Dump Station Newbie etiquette

Originally posted by DavMar StephenH, You might try this tool, they also great for tightening plumbing fixtures and you can pick one up at Harbor Freight for less then 8 bucks. A RV repairman turned me on to it. https://www.amazon.com/ZILONG-Handles-Nonslip-Removes-Filters/dp/B0787NK5BN/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1527279591&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=oil+filter+pliers&psc=1

Surprisingly enough, we are visiting my younger daughter and she has one of those filter pliers that she is not using. She said I could take them. I tried them and they are perfect.

Originally posted by Happy Tripping Originally posted by David ...  if I had omitted that (as if people were waiting), the time would have been 4-5 minutes. That seems quite fast. For the benefit of us slower people please briefly go thru, step by step, your system from the time you first stop at the dump station to the time you finish putting stuff away.

While packing to leave – take a pair of rubber gloves from the storage compartment, while open, and place in the truck cab. Set a bottle of black tank chemical in the bath sink.

Begin putting rubber gloves on hands when exiting the truck and walking towards the camper.

Stop and remove dump hose from it’s carrier tube.

Walk a couple of steps further and remove trailer's dump outlet cap.

Twist on dump hose and insert other end in the dump station inlet.

Pull valve on black tank and allow to drain.

Close black tank valve and open grey tank valve.

Enter trailer and fill the toilet with 3 bowls of water, along with chemical.

Exit trailer.

Close grey valve and remove dump hose.

Put cap back on trailer dump outlet.

Rinse dump hose and ground area around dump outlet (for any drips).

Return dump hose to it’s carrier tube and twist on cap.

Remove gloves and enter truck.

Place truck in gear and drive away.


8 Minutes............honest. Like so many things, we get better with practice.

If there are people waiting, I postpone the "inside the trailer" stuff. I wait on the grey to finish draining. After pulling forward and clear of the dump station, then do the inside stuff.



As a side note, Dixie and I will exercise enforcement discretion with StephenH, given the arthritis.   The rest of you get no slack!   

With my arthritic hands, it sometimes takes me half that time just in getting the connections on and off. I don't think I could get my time down that low. Even the plastic wrenches that are made to assist in getting the connections on and off don't work very well as they flex and slip instead of gripping the lugs to help me turn the connection. I'm open to ideas on what would work better. I have already tried a strap wrench also, but it also did not work very well.

Originally posted by Subzilla Cool.....did that include the gray and black tank?  Washing around the area?  Washing out the stinky slinky?  Just curious....still trying to compare.  We'll test again in about a month in Florida!

Yes to all. About half of that time was "recharging" the black tank. So, I'm thinking, if I had omitted that (as if people were waiting), the time would have been 4-5 minutes.

Like many things, "practice makes perfect".

Just for the halibut, I timed myself when dumping this morning. From the time I put on the rubber gloves, until I climbed back in the truck to drive home was 8 minutes. This included the time of pumping 5-6 gallons of water into the black tank (along with the chemical).

There was nobody waiting so, I didn't hurry excessively.