Anyone have issues with dumping the tanks at home?

[JimD]

Murff
I picture Cousin Eddie outside dumping the RV in the storm drain with the green glowing at night. If you don't know the reference watch Christmas Vacation. Hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1oekyR1BSM

[jfk69]

[QUOTE=Radar57;922173]

Originally Posted by Murff

Not sure how I'd get billed as I have, on occasion, opened the manhole cover in our cul-de-sac, hooked up the sewer hose and let 'er rip! This is a four house line that goes out to the main sewer. Very convenient and never a line up.

I picture Cousin Eddie outside dumping the RV in the storm drain with the green glowing at night. If you don't know the reference watch Christmas Vacation. Hilarious.

That was exactly the first thing I thought of reading that!

[msherw]

Christmas Vacation and that scene is one of my favorites.

Even though I live rural and have 2 septic systems, neither is close to where I can dump when we arrive home - poor planning on my part back when RVing was not on the radar.

However there is a small city-owned RV park nearby that allows anyone to dump for free. So if we come home full, I just drive over and give it to them...LOL.

Check out the RV Dumps app and it will tell you where and how much is charged by nearby parks or dumps.

[Fire_Instructor]

I’m on septic, and not municipal sewer, and my septic is a just a bit too far away to get to with a slinky. Instead, I use a FloJet Macerator pump, and a dedicated 50’ length of heavy duty garden hose. Works great!

[JDPEagle]

We’re on city water/sewer, and fortunate enough to have a sewer clean-out plug in the front yard. The drop from my dump valves (when sitting on the driveway) to the clean-out is about 11”.

It is perfectly within the law to dispose of sewage into the sewer, and works great.

[jayconorthpoint18]

I used to dump both black and gray tanks at home, but I had an RV pipe installed in the driveway. I sometimes dumped the tanks at the edge of the fence line where the RV sat on a concrete slab, onto heavy grass then I’d use a garden hose to break up and wash the solid waste.
In the 10 acre parcel adjacent from my property where 30 cows crapped all over it.

See, I’m good, But use common sense when dumping tanks near neighbors property lines.

[jimmoore13]

Lots of responses, so pardon any repetition.

You asked relative to your "basement with a bathroom in it and a sewage lift pump".

Two points.
1. If this would be a problem with the RV dump, it would also be a problem with your upstairs drains.
2. A below-grade installation such as yours will use a "check valve"...or several...to prevent back flow.
a) Bear in mind that the lift pump for the basement installation macerates and "pushes" the effluent up a pipe. The pump doesn't "suck" the fluid...it typically pushes it from the holding tank. When the pump stops, there is a "standing head" of effluent remaining in the pipe between the pump exit and the point at which that drain line tees into the home's main gravity flow pipeline. The check valve in the pump should prevent that waste from back-flowing into the holding tank in the basement.
b) they also make whole-house back-flow preventers. This check valve, on the sewer line beyond where it exits your home, would prevent municipal sewage from backing up into your home if the municipal sewer failed. It's possible (not sure) that there is a similar device installed in the basement drain plumbing prior to where it merges with the rest of your drain lines. If not, you might consider adding one as an extra measure of protection from sewage spills in your nice basement bathroom.

Either way, and repeating, if you don't get back-flow to the basement when you flush the upstairs toilet, you shouldn't when you dump the RV into your home's sewer cleanout.

One challenge you might face. If your home's cleanout is not flush with the ground and slightly below the level of your RV's dump valves, you may face problems with incomplete dumping of the stinky-slinky.
If the RV's dump valve connector is higher than the home's sewer cleanout, but the cleanout is elevated above the, say, driveway or garage floor, you may need a support for your stinky slinky to ensure reasonable drainage of all the nasty stuff.

There are many of these to choose from. I chose this one mostly for the excellent photo. Shop around.
https://smile.amazon.com/AP-Products...s%2C211&sr=8-7

PS on a below-grade macerator/pump system. IF yours retains a standing head of effluent between the pump exit and the gravity flow drain line, and IF you plan to be away for an extended period, BE SURE to clean that line by flushing half a dozen times (or more) to clean the holding tank and that standing head of effluent of any solids. The exit lines on these are generally small diameter. If you happen to leave this system with a standing head of "solids" in it, you may return to discover your drain line is "impacted", and the pump may struggle to push those condensed solids out of that line. And once out of that line, that "plug" may not be willing to flow as it should through your gravity drain lines to the municipal sewer. As with your RV holding tank, you want to leave things essentially clean so solids don't become a kind of "concrete" that requires extraordinary measures to clean it out.

[gymracer]

I live in the city limits in a subdivision and have city sewer. I have dumped my motorhomes in it for nearly 20 years. My connection is in the main line about 20' from where it goes into the main city sewer. I have a tap just like a good rv park that screws in. I really would not want to be without it.

[Weatherman1]

The sewerage lift pump has a check valve on it

[Weatherman1]

Just don't get caught doing that!
Totally illegal for many reasons!

[ltnunes]

We had a curbside cleanout installed (has a trap) for just this purpose. Drive up to the curb, dump, then park on our backyard pad. The only reason we didn’t install by our off street parking is because the lateral line runs on the opposite side of the house.

[chevyman30]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HKZHIW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Attached is the link on which this MaciAtor is easy to use and I have only a few things that are with change on it.

It does have an automatic shutoff when it heats up. I would also highly recommend attaching a clear elbow or attachment to it knowing that it's to be nearly impossible to take off as the connection is extremely tight. Once you have that attachment on there the unit will not fit in its case so be prepared to store it in another container. Aside from that I would swear by it let's see if it lasts another season.

I'll be happy if your last two or three seasons considering it's a save me the hassle of having to move my unit to get it dumped while I was at home.

Best of luck safe travels.

[Route 66 Traveler]

One reason I bought my house was that it was advertised as including full RV hookups; 30amp wall socket, fresh water hookup and sewer connection. Great selling point and lots of RV’s in the neighborhood. I usually arrive back home with empty tanks, but the home connections make it easy to flush them squeaky clean...

[Bighorncats]

I like the front sewer clean out option myself, but on the Changing Lanes YouTube channel, they had a video on dumping via a mascerator with a garden hose through a house window and into the toilet. Takes inordinately longer, but in case the sewer clean out was not an option, this alternative option did work.

And Murff, that is the funniest gif I’ve ever seen sung to a tune!! OMG, I was dying!

[OafDawg]

Originally Posted by Weatherman1

Just don't get caught doing that!
Totally illegal for many reasons!

No it's not illegal. Maybe where you're at, but in most areas it's not.

[kirkelli]

I've got a portable Macerator and use it to dump via a 3/4 inch gardon hose in my sewer clean out all the time.. The clean-out shoot is about 50' and uphill from where i park the RV. The Macerator has no problem pumping the poo up hill. I finish the hose clean out with the gray tanks than a shot of fresh water. Then Un-hook the hose with a shut off valve at the pump and coil the hose to the clean out shoot where i have another shut off valve. Appositely no mess what-so-ever. Quick and EZ.. I would never be able to dump in my home clean out with a standard slinky . Certainly nice to have both options available.

[Fauxretired]

Just throwing this in the mix. By using a macerating pump, you could skip the transfer tank.
https://www.smartrving.net/best-rv-macerator-pumps/

[Atlee]

I would like to dump into my sewer system, but the sewer outlet is on the other side of the house from the drive way, with a very slight up hill run at times.

I tried to use a macerator pump to give it an assist, but it didn't work well.

Originally Posted by TWX

So I've read a lot of threads on this forum about people dumping their tanks at home, but the majority seem to be on septic systems rather than municipal sewer.


Just wondering if anyone had had problems when dumping. Admittedly I'm brand new to travel trailers, the Jayflight 174BH we just picked up has a 20 gallon black tank and a 20 gallon gray tank. I have a fairly easily accessed residential cleanout but I also have a basement with a bathroom in it and a sewage lift pump, I would hate to find out that I backflowed into my house in the process of dumping these tanks.

[tizeye]

Originally Posted by Atlee

I would like to dump into my sewer system, but the sewer outlet is on the other side of the house from the drive way, with a very slight up hill run at times.

I tried to use a macerator pump to give it an assist, but it didn't work well.

I am in the same situation - opposite side of house, plus rear not accessible for wide vehicle. Cleanout is rear, over 100 feet from driveway, beyond range of macerator. When county did cleanout of municipal system they did me a favor, they etched in the concrete curb where the home sewage line was. Would be easy to dig at sidewalk to determine depth depth and angle line takes to house. Then mid front yard lay about 75' (house is 66') of 3" line with "Y" connector to sewer line, but also tunnel under driveway for access point on "utility" side of house. Tat obviously would be the best, but looking for alternatives that are cheaper and not require a building permit.
Which do you think would be better?
1) Macerator - Bathrooms are in the rear so would require hose through house, and cleanout access is even further in the rear at kitchen. The closest - and no one has mentioned this so don't know if practical - washing machine drain pipe in the garage used as an access point.
2) Dump into one of the portable bins designed for such, wheel it around back close to the cleanout and have a macerator mounted on it to dump into the cleanout about a foot off the ground. Obviously would have power issues needing a 110 to 12v DC (or a DIY disposal which would use 110). Alternately #1 above with macerated waste into the bin, then ramp the bin higher than the cleanout for gravity dump.

[Isaacs]

Originally Posted by TWX

So I've read a lot of threads on this forum about people dumping their tanks at home, but the majority seem to be on septic systems rather than municipal sewer.


Just wondering if anyone had had problems when dumping. Admittedly I'm brand new to travel trailers, the Jayflight 174BH we just picked up has a 20 gallon black tank and a 20 gallon gray tank. I have a fairly easily accessed residential cleanout but I also have a basement with a bathroom in it and a sewage lift pump, I would hate to find out that I backflowed into my house in the process of dumping these tanks.

I used to drive across my lawn and dump into my septic tank vent. Then we got sewers and I have a cleanout about ten feet from the driveway--still had to drive onto the lawn. So I dug down around the vertical cleanout pipe and put in a tee which then runs to a spot right next to the driveway--perfect!

As far as being legal, I'm sure I'm breaking some plumbing codes but all the "stuff" goes where it's supposed to go and I'm not asking any questions.