STRANGE OCCURRANCE

The big drain-pipe cap on my rig has a small (maybe 1/2" diameter) screw-on cap. I always set the big cap on so the little one is close to the 6-o'clock position. I open the little one first to see if there's a problem.

I have a bucket to catch anything that might come out of the little cap and can get it back on again in about 10 seconds. As far as I know, it was the standard cap on the rig as delivered.

Get one of these. As it is installed right behind the cap, it is easy for you to remember to make sure it is closed before you take the cap off. In turn it can protect you against:
* leaking valves
* clowns who open your valves for you
* clowns who open, then close your valves (leaving you with a 1/2 - 1 gallon of waste in the pipe between the valves and the cap),
- and -
* yourself (for when you forget the close the valves)

LindsayRichards wrote:
I have heard of people partially removing the lynch pins from the tow bar/base plate connections as a joke. Not too funny and could result in a really bad accident.

If I stop anywhere for any period of time of if my truck is out of sight for any period of time, I will check every single pin, safety chain, valve, etc that somebody could play with before I move again. Pain in the butt, but it prevents "pranks". It also forces me to make sure that there is nothing failing (i.e. busted pin, safety cable fell off, etc) due to wear and tear on the road. It takes but a minute or 2. I always start at the passenger door on the truck and walk to the rear and around and finish back at the passenger door. That way I do the same thing ever time in the same order, forgetting nothing, and when I am done I get in and we leave (DW does the driving).

I have heard of people partially removing the lynch pins from the tow bar/base plate connections as a joke. Not too funny and could result in a really bad accident.

We live on Long Island and we were camping at the beach before Hurricane Sandy hit last fall. We were going to leave Sunday night but got evacuated Sunday morning with the storm set to hit Monday evening. It was my brother's first time out in his new camper and his first experience using the built in black tank sprayer. We had a FHU site. As you can imagine, we were in a bit of a rush. My brother brought his TT to my driveway for the storm.

About a week or two later my brother stopped by to check on the TT. I don't know why, but for some reason he knelt down by the sewer cap and took it off. He got a nice dose of gray/black water before closing the valve to shut it off.

In his rush to evacuate, he never closed the valves after he was done dumping.

Sorta happened to us........

Roadside front tire blew and the thread ripped the sewer line off at the drain manifold........black tank, grey tank & galley tank all dumped in one big whoosh on the highway and everyone behind us. We had boondocked for weekend and hadn't dumped tanks.

Got the rig pulled off to the side and not one person stopped to help but several 'waved'

DutchmenSport wrote:
More than likely, he left the valve open (not aware it was open), and put the cap back on the end of the drain. Then he used water in the camper, down the sink. While enroute to his next destination, the cap vibrated loose and .... swoosh! There goes the gray water all over the road!

It could happen to anyone.

Nawww, that could never happen to anyone.
Well, maybe once.....OK twice in 8 years of fulltiming. Lucky that both times it was the gray water valve left open.

SAR Tracker wrote:
I've seen kids play a prank of opening valves, but leaving the cap on.....

It is good for a laugh UNLESS.... :)

More than likely, he left the valve open (not aware it was open), and put the cap back on the end of the drain. Then he used water in the camper, down the sink. While enroute to his next destination, the cap vibrated loose and .... swoosh! There goes the gray water all over the road!

It could happen to anyone.

You need a key to open the door where the dump valves are located. The first time I tried to connect the hose I removed the cap and quickly discovered that the people that prepared it to be sold had left the black tank valve open. Fortunately there was a gallon or less of liquid with no solids. Never assume the valves are closed (even if they are behind a locked door) when you remove the cap

I did think that it could have been a prank.