Best dump hose length
How long should my dump hose be?
Forum Discussion
With our first and second camper, I always carried a total of 70 feet of hose. After several years, as hoses began to fail, I wasn't so quick to replace them. But I did always carry at least 50 feet of hose.
Here's my reason and how I came up with this number.
First, no two campsites are every the same. Unless you are getting the exact same campsite every time you go, you just never know what you are getting yourself into, especially if you travel across several states, and if you jump from private campgrounds to State Parks to National Parks. Some campsites don't even have a dump station at the site.
But here a good rule of thumb:
If your camper is 30 feet long from hitch to bumper, get 30 feet of hose as a bare minimum. If your camper is 25 feet long, get a minimum of 25 feet. Why?
Because NOT EVERY campsite is going to have the dump station within 10 feet of YOUR dump valve. It depends upon where the dump valve is located on your camper. If yours is exactly in the middle of the camper and the campground dump is right in the middle of the pad and exactly 1 foot over, your 10 foot hose might reach?
But if your dump valve is at the front of the camper, or forward of the tires, and the campground connection is near the back of the campsite, you're going to need at least the distance from the valve on your trailer to the rear of the trailer. Thus, the total length of your camper is a good length to have.
I had 2 twenty foot sections of hoses I used together on several occasions. My previous camper was 31 feet long and my current one is35 feet long. My 20 footers have long since died, so I now carry several 10 foot sections and can hook them together as needed.
Plus, I have 2 outlets and 3 tanks and 3 valves. If I hook a hose to each outlet, that's 2 ten footers right there, then add the distance to the Y to the sewer dump. As a result, I now carry 5 ten footers, a Y for connecting them, a clear section (my Flush King), and connections for inserting into the campground sewer, including a rubber donught (which I have used several times).
I also have a blue tote for those times when we do not have sewer hook-ups.
So, seeing is believing: This is actually quite common in Indiana:
Here again, take the length of your camper and use that number as the bare minimum length of hose you carry with you. But to be sure, especially if you travel to new places, it doesn't hurt to have a couple extra ten foot lengths.
Here's my reason and how I came up with this number.
First, no two campsites are every the same. Unless you are getting the exact same campsite every time you go, you just never know what you are getting yourself into, especially if you travel across several states, and if you jump from private campgrounds to State Parks to National Parks. Some campsites don't even have a dump station at the site.
But here a good rule of thumb:
If your camper is 30 feet long from hitch to bumper, get 30 feet of hose as a bare minimum. If your camper is 25 feet long, get a minimum of 25 feet. Why?
Because NOT EVERY campsite is going to have the dump station within 10 feet of YOUR dump valve. It depends upon where the dump valve is located on your camper. If yours is exactly in the middle of the camper and the campground dump is right in the middle of the pad and exactly 1 foot over, your 10 foot hose might reach?
But if your dump valve is at the front of the camper, or forward of the tires, and the campground connection is near the back of the campsite, you're going to need at least the distance from the valve on your trailer to the rear of the trailer. Thus, the total length of your camper is a good length to have.
I had 2 twenty foot sections of hoses I used together on several occasions. My previous camper was 31 feet long and my current one is35 feet long. My 20 footers have long since died, so I now carry several 10 foot sections and can hook them together as needed.
Plus, I have 2 outlets and 3 tanks and 3 valves. If I hook a hose to each outlet, that's 2 ten footers right there, then add the distance to the Y to the sewer dump. As a result, I now carry 5 ten footers, a Y for connecting them, a clear section (my Flush King), and connections for inserting into the campground sewer, including a rubber donught (which I have used several times).
I also have a blue tote for those times when we do not have sewer hook-ups.
So, seeing is believing: This is actually quite common in Indiana:
Here again, take the length of your camper and use that number as the bare minimum length of hose you carry with you. But to be sure, especially if you travel to new places, it doesn't hurt to have a couple extra ten foot lengths.
