Dump station laughs

[azflycaster]

Yesterday we were headed home after several days of dry camping at a National Forest campground. Last stop on the way out is a visit to the dump station. The two lanes were being used and a small 70s motor home was waiting in front of us.

The Jayco in the left lane was putting hoses together to attach to the tank flush while the older Salem in the right lane was manually flushing the tanks by transporting 5 gallon buckets around the trailer and into the door. The Jayco finally gets his hoses attached but is leaking large amounts of water on the trailer and on the ground. Once the water is flowing, he disappears for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile the bucket bigrade continues on the Salem. Two buckets are used as one is filling while the other is being transported inside. My estimation is that the buckets have 3+ gallons each and 12 trips are made for a total of around 40 gallons.

The Jayco disconnects the flush hose and rolls them up and stores them. Then disconnects the sewer line (stays at dump station) gets into his truck, brake lights come on and go off as if he is leaving, but then he gets out and attaches the sewer line and starts to dump the gray water.

The buckets of water to the Salem continue.

35 minutes after our arrival at the station, it appears that they are both ready to go. The Salem is blocked by the Jayco and the Salem attempts to back out of the site, but the vintage Motorhome is blocking his way. The Jayco starts to roll, but stops and the driver returns to lock the hose compartment.

The Jayco is now rolling and clears the station. The Salem starts to follow, but he is dragging the sewer hose. He stops and returns the sewer hose, but leaves his cap at the station.

We pull in next to the old motorhome. Dump our tanks and hit the road 5 minutes later. A few minutes later we pass the Salem sitting on the side of the road with a giant water puddle under it, we don't slow down...

[Dennis C]

I guess that you could argue that the way that you learn to dump and manage your tanks correctly is by doing it incorrectly a few times....

[Bill M.]

I have never laughed at a dump station. I have cried a couple of times.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

. . .
. . . we don't slow down...

[Lily&Me]

Yeah, we all have at least a few dump station stories.

There is definitely a learning curve to it.

I have to be on my knees, head braced against the side of the Interstate in order to have the required both hands free to attach the sewer hose.

Which is underneath on my rig.

I pulled up to a dump station last Sunday to find both sewer caps left by the last occupant.

It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.

Maggie

[jcanavera]

Here's a thread way back from 2003! https://www.airforums.com/forums/f44...lies-4709.html

You will find that many of us posting were very new Airstreamers!

Jack

[Mollysdad]

Back when I had a motorhome I attended a rally dry camping.
As people left they hit the dump station, it was pretty efficient, there were two facing north and two facing south.
I knew the pressure was on to "show them how it's done".
But as I pulled to the perfect spot there was a water puddle right under my step, so I pulled forward another 5' or so. This meant my sewer hose was too short, but no problemo because I had two.
I twisted the two together and proceeded to dump.
Halfway through the process the two separated flinging grey water like a firehose.
The guy across from me said, "At least it was the grey water." Behind me waiting were two ladies with a stern look and their arms folded over their chests like the nuns from grade school.
I slunk away.
It was all started by that darn water puddle!

[Daytonacoupe]

When you're a novice and you know the audience is entertained by your lack of confidence, steps get missed and people get flustered. Not unlike backing a large rig into a tight spot - you may have done it perfectly a half dozen times, but add the pressure of visibly impatient spectators, and that's when a disaster happens.

Would be nice for an expert to offer a suggestion/guidance to the newbies, but perhaps it's become risky to offer an opinion.

Chitty not to know how to dump lol.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Daytonacoupe

When you're a novice and you know the audience is entertained by your lack of confidence, steps get missed and people get flustered. Not unlike backing a large rig into a tight spot - you may have done it perfectly a half dozen times, but add the pressure of visibly impatient spectators, and that's when a disaster happens.

Would be nice for an expert to offer a suggestion/guidance to the newbies, but perhaps it's become risky to offer an opinion.

Chitty not to know how to dump lol.

I've learned the hard way that unasked for help can definitely be a negative. You will notice that most of us experienced folks, unless we see a safety issue or are asked, keep our mouths closed and step back. My experience was at a WBCCI rally where I let a well meaning fellow attendee assist me in directing me into a backup site. Problem was that while helping me back I quit listening to my wife's instructions (she was well experienced in guiding me). As I was cutting a tight angle with the attendee occupying my attention, we both failed to notice I was slowly turning my tow vehicle into the side of a tree. Thankfully it was low impact on my passenger door and minimal damage other than to my ego.

Jack

[Goin camping]

Pro Tip.

Don't dump when on a massive Margarita hangover. The colors do not blend.

[Shiny16]

Must be nice to have been born with suck a keen sense of dumping.

[JunkYard]

My first time dumping I had no idea to hold the hose down or use the rock. Yep crap everywhere, but it stayed where it needed to be and I hosed it down the hole.

People next to me at the dump station lost there bumper caps so had their hose in a trash bag in a compartment. Gross. Then the team leader says you hook it up and pull both valves at once. They put the hose back in the trash bag full of holes and back in a side compartment.

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by JunkYard

My first time dumping I had no idea to hold the hose down or use the rock. Yep crap everywhere, but it stayed where it needed to be and I hosed it down the hole.

People next to me at the dump station lost there bumper caps so had their hose in a trash bag in a compartment. Gross. Then the team leader says you hook it up and pull both valves at once. They put the hose back in the trash bag full of holes and back in a side compartment.

That's how the PO of my rig stored the hose. First thing I did was install a Valterra tube underneath.
This thread reminds me of my worst dumping experience. It was on a Lance truck camper, I went to open the black tank valve and as I did the entire assembly came off at the tank and you never saw so much brown matter dispatch in the course of a couple of seconds, and plenty of it on me! Here's a good tip for everyone: keep an eye on that rubber boot with the two big hose clamps on it. Moving it back and forth every time you work the valve can gradually work it right off the tank! One of my projects is to put a 1 hole conduit clamp (Minerallac) around the end of the pipe near the valve and fasten a cable up tight to the frame to stop the constant back and forth movement. Meanwhile I have tightened the hose clamps with a very large screwdriver and I keep a wary eye on it. Although that experience was nearly 30 years ago I think of it every time I dump.

[majorairhead]

What I'd like to know is, would you prefer the person before you, at your full hookup site, use his/her black water tank flush hose, or fresh water hose, to hook up to the fresh water spigot for flushing his/her black tank?

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

What I'd like to know is, would you prefer the person before you, at your full hookup site, use his/her black water tank flush hose, or fresh water hose, to hook up to the fresh water spigot for flushing his/her black tank?

I am sure there is plenty of cross contamination happening at any RV site, I have read that many people don't take any precautions and have never got sick while others either spray down the faucet with a bleach solution before hooking up or wiping it with bleach wipes. Rubber gloves are kind of a mixed bag, they don't prevent cross contamination, at best I suppose they keep the nasty stuff from getting trapped under your fingernails.

Preventing cross contamination requires careful planning and thinking out the sequence/order in what you touch....who does that, even in the food industry it's not always done.

Regardless my plan is to drink bottled water only and maybe even brush teeth with bottled water only. Spent enough time in Mexico to where it is second nature to me when travelling. Curious as to how many do this.

[JunkYard]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

I am sure there is plenty of cross contamination happening at any RV site, I have read that many people don't take any precautions and have never got sick while others either spray down the faucet with a bleach solution before hooking up or wiping it with bleach wipes. Rubber gloves are kind of a mixed bag, they don't prevent cross contamination, at best I suppose they keep the nasty stuff from getting trapped under your fingernails.

Preventing cross contamination requires careful planning and thinking out the sequence/order in what you touch....who does that, even in the food industry it's not always done.

Regardless my plan is to drink bottled water only and maybe even brush teeth with bottled water only. Spent enough time in Mexico to where it is second nature to me when travelling. Curious as to how mant do this.

If your worried you could add a couple drops of chlorine. We don’t drink out of the tank. I figure back flow all the way to the camp faucet is unlikely anyway. I figure everything at the dump station is contaminated and wash hands before I touch anything I don’t want contaminated.

[Lily&Me]

I don’t take any extra precautions with water fills, but always first flush the spigot and then my hose out before hooking up.

I don’t replace my hose every year, either, just allow to air dry and flush before using.

Never had any problems in 20 years.

Maggie

[tvketchum]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

What I'd like to know is, would you prefer the person before you, at your full hookup site, use his/her black water tank flush hose, or fresh water hose, to hook up to the fresh water spigot for flushing his/her black tank?

Truth be told, most newer campgrounds have vacuum breakers on the spigots. Even when they don’t, I flush the line by running the water, splashing over the thread connection, then, hook up my hose, flush it out, then connect to the trailer. My 08 Classic has a hose bib in the water inlet compartment, so when at full hook up sites, my black flush gets connected to that bib, which also has a vacuum breaker. I dump black, hit the rinse, when it clears up, I shut off the rinse, close the valve, unhook the flush hose, and dump gray.

There is very little, if any, chance this operation induces cross contamination. After all, bacteria are not salmon: they can’t swim upstream.

[nitzo]

These stories kind of remind one of sitting at a boat ramp.

[s1000pre]

Originally Posted by Goin camping

Pro Tip.

Don't dump when on a massive Margarita hangover. The colors do not blend.

Hahahahha