Real funny story that's not so funny

[grantx5]

Camping in Leavenworth, WA. It's Sunday afternoon, we're leaving Tuesday morning, and I decide to empty the black and grey tanks. We'd been there since late Thursday and it seemed like a good idea.

The good Lord was watching out for me that day. I decided to do the grey tank first for some reason, never done that before but then I'm getting old and my mind doesn't always work the way it used to. I pull the valve handle and down the tubes the grey water went. Started to empty into the sewer outlet as usual when all of a sudden it backed up and was squirting all over the place.

I closed the valve but the hose was still full. Nothing I could do since the liquid was running out of the end of the hose so I left it attached to the sewer outlet hoping the most of it would drain properly, which it did. Well, the drain was indeed plugged, oh no, now what am I going to do.

Cleaned things up as best I could and put everything away. Walked down to the ranger station and told them my story. "No problem." he says, "we'll be there in a bit and get you all fixed up."

An hour or so later a pickup truck with 3 guys shows up and they commence to stare at our sewer outlet for quite awhile. Guess staring at things has the potential for fixing them. Anyway, eventually they wander over to a field area across from us and appear as though they are studying things. Now there are risers in the field so I assume the field is part of the drain field. After awhile it appears they've made a decision and they walk back to the truck.

Now, they don't leave. They send what appears to be the new guy over to one of the risers. The two men left behind are kind of ducking behind the truck but yelling a lot of encouragement to this young volunteer. Well, the young fella reaches down and pulls the top off that riser, not good.

What happened over the next 30 seconds or so is still a blur. I was holding my stomach and laughing so hard I missed a lot but, WOW, did that young man get a face full of sewage. And when I say a lot, I mean it came out the top of that riser like Ol' Faithful.

Took awhile but they came back to me and asked me to move to another site which we did. I asked about the young feller and if he was okay. The guy had a hard time telling me anything through all the laughter.

In the end it all worked out, well, at least for us. Happy camping my friends.

[CavemanCharlie]

I don't think that he is going to die or anything. But, I did put myself into his position and if I were him I would have been dammed pissed. A younger me might have ended up in jail for knocking the other two out.

[grantx5]

Upon reflection, this thread was in poor taste. I do apologize to those it offended.

[Newbiecampers]

Lwiddis wrote:
The misfortune of others is never funny. As Crowe pointed out you are laughing at a person who might die because he was trying to assist you.

Exactly.

I shudder to think what he could come down with from swallowing that stuff.

But hey, it all woked out for grantx5.

[Newbiecampers]

I don't find anything even remotely funny about that story.

For the other workers to suspect that the outcome may end up being exactly what did happen (as evidenced by their actions), and to send him over there anyway, with no protection, no warning, is ridiculous and negligent.

And if I were on the jury in the trial of the "new worker's" civil case against the other workers for said negligence, I would award him the moon.

As others have said, he could have gotten all manner of nasty diseases/complications from a face full of raw sewage like that. This isn't the movies where a face full of raw sewage equals nothing but a hardee-har-har.

The fact you were laughing so hard that the events were "a blur" speaks volumes to me about who you are as a person grantx5. Then, the statement you made

In the end it all worked out, well, AT LEAST FOR US

, solidifies that picture of you.

[FunnyCamper]

yea my thoughts would be what disease would that fella get vs. laughing. I sure as heck would put me in that nasty situation that this poor gguy got and ME WOULD NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT 🙂
Funny but not funny as ya said

[zigzagrv]

Happened to me once in SantaLand rv park in North Pole Alaska. (It has since closed) Was in a pull-thru site with sewer hookups at both ends. Anyway, getting ready to leave I went to dump the tanks at the rear of the site. I always pull the gray valve first for a few seconds to be sure my sewer hose doesn't leak and my connections are good.

No problem, so I pulled the black tank valve and went over to the pipe to be sure the end wouldn't come out of the pipe. Just as I got there this perfect 'bell' of yucky water comes out from around my connection soaking my pants and shoes from the knee down. Quickly ran back and shut off valve, grabbed the water hose and started washing down my pants and shoes and the area around the sewer pipe.

DW went to office to notify them, but till they got there had the site pretty much cleaned up. After changing pants and shoes and a good hosing down of myself, pulled forward to the sewer at the other end of the site, carefully pulled the gray and then the black valves and everything was ok.

[Durb]

I've often wondered what would happen if the full hook up sewer wouldn't accept my tank flow. Glad I haven't found out yet.

I'll bet Leavenworth was beautiful though.

[d3500ram]

My TC has a cassette toilet so I do not get to experience the things that you "real" RV'ers get to go through atthe dump station ... I enjoy living vicariously through y'all from stories like this...

[Lwiddis]

The misfortune of others is never funny. As Crowe pointed out you are laughing at a person who might die because he was trying to assist you.

[Crowe]

You are right-it's funny and not funny at the same time. That much raw sewage can actually make someone seriously ill or even kill them.

[gbopp]

Whenever a story starts with 'emptying the black and gray tanks', you know it won't end well for someone. 🙂

Thanks for sharing.

[cross21114]

Lucky you pulling the grey first.

[Lwiddis]

“WOW, did that young man get a face full of sewage.”

They were trying to help. Not funny.

[ScottG]

Oh man, that's nasty. Some how I could smell it while reading your story.
Hope the young guy was up on his shots!