Sewer hoses on the ground

[hemsteadc]

17 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

What problems do you see with leaving the grey valve open for extended periods? 

You don't have to mess with supporting your sewer hose off the ground. I guess I prefer not to let things dry up in there.

Edited July 11, 2020 by hemsteadc

[Dutch_12078]

9 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

You don't have to mess with supporting your sewer hose off the ground. I guess I prefer not to let things dry up in there.

Between showers and sink usage, I don't think our hose gets much time to dry. I do close the valve a day or so before dumping the black tank so I can give the hose a good rinse. Supporting it only takes a couple of minutes, so I don't have a problem with that. For shorter overnight or 2-3 day stops, I don't bother hooking up until dump time though...

[hemsteadc]

7 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

Supporting it only takes a couple of minutes, so I don't have a problem with that. 

I used to have a support, but it just kept falling over.  Anyway, after a few years of getting sick of RV parks,  I never used it so I tossed it.  When I'm hooked up I connect and dump as needed. Yes, I have to walk the hose to drain it.  

Edited July 11, 2020 by hemsteadc

[Dutch_12078]

1 hour ago, hemsteadc said:

I used to have a support, but it just kept falling over.  Anyway, after a few years of getting sick of RV parks,  I never used it so I tossed it.  When I'm hooked up I connect and dump as needed. Yes, I have to walk the hose to drain it.  

Yep, whatever works best for you. That's why we have choices...

[richfaa]

Our washer/Dryer dumps directly to the dump valve so we need to keep hooked up. We purchase quality sewer hose and we do keep it off the ground and slanted for proper  flow. We leave the grey and galley  valve open and dump the black tanks every  4 days. We do fill the grey and galley tanks from time to time and clean them out. Dumping, Hoses , etc have never been a problem for us.

[Mr. Camper]

On 7/11/2020 at 10:02 AM, Dutch_12078 said:

Between showers and sink usage, I don't think our hose gets much time to dry. I do close the valve a day or so before dumping the black tank so I can give the hose a good rinse. Supporting it only takes a couple of minutes, so I don't have a problem with that. For shorter overnight or 2-3 day stops, I don't bother hooking up until dump time though...

We used to do the same thing, until it looked like Mother Nature had a personal grudge against us and for one whole camping season for us, on getaway day, we had moderate to heavy downpours, that made that uncomfortable to continue doing.

[Pat & Pete]

I don't like the hose on the ground ... dirt , weed whips and clumsy 'animals' , not to mention poor flow .

And , a raised sewer hose is a lot harder to step on . LOL

We full time and long stay , so I hook up once and done . I always close all waste valves . I don't care for 'critters' getting where they don't belong . I'm not so busy that I can't take a minute to pull a drain valve . I need that exhausting exercise , anyway .

I don't have a fancy , more pain than it's worth , expandable 'drain bridge' . Instead , I use a section of vinyl gutter cut in half and joined with a couple screws , so it can be folded together for easy storage . For support , there's always something handy , like a chunk or two of firewood .

Edited July 12, 2020 by Pat & Pete

[Dutch_12078]

5 hours ago, Mr. Camper said:

We used to do the same thing, until it looked like Mother Nature had a personal grudge against us and for one whole camping season for us, on getaway day, we had moderate to heavy downpours, that made that uncomfortable to continue doing.

I normally keep an eye on the weather anyway, but particularly as departure day approaches. If the weather looks questionable, I have no problem with dumping the night before and stowing the hose as well as stowing anything else that's not needed in the morning. The small amount that's added to the tanks overnight can just ride along to the next stop.

[Barbaraok]

We always dump the tanks the night before we leave.   We have large tanks, so not a problem to move with some liquids in the tanks.  We often take in the water hose and run off the fresh water tank.   Same with doing several day travel, just plug in and that’s it.  

[bobsallyh]

Yuma County AZ., the sewer hose must be off the ground and a tight seal connection from your hose to the park sewer fitting. From time to time I would see a County vehicle come thru the park, the driver would alternate looks from one side of the park road to other looking between RVs at the hookup. Any violations, he would jot down the site number and give it to the park office. The manager would then get it corrected. Violations were very rare.

[Ray,IN]

On 7/9/2020 at 8:28 PM, docj said:

The sewer hose connection for our Beaver is below the basement floor and it is exceedingly difficult to maintain a slope to a drain, particularly if it is placed above ground level as many of them are.   I do the best I can but many sewer hose supports are taller than the height of my sewer output, especially when I've dumped the airbags.

X3.

[Dutch_12078]

If the U-trap doesn't stop them, why don't we see them in residential fixtures that are only protected by S or P water traps?

[mptjelgin]

1 hour ago, Robert Clark said:

I had used this 10' Rhino Flex hose 2 times prior to it failing and it is stored in a safe place on my trailer. I was dumping a 28' travel trailer black tank into a 42 gallon blue boy waste tank, had both ends of the hose firmly secured and in place. When I opened the black water tank valve at the trailer the hose blew off the end of the fitting (came out of the orange connector) at the blue boy tank. 

If you try to dump very quickly into a Blue Boy you can build up a lot of pressure. That may have been what blew the hose off.  Rhino has a very good reputation. We've used our set for about five years of full-timing and it has far outlasted the less expensive CAMCO hoses. 

[DanZemke]

13 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

If the U-trap doesn't stop them, why don't we see them in residential fixtures that are only protected by S or P water traps?

I agree with you that I've never had a problem with sewer flies in a conventional sticks and bricks home.   My first 4 houses were connected to a city sewer system and I suspect they are systemically designed to prevent sewer fly intrusion. 

But my current house uses a traditional,  private backyard septic system.  A large pipe from my home connects to a 500 gallon tank which connects to a leach field.  The only time the tank is exposed to the open air is for about an hour, when it is pumped out every other year.

I know nothing about the life cycle of sewer flies.  But it appears there is no way for them to get into the sealed concrete tank or the pipe connecting the tank to my house.  The only entry point would appear to be to burrow down through 2 feet of soil in the leach field and migrate through the pipes up to my house.  I suspect that this provides a more effective barrier than water traps.  And that's why conventional homes don't have problems with sewer flies.

 

 

[Randyretired]

7 hours ago, DanZemke said:

I agree with you that I've never had a problem with sewer flies in a conventional sticks and bricks home.   My first 4 houses were connected to a city sewer system and I suspect they are systemically designed to prevent sewer fly intrusion. 

But my current house uses a traditional,  private backyard septic system.  A large pipe from my home connects to a 500 gallon tank which connects to a leach field.  The only time the tank is exposed to the open air is for about an hour, when it is pumped out every other year.

I know nothing about the life cycle of sewer flies.  But it appears there is no way for them to get into the sealed concrete tank or the pipe connecting the tank to my house.  The only entry point would appear to be to burrow down through 2 feet of soil in the leach field and migrate through the pipes up to my house.  I suspect that this provides a more effective barrier than water traps.  And that's why conventional homes don't have problems with sewer flies.

 

 

I have never had a problem with sewer flies either. However any house built to code has sewer vents and insects can access the sewer lines and septic tanks through the vents. It is not a sealed system.  RV's also have vents into each waste tank so insects or ? can access those tanks as well.

[DanZemke]

1 hour ago, Randyretired said:

I have never had a problem with sewer flies either. However any house built to code has sewer vents and insects can access the sewer lines and septic tanks through the vents. It is not a sealed system.  RV's also have vents into each waste tank so insects or ? can access those tanks as well.

Yes, I forgot about my roof vent which ties into the drain system.  Good point.

To me, the key questions are: where are the sewer flies coming from and how is the infection propagated?  For most conventional houses there is no source.  And if a house does become infected, there's little danger of propagation to others because of the very long pathway for transmission.

RV parks are much different. Folks are connecting their waste hoses from a wide variety of locations to a community tank.  Transmission is much easier for those connected.  There is no social distancing to reduce the transmission rate.

I vaguely recall Derek/RV had some evidence that "sewer flies" (don't recall if it was the adult flies or larva) could easily penetrate a U-trap.  Perhaps, he'll chime in on this.

 

[Jinx & Wayne]

On 7/11/2020 at 10:26 AM, Kirk W said:

Some systems seem to push air back up for some reason, but nearly all of them harbor sewer flies or similar creatures. If sewer flies get started breeding inside of your tanks you will probably get more cautious. I

Amen to that.  We had a bout of phorid flies in Florida last year.  Two gallons of citrus-based biocide, and two bouts of driving with borax and Dawn in the tanks finally fixed the problem.

[George the greek]

On 7/10/2020 at 4:14 PM, Kirk W said:

I do the very same thing. There is one additional thing that I have learned from experience. I keep the sewer hose on one of the sloping stands for them but I also put a U into it at the entry to the sewer system to form a hydraulic plug like a P-trap in plumbing. It stops odors and bugs from entering the RV waste tanks. 

Ive seen others put the "u" in sewer hose and wondered why now I know thanks Kirk. Does the "U" cause any issues with draining?

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, George the greek said:

Does the "U" cause any issues with draining?

It can collect solids to settle there so I always flush mine out well from time to time when sitting still for a long period. Probably do that about once a month but don't actually track it.

[Barbaraok]

Just a reminder, when dumping, pull open the gray tank first to allow it is pre-rinse the hose - and show you if a pinhole leak has developed!.  Then close and open black tank.   Experience  can be a not-so gentle teacher at times!🤬

[Twotoes]

No. Open the black tank first, slowly in case of a leak. Open the gray valve second so that all the soapy water rinses out the sewer hose. 

[sandsys]

1 hour ago, Twotoes said:

No. Open the black tank first, slowly in case of a leak. Open the gray valve second so that all the soapy water rinses out the sewer hose. 

What Barb suggested is to open the gray only long enough to check for leaks. Then dump the black. Then dump the rest of the gray to wash the hose. Using the black to check for leaks can be problematic.

Linda

[Barbaraok]

11 hours ago, sandsys said:

What Barb suggested is to open the gray only long enough to check for leaks. Then dump the black. Then dump the rest of the gray to wash the hose. Using the black to check for leaks can be problematic.

Linda

Problematic is such a nice phase for what can be a real S-show!

[Stephen Ryan]

RhinoFLEX kit seems very durable. Only had it for 2 months and I’m a full-timer. Usually, end up repairing a hose about once a year, but for a couple of bucks more I can buy a kit like this one. Only time will tell how long it will last. The clear elbow is always a plus nothing like watching your crap go down the drain, but seriously you know when your tank is somewhat clean. The only thing I don’t like about the kit or in this case the fittings is they’re about a 1/4” too big to fit in my bumper storage. Can’t believe they couldn’t have made the fittings just a little small in diameter. Thank goodness I have a dedicated tote for carrying such items, otherwise, I’d be quite pissed off when I got ready to pack up and found the damn thing would have to ride in the back of the pickup bed. Then again they do come with end caps which is a good idea and something I’ve never seen before.

[bigjim]

A lot of rv's these days don't seem to have a "bumper", particuarly a "storage" bumper.  When I used to use mine for hose storage in my early days of rv'ing  I found it got rusty inside and caused wear on the hose.   I also wondered if they couldn't have made the bumper slightly larger.  One of many serious things for me to ponder in my old age.