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Old 01-26-2021, 03:04 PM   #1
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Question Sewer hookup?

Newbie here preparing for delivery of my 1st RV. I’ve been reading quite a bit on procedures and the broad consensus is to wait until the black water tank is substantially full before emptying it which makes sense to me. My question: does it make any sense to hook up to the campground sewer connection before hand, like on initial setup? Seems like we could hookup, drain and unhook during the departure checklist.
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Old 01-26-2021, 03:09 PM   #2
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We have done it both ways ... if the weather and time of day are good when we initially set up, the sewer connection is made. May not dump anything for a few days, though. If the weather is lousy or it’s dark out, then often just the electric gets connected until later. So it really depends. Things like water hose, sewer, portable tv satellite can often be postponed if needed, sometimes even the electric.
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Old 01-26-2021, 03:14 PM   #3
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Important to remember to add water to the black tank , after the dump , three full bowls , this puts a layer of water on the tank bottom , to keep " stuff " from sticking to the bottom of the tank and piling up .
Dump black first then grey , to flush the " stuff " down the hose.
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Old 01-26-2021, 03:24 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HBWB View Post
Newbie here preparing for delivery of my 1st RV. I’ve been reading quite a bit on procedures and the broad consensus is to wait until the black water tank is substantially full before emptying it which makes sense to me. My question: does it make any sense to hook up to the campground sewer connection before hand, like on initial setup? Seems like we could hookup, drain and unhook during the departure checklist.
You can do it either way, but I do exactly like your last sentence. If we are going to be in a spot for several days, I don't hook up the sewer connection til we're ready to leave, the drain the tanks. I never leave the hose connected since my connection is turned to come straight out through the door. Even if it went out through the bottom, I wouldn't because that's an easy access port for field mice.
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Old 01-26-2021, 03:27 PM   #5
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How long do you plan on staying at the site?

You are talking about black water, what about your grey water?

We mostly boondock, and when we are staying for extended time we can make our holding tanks last about a week without conserving too heavily. On the other hand I can also fill them (grey) up over 3 nights if I have no reason to conserve. I could be different than others but I see no point in conserving when I do not have to.

The one time that I stayed in a campground with full hookup it was for 4 days. I hooked up the sewer hose and left the grey valves open. You can shower and use water just like you would in a house. The night before we left I closed the grey valves so there would be water in there to flush the hose after dumping the black tank before leaving.
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Old 01-26-2021, 04:31 PM   #6
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Your question has a dozen different answers. What people do varies from coach size, amenities, length of stay, usage (how many in your group) and various myths and legends of how people should connect their tanks.

If you're overnighting, have empty tanks and plan to move on the next day, no need to connect. If you have a coach like ours with macerator toilets, a dish washer, washing machine and hydronic heating (unlimited hot water) I don't want to worry about managing my water usage.

Another consideration.....many coaches have large slides over the wet bay. As you get older, it becomes an issue to crawl under those slides, so hooking up the sewer before you put the slide out is important.

Many believe that all kinds of creatures will crawl up your tank, so they only connect when ready to dump.

We have a SaniCon macerator system with a small sewer hose. It stays permanently connected to the coach sewer, doesn't need rinsing and simply is capped and placed back into the wet bay when done. Consequently, it only takes a few moments to connect my sewer, so no big deal.

So.......it all depends on how YOU camp and no one else!
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Old 01-26-2021, 04:45 PM   #7
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Here is our procedure. When we arrive at the CG I connect the sewer hose, leaving a loop as a "P"trap, open the gray tank valve and leave the black tank valve closed. When the black tank is about 3/4 full I close the gray tank valve, usually late afternoon. We take showers every night so the next morning we have a substantial amount in the gray tank. I dump the black tank, turning on the flusher as it empties, close the black tank valve, and let the flusher continue for a couple of minutes. Then I dump the black tank again and repeat the process until I can see the water (through the clear fitting) is clear. I shut the black tank valve.
Then I run the flusher for a couple of minutes to leave water in the black tank. Finally I dump the gray tank to flush the sewer hose. I put an application of Happy Camper tank treatment in the black tank. We never have any odors or clogs!
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Old 01-26-2021, 05:27 PM   #8
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We don't hook up the "Stinky Slinky" until we have a full, or nearly full tank. Or we are about to leave.

The less time your hose (SS) is exposed to sunlight, people tramping around and any other thing that can damage it, the longer it will survive.

Also, you will never be "That Guy" you see going down the road with the remains of a SS dangling out behind them.
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Old 01-26-2021, 05:32 PM   #9
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Do it either way but put that starter pack hose in your emergency use pile and go buy a better quality sewer hose.
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Old 01-26-2021, 06:29 PM   #10
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The only advise i would offer is, never leave a campground with an empty fresh water tank or full waste tanks. When you connect and dump is completely up to you.
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Old 01-26-2021, 06:35 PM   #11
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Thanks to all for your advice and expertise! We do have a dishwasher and laundry setup so I’ll be monitoring the gray tank level. We’ll be starting out as weekend warriors so hookup to sewer near departure time seems to make sense.
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Old 01-26-2021, 07:36 PM   #12
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We do it either way depending on the situation. If however we are over a week in the site we usually will hookup when we arrive.
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Old 01-26-2021, 07:44 PM   #13
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I usually hook up when time to dump and put away. No need to leave sitting there soaking up UV rays which shorten the life of the hose.

As others have added, get a quality hose. We use the Valterra Vipers and have been happy with them.
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Old 01-27-2021, 06:41 AM   #14
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The simple answer is “it depends”.

Like has been said there are to many variables that goes into that decision and it changes from place to place.

That said, we usually travel from home to a RV Park(s) then back home. Seldom do we boondock in any fashion. Our MH has a full wall slide so I try to hook everything up before I open the slides if we are going to be there several days.

We keep all our valves closed and I realize there is debate about this, but this is our choice. We had an issue years ago with nats getting in the camper through the grey tank. We dump pretty much when the black tank fills up and use the grey to flush the hose after. We’ve never had an issue this way.

If you don't have a high quality sewer hose get one and get more hose than you think you need because someday you will. Here's a couple of good choices. We've had the Valterra for years and like it. We also cap each end when in storage.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-D04-...a-523120620873


Here's the Rhino Flex it's also very popular.

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-RhinoFL...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
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