Always Dump Waste Before Travelling?

[bobnelms]

Hi all,

We have a 37 foot Keystone Cougar 5th wheel (2016), and here's my question:

When we pull into a campground for only one night on a multi-day trip to another destination, is it always necessary to dump the waste tanks each day, or only when they get a bit full?

When I do not disconnect from the truck, I only put down the front jacks. I'm thinking about only hooking up to the electrical when I'm only there for the night so I can leave the next AM rapidly.

But I don't know how wise it is to travel with fluids in the waste tanks.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

[flybouy]

If you don't need the room in the tank I'd say let stay with ample water in the tank. The movement from the road will help solids dissolve and suspend in the liquid.

[notanlines]

Bob, there is no reason to dump every time you leave a campground under your circumstances. As a matter of fact, you would not have accumulated enough grey water to properly rinse your sewer hose after dumping the black water.

[Logan X]

Just my opinion, but I would wait to dump until the tank is full or near full. That way you get a lot of volume creating a good flush while you dump and you have a better chance of removing all or most of the contents. I travel with partially full tanks all of the time and I’ve never had an issue.

Marshall also makes a good point, traveling with liquid in the tank will help break up the solids.

[chuckster57]

I’m the odd one. Water is dead weight, I only have so much HP and torque to get up the hills out here so I dump all I can. When I went cross country in 2009, most every night was just a single night stay. I unhooked, leveled and dumped each morning.

[JRTJH]

So there you have both sides:

Don't worry about it, tow with half full or full tanks if you want, and dump as much excess weight as possible if that fits your needs...

For me, we often dry camp for several days, a week at a time. The solids in the black tank settle to the bottom. To drain the tank completely is more a "drain, fill, drain again, then flush until all the "bottom clingers" are washed out. That's difficult to do at a "drive by dump station" especially when there's a line behind you, impatiently waiting for you to "dump and go" so they can "dump and go"....

So, if my tanks have been "sitting and settling" for several days, even if they're almost full, I'll tow to the next campground, "shaking and mixing the bottom dwellers" on the trip. I then dump the tanks on the way in (if it's not full hookups) or at the site, once I'm set up. That way, the tank will empty better, it takes less work, water and time to flush the tank.

Now, if I'm at a full hookup site, have an hour or so extra, I may fill my "half full tank" and dump it before hitching up. That way, we remove as much weight as possible, when it's convenient and at the same time, don't worry about towing with full tanks if it's a situation that saves time and effort.

[sourdough]

We don't dump daily anywhere. When traveling with one night stays we let them get partially full and dump upon arrival at whatever that location may be while things are still "loose". On those kinds of trips I make sure we use plenty of water so everything flows freely.

Is it wise to travel with fluid in the tanks? The short of it is; it is a travel trailer meant for traveling and I don't think it was meant that you travel all the time with the tanks empty. The long of it is.....maybe. I would not, and do not, travel across roads I know are horrible with a full tank. You can expect a lot from them but it worries me that a tank full and then hitting terrible roads may malfunction at some point so I try to be aware of what I'm doing. If they are full and I hit something like that I try to remember one or more are full and take it easy.

[66joej]

Originally Posted by flybouy

If you don't need the room in the tank I'd say let stay with ample water in the tank. The movement from the road will help solids dissolve and suspend in the liquid.

I always travel with a few gallons of water and some Dawn soap in the black tank. Helps a lot when I do dump.

[Ken / Claudia]

I say dump it when ever you want, but make sure the black tank is full of black stuff or add water til it is before you pull the valve.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by 66joej

I always travel with a few gallons of water and some Dawn soap in the black tank. Helps a lot when I do dump.

Now that is a good idea, I think I will try that.

[OldMasterTech]

Originally Posted by 66joej

I always travel with a few gallons of water and some Dawn soap in the black tank. Helps a lot when I do dump.

^^^Ditto^^^

[ctbruce]

Originally Posted by 66joej

I always travel with a few gallons of water and some Dawn soap in the black tank. Helps a lot when I do dump.

Yup. The slickerer the better.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I’m the odd one. Water is dead weight, I only have so much HP and torque to get up the hills out here so I dump all I can. When I went cross country in 2009, most every night was just a single night stay. I unhooked, leveled and dumped each morning.

Understood, but will one day of black and grey water make that much difference?
I recall once with the old 2001 Ram pulling our 5er at about 12,000# with empty tanks going to the east side of the Cascades over Santiam Pass in Oregon (~4,800'). We went to an five day equestrian show our DD was in, they had power and shared water, but no dump station. It was 20 miles to the nearest listed dump wrong way. Well we carried it home over that pass. still pulled the pass at 55 mph (speed limit).

[flybouy]

Let's say you trailer is 10,000 lbs. and you are carrying 200 lbs. (about 25 gal.) of water, that's a 2% increase in wt. Not all that much when you think about it.

[chuckster57]

200-300!pounds of water probably makes zero difference, just what I’ve been used to doing since 1989 and my first fiver.

[travelin texans]

I've seen how these tanks are held in place, so traveling empty is my preference, not that I can't haul the weight but because OF the weight.
These tanks are held in place by a small lip on each end resting on the frame &/or held up by 2, maybe 3, thin straps attached on either end with a self tapping screw, with 200-300 lbs bouncing up/down sloshing back/forth on our great highways would be like me (250lbs) jumping up/down on a twin bed with only a couple 1x4 slats, ain't gonna hold up very long. If only stopping to sleep a couple nights I wouldn't worry about draining, but if staying a weekend using the toilet, shower & sinks I'd drain before traveling too far.
We also didn't haul fresh water. Had a jug by the toilet that would get us through several days of traveling potty stops & we never dry camped. If we had to have water I'd add to the fw tank as necessary.

[Big1]

I haven't done a long trip lately but when I did, if I was going to a campground for one night I normally don't disconnect my truck from my truck but I will hook up water so on the second day I will not dump I will wait until I get to where I'm going at for my final destination.

We will in between campground go somewhere else to go and use the bathroom, if we make a stop to Wally World, about time we get to our final destination we would have about a third or a quarter tank and if we have more at any point I will dump it. I don't like to travel with a lot of weight that I don't need.

[gearhead]

X2 on adding Dawn, and per John, liquid Downey fabric softener.

[Benr]

Not a good idea to travel with black tank full. It is not very secure on bumpy roads. Not a lot of Rv repair shops want to replace black tank after it has dropped down and ripped out the top where the vent pipe is glued. Plus replace insulation. Stinky Rv for days.

[larryflew]

We have done that for a while also and it helps the sensors to occasionally work right. BTW only using Dawn because it is always the cheapest. We use about a third of a bottle.