Dump Station Woes and other adventures with the "stinky slinky"

[Dave and Kimberly]

   Ok... after reading and agreeing with some concerns about the difficulty undoing the Black and Gray drain cap, I feel compelled to dump another question on the group about the "Dump process".    Yes... I also think the placement of the cap is difficult and I feel like I have to get down on my knees... in an area I'd really rather NOT do that in.   

   To further compound the frustration... three times I've discovered that the tube already had some liquid behind the cap (and yes it was, before you even ask).   After each of these nasty episodes... I'm careful to check and make sure that the valves are completely closed after finishing at the dump station.   To  further test the valves' integrity for a tight seal, I've filled both the black and gray tanks with clean soapy water (now that we are home for while)... and leaving the cap off... I'm looking for any water draining despite the closed valves.   Of course when it's clean water - nothing, not a drop is coming out!

    A further note... getting home after picking up our new Ollie on May 2, I've lowered the Andersen WDH Ball hitch one hole, which is 1 1/2".   I did this in order to make the Ollie a bit more flat when towing.   It's still 1 1/2" tongue high while towing.  I say this because I'm wondering if I'm not getting a thorough drain down the length of the tube when at the dump station.

    And one more note while I'm "venting"... is that every dump station seems to have a different grade... which adds another complication to the whole stinking conundrum!

Thanks to this forum... I think I can confidently fix just about everything imaginable on our Ollie... so I'm hoping for some group wisdom on this topic as well!

[AndrewK]

Dave and Kimberly,

Are you disconnecting the sewer dump hose after every dump?  If you are, my suggestion would be to leave the one length of the hose connected with the cap on the end of the hose.

This will keep you from having to bend down and reaching in.  When you remove the cap on the end of the hose, to dump, make sure you are holding the end of the hose above the outlet.  This will insure there is no leakage from the hose.

For best results dumping, I always raise the front of the trailer.  The grey tank is very shallow and will not drain well otherwise.

I hope this helps.

AndrewK

[Steph and Dud B]

We run the rear tires of the truck up on leveling blocks when we pull into a dump station (to raise the front of the trailer) then put the tongue jack down for another inch. 

[Frank C]

Ditto to what AndrewK said.  I just leave one 10’ section of sewer hose always connected to the drain connection inside the rear bumper, and then just cap the end of the hose.  That way there’s no need to be getting on your knees to cap or uncap the drain fitting inside the bumper every time you empty your tanks.   Extra hose sections added as needed (I carry 30 feet of hose total) depending on the sewer connection I’m trying to reach. 

[DavePhelps]

I feel your pain. Trying to get your hand in that small bumper space to attach and detach the sewer hose from the trailer outlet pipe is a real pita.
So, like AndrewK, I never detach the hose. Makes life easier and far less fussing around. Never had any issue doing this. Just be sure to cap the end of your sewer hose, which you can only do after you have collapsed most of it into the bumper area. If you cap first, you won't be able to fit the hose in there as you'll be compressing trapped air in the hose with the cap locked in place. I also use one of these, and wouldn't be without it:

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Sidewinder-Support-Lightweight-Plastic/dp/B000BUU5WW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=205BE4AEGCSY8&keywords=rv%2Bsewer%2Bhose%2Bramp&qid=1657242718&sprefix=rv%2Bsewer%2Bhose%2Bramp%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-2&th=1

Very simple and really helps get a continuous slope down to the sewer inlet. Take a little time to set up your hose and all will drain well. Tanks drain best when they are near full. If you have time, drain the black tank, refill to 50% with the black tank flush inlet, then drain again. Then drain your gray tank. And like others have said, tip up your trailer for a better drain!

It does get easier!

Dave

[Mike and Carol]

Yep, there’s no need to disconnect the black hose from the connection in the bumper.  I have a 15’ always connected and another 10’ section behind it in the bumper space.  If you’re getting some “liquid” in the hose after dumping you might try manually pushing the valve closed under the dinette seat.  Sometimes a bit of debris or paper can get caught preventing the total closure of the valve.  Another advantage of keeping a hose connected all the time is that if you can feel a certain heaviness when you pull the hose out just hold the end up while you connect the right angle end piece then quickly insert it into the sewer.  Mike

[thirddoor]

We always left the hose attached in the bumper, but after getting a full hose surprise a few times, we made sure to check the valve under the dinette seat and give it a firm push down to make sure it was set. After adding that to our dump routine, no more surprises.

[rideandfly]

We keep a 3' section of hose connected to Ollie's black/grey water drain at all times. Also have room for a 5' and 10' sections of hose in the bumper. Always look at the dump station grade when arriving to see which direction will give Ollie a higher nose up attitude while dumping.

We use Camco leveling system to level Ollie while camping, also use these two leveling wedges to lift the rear wheels of the TV and lift Ollie's nose in situations when the dump station is lower on both sides of the dump drain pipe in the ground causing Ollie to be nose down in both directions to get better draining of the tanks.

One  campground has a dump station with much lower ground on both sides of the dump station drain pipe, making it difficult to completely drain the tanks, even using wedges under the TV rear axles. In this case we use a Camco 15 gallon dump tote and don't take Ollie to the dump station except for fresh (potable) water.  This campground has the only dump station before getting back home, so I want to empty the tanks completely before leaving that campground.

[Townesw]

Valterra has a twist on waste valve that you can attach to the end of the pipe in the bumper to provide a “last line of defense”. I carry one in case I have a valve failure upstream, but you could use it all the time. 
 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-Twist-On-Waste-Valve/dp/B000BGHYJS/ref=asc_df_B000BGHYJS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312128189269&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18049546831347238612&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9013575&hvtargid=pla-448831038926&psc=1

[Townesw]

Campsite sewer connections are placed for RVs with mid vehicle dump valves. Olivers have the dump valves in the bumper. I used this setup at a campground on the Keweenaw Peninsula so that I could dump up hill 

 

 

And at another campsite where the sewer connection was too high to allow proper flow

 

[Dave and Kimberly]

  As always... some great ideas from the group!   When I see confirmation from so many others it is affirming what all of you have said.   I will keep a section connected to the Oliver and capped on the other end to eliminate the reaching in under the bumper.   It will be especially nice to have "fair warning" from any weight found in the sewer hose before I uncap it.   Adding a check under the dinette seat to confirm the valve is seated all the way is a good idea too. 

   In a pinch... and assuming there isn't people waiting, I'll try to put the front jack down enough to raise the trailer up a few inches.  Not unhooking, but  just taking the weight off the truck should be enough to get some extra fall from front to back.

   Thanks again!   I hope this newbee question was helpful to some one else too!

[Dave and Kimberly]

 Bill and Martha-  the more I look at your sewer hose arrangement around the side-winder... the more I like it  🙂

 

[bugeyedriver]

There are no questions or problems about your Ollie that can't be brought to this group of fellow owners.  No matter how stinky a problem you might have.  We are glad to share our experiences, thoughts and ideas.  I've circled the drain with minor issues regarding this important system in The Wonder Egg over many years.  I've even installed two different macerator systems thinking I'd get real fancy.  Well . . . they both failed over the years and I have reverted back to good old gravity. It's always there to help in a pinch.

Yeah, our grey tank profile does not provide much motive flow without a bit of elevation on the front of the trailer.  If I am at a full hookup site, I will leave the grey valve cracked open just a bit, providing a regular dribble of grey water from the slinky.  This eliminates the need to do a full grey dump and I will have minimal soapy water left in the grey going down the road. Since I have the black tank clean out valve, getting a good flush of the black system until the water runs clear is easy.  Of course, while boondocking, I keep the grey valve closed to use it for the stinky slinky rinse.

Townesw, thanks for the information on the twist on waste valve.  That device looks like a great addition to our trailers! Perhaps OTT would consider making it a regular feature.

 

[dhaig]

4 hours ago, Townesw said:

Campsite sewer connections are placed for RVs with mid vehicle dump valves. Olivers have the dump valves in the bumper. I used this setup at a campground on the Keweenaw Peninsula so that I could dump up hill 

 

@Townesw, Kudos on the creative solution to supporting the Sidewinder where sloping terrain near the sewer connection is encountered.  I don't know where you store the long pieces of wood, but I don't have any easy storage location for what appear to be 8 foot lengths.  This caused me to think of alternative supports.  I recently posted about constructing an external towel bar, using ¾" PVC tubing.  Since I am already carrying three pieces of ¾"x 45" PVC tubing, I can add a fourth piece and 2- ¾" couplings and I should be able to achieve an equivalent support mechanism for our Sidewinder.  Thanks for the idea!

)

[Sak]

2 hours ago, dhaig said:

 I don't know where you store the long pieces of wood, but I don't have any easy storage location for what appear to be 8 foot lengths.  This caused me to think of alternative supports.

Perhaps a telescopic flag pole would work?

[SeaDawg]

3 hours ago, bugeyedriver said:

Townesw, thanks for the information on the twist on waste valve.  That device looks like a great addition to our trailers! Perhaps OTT would consider making it a regular feature.

Pete, we bought one of those years ago. It didn't fit in our 2008 bumper, as I recall, and we had to return it. 

I think the new bumpers have a larger cavity.

[Townesw]

6 hours ago, dhaig said:

I don't know where you store the long pieces of wood, but I don't have any easy storage location for what appear to be 8 foot lengths.  This caused me to think of alternative supports. 

 

3 hours ago, sak said:

Perhaps a telescopic flag pole would work?

I too have been trying to come up with a way to carry the 8 foot sticks since I put the bed cap on our current truck. I thought about sticking an 8 ft piece of electrical conduit inside the frame rail, but I don’t want that rattling around. I also thought about fixing some way to carry them under the camper, secured to the frame. But I just now remembered the sectional aluminum tent poles that we used when I was a Boy Scout. Those things were extremely durable. There is no telling how many sword fights we had with those pole sections. You could stick the end of a section down in mud then sling that section and it would send a deadly mud slug at an a adversary. We even used them as javelins and spears. I’m going to see if I can locate a source for sectional aluminum tent poles 8 feet long and order a couple to use the next time I need to dump uphill. 

[John E Davies]

Bill …. https://alcobrametals.com/telescopic-tubing/

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Townesw]

@John E Daviesthank you Sir. That’s an interesting website. 

[Trainman]

Wow, I have just not encountered many of the problems that I guess some have, other then to get down on one knee to get the cap off and hookup the hose, it's just a odd angle and you can't see what is happing without getting down to see it.  Could Oliver improve the end where it's a little easier to see what is going on and make hookup easier,  yes, but I guess not may have complained about this to them. Looks like a $10 fix to me. As far a dump stations go, not all are what I would call built with a lot of commonsense, I always look to see which way I want to pull through as not all are concrete pads are what I would call at the correct angle for draining the tank. 

trainman

[Kathy Tewart]

I'm so glad I checked the forum today-just returned from out 2nd trip and at the dump station the hose was full-so we will check the valve under the dinette.  So many good ideas about tips at the dump station.  Thanks all

[mountainoliver]

Just another idea for leaving the sewer hose connected to the trailer. I’ve had the hose connected since pickup in 2017 without any issues. I use a cap on the hose end that also has a garden hose connection. I also have a small ball valve attached to the cap. This makes it easy/controlled to drain the hose if it’s filled with liquid. 
 

[Ron and Phyllis]

Good idea. So, you attached the garden hose connection to the cap? Details?

[mountainoliver]

17 hours ago, Ron and Phyllis said:

Good idea. So, you attached the garden hose connection to the cap? Details?

I didn’t, the sewer hose cap comes with a male garden hose fitting as part of the cap. I added a standard ball valve from a Home Depo type store that has male garden hose threads on one end and female garden hose threads on the other. If the sewer hose has liquid in it you can aim the ball valve into the campground sewer connection and easily/safely empty the sewer hose before removing the cap. Note: this is for liquid only….wink wink!

[Ron and Phyllis]

I asked because the sewer hose caps I've found thus far do not have the male garden hose fitting as part of the cap.  Where did you purchase?