Dump techniques....

[bcarroll]

Ok, the 23 minute dump time thread, that is now closed, got me to thinking - what is the most efficient way to dump.
I am in my 3rd year of my first trailer, and feel I am not very efficient when it comes to dumping.
I just came home from camping this week and when I dumped, in the FHU campsite, it took me much longer to dump than 23 minutes.

I dumped the black tank. Then dumped the gray tank. While the gray tank was dumping I had someone put more water in the black tank.
When the gray tank was almost done, I closed it and re-opened the black tank. When that was done, I finished the gray tank.
I don't have any fancy internal black tank rinsers, and no clear dump pipe, so I disconnect the hose and use a sprayer to rinse up the pipe as far as possible(holding the hose for it to drain into of course). I do not want to leave debris in the tank so I rinse until no more debris.
I think my black tank has a never ending supply of debris because I finally had to just say "no more" and end it(after an hour or more).
I wanted to do a more thorough job of cleaning the tank while in the FHU site, otherwise it would have just been a quick black dump/gray dump, put more water in the black tank and dump... 5 or 10 mins tops.

But there has to be a better way...

[bcarroll]

wbwood wrote:
It's not a race. Dump and clean your tanks to your liking. Be mindful if you have traffic behind you waiting.

This is the best advice for dumping at a dump station.
However, the OP was not really about dumping at a dump station, but rather at a full hook-up site and getting the tanks clean enough while doing so.
It is nice to get a few different ideas of how to do it or what all is involved in the process.
Funny how somethings don't just pop into my head about this, like putting water back in the tank after the dump... makes total sense but not something I would have thought of.
I also always thought the tank had to be, though not spotless, free of debris for fear of unpleasant odors, and since I cannot see into the tank it is hard to know when to stop.

The best thing about this forum is that it is for beginners to ask about things that may not come naturally to them. It is great to have so many different possible ways to solve or resolve a problem.

[wbwood]

It's not a race. Dump and clean your tanks to your liking. Be mindful if you have traffic behind you waiting.

[DSDP_Don]

I too agree that some people take a ridiculously loooooong time dumping and it's discourteous to others. I know that many have to return their RV to a storage facility at the end of a trip, so the complete wash out is needed. BUT, there are many options to not blocking a busy campground, like using something closer to home, Camping World, some rest stops and other places that offer public dumping.

Luckily, we have large tanks and are set up to dump at home at the end of a trip, so no need to do a comprehensive wash out until we get home.

I've always liked the SaniCon which REALLY makes life easy. During the few occasions that we have to dump at a dump station, like Yosemite, I pull up, pull out my already connected 1.5" hose, stick it in the drain, pull the black tank valve and turn on the pump. All done in under a minute. Once the black has drained, I open the grey, within about 30 seconds, it has flooded the black tank with soapy grey water and I finish draining both. On the SaniCon there is no hose to clean. Just put the screw on cap back on and stuff it back in the water bay. The SaniCon takes about 4-5 minutes longer to drain, but less than one third of the time it takes for others to pull out hoses, connect hoses, disconnect hoses, rinse hoses (without spilling on your shoes) put sewer and fresh water hoses away.

[bcarroll]

GaryWT wrote:

bcarroll wrote:

GaryWT wrote:
What has me concerned about what the OP said, hopefully I read it wrong, after dumping he disconnects the sewer hose and continues to flush for an hour. Where does the water go. At first I thought he was rinsing the were hose with a water hose but the said he does his tank. This stuff cannot go on the ground. I also cringe when I see people stick a hose into the sewer hose, now that hose I'd gross and unusable for anything.

To put your mind at ease(hopefully), I disconnect the dump hose and hold it under the dump valve. The sprayer I use is a hand held attachment where you squeeze the handle and it squirts a stream of water up into the dump valve pipe/tank - I do not put the hose up the dump valve pipe. Rinsing the dump tank is the only purpose for that.
All the water etc. drains into the stinky slinky - none on the ground.

I have never timed it but I dump the black, go inside an stand on the peddle for a couple minutes and then totally fill the bowl 2-3 times to flush a rush of water. Go outside an close the black nod open the gray. While that is happening I go in, add water to the black tank and add the aqua chem. go out, close the gray, put the sewer hose away and wash up. This is all done at the site as we only go to full hookup sites, have never used a dump station.

This is the reason I ask - there has got to be a better way than I am doing it, and I may not need to worry about as much if it is not a problem.

Plus, I only take this long at full hook-up camp site, not a dump station.
My concern is how much is left in the tank after a quick dump.

That sound tough to stand there with sewer hose in one had and hose in other spraying into the tank while you try to catch the water coming out. As someone else mentioned there is a fixture you can use to connect the hose to so it is a closed system. Also they make something that you can stick in the toilet itself. Have never needed either but they are out there.

It is tough... my legs get stiff and achy.
I went out, found and bought one of those fixtures. Now I cant wait to see how my camp life is improved! 🙂

[spoon059]

Sport45 wrote:

spoon059 wrote:
Just a wise observation that my father has told me in the past... a wise man speaks because he has something to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something.

So you had to say something...



Oops!, looks like I did too. 🙂

Technically I had something to say! :B

[spoon059]

campigloo wrote:
Boy spoon, you're really wound tight. Maybe you should think about just staying home and yelling at your kids instead of taking out your stress on everyone that does something not according to your standards.

campigloo wrote:
Apology graciously accepted

campigloo wrote:
Oh really spoon? You think screaming at people and calling them names is a class act? Maybe you need to read your own post about being polite and friendly. I'm one of those "whiteheads" you so adore and I take offense at the comment. What did your father say about hotheads?

campigloo wrote:
Spoon, this has gotten waaaay out of hand. I'm just asking you to relax a bit. There is no written in stone ways to do anything. I do things that annoy others. It's not intentional. You do things that annoy others, and I would like to think its not intentional on your part either. You're just not the only one that has to deal with stress. Most of us whiteheads have already dealt with screaming kids and work schedules, so we know where you're coming from. Just try to realize we're all just trying to enjoy our limited time on this planet and doing the best we can.
Peace? Brother?

You know the interesting thing about all this is that I have never said a word to you before your initial comments to me. I was responding to someone else. I believe that I presented a logical and rational response to someone who said that he intentionally takes as much times as he wants and could care less what anybody else thinks.

This had nothing to do with you. I was never out of control. I wasn't yelling or angry when I wrote it. I certainly would never yell at my kids for something that other people annoy me about (That's why I have a wife!!!). I never mentioned anything about screaming at people and calling them names. That's not my thing.

You came at me like we had a personal issue. I have no idea who you are or why you are coming at me.

I'm sure we all have personal issues that others find annoying. I'm not sure about you, but I try to be cognizant of the fact that other people are around me. If I am just out for a drive with no hurry, I try not to be that guy that piddles around in the left lane of the highway. When I am out getting groceries, I try not to be that guy that leaves his cart blocking the whole aisle while I go to the next row over to get bread. I hold the door for someone else walking in or out.

I am far from perfect, but I try to be aware. If I was doing something that was overly annoying for no apparent reason and there was a thread on RV.net that I was reading, I probably wouldn't get on that thread and tell everyone else to go screw themselves because I'm going to do what I am going to do. I would probably think to myself... oops, I've done that. I should be aware of that in the future.

Its like the walking through someone else's campsite and walking right past them at the campfire. Its rude and ignorant. If I didn't know better before, I know now that it isn't accepted behavior. If I didn't know that it was rude and ignorant to take 45 minutes to dump when there is a line behind me, I know better now.

I have no issue with you. I don't know you. I don't remember a single post from you other then the few that I quoted above. Don't worry though, I'll still hold the door open for you. If I se you in line behind me at the dumpsite, I will be quick. I wouldn't intentionally drag my feet just to make you wait longer. I know how annoying that would be...

[campigloo]

Spoon, this has gotten waaaay out of hand. I'm just asking you to relax a bit. There is no written in stone ways to do anything. I do things that annoy others. It's not intentional. You do things that annoy others, and I would like to think its not intentional on your part either. You're just not the only one that has to deal with stress. Most of us whiteheads have already dealt with screaming kids and work schedules, so we know where you're coming from. Just try to realize we're all just trying to enjoy our limited time on this planet and doing the best we can.
Peace? Brother?

[kohai]

Anybody do it like cousin Eddy on Christmas vacation?

[kohai]

bcarroll wrote:

kohai wrote:
I'm slow too.

My process:

- Hook up black tank flush hose and turn on (that spinner thing).
- empty black tank
- close black tank, fill it again through the black tank.
- empty black tank while monitoring clear elbow
- If I still see toilet paper or anything, I repeat again (or if going into storage for month) otherwise done.
- then I empty the grey tanks
- add some water into the black tank, put digest packet into toilet/tank
- add some water to grey tanks, put some deodorizer down sinks

This was based on a video I watched.

If the hose I use to fill the black tank back up is slow, I'm slow. I'm guessing I'm 20 minutes to get this done on a good day.

I don't have one of those "spinner things"... what is that?
I don't have a clear elbow either, so I improvise. Been thinking lately that it would be a good idea to get one.
I normally put the deodorizer/digester pack in the tank when I first set up camp - is it a post dump process?

I think the spinner thing is called a black tank flush. I hook a hose to a sprinkler device built into the black tank. It sprays the inside of the black tank while I'm emptying it. I also can fill the black tank back up with this hose just by closing the valve.

I put a digester in after I dump to help control smells. I also put one in at the start of a trip like you (and every 3 days or so during the trip).

[GaryWT]

bcarroll wrote:

GaryWT wrote:
What has me concerned about what the OP said, hopefully I read it wrong, after dumping he disconnects the sewer hose and continues to flush for an hour. Where does the water go. At first I thought he was rinsing the were hose with a water hose but the said he does his tank. This stuff cannot go on the ground. I also cringe when I see people stick a hose into the sewer hose, now that hose I'd gross and unusable for anything.

To put your mind at ease(hopefully), I disconnect the dump hose and hold it under the dump valve. The sprayer I use is a hand held attachment where you squeeze the handle and it squirts a stream of water up into the dump valve pipe/tank - I do not put the hose up the dump valve pipe. Rinsing the dump tank is the only purpose for that.
All the water etc. drains into the stinky slinky - none on the ground.

I have never timed it but I dump the black, go inside an stand on the peddle for a couple minutes and then totally fill the bowl 2-3 times to flush a rush of water. Go outside an close the black nod open the gray. While that is happening I go in, add water to the black tank and add the aqua chem. go out, close the gray, put the sewer hose away and wash up. This is all done at the site as we only go to full hookup sites, have never used a dump station.

This is the reason I ask - there has got to be a better way than I am doing it, and I may not need to worry about as much if it is not a problem.

Plus, I only take this long at full hook-up camp site, not a dump station.
My concern is how much is left in the tank after a quick dump.

That sound tough to stand there with sewer hose in one had and hose in other spraying into the tank while you try to catch the water coming out. As someone else mentioned there is a fixture you can use to connect the hose to so it is a closed system. Also they make something that you can stick in the toilet itself. Have never needed either but they are out there.

[Sport45]

spoon059 wrote:
Just a wise observation that my father has told me in the past... a wise man speaks because he has something to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something.

So you had to say something...



Oops!, looks like I did too. 🙂

[campigloo]

Oh really spoon? You think screaming at people and calling them names is a class act? Maybe you need to read your own post about being polite and friendly. I'm one of those "whiteheads" you so adore and I take offense at the comment. What did your father say about hotheads?

[spoon059]

campigloo wrote:
Boy spoon, you're really wound tight. Maybe you should think about just staying home and yelling at your kids instead of taking out your stress on everyone that does something not according to your standards.

Just a wise observation that my father has told me in the past... a wise man speaks because he has something to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something.

[Grit_dog]

After 5 pages, wow, never knew this could be so complicated.
Never even slept in an RV before buying the camper a couple years ago and though it was pretty simple.
Hook up he hose, 2 minutes
Dump the black water, 1 min
Dump the gray water, 2 min
Spray down any splash back if needed 1 min
Put hose away 1 min.
Not even sure if it took that long.
Of course we never camped where there was a dump station so after the drive, any "contents" were well stirred and dumped well.
At home once in a while I'd put 5 gal in he black tank to get the rinse going on the next trip.

[Executive45]

You can usually tell the newbie "dumpees" by the elbow length rubber gloves, the hat and the aprons they wear while performing the 'duty'.....

Everyone should go back and watch the 'dumping' part of the movie RV..sling chairs and popcorn....:B....Dennis