RV Dump Question

[boatpuller]

I am putting an RV dump in next to my garage for when my inlaws come to visit, I'm wondering if you need a trap in it so that the odors won't make it up out of the septic tank. Just wondering if anyone knows how they do it in the RV parks, just straight in or if there is a trap in the line?



Thanks in advance for any information that you can give me.



Caleb

 

[MountainMan1]

No traps in the ground to the tank.



Your grey waters are all trapped in the rig the black is not. I leave my greys open but keep the black closed. Once I left the black open all the time in an RV park many years ago. Then I noticed flys every where in the RV. I noticed the larve in the toilet. I wound up removing the toilet to get rid of them. Never leaved the black open again!



I think it's best to keep the black closed so that it'll stay wet for easier evacuation when you dump, anyway.



Peter

 

[Hoefler]

No trap needed. Need a tight fitting cap when not used and a tight fitting adaptor to connect to their sewer hose.

 

[jelag]

One thought... . make sure you have enough slant in the pipe to allow for the solids to make it all the way to the septic or sewer. I have a good friend who didn't have enough slant or had a low spot and he had to dig it back up... . or I guess drop a garden hose down it for 5 min to flush it clear. .

This is off the subject some but when we leave the campground and have dumped the tanks, we add 10 gal to the black water tank and a cup of laundry detergent. On the drive home we let it slosh back and forth and at the last rest stop out of town we dump the tank one last time.....

I've been really surprised at that last stop how much we get out of the tank with the final rinse... our tank has one of those wash jets in the side. . at this point we don't use the tank again until the next trip out... .

 

[JimB1]

Too much pitch/slant/pipe slope is just as bad as not enough.



Effluent liquids must remain deep enough to float solids thru pipe and eventually end up with clean empty pipe.



DIY'ers instinctively avoid detailed plans,codes, and inspectors but making sure you're right on septic system installs is pretty important for lots of reasons, two of which are hygiene and swamp gas (methane) explosions.

 

[JCasper]

One thought... . make sure you have enough slant in the pipe to allow for the solids to make it all the way to the septic or sewer. I have a good friend who didn't have enough slant or had a low spot and he had to dig it back up... . or I guess drop a garden hose down it for 5 min to flush it clear. .



This is off the subject some but when we leave the campground and have dumped the tanks, we add 10 gal to the black water tank and a cup of laundry detergent. On the drive home we let it slosh back and forth and at the last rest stop out of town we dump the tank one last time.....



I've been really surprised at that last stop how much we get out of the tank with the final rinse... our tank has one of those wash jets in the side. . at this point we don't use the tank again until the next trip out... .

That's a good idea. We have used Ice before and it seems to help but we don't always have that.



Laundry soap would be a good alternative I think. I may try that next time.

 

[Bob V]

That's a good idea. We have used Ice before and it seems to help but we don't always have that.



Laundry soap would be a good alternative I think. I may try that next time.

I installed a black water flush system on our trailer. Made a big difference, there would be a lot of "stuff" left with out it.

 

[Grizzly]

One thought... . make sure you have enough slant in the pipe to allow for the solids to make it all the way to the septic or sewer. I have a good friend who didn't have enough slant or had a low spot and he had to dig it back up... . or I guess drop a garden hose down it for 5 min to flush it clear. .



This is off the subject some but when we leave the campground and have dumped the tanks, we add 10 gal to the black water tank and a cup of laundry detergent. On the drive home we let it slosh back and forth and at the last rest stop out of town we dump the tank one last time.....



I've been really surprised at that last stop how much we get out of the tank with the final rinse... our tank has one of those wash jets in the side. . at this point we don't use the tank again until the next trip out... .

Very good advice Jim. I'll start doing that on our final leg home. Our 5er also has the rinse jets in the black tank, however I like your idea better. I installed an RV dump in front of my Trailerport, which dumps into the city sewer. I'd be hesitant to dump into a septic tank because of all the chemicals we use in our holding tanks. Chemicals could destroy the action in the septic tank and too much soap could clog up the drainage in the drain field.

 

[KEnglish]

Hey Caleb, I think about 1/4 inch per foot is the right slope for your line and, like everyone said, no trap.

Ken

 

[AClayton]

Different codes for different areas but at 1/4 inch per foot drop with 3" pipe the longest you can go is 20' before stepping up to 4" pipe. No tees are allowed in RV drains... only wye fittings. No trap just a good cap with a tight seal is all that is needed. The member that mentioned that too much fall is just as bad as not enough is right on... keep it at 1/4 per foot and you will not have any problems. I will have to try the laundry detergent method... . never heard of that one. I've heard to not use dish soap but never laundry detergent... How many other members have done this?

 

[Jefff929]

I'm going to have to try the detergent thing in the tank, great info.



The ice method works ok, it can be a PITA though.

 

[LRutigliano]

Different codes for different areas but at 1/4 inch per foot drop with 3" pipe the longest you can go is 20' before stepping up to 4" pipe. No tees are allowed in RV drains... only wye fittings. No trap just a good cap with a tight seal is all that is needed. The member that mentioned that too much fall is just as bad as not enough is right on... keep it at 1/4 per foot and you will not have any problems. I will have to try the laundry detergent method... . never heard of that one. I've heard to not use dish soap but never laundry detergent... How many other members have done this?

I've always done the laundry detergent with at least 10gal of water after the dump. Sometimes I use dish soap. I also always add in the black tank chemicals too after the flush. I've done this because I worry about solids becoming like concrete. However, I don't flush it out until the next camping trip. I figure the water, chemical and soap (detergent) along with the sloshing do a good job of liquifying the solids and keeping the tank clean and less smelly.



What is the reason for not using the dish soap??

 

[PWitteveen]

I add about 4 gallons of water along with some black water tank treatment. That was recommended by Bob Livingston on an RV show that was sponsered by Trailer Life. I put it in just before leaving home on a trip. Always seems to work for me. Keeps the tank clean and the seals well lubricated. I also installed a tank flush system and use a clear connector between the dump hose and the tank connection.

 

[JCasper]

I installed a black water flush system on our trailer. Made a big difference, there would be a lot of "stuff" left with out it.

In my next trailer I am going to be sure and have one of those.

 

[donnandon]

And to add one more chemical to the list, try adding Water Softener like Calgon along with the Black Tank chemical. It makes the sides of the tank slipper so nothing sticks which makes the the gauge work better.

 

[CKelley1]

because of the high bio loading from rv's a lot of the state eid's are frowning on letting any rv dump to a septic tank do it just keep your mouth shut, do not use chemicals and you will be ok also you can use the clean out closes to the house to go into it has the elbow toward the tank

 

[KcoleKennyc]

I have 16 sites, all on septic tanks. We have been in business about 5 years and have not had any problems. I do add some Rid-X occasionally. When we installed the tanks the county engineer recommended that. We installed 4 in. pipe with screw-in plugs. Don't like the way some use slip-on caps. Found a hose end for the camper at Wal-Mart that screws in and has a seal to stop odors. We have had some to dump their tanks and the cheap hose ends blow apart. The new ones with seals latch together pretty good.

 

[boatpuller]

Thanks for all the info, it'll probably only get used for a week or two's worth of time a year at most, just adding 10' of 4" to go straight into the cleanout on the 90 on the way to my Septic tank, so it's a straight shot, 1/4" per foot is pretty standard.

 

[WilsonF]

I read about the mixture of calgon, bleach and Landry soap. The calgon for slick tank walls, the bleach to kill bacteria- but will do the same in your septic tank and the soap to clean the tank. It has a three letter abv. but can't remember what it is right now.



Floyd

 

[JimB1]

Bleach is extremely corrosive to metal.