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SteveSueMac · 05-26-2014, 06:24 PM

Could use the wisdom of this group.

When you're at a site without sewer hookups and there is a single dump station, is there an etiquette related to time spent at the station?

I was leaving a site today, no one in front of me at the dump line and I took care of business. Looked behind me, still no one there so I thought I'd head in to the camper and run some stuff into the sinks and toilet as I always do after dumping.

While filling the toilet with a couple gallons of water, someone knocks on my trailer door an tells in, "are you about ready to kick off yet?"

This flustered me so I rushed the procedure to get out of the line and realized an hour later I had neglected to shut off the water pump and the lights in the trailer and shower stall.

Thankfully, no faucets were open so no disaster. But I couldn't have been in there for more than 5-6 minutes MAX and that was AFTER checking that no one was behind me. Since the driveway out was only wide enough for one vehicle and was about 2 miles long, I would have run in to the same problem had I pulled out of the dump station to start that procedure forward of the station.

What do you think? Glad to learn either way!

HiHoAgRV · 05-26-2014, 06:36 PM

Dude...I'm having flashbacks!
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/...tte-34602.html

SteveSueMac · 05-26-2014, 06:40 PM

Ok - so I've violating search-before-you-post etiquette too? Good night everyone! :-)

HiHoAgRV · 05-26-2014, 06:46 PM

Flash backs or flush backs....Both can be disturbing!

Wingeezer · 05-26-2014, 06:46 PM

For some reason I always get very embarrassed if I think I am holding someone up, so I take the absolute minimum time that I can at dump stations ! No flushing, nothing, unless there is no one waiting.

My wife thinks I am nuts - but then, in grocery line checkouts, I just cannot understand people - like my wife - who wait until they get told the amount that they owe before they decide to open their purse and hunt for their credit card!

Are they not thinking ahead that sooner or later they will be having to do that!??!!

Brian

idroba · 05-26-2014, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

My wife thinks I am nuts - but then, in grocery line checkouts, I just cannot understand people - like my wife - who wait until they get told the amount that they owe before they decide to open their purse and hunt for their credit card!!

Brian

Hell, they wait for the checkout to finish, hear the total, then start to look for their checkbook. At that point they ask for the name of the store (honest) the date, of course the amount (twice) and then they show the checker photos of their grandchildren. I have even had them look at me, next in line, and want to show me the photos. If I am polite I only say "I am in a hurry". What I am thinking is far worse.

Smoke comes out my ears.

At dump stations I always seem to get behind the guy who thinks he is taking care of nuclear waste. Plastic booties, gloves up to the elbo then oh so careful dump, then hose through the window so they can flush it out even more (how long will it remain "clean?", then elaborate washing of the dump hose, then all the gear has to be put away, then they pull forward just enough to make me hopeful, but stop, and fill their fresh water tank, still blocking my access to the dump station.

Get there, dump, be gone. 5 to 7 minutes max.

You hit a nerve..... lol.

SteveSueMac · 05-26-2014, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idroba

You hit a nerve..... lol.

Really? Wouldn't have guessed :-)

In my defense - it's CAMPING for crying out loud! You can't wait 5 minutes to dump your crap you gotta knock on someone's trailer door to hurry them along because your crap is more important than mine? :-)

As they said in Stripes, "Lighten up, Frances." :-)

My nerve exposed a bit there too :-)

It's all good!

dznf0g · 05-26-2014, 07:55 PM

I don't flush of someone is waiting. 5 to 10 minutes max. It is proper etiquette to dump and move on.

Sent from my XT907 using Airstream Forums mobile app

Protagonist · 05-26-2014, 08:04 PM

Thankfully, I've never held up anyone in line behind me at a dump station. Yet. I'm sure I will, sooner or later, though. Luckily, discharging through a macerator pump is quick and clean, and there's no need to rinse a slinky.

But there have been times when I was the one held up. The worst was Chicot State Park, LA. Which has not one, but TWO dump stations. The guy ahead of me managed to pull up his fifth wheel so he was blocking one to use the other. And, while one of his tanks was dumping, he walked away a couple hundred feet (yards, miles, astronomical units, it sure SEEMED like it!) to the bathhouse to dump his own tank while the trailer was dumping its tank. Fifteen minutes before he came back to switch to dumping the other tank. Then back to the bathhouse for another fifteen minutes. Then another ten minutes just to rinse out his slinky and put it away. Altogether I waited forty-five minutes for this guy, and by then there was a line behind me to rival that scene in Robin Williams's "RV." I am so glad it took me just four minutes to dump BOTH of my tanks and move on when it was my turn! Gotta love 10gpm macerator pumps!

Jammer · 05-26-2014, 08:07 PM

I wouldn't go up and knock on someone's door after just a minute or two.

If I'm fussing around inside I watch through the back window of the trailer to see if someone comes in behind me, so I know when they arrive, and am not surprised.

In general I try to plan to do any extended flushing that may become necessary upon next visiting a full hookup site. I also have a dump station at my house, although it's something of a nuisance to use between backing the trailer in and getting out the sewer solution and related apparatus.

That said, when there is no line, it's reasonable to engage in a certain limited amount of maintenance-related flushing at the dump station, particularly when no other good option is available.

And when there are two or three rigs waiting, I hustle.

andreasduess · 05-26-2014, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

You can't wait 5 minutes to dump your crap you gotta knock on someone's trailer door to hurry them along because your crap is more important than mine? :-)

As they said in Stripes, "Lighten up, Frances." :-)

Try saying that after you've been on a 300 mile trip with the kids who are all cranky and hungry and want to get out of their seats NOW and the only thing standing between you and unhitching is the guy in front of you taking his sweet time.

I'm pretty quick at the dump - get it done and go.

cwf · 05-26-2014, 08:35 PM

I show up 'prepared' and just clear out.

There are people who really need to be schooled... the guy who left his vehicle was probably one of "those guys" at the boat ramp, too.

Somedays I catch myself saying, "It is truly time to thin the herd!"... outloud...

Just this weekend, out with family at a restaurant, as leaving, we held a door for a young lady who was approaching with her hands tied up carrying a package. This 'guy' runs up from the hostess station and joyfully embraced her... for a while... I had to tap the guy on the shoulder twice, the second time telling him "that was rude!" ... he didn't get it.. for a second.. then moved on...

rodsterinfl · 05-26-2014, 08:51 PM

When I was at a Rally it was like an assembly line. It was Gray water, black water stow and go with the hose and move on; however, in what you shared, it was probably someone that drove up and probably saw no action to gauge timing and approached you. As far as flushing goes I would do what I need to do as long as it was no more than about 10 min from pull-in to departure. Just my thoughts. Like a gas station fill up per se.

MrUKToad · 05-26-2014, 08:55 PM

Being English, I would rather drink a cup of cold sick than hold someone up at the dump station; it's in me genes unfortunately. That said, I'm always on vacation when I'm in my Airstream so I don't mind waiting for others to get done (with acknowledgement to Andy's issues with the young kids of course).

Where I do get upset is when people in front of me in the line at the grocery store stand and watch a week's shopping go over the scanner and only when the task is complete do they think about putting a couple of items in plastic bags. I'm not sure if it's a ruse to get the cashier to do the packing or just plain stupidity. We're packed and ready to go pretty much as the last item is scanned - see, there's the English again, not wanting to cause a hold up for anyone.

Skater · 05-27-2014, 05:13 AM

I try to get in, dump, and get out quickly but not so fast that I do something dumb and delay everyone even further. I generally don't have a need to go into the camper. If there's something I need to do inside the camper, if no one is waiting and it's quick, I'll do it right there, but if it's something that's going to take a few minutes or someone is waiting, I'll pull ahead - even if I'm still blocking the lane, they'll be dumping for a few minutes.

In general, when we stop at the dump station, we're itching to hit the road. If we're in a site without sewer, we'll tend to leave earlier in an attempt to avoid the line at the dump station.

I wouldn't knock on someone's door, especially after only a few minutes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Altogether I waited forty-five minutes for this guy, and by then there was a line behind me to rival that scene in Robin Williams's "RV."

That guy deserves to be slapped! I wonder if he was angry at the campground for something (not allowed to throw a party at 2 a.m., or something like that), so he decided to irritate other patrons in return.

Wingeezer · 05-27-2014, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

Being English, I would rather drink a cup of cold sick than hold someone up at the dump station; it's in me genes unfortunately. That said, I'm always on vacation when I'm in my Airstream so I don't mind waiting for others to get done (with acknowledgement to Andy's issues with the young kids of course).

Where I do get upset is when people in front of me in the line at the grocery store stand and watch a week's shopping go over the scanner and only when the task is complete do they think about putting a couple of items in plastic bags. I'm not sure if it's a ruse to get the cashier to do the packing or just plain stupidity. We're packed and ready to go pretty much as the last item is scanned - see, there's the English again, not wanting to cause a hold up for anyone.

Hmmm, never thought of that - perhaps it is the country of my origin and its culture also that leads me to be paranoid about delaying others! Although my good lady wife also hails from the UK and doesn't seem bothered in the slightest!

Brian.

perryg114 · 05-27-2014, 07:07 AM

I think I would have hurt the guy or got in his truck and moved his rig.

Perry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Thankfully, I've never held up anyone in line behind me at a dump station. Yet. I'm sure I will, sooner or later, though. Luckily, discharging through a macerator pump is quick and clean, and there's no need to rinse a slinky.

But there have been times when I was the one held up. The worst was Chicot State Park, LA. Which has not one, but TWO dump stations. The guy ahead of me managed to pull up his fifth wheel so he was blocking one to use the other. And, while one of his tanks was dumping, he walked away a couple hundred feet (yards, miles, astronomical units, it sure SEEMED like it!) to the bathhouse to dump his own tank while the trailer was dumping its tank. Fifteen minutes before he came back to switch to dumping the other tank. Then back to the bathhouse for another fifteen minutes. Then another ten minutes just to rinse out his slinky and put it away. Altogether I waited forty-five minutes for this guy, and by then there was a line behind me to rival that scene in Robin Williams's "RV." I am so glad it took me just four minutes to dump BOTH of my tanks and move on when it was my turn! Gotta love 10gpm macerator pumps!

Air Dog · 05-27-2014, 07:30 AM

It's pretty simple. If I'm dumping the guy behind me expects me to be in and out in 5 minutes. If I'm waiting the guy in front of me expects me to wait 45 minutes.

The boat ramp comparison is great. We, and most blesses with situationally awareness and courtesy, have the boat prepped and ready to launch before we block the ramp.

I like the people that park their cart, bend over, and block the grocery aisle both directions while they painfully try to determine if 2 8oz bottles with coupons are cheaper than one 14 oz.

Common sense, courtesy, respect, and situational awareness are becoming lost traits in this all about me generation.

Pat Conway · 05-27-2014, 08:02 AM

Another thing that gripes me are "gassers" blocking the diesel pumps at Gas stations when other gas only lanes are available. It is usually someone who leaves their vehicle at the pump and then goes in to take care of other business inside, without having the courtesy to move their vehicle out of the way first.

perryg114 · 05-27-2014, 08:47 AM

If you want to putt around you can dump your tanks then pull over and put some water in the black tank then get back in line to dump the residuals. I have not had too many problems with the dump line backup. The folks that wait till checkout time to leave on a Sunday afternoon will probably see a line. If you get going by 7 or 8AM, then probably no one will be there.

It is comical to watch the idiots at a boat ramp. This is another reason not to have a boat.

Perry