sewer hookup

[kkitchener]

If I am in a park for a month or two, should I hook up to their sewer? or just let my tanks get full and then dump them. Please help! I am so new I don't really know what I am doing!

[Paintinfool3]

only hook up to dump tanks when they are close to full ... I wouldn't leave it hooked up .... tanks need water in them to dump especially the black tank so let them fill then dump when they get close to full

[Skaling]

I usually hook up during setup, open my grey tank and let that drain all the time.. When my black tank gets 3/4 ish full I close my grey water tank to allow that to fill.. When my black gets closer to full I dump my black, close the valve, then open my grey to let the water flush out my sewer hose.. Repeat as needed during your stay.

[Locky66]

Just as Skaling said and after your done dumping your tanks close the valve then go back into the bathroom and let water run down your toilet to get some water in the bottom of your black tank.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Locky66

Just as Skaling said and after your done dumping your tanks close the valve then go back into the bathroom and let water run down your toilet to get some water in the bottom of your black tank.

From some of the things I've read on this site, putting water back into the black tank right after dumping is very important and is sometimes overlooked. That water is agitated when driving down the road when you leave the dump site helping to clean off solids in the black tank. Also, having water in the black tank helps prevent a tower of solid waste building up and sticking to the bottom. (That is... the bottom of the black tank, not your bottom.)

[edatlanta]

I would do as stated above, BUT leave your kitchen gray tank closed until close to full just like you do with your black tank. Food particles and other stuff that ends up in the sink goes down into the gray tank and builds up in a gray tank with the valve open all the time just like other solids do in the black tank. This build up is much slower since the particles are small and may just be BBQ sauce or ketchup, etc that is washed off of dishes. This build up will dry out and when you do go to a site with no sewer hookup and close this tank the water put in the tank will rehydrate this dried out "stuff" an the smell will equal that is a black tank that has been sitting too long between dumps. I am speaking from experience here. Mine did this after approx 4 years of full time use. My kitchen gray tank's sensors had quit working also.

The solution was to dump the tank and then poured a full gallon of bleach into the tank for the trip home. When at my home base site I didn't empty the gray tank until it was full a few days later. When I did dump it you would not believe the crud that came out of it. I have a clear 45 degree fitting in my drain hose. A benefit I was not expecting is the gray tank sensors started working again.

Now after each gray tank dump I had a few ounces of bleach and NEVER leave this tank open except to dump.

[Brownie]

Originally Posted by Paintinfool3

only hook up to dump tanks when they are close to full ... I wouldn't leave it hooked up .... tanks need water in them to dump especially the black tank so let them fill then dump when they get close to full

I certainly don't wish to be argumentative, but you can leave the dump hose hooked up, but leave your valves closed. And not having to haul out the dump hoses and hook up/unhook/re-stow every time saves me a little time.

I typically leave my black and kitchen grey tank valves closed, for the reasons noted by others. The bathroom grey, I typically leave open. With showers, washing hands, brushing teeth, etc., the bathroom grey tank tends to fill up pretty quickly. Because I use paper plates, I only need to wash pots & pans, glasses, silverware, and cookware every two to three days. That means my kitchen grey tank fills at about the same rate as my black tank - about 4-7 days (depending on what I cook . . . and eat).

Since I'm staying long-term at my full-hookup site, I have a little routine I go through each time I dump. First, I raise my stab jacks so I can rock the trailer to agitate the tanks. Then, I close the bathroom grey tank valve. Then, I rock the trailer to stir up the juices in the black tank, and open the black tank valve to dump the tank. I, also, leave the clear 45-degree elbow installed (on the trailer dump pipe) so I can closely monitor the flow. I've found that just because the flow stops, it doesn't mean the tank is empty; sometimes it means there's a "minor" plug. Once to flow stops, I turn on the water to the flush hose (which I also leave hooked up to a "Y" valve with dual shutoffs). Sometimes the agitation of the black tank flush will break loose a "minor plug"; sometimes, not so much. If not, I'll close the black tank valve for 30-60 seconds with the flush water running. IMPORTANT: DO NOT GET DISTRACTED AND LOSE TRACK OF THE TIME DURING THIS PROCEDURE! This forum is replete with posts about the nasty things that happen when you get distracted during this procedure! I then rock the trailer and reopen the black tank valve for dump #2. Once the flow stops (or significantly slows) the second time, I reclose the black tank valve and allow the flush system to work a second time - this time for about 60 seconds. I re-agitate, re-dump, re-close the valve for another 90 seconds. If this dump water doesn't run perfectly clear, I'll reclose the valve and run the flush for another 2-3 minutes; then repeat the agitation, and reopen the valve. When the water going through the clear elbow runs clear, I shut off the flush and allow the tank to drain. Once the black tank is empty, I close the valve and dump the kitchen grey to clean out the line/hose. Finally, I reopen the bathroom grey valve and go inside to check the tank levels on the sensor board. I've found this "4-flush" procedure keeps my tank sensors working perfectly.

One thing I have noticed is that on days when there are a lot of people dumping and leaving the campground, I do get a significant amount of odor coming out of my grey tank vent . . . as a result of the increased sewer-system activity. So, I just close that grey tank valve for a few hours until the activity dies down.

I'm not saying this is the only way to do it, or even that this is the best way. It's just the way that works best for me. It might (or might not) work for you!

[Hitch Pin]

Originally Posted by Skaling

I usually hook up during setup, open my grey tank and let that drain all the time.. When my black tank gets 3/4 ish full I close my grey water tank to allow that to fill.. When my black gets closer to full I dump my black, close the valve, then open my grey to let the water flush out my sewer hose.. Repeat as needed during your stay.

I do the same thing, works good for me.

[slabat]

I hook up my hose when I set up if I am at full hook ups but I keep the valves closed on both the grey water and black water tanks until they are 3/4 of the way full. Once one of them reaches 3/4's full I dump them both, first the black water and then the grey water. Sometims the black is only 1/2 full and other times the grey is only 1/2 full depending on what we are doing for showers and washing dishes. I always make sure I have some water in the black tank when I am traveling so it can slosh around and break down any left over particles in the tank. I have been thinking about adding a flush system to the tanks to rinse them out each time.