Community Forums

Chuck 1935 · 04-23-2010, 06:54 PM

Never have used a FJ to dump. I am however a great observer of the Dumping Ballet. That is when the dumper gets suited up in his hasmat suit and heavy rubber gloves and methodicly starts to manipulate the black and grey valves. This is not to be taken lightly and great care and much time is devoted to this proceedure. By now I have shut off my engine because this will take some time. I don't know what these folks eat but it appears from the precautions taken it could be nuclear. Interestingly it takes more time to get it out of the tank than putting it in ! Of course backflushing takes time and must be repeated a number of times before the tank is deemed ready to crap in. All the time 10 to 20 minutes has elapsed before the dumper is ready to remove his safety gear and scrub down. We have all had the misfortune of being behind one of these folks. In retrospect I think Flying J should be charging by the hour !!!

Al, Michigan · 04-23-2010, 07:12 PM

I don't have any problem with flyiong J or any other place charging to dump tanks, I always dump at CAMPGROUNDS where we stay for nights.

Lorna · 04-23-2010, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

... I don't know what these folks eat but it appears from the precautions taken it could be nuclear...

TV Dinners!

YouTube - ZZ Top - TV Dinners (Music Video)

Gary - K7GLD · 04-23-2010, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselclacker

Gary, how would one get hooked up to use Pacific Pride fueling stations? I thought they were for use by truck fleets rather than use by the public.

Dieselclacker

Most Pacific Pride stations somewhere on the premises have an info box with applications for those wanting to sign up. I've had my membership for about 20 years, and joining was as easy as filling out a simple form and signing my name - dunno what's involved now.

Locally, PP gas is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than street prices, and diesel nearly 50 cents a gallon cheaper - probably varies by location...

Gary - K7GLD · 04-23-2010, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Adams

No, I believe he was saying that the cost of "things" continues to go up and this may have been a necessary step to maintain the business profitability.

Always the skeptic, I sorta have my doubts - I suspect it's FAR more likely that - assuming Pilot is close enough to a done deal to be calling the shots - that this is just ONE of a long series of new or increased charges at FJ - along with a similar steady slide in general quality of operation. In all our RVing and related travels, Pilot was NEVER on the same plane of quality with FJ - and no, what supposedly did FJ in was NOT the free RV dump - but an unfortunate, disastrous gamble on fuel futures that caught FJ management on the very SHORT end of a long stick - and forced to sell fuel - LOTS of it, at below what it cost them to buy it...

What we consumers will be getting, is NOT a "new Flying J", but rather, just more of the OLD Pilot...

OH, and you that are so "happy" at paying these new charges - your "joy" will probably be multiplied MANY times over, as the REST of the changes and pricing are put into effect...

Ray,IN · 04-23-2010, 09:40 PM

At our 2nd house the sewage bill is 3X the water bill. We pay~$36 just for having water in the house when we are not there that month to use any. The cost of compliant waste water treatment plant operation is shocking. Five dollars is usually less than CG's charge for a drive-in customer. I think FJ charging $5 is reasonable.

Chuck 1935 · 04-24-2010, 08:31 PM

Lorna,
I think you've got it. I think I'll back off about a car length the next time I watch the Dump Station Ballet.

jemma112 · 04-25-2010, 08:29 AM

OMG, that was funny. I plan on joining the RV crowd in the next couple of years and now know that I should leave the haz-mat suit behind.

How long does it take to empty the tank, and how many times do you rinse it out?

Do you really need gloves or not?

jemma112 · 04-25-2010, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

Never have used a FJ to dump. I am however a great observer of the Dumping Ballet. That is when the dumper gets suited up in his hasmat suit and heavy rubber gloves and methodicly starts to manipulate the black and grey valves. This is not to be taken lightly and great care and much time is devoted to this proceedure. By now I have shut off my engine because this will take some time. I don't know what these folks eat but it appears from the precautions taken it could be nuclear. Interestingly it takes more time to get it out of the tank than putting it in ! Of course backflushing takes time and must be repeated a number of times before the tank is deemed ready to crap in. All the time 10 to 20 minutes has elapsed before the dumper is ready to remove his safety gear and scrub down. We have all had the misfortune of being behind one of these folks. In retrospect I think Flying J should be charging by the hour !!!

That just cracked me up.

GaryKD · 04-25-2010, 08:39 AM

Hi Chuck 1935,
Do you think you can put a tune to the "Dumping Ballet". It might become a hit tune.

Chuck 1935 · 04-25-2010, 08:55 AM

JEMMA112
If you use rubber gloves when you are on the john or you suite up before you and the Mrs partake of the midnight rodeo, then you can never be cautious enough.
On the other hand, when I dump, I first dump the black tank, about 1 minuet, then with the black tank valve open I open the grey valve and let it slosh over into the black tank. I the close both valves and open the black valve once again to let the grey water rinse out of the black tank. I then shut off the black valve and open the grey and let it rinse out the hose as it empties. This whole procedure takes about five minuets max. I used to do plumbing so I don't bother with gloves but I do use a sanitizer when I am finished. I guess thats a personal choice. I have never had splashing or leaky connections. I always hose down the area for the next guy if a hose is available. It's all very streightforward, simple and quick. Many will disagree with my method but for me it works.
GaryKD
AC-DC Highway to Hell !!!

Lorna · 04-25-2010, 11:41 AM

We (meaning me) puts on latex free gloves, get the sewer hose out of it's plastic trash bag, hook it up, dump the black tank first, close the valve, then dump the grey tank, close the valve, carefully unhook and drain the remaining liquid out of the hose, run a little clean water from the water faucet into the hose (being very carefull not to get the hose too close to the hose bibb or hose end... don't want it to touch or get any splash back, then I carefully put the sewer hose back into the bag and put that back in the sewer hose box. I toss my gloves in the trash can and then wash my hands. To fill my fresh water tank, I use my own hoses and run all water thru our water filters. It doesn't take long but I get a kick out of watching some folks dump. Makes me wonder how they go in the first place.

RV'nOldTimer · 04-26-2010, 12:05 AM

Takes me three to five minutes to dump and only rarely do I have any spillage. Different rigs have different setups so that makes a difference in the time required.

But back to Flying J's. I've used them almost exclusively for fuel and propane in the past but can't recall ever dumping or overnighting there. Recently, I've had major difficulty making their card readers work at the RV island -- sometimes can't read the instructions because of a foggy plastic window or it just won't accept a card. When I've mentioned this to a cashier, they shrug and say "I know". The hassle and less competive pricing has about driven me away. Getting service for propane has gotten to be a waiting (long) game. We'll see, but I'm looking for alternatives.

JT

Retired and Happy · 04-26-2010, 06:37 AM

They let a lot of those plastic windows get so foggy that they cannot be read, at least in sunlight. I have seen some new windows lately, so maybe corporate is making an effort to make some things better. I like FJ for fueling, although it can be awkward to have to turn one pump on and lay the hose down to use a pump on the other side of your rig. Since the downturn in the RV market, the wait seems to have been less than in past years. I've only dumped once at FJ, but have not noticed any restrictive devices at stations I frequent. The dining rooms are spacious, but we usually grab takeout and eat in the parking lot or on the road...pizza, Chinese, sandwiches, salad bar.

I also use some TA's (that's Travel America's) which are just as easy in and out from the right-most pumps. I don't remember their food, so we must not eat there often. And i don't recall ever seeing a dump station at TA.