Dump Station Observations

Typically the wife and I do long weekends and leave the campground on Monday or Tuesday. We love doing this as most people leave on Sunday and we get some campground time with very few others. Provides a great opportunity to explore and pick sites for the future.

We camped for Thanksgiving for the first time ever and got to the site Wed. We had planned to leave Monday but the weather that was coming late Sunday into Monday the decision was made to leave Sunday.

This provided us with a rare opportunity to observe people at the dump station. We were actually lucky. We had three units in front of us and when we pulled out there were 6+ units and they were lined up down the HWY.

1. People would leave a ridiculous amount of space between them and the unit in front of them. Pull up to help get people from waiting in line along the side of major HWY.

2. People wandering around aimlessly around their unit while dumping trying to find things. Hvae your act together before you get there. For instance, my elbow piece I toss in the truck bed so I can quickly get to it. My gloves are put on before I get out of the truck.

3. Learn to use gravity. Couple would hold up drain hose HIGHER than the outlet pipe. Gravity is your friend here.

4. The last guy in front of us I predicted would have his act together, he just had the look. I was so wrong. No gloves, OK, guess he is a real man. No elbow piece either. HMM. So he attempts to hold the drain hose, elbowless, in the pipe and reach over to open his drain valves. It was a LONG reach and he lost control, major environmental spillage now taking place and he had to now grab his hose in this nasty water with out gloves to get it back in the pipe.

Even if it is your first time, plan ahead and have your act together. You can probably get from your campsite without locking your storage bins where your stuff is. You can lock them afterwards. In fact, once dumped, pull up so the next guy can get started. You can lock up and do any last minute stuff then.

Seeking Advice

mowermech
Explorer
Dec 01, 2020
Most of the USFS/USDA campgrounds near here do not have dump stations. Many of the State Parks don't, either. Therefore, we frequently leave a day early and spend the last night at a full hook-up RV park. That way, I can dump the next morning in the privacy of my campsite without waiting. I can spend as much time as I like flushing and cleaning up, then go home.
The nearest dump station to home is five miles away, the next nearest 10 miles away. There is no practical way to get access to the home septic system.
The final night in a FHU RV park is the best bet for us, IMO.
2oldman
Explorer II
Dec 01, 2020
mowermech wrote:
Most of the USFS/USDA campgrounds near here do not have dump stations. Many of the State Parks don't, either.
Dump stations are a maintenance nightmare which is why many are closing. People, as usual, abuse them with diapers, oil, and all manner of stuff that shouldn't go in them. "Flushable" items like baby wipes are a common problem.
Sandia_Man
Explorer II
Dec 01, 2020
We haven't had the joy of viewing others dumping their tanks while we await our turn, if there are more than a couple of rigs ahead of us we will dump on the way back whether at truck stops, convenience stations, or private rv parks along the highway. We can dump at home as a last resort, and have also done the last day at an RV park where full hookups were available. I guess we are fortunate as there are several gas stations within a five mile radius that have free dump stations. We do have a macerator onboard but it rarely gets any use, we have our system for dumping tanks that is much quicker by far.
gbopp
Explorer
Dec 01, 2020
2oldman wrote:
gbopp wrote:
It's not snarky to complain about how people dump their holding tanks? :)
No. Stating observation and fact is not snark. Snark is belittling the OP for mentioning it.

Asking an honest question is not snarky.
wopachop
Explorer
Dec 01, 2020
I would wake up at 3am and take off just to have a nice people free experience.
Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Dec 01, 2020
We recently moved from Tucson up to Payson AZ. Half a mile from our new home is the Giant {brand} gas station right on highway 260. For more than half of the year theirs is just about the only dump facility for a very long ways. They catch all of the traffic coming down off of the Mogollon Rim {where the only two dump stations are closed from October through mid May}. In so doing they do sell a lot of gas but their prices are in line with every other station in town.

On weekends their dump stations are packed, often with a wait of 30 minutes to nearly an hour. When my 24'Class C needs to be dumped or if i just want to flush the tanks I go up mid morning/mid week and have the place all to myself... and yes I do buy gas there. This works very well especially as I really did not want to be dumping into my septic system at our new house. I have never spent more than ten minutes in a dump station and 5 minutes is the usual but my black and gray tanks are only 20 gallons a piece. Time spent is more a function of knowing what you are doing vs volume but get behind a 45'+ DP and see how long they take. ;)

Lots of folks seem to assume they will be able to dump before leaving their campground but often it is not practical. Busy campgrounds typically have long lines/waits {especially on Sunday's} often due to the incompetence of the folks trying to use them... really people, it is not that complicated. Also due to the heavy use I have often seen CG dump stations out of order/shut down for extended periods of time.

Now the folks who can't or don't want to wait are headed down the mountain with an extra 40 - 60 gallons of "stuff" adding 400 - 600# to their rigs, which often are already near or at their GVWR's. Something to think about in the next "discussion" here about actual weights in the real world. :S
ken56
Explorer
Dec 02, 2020
When we first started out in the RV world it was not important to me to have a full hookup site. We would go to state parks that had dump stations mostly. It did not take long to discover people are very inconsiderate of others. A few times waiting 30-45 minutes for the guy in front to finish dumping was all I needed to abandon the dump station experience.

I would watch people do everything else but pull the handle to dump the tanks all wandering around their rig, going inside, coming back out, go back in....never seeing what was being accomplished....but wasting time. It has never taken me more than 15 minutes to dump my tanks and be gone.

One thing I witnessed was a guy pulling a portable tank behind his truck to the dump station all the while spilling its contents as he went down the road like it was the Daytona race. I hosed down the road out front of my trailer as best I could.

I have a Pilot truck stop/gas station not too far from my home that I have used before, unfortunately the truckers who use it just open their tank valve and let it go....turds all over the ground where you really don't want to get close to it...so much for using those type of dump stations too.

SO today we get full hookup sites where I can dump at my leisure and rinse as long as I please. To each his own.
goducks10
Explorer
Dec 02, 2020
It won't get any better.
RIVA predicts almost 500,000+ units shipped next year.
frankwp
Explorer
Dec 02, 2020
Lynnmor wrote:
PartyOf Five wrote:
I always wondered why we even choose to stand in line - it's not like waiting to use the toilet. Plenty of dump stations between any campground and anyone's home, and a few hundred pounds won't change anyone's gas mileage.

I know of none anywhere near my home.

Any campgrounds near where you live? Most will let you dump for a small fee.
Chum_lee
Explorer
Dec 02, 2020
Desert Captain wrote:
dcmac214 wrote:
phil-t wrote:
Just as much fun as watching a busy boat launch. :)

Hard to find anything better than the goings-on at a busy summer boat ramp. DW & I love sitting on the side, watching the show. Too often it's better at the ramp than being on the lake. Lots of non-friendly-to-younger-kids atmospheric disturbances...

The large public boat ramp on Shelter Island in San Diego is right across the street from our Yacht Club. On Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day we would pack a small cooler and take a couple of folding chairs over to watch the carnage. Launching was fun but the main event was always late in the day when all of these folks who use their boats about twice a year returned to the ramp. The wait for an opening would often be an hour and a lot of folks just could not be bothered with waiting their turn.

:B

That's funny.

Been there (in San Diego) and watched that many times. Then just for the holidays sake, ADD ALCOHOL, and . . . . lots of it. I try to be helpful when I can, but, you really have to know when the situation has gone too far. (hint: SDPD start to circle) Gotta go!

Chum lee