Sewage Follies

[bpounds]

Well, not really follies, just stuff that was new to me and might be to others too.

First, Nevada has dump stations at several of their rest stops along I-80. We used this one near Winnemucca. First of its kind that I have seen. Instead of a hole with a clamshell brass cover, this was a concrete trough that you pull up next to and let'r rip. A pushbutton opens a spray of water to flush the trough. I used a hose to keep splashing to a minimum, and it was super windy too. I don't get the reason really. It seems more complicated, because there is electrical needed for the water wash pushbutton, and I don't think it keeps itself cleaner, although that might be the reasoning. Definitely more smelly and overall, not a pleasing system IMO. Best thing I can say is that it is free to use.



The other event I have been aware of, but never actually observed it in person before, is the "honey wagon" sewage pumping service. It's been discussed here before. Some were afraid of waste tanks being collapsed from the suction. Some said they dumped into, and sucked out of, a bucket. I'm happy to say none of that was an issue. The pump is engine drive, seems to be like any other sewage/waste style pump. Simply hooked up a hose to the camper outlet and started pumping. The hose was about a 2.5" dia, so a little smaller than the outlet. There was an adapter that I think was probably a back-flow preventer but I'm not positive on that. A young lady was providing the entire service and didn't know much about the equipment design, but was very efficient at doing what she was trained to do. Cost was $30 - $35 depending on the size of your trailer length, not the size of your tanks.

[down_home]

JoeH wrote:

beemerphile1 wrote:
I have read that buses typically pull over a grate and let it rip. Seems like that dump station may be to accommodate Greyhounds and charter buses.

That's how it was at the bus station in my home town... bus pulled in to it's parking space and dumped while loading/unloading passengers.

Remember the incident a few years ago when a bus dumped its tanks on a grate of a bridge over the Chicago sewer,I mean river?

[Bobbo]

bpounds wrote:
Hmmm, just about every dump station I've ever seen violated at least one of those rules. None of them are above grade. Few if any have any type of seal on the brass cap. Must be something about being a temporary facility.

Most of the hook-up sewer connections meet those rules, or at least close to it. But not dump stations.

A week or two ago, I had a campsite where the dump site (at the campsite, not a dump station) was not only above grade, it was above my tank. I didn't notice that until after pulling the handle. To dump the tank, I had to let the hose fill, then lift it and walk it to the dump site, repeat ad nauseum.

[bpounds]

ScottG wrote:
Wow, that fly's in the face of the plumbing code.

"I 107.9 Sewer inlets shall be 4 inch diameter and extend above grade 3 to 6 inches (76 to 152 mm).
Each inlet shall be provided with a gas-tight seal when connected to an RV, and have a gas-tight seal or
plug for use when not in service, and shall be protected from traffic."

and...

"I. 107.13 No sewage, wastewater or any other effluent shall be allowed to be deposited on the surface of the ground."

Hmmm, just about every dump station I've ever seen violated at least one of those rules. None of them are above grade. Few if any have any type of seal on the brass cap. Must be something about being a temporary facility.

Most of the hook-up sewer connections meet those rules, or at least close to it. But not dump stations.

[ScottG]

Wow, that fly's in the face of the plumbing code.

"I 107.9 Sewer inlets shall be 4 inch diameter and extend above grade 3 to 6 inches (76 to 152 mm).
Each inlet shall be provided with a gas-tight seal when connected to an RV, and have a gas-tight seal or
plug for use when not in service, and shall be protected from traffic."

and...

"I. 107.13 No sewage, wastewater or any other effluent shall be allowed to be deposited on the surface of the ground."

[bpounds]

navegator wrote:
A properly vented tank will never colapse.

navegator

This is my opinion too. If your roof vent is clogged, you're going to have other issues showing up. I only mentioned it because it has been discussed on the forum in the past. Comes up in pretty much every honey wagon discussion.

I guess I didn't get a photo of the rear of their tank, but it had a slogan across the back. "We take cr@p off anyone"

[navegator]

A properly vented tank will never colapse.

navegator

[tdiller]

Cocky_Camper wrote:
That is a strange smelly set up. I couldn't watch. I would be gagging!

As far as the honeywagon, we camp at Darlington, SC for the NASCAR race each labor day and have been doing it for 15+ years. The honeywagon comes around sucking out campers. We have also always been concerned about tanks collapsing from it. We were talking to a worker this year that owns the company that has been doing the area we camp in since we have been going. He said he has never seen or personally heard of a tank collapsing, and like he said, if it happened, word would have probably spread fast and they would have been run out of Darlington County for good.

If you are worried about the tank collapsing just find a way to hold open the toilet flush ball. Air going in would keep the tank from collapsing. I also suspect that air would be sucked past the valve before the tank would collapse.

[Tripalot]

I'll never forget the time we were at the RV lanes at a Flying J waiting our turn.
The RV in front of us was dumping when his hose split and all the sewage spilled over the entire area. The owner put the hose in the garbage bin and drove off leaving an awful smelly mess. We moved to a different lane and before we left this poor young girl was out with a scraper trying to push the mess down the drain hole - she was holding her nose with one hand and doing her best to clean up.

[theoldwizard1]

I saw a video once (might have been Dirtiest Jobs) where the "honey wagons" pulled into what appeared to be a large concrete parking lot. There were "depressions" spaced a couple hundred feet apart. The truck would back up to the top of the depression and "unload" !

This was in an area of the country where they had a lot of sunshine. The load would quickly "dry out" because the run to the bottom of the depression was long. The next day, when it was completely dry, they used a power broom on a tractor to sweep up any dried up solids

[Cocky_Camper]

That is a strange smelly set up. I couldn't watch. I would be gagging!

As far as the honeywagon, we camp at Darlington, SC for the NASCAR race each labor day and have been doing it for 15+ years. The honeywagon comes around sucking out campers. We have also always been concerned about tanks collapsing from it. We were talking to a worker this year that owns the company that has been doing the area we camp in since we have been going. He said he has never seen or personally heard of a tank collapsing, and like he said, if it happened, word would have probably spread fast and they would have been run out of Darlington County for good.

[Jebby14]

^ what could go wrong? haha

[JoeH]

beemerphile1 wrote:
I have read that buses typically pull over a grate and let it rip. Seems like that dump station may be to accommodate Greyhounds and charter buses.

That's how it was at the bus station in my home town... bus pulled in to it's parking space and dumped while loading/unloading passengers.

[beemerphile1]

I have read that buses typically pull over a grate and let it rip. Seems like that dump station may be to accommodate Greyhounds and charter buses.

[Dutch_12078]

We've been to several no sewer or dump station parks over the years where "honey wagons" are the norm. Sometimes a once a week pump out was included in the site fee, with a charge for more often. We've also been to one municipal sewage treatment plant where RV's used the same dump routine as the septic tank pumpers. Just drive over a large grate and stop with your discharge pipe about midway and let it fly into a fast moving water canal below. An attendant was on hand with a high pressure hose to wash down any material left clinging to the grate.