube videos. You can get help with anything RV related.
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Old 02-02-2016, 02:46 PM   #20
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We own a mini lite and have never flushed out our black water tank. Make sure there is a good amount of water in it before you use it so nothing sticks, keep chemicals in it. I also use Pine Sol cleaner in mine to keep the tank and valves lubricated, a tip from another camper. There are several good tips for keeping things in good working order on this forum. Suggest you read read read.
We don't use our toilet except for liquids. And nothing but toilet tissue.
The mini lite comes with a water filter, at least ours did but we carry a Camco water filter to filter water at the state parks.
Have run into a couple of campgrounds that we needed to have a longer water hose.
Our method of keeping the sewer hose off the ground is this. Buy a length of plastic gutter, the round kind, cut in half. We use velcro straps or short bungee cords to attach one end to the discharge pipe, the other end lays on the ground close to the sewer opening, sewer hose lays in this. When both lengths needed, overlap ends slightly, lay sewer hose in it, fasten with a short bungee at the joint. Both lengths nest inside each other to fit into the storage area.
Be sure to have on hand at all times disposable plastic gloves to use when handling your sewer hose. Especially when dumping at a separate dump site. And either some hand sanitizer or a bottle of soapy water to wash your hands. Just good sense to do so.
And have fun, once you do it a couple dozen times or two, everything becomes habit. And do it the way that works best for you!
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