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Old 09-16-2015, 09:02 AM   #1
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Sewer hooked up at campground?

We are on our first voyage with our TT, in a KOA CG. This is all new to us, so I have questions ....
I see many people leave their sewer hose plugged in to the ground pipe the whole time they are here..... Is that the accepted practice?
Are they leaving the dump valves open so that everything - grey and black, just goes directly into the CG sewer system?

I thought I had read that it is better to keep some grey water to flush out the black with later?
Thanks!
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Old 09-16-2015, 09:11 AM   #2
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Most will leave the hose hooked up for their entire stay and no, you should not just leave the valves open during your stay.

Your black tank should be at least 1/2 full before dumping to help insure a complete evacuation. You are correct, it is considered good practice to dump the grey tank after having emptied the black tank to help rinse out the hose.

An exception - when spending an extended amount of time at one site I will leave the grey tank valve open. A day or so before leaving that site I'll close that valve so there will be something to help rinse out the hose again after dumping the black tank.
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Old 09-16-2015, 09:17 AM   #3
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It's OK to hook up the hose, but don't dump the black tank until it's at least 1/2 full or more. If you leave the black valve open, all the liquid stuff will drain out but the solid stuff will pile up and eventually create a mound of dried our stuff that is almost impossible to dissolve. When black tank is ready to drain, drain it first, close black valve and open the grey valve to flush the hose. Some black tanks will have a hose connection for flushing the black tank, use it to fill the blk tank with fresh water and dump several times. Don't use your fresh water hose to flush the black tank, carry another hose just for this use.
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Old 09-16-2015, 09:23 AM   #4
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Great! Thanks! We are using our amenities to the hilt, so we can learn the limits of our system. So I won't dump anyghing until the tanks are getting full.
Cheers!
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Old 09-16-2015, 09:26 AM   #5
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Re the above.

But you will also develop your own preference on the timing of when you run the hose itself out.

For example, if dinner is getting started while I am out plugging in, I'm not running the sewer hose out. I'm just......not. (yeah, I use gloves, carcinogenic hand cleaner, whatever; just no)

Other times it may be early afternoon or really nice out and I'm puttering about after we pull up to hook in, then sure.

Likewise you will either develop a system over time that suits you, or go with the mood and haps as you feel like it.

To quit typing a novel here - there is no wrong answer for when the hose sees light; no unwritten etiquette.
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Old 09-16-2015, 09:46 AM   #6
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I seem to get "sewer flies" that hang around the toilet if I leave the black valve open longer than it takes to dump. Hence I do the same with the gray tank.

Not sure if sewer flies is accurate. They look like fruit flies around the toilet bowl.
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Old 09-16-2015, 09:48 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by popcan View Post
We are on our first voyage with our TT, in a KOA CG. This is all new to us, so I have questions ....
I see many people leave their sewer hose plugged in to the ground pipe the whole time they are here..... Is that the accepted practice?
Are they leaving the dump valves open so that everything - grey and black, just goes directly into the CG sewer system?

I thought I had read that it is better to keep some grey water to flush out the black with later?
Thanks!
When I get full hookup, I connect the hose so I don't have to connect it at a later inconvenient time when I need to dump. I leave the valves closed unless I have a lot of guest staying with me and then I leave the grey open and black closed. I monitor the level of the black and before I need to dump it, I close the grey valve, to have grey water to flush the hose after dumping the black.

I have a tank wash system that the previous owner installed, it makes it really nice when dumping. I hook the rinse hose to it and pressurize it before opening the rinse valve. I then dump the black tank till the water slows to a trickle (if you don't have a clear connector to hook at the trailer, GET ONE to go between the trailer and hose) and then I close the valve and let the rinse build a little and dump it again. Then I close the black valve and run the rinse to add a few gallons to keep anything left inside, from becoming dried out and hardening. I then dump the grey to flush the hose. I add a few gallons from the rinse hose system. This allows the tank to have fresh water to slosh to keep soap from drying on the sensors. After closing the valve for the drain, I turn off the rinse system at the trailer first, then at the spigot. I unhook the water hose and then turn it back on LOW to have water to wash after unhooking the sewer hose. The clear connector lets you see when the water is clear versus dirty before unhooking. I unhook and rinse everything before stowing and wash my hands EVEN after using gloves for the whole procedure. Disposable latex gloves are easily stored with the rinse hose and connectors. I store the clear connector and the elbow that connects to the dump station in a plastic container with lid, away from drinking water hoses and other fresh water connectors and nozzles. I have one of those tubes under the back of the trailer to stow the sewer hose in (aka the stinky slinky).
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Old 09-16-2015, 10:00 AM   #8
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... - there is no wrong answer for when the hose sees light; no unwritten etiquette.
Ditto. Our sewer hose is bright red & our coach is light grey, so it's rather unslightly to have it attached & out any sooner than necessary. Even if we've pulled into a FHU site, we'll not bring out the stinky slinky until our tanks are full. Although once out, it stays out, with valves closed, until we're ready to break camp. Just a personal preference.

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Old 09-16-2015, 10:08 AM   #9
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I seem to get "sewer flies" that hang around the toilet if I leave the black valve open longer than it takes to dump. Hence I do the same with the gray tank.

Not sure if sewer flies is accurate. They look like fruit flies around the toilet bowl.
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Old 09-16-2015, 10:19 AM   #10
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Test the sewer hose first.

I never know for sure the hose to the sewer port is leak FREE!!!! I always first open the Grey water for a few seconds to test the connections are leak free.
I can't imagine what a mess it would make if a slit or hole in the hose allowed "Black Water" to shoot all over the place before you could close it!!
Always first test the "Grey water" first....then if all is water tight then the dreaded "Black Water". Finish with Grey water dump.
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Old 09-16-2015, 11:10 AM   #11
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...
Always first test the "Grey water" first....then if all is water tight then the dreaded "Black Water". Finish with Grey water dump.
Larry
Excellent tip!

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Old 09-16-2015, 01:07 PM   #12
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All good ideas that I follow. After dumping the black and grey, I add about 5 gallons of water to the black tank with the black valve closed to keep the solids from drying up.
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Old 09-16-2015, 01:16 PM   #13
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Ditto. Our sewer hose is bright red & our coach is light grey, so it's rather unslightly to have it attached & out any sooner than necessary. Even if we've pulled into a FHU site, we'll not bring out the stinky slinky until our tanks are full. Although once out, it stays out, with valves closed, until we're ready to break camp. Just a personal preference.

Lori-
That's what I do too. On our last trip the campsite next to us was pretty close to the sewer so I waited till they left for the day to get mine out and dump. But I did leave it out but the valves closed till we were ready to go.
I used the stinky slinky rather than the SaniCon as I'm still fighting a build up in the black tank from the previous owner and the slinky drains faster to help flush the tank.
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Old 09-16-2015, 01:19 PM   #14
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I seem to get "sewer flies" that hang around the toilet if I leave the black valve open longer than it takes to dump. Hence I do the same with the gray tank.

Not sure if sewer flies is accurate. They look like fruit flies around the toilet bowl.
In our over 50 years of RV'ing (before RV's had plumbed toilets) we've never had those flies. Maybe it's a regional thing and we haven't been there yet.
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