Hook Ups.

[mwd1508]

I have asked this question before on this forum and two recent experiences have suggested that I ask the question again - Do Campground Owners, Operators, Staff Ever Go Camping? This question relates to the challenges of connecting power, water, and sewer connections to the terminal points provided by the campground.

My previous issue was non-threaded drain connections. In hindsight connecting to a non-threaded pipe would have been easy compared to our last site wherein a drain pipe that originally projected above ground had been driven over who knows how many times such that the top of the pipe was crushed and broken. When this was pointed out to the person who directed us to the site we were told to just lay a couple of rocks on top of our sewer pipe once it had somehow been forced into the drain. No, due to the park being full no other sites were available. Not sure that this arrangement would have complied with any building code regulations.

Now at this park where we arrived yesterday some bright spark had decided to locate the water connections in a concrete pit some 18" below ground. A heavy concrete cover hides this connection. There is no room in the pit to install a pressure regulator and or the water filter. These, as is the preferred practice, are usually installed at the source location. A couple of right-angled fittings that were in my odds and ends collection have allowed me to somehow squeeze these items into the wet bay of my rig.

Every RV park seems to bring a fresh challenge - full parks; sloping sites; the need to reserve six months in advance; dynamic pricing; sites too close together and challenging connection terminations etc etc. Too bad these same operators don't have time to hit the road and experience some of these challenges.

BTW - the best, most convenient site hook up connections to date (after just a mere three years of full-time living in an RV) that we have experienced is at the Newmar factory site in Nappanee.

[Lt Dan]

I agree that many times hookups can be challenging. The problem is a lot of RV parks are designed and laid out by non RVers. We have encountered everything you listed and even those where all the hookups were all the way at the back of a 75' long site. As for the in ground connections, some will do that for freeze protection. On the plus side, the majority of the sites we've been in have been okay.

[wolfe10]

Same happens in the design and construction of RV's and far worse in boats.


Only a few of the designers ever use the product they design and almost none of the workers who assemble them.


When fine-tuning the design of our sailboats, I would take the shop foreman though a completed boat and point out the issues. Few cost any more money-- just made life easier. Things on the boat like moving the hawse pipe 3" aft so anchor chain would feed directly into the chain locker instead of hitting the hull and stacking up. A deck layout such that a single hander could use 2 winches when reefing (one for main halyard, one for reef line) instead of having both of them on one winch.


We can all come up with the same kind of things on our RV's. The nature of the beast.

[Elwood58]

Some of these parks were built a while ago, and may be set up to favor travel trailers. We are in a pull through site now that has all utilities at the very back. We park our towed in front of the coach when here.

We often put our pressure regulator somewhere else in the hose mix. Hoses are a cheap replacement item.

[Fiesta48]

RVing is a challenge at every park.
Where's the site?
Where's the electric? Water? Sewer? How far to back up? How level? Will the steps extend and not hit anything. Tree branches. Posts. Will the slides go out and not hit anything? Where to park the car, tow vehicle?
We've have had a potential divorse at every stop. Yelling over the engine....

[Old-Biscuit]

Sounds like many folks don't enjoy the RV adventure..........

7 yrs of FT travel taught us to be flexible and prepared
A 3' hose, a couple of 'wye' connections, more then just one potable hose, general service hose, sewer hoses, electrical adapters etc

Simple..............

[Old Harry]

I agree with both Old-Biscuit and Elwood58. My wife and I both grew up with our family's tent camping in the '50s and '60s. In the early '60s the state park where my family camped most still used true out houses, ooh how I remember the smell!

When my wife and I were just married we were sailboat costal cruisers. If it rained we got wet cause we couldn't just stop, we had to continue sailing the boat. Trying to cook a meal in a tossing boat at sea was not fun. We had no A/C and if we didn't bring it with us we did without because often the nearest store was two maybe three days away. But we had a lot of fun and wouldn't trade those adventures for anything. But we got older and wanted to see more of our America's interior so we traded the boat for a MH.

So any inconveniences we have now with our RV is just that, inconveniences. We don't let it spoil our adventure.

[Winger2]

I have seen it all from water hose bibs, 50' away. Sewer connections the same height as the tank valve. Sewer connections right next to the neighbors picnic table.

[Lantley]

My advice is dn't sweat the small stuff
I am happy that someone took the time to plumb in utilty connections. As long as they are there. I'll come up with a way to connect to them.
Sure some are more convenient than others, but that why I have additional hoses and adapters

[Massparanoia]

I carry a short 3’ length of garden hose for those underground water connections. One of the RV sewer hose “donuts” solves the non threaded sewer connection problems. I use one of the RV LevelMatePRO’s and turn it on before I back into a spot so I can watch how level I am as I back in. Then the wife takes the kids to the campground playground while I hook everything else up and open the slides.

[Rev. Roy]

We've encountered the water hook-ups in a concrete below ground set up with a metal swing up cover a few times, even in new parks. I kinda like it but we also have a short hose to attach to it. The issue we have found is that there just isn't many designers who understand laying out a RV park. One of the worst one was a new campground where the owner admitted that the guy who designed it designed golf courses for a living. It was laid out for easy mowing and maintenance not for RVers convenience.

[twogypsies]

If the water connection was too difficult for you I would have filled the holding tank and run off that. In fact, quite often we never hooked up to water unless for a very long stay.

There's usually a way around obstacles.

[tmandoug1]

Doesn't Nappanee have the sewer in a beveled hole so that you need to use the extension for it? Was just there in March...can't remember. Although one thing is for sure, I wouldn't want to be in one of those apartments 25 feet from the rear of all those diesels firing up at 0530.....������

[ROUGHRIDER3]

Be flexible, if not flexible you will break like glass! As others above have said, have extra equipment along so you can adapt to the situation. These extras are very inexpensive and nice to have along to make your RV experience enjoyable.