Dumping fresh water

[IDoMyOwnStunts]

I'd like to hear some opinions and considerations on dumping your freshwater tank. Where do you do it? Do you go to a dump station and let it run into the drain? Do you pull the valve open at home and let it run in the street or on your pad? What about at a campsite? Do you pull the valve and drive? And finally, do you do it differently if you have bleach or other sanitizing agent in it vs when you are just winterizing or shedding weight for towing?

I've seen people pull the valve and drive, but I'm not sure how others feel about that. I personally pulled the valve at home, but I have no RV pad, so it runs in the street. I'm on a hill, so it doesn't completely drain at home. But if I need to sanitize, I really wouldn't feel too comfortable about dumping bleach water on my street because the drain runs into a creek about 4 houses down. Thanks.

To be clear, I am talking freshwater, not grey. I have a 100 gallon tank.

[tatest]

At home, in the driveway, where it runs into the storm drains, as it would in greater volume if I washed a car or hosed off my driveway. Get usually 10x the volume when it rains, because it doesn't rain often but it is 1/2 inch to 3 inches when it does.

[Boon_Docker]

fj12ryder wrote:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^Like that one? 🙂

Exactly!

[spoon059]

I pulled into a site where someone just left and drained their fresh water. Kind of inconsiderate. It got a little muddy and took most the day for the puddle to evaporate.

Just curious if any people have ever camped in the rain, or after a rain... Water is wet. Water is natural. Water happens. I can't imagine getting bent out of shape because there is a muddy spot on my camp site. I prefer to save that agitation for when some clown dumps trash in the fire ring, or chicken bones all over the site so my dogs can't be outside, or used diapers scattered throughout. Fresh water though... come on...

Something my dad used to say comes to mind...

Some of you might enjoy life more if you didn't take so much time to stop and smell all the farts.

[fj12ryder]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^Like that one? 🙂

[Boon_Docker]

Non-event is kind of similar to useless replies.

[nickthehunter]

wa8yxm wrote:
BUT.. A law enforcement officer sees liquid draining from your RV.. he may assume it is NOT fresh water.

I don't think I have ever run across a LEO that was that stupid he couldn't tell the difference. But then, I have drained my water numerous times and never been stopped - so maybe there aren't any that stupid.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

fj12ryder wrote:


pretty much a non-event.

People simply worry too much.

This thread is a "non-event"......
posted by Alfred E. Newman??

but, obviously it's a major crisis - the sky *IS* falling.....

oops - no - wait - the sky is *NOT* falling it's just rain..:o

Soooo time for a thread to discuss what to do when it rains -or- if it doesn't rain..:h

Too little? Too much? Flood stage? Drought?

YIKES !! What to do, what to do??...:@



~

[wa8yxm]

Two thoughts..

Fresh water I dump most anywhere I want to dump it, Not a health hazard, No Haz-mat, No legal restrictions save I'd not dump it on the road for other reasons.

BUT.. A law enforcement officer sees liquid draining from your RV.. he may assume it is NOT fresh water.

[Dog_Trainer]

jerseyjim wrote:
Dump your waste water anywhere except into a dump station either at a campground or a rest area that HAS dump stations....100 gallons?

That water goes somewhere....I hope right into your tap water at home!

Don't even think about it.

Why not read the post before replying like engaging brain before opening mouth
Personally dump mthe freshwater wherever it doesn't make a puddle or mess

[Atlee]

He's not dumping waste water. He said very, very plainly it wasn't waste water (gray). He just wants to dump the water in his FRESH water tank.

jerseyjim wrote:
Dump your waste water anywhere except into a dump station either at a campground or a rest area that HAS dump stations....100 gallons?

That water goes somewhere....I hope right into your tap water at home!

Don't even think about it.

[jkbrea]

I pulled into a site where someone just left and drained their fresh water. Kind of inconsiderate. It got a little muddy and took most the day for the puddle to evaporate.
When I'm packing to head home, I'll run all my faucets and fill my grey and black tank up as much as possible prior to dumping. After dumping I'll open the fresh water drain and empty while driving. I usually have a 7 gallon container of drinking water in my trailer.

[Sport45]

Bleach, even at the "elevated" concentration you'd use to sanitize a fresh water system isn't going to hurt anything. Heck, it probably wouldn't even bleach anything at that concentration.

[IDoMyOwnStunts]

The reason I asked and my biggest concern was the prohibition in Washington state of certain runoffs from going to storm drains, but it appears that the Department of Ecology is only concerned with the soaps and grime from car washing. Freshwater is fine as it contains none of those, though it does beg the question as to if a little bleach is also ok. Although I seriously doubt anybody is really going to care, I think I'll just end up calling a couple of officials to find out the real answer. I wonder if draining water on a roadway while moving would be a failure to secure load violation since in my state the law specifically mentions leakages.

Thanks for all the replies. And, honestly, 6 pages on water draining is a better read than some of those manufacturer war threads. 😉

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

About 5 miles before I get home I open the valve and let her rip. In my state the VC says I'm allowed to dump 2 things on the road. Feathers from live birds or clear water. I don't have any live chickens when I RV so that leaves the latter. 🙂