Disappearing sewer hose

[Bob Peahl]

I am one step closer to my Charlie Foxtrot merit badge.

Having determined that it was time to finally use our undercarriage hose storage, I loaded our sewer hose extension into the storage tube. Happy to find that it fit perfectly. I “secured” the tube cap and hit the road.

Within a day, the cap disappeared, as did the hose - somewhere between Dodge City and Tucumcari.

I imagine the red hose snaking out of the tube provided entertainment to someone, although traffic was light and no one applauded.

Not to be outdone, I purchased a new tube cover and tail, and inserted a new hose extension. I tightened the cap with a channel lock pliers and added electricians tape. I’m hoping to get two days out of this set up.

[azflycaster]

Had a similar thing happen with an extra hose that tried to escape on I-10 between Sam Antonio and Katy, Texas. We were alerted to the dragging hose by numerous drivers who passed us waving and pointing to the rear of the Airstream. I can only imagine that some of the passing people may have thought we had forgotten to unhook the hose when we pulled out of our last campsite.

We were able to salvage a few feet of the never used sewer hose that we now use with our blue tote.

[brick1]

I lost a hose that way, too. Cap does not seem to be tight.
brick

[Adventure.AS]

The cap is secure if inserted correctly. It can easily inserted with only one tab properly in place. Mine is not a threaded cap and using pliers is not required and won’t make it any more secure.

[mythbuster88]

Kudos to Airstream for sourcing the absolute cheapest cap on the market.

[VTSafari]

Losing the stinky slinky is one thing but when mine came out it managed to rip the storage tube off as well. I replaced it with one that actually has a hinge and a latch. The latch has a hole for a lock but think that might a bit extreme. I just put a small carabiner in it. Problem solved....so far.

[ROBERT CROSS]

🦆 Tape.
Zip on, zip off, secure.
Repeat if necessary. 😂
Bob
🇺🇸

[ROBERT CROSS]

🦆 Tape.
Zip on, zip off, secure.
Repeat if necessary. 😂
Bob
🇺🇸

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by mythbuster88

Kudos to Airstream for sourcing the absolute cheapest cap on the market.

There are thousands of these sewer hose tubes in use on SOBs as well as Airstreams without problem. The cap is a bit tricky to get on, at first, but why blame Airstream for something that is clearly a case of 'user error'.

[WhereStream]

"... why blame Airstream for something that is clearly a case of 'user error'."

Well, it is a common user error, that's for sure.

The cap is hard to get off, hard to get on, and not entirely trustworthy.

I'm looking for a way to make mine actually secure.

Somewhere in the state of Georgia my original sewer hose is decorating a highway right of way, along with the freedom-loving cap.

[BigAl]

I lost a hose first year I had my trailer. The cap does have a lanyard attached so I didn't actually lose the cap. To prevent future loss I put the cap on properly, then drilled a 1/8 inch hole through both the cap and tube so I could put a piece of wire there to keep it closed. Has been perfect for 14 years.
Al

[RLS]

Originally Posted by BigAl

I lost a hose first year I had my trailer. The cap does have a lanyard attached so I didn't actually lose the cap. To prevent future loss I put the cap on properly, then drilled a 1/8 inch hole through both the cap and tube so I could put a piece of wire there to keep it closed. Has been perfect for 14 years.
Al

Like this!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Just like all the accessories on an AS, the under trailer storage tube is a generic item. If anybody has seen a better generic item (as opposed to a DIY solution) maybe that would be worth talking about. The idea that AS should go out and tool something from scratch - not going to happen. I also very much doubt that the esthetics of a chunk of white PVC are going to make it past the marketing guys ....

Bob

[WhereStream]

To prevent another runaway hose, I trimmed down a piece of inner tube (left over fr one of my bikes) and lashed the cap in place.

Don't have to un-lash. Just lift it off, loosen the cap and pull out the hose.

E-Z to install, and it should keep the cap and hose well behaved.

[Gene]

If sewer hoses come out all that often, how come I have never seen any on the highway or shoulder? I never had one escape, but pretty early in our trailer life, we got a large storage container and put all the nasty sewer stuff in it. It got stowed in the back of the pickup. Just take the container to the sewer and sit down on a bench and get to work.

We also have a container for all the fresh water stuff. Best not to mix the two.

Those caps only have 2 connections instead of the 4 they could have. Must save a few cents. The same cap was on the grey and black water drain pipe. The plastic tab that held it onto the pipe broke off quickly, then after several years, the locking tab broke off and I then used another cap. One will eventually break off. I found them very difficult to get off sometimes and had to use a giant channel locks to undo them. Happens on our present trailer too.

[Bill M.]

Lost a cap and a hose out of the tube this summer. Several years ago in Newfoundland I lost the whole tube with the hoses in it. Reminds me to order a new tube before this spring.

[Caffeinated]

Twenty five years + camping in SOBs and the AS, and I've never lost a hose. I have had the cap come off a couple of times, but I was my fault for not paying enough attention while securing it. You have to line up the tabs, making sure that they all are seated before twisting to lock it in place. If you do that, you are good to go.

Mike

[Tim A.]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

You have to line up the tabs, making sure that they all are seated before twisting to lock it in place. If you do that, you are good to go.

I agree. Occasionally spraying the mating surfaces of the cap and the tube with silicone helps in the seating. Otherwise, dirt from the road and out of the hoses can make the process difficult.

Tim