So heres the deal.

[David7]

Hi all,
This is the second morning for my wife and I in our "new" 2016 Melbourne 24K.

Can't imagine if this site was not available as it has been a real help. When we run into something....I say to my wife....."let me see what the group has to say".

With this being our first weekend ever, tons of small and medium sized questions. Stayed 25 minutes from home. What an education. So, this morning we are preparing to leave and make our first black water dump.

I know all of you have been where we were this weekend. I appreciate your willingness to offer suggestions and encouragement.

We are "non pandemic motivated" RVers. This will be something we do for the rest of our lives.

Thanks,
David 7

[Trapper2020]

Camping has been in our blood since we were kids. I could not imagine not traveling to see this great country. I know it is not for everybody but if it works for you the memories will last forever. Safe travels


Enjoy the journey

[Lake Huron]

God bless you guys for getting into RV'ing. There are lots of newbies out there, many totally clueless. My buddy and family are camping locally, we couldnt make it, and said it is really entertaining. Amateur hour.

One of my pet peeves, and it's new and experienced people, at the dump station is unpreparedness and people taking too long. One of our state parks is full nearly all of the time and weekends are ALWAYS full. The line at the dump station gets long. I've watched people dilly around like they have all day getting their stuff out, figuring out which end to connect,.... whatever.
Before you get in line, take a minute or two and familiarize yourself with your hoses, connectors, etc... When I'm in line waiting, I'll get my stuff ready. I'll connect my hose to my sewer line and just wrap it up and over the valve so it is hanging there and ready when I pull in. Some rigs you cant do that with and I understand, but at least have your stuff ready.
So many people think they need to get every last drop out of their tanks. Never gonna a happen. A little residual in there is not a bad thing. Once you get home, you can add some tank treatment and a little water, according to the directions, and that'll help keep your tanks insides healthy.
My trailer has 5 tanks. 2 black and 3 grey for a total of just over 200gal. I can empty all 5 before as fast or faster than most people with rigs half my size. I've found what works really well for flushing a black tank is, I'll fill a 5 gal bucket of water and keep it in the shower. When I dump tha black tank, my hose has a clear 45* connector on it so I can see when the flow is starting slow down. I'll go back inside and dump that bucket of water down the toilet as fast as it can swallow it. That rush of water will flush out just about everything. Again, if theres a little leftover in there, so be it. You want a little water in there anyway to help break down the solids.
Remember, black tank gets dumped first, then your grey tank(s).
You'll get the hang of it the more you do it and you'll have a system that works best for you.

[Chiggins]

First congratulations. This truly a great site. Tons of good information, check out search at top. But when you want to discuss something, great group of people always willing to help. We got a great community. So welcome!

[Pfflyer]

Congratulations on your first weekend trip. Be familiar where all the supplies you will need are at. You don’t need to rush things even if there is a line but you don’t want waste time either looking for a hose or gloves. I’m sure you know black then grey. If your black tank is not over 1/2 full to add water to it while in camp to aid in flushing solids when dumping. Same with grey water. The grey water will flush the black water stuff in the hose. There are many ways to go about flushing your tanks. Find what works best for your situation.

[Jagiven]

Congratulations on the new Melbourne.

We are quick dumpers too. Before leaving our site, I transfer a lot of our remaining FW to our black tank. Lots of water, makes the solids flow easier. I try to leave about 5 gallons in the fw tank before heading out.

I also grab a pair of disposable gloves, I have in the cab with me.

Except for the last dump of the year, I always leave fluid in the waste tanks. Nothing worse than a dried crude in the tanks.

After dumping if there is a line put the sewer hose away, I then pull forwards and finish up. I wash my hands and dump 3-5 gallons of water back in the black tank, and add Pinsol, verse the normal toilet chemicals.

The water in the waste tanks slosh on the drive home, and help keep the tanks clean. This also helps prevent the dreaded poop pyramid.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by David7

Hi all,
With this being our first weekend ever, tons of small and medium sized questions. Stayed 25 minutes from home. What an education. So, this morning we are preparing to leave and make our first black water dump.

Super smart to make your first stays close to home! We weren't able to - as we drove down to Albuquerque to pick up our rig. First night was in a remote (no cell service) campground in New Mexico. It got cold enough to snow that night and I wasn't sure how to turn on the furnace!


But we figured it out. That was six years ago.
We stuck with it.


Yeah - what other's have said about trying to be fast at a Busy Dump site. It seems like about a third of the dumpers have the attitude "I'll take as long as I need to..."


We try not too - I try to hustle.

[David7]

Thanks all,
I guess the matching haz mat suits my wife and I wore were a little much.....
Just kidding.....
Took about 15 minutes for our first time. Next will definitely be quicker. No one waiting so there was no pressure to hurry.
Had a great weekend.