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Old 07-25-2019, 09:11 AM   #1
bobnelms
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Do NOT do this!

Well, I made the mistake that everyone dreads. I knew better, but it happened anyway and I still have nightmares about it.

I went to a state park. At the end of the 4-day stay, I pulled my 5th wheel over to the dump station. I positioned the sewer drain exactly opposite to the sewer opening at the dump station. I ran my sewer line from the dump station opening and got ready to attach it to the sewer drain on my 5th wheel.

I pulled the plug on the drain line and WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH. Out came volumes and volumes of raw sewage. It immediately engulfed both my arms and hands (yes I had on gloves but it got into the gloves).

As fast as possible, I connected my sewer line to the 5th wheel -- but it was hard to do with all the effluent discharging so fast. Finally I hooked it up -- after about 30 seconds.

I ran to the dump station water line and washed off my arms and hands as best as possible -- but there was 20 gallons of raw sewage all over the dump station pad.

I used a hose to dry to push all the effluent into the dump sewer, but it had spread so far that I couldn't get it all.

DISASTER.

Why did this happen? Well, during the last camping trip after draining the black and grey water tanks, I forgot to close the valves!! I didn't know it because the valves are hidden (2016 Cougar 5th wheel) under a lid.

Pitiful.
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Old 07-25-2019, 10:22 AM   #2
ChuckS
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This is why I have an external gate valve with clear plastic flush mounted to my sewer discharge. You can see what’s in the line and that external gate valve is a mess saver
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Old 07-25-2019, 10:32 AM   #3
FlyingAroundRV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobnelms View Post
Well, I made the mistake that everyone dreads. I knew better, but it happened anyway and I still have nightmares about it.

I went to a state park. At the end of the 4-day stay, I pulled my 5th wheel over to the dump station. I positioned the sewer drain exactly opposite to the sewer opening at the dump station. I ran my sewer line from the dump station opening and got ready to attach it to the sewer drain on my 5th wheel.

I pulled the plug on the drain line and WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH. Out came volumes and volumes of raw sewage. It immediately engulfed both my arms and hands (yes I had on gloves but it got into the gloves).

As fast as possible, I connected my sewer line to the 5th wheel -- but it was hard to do with all the effluent discharging so fast. Finally I hooked it up -- after about 30 seconds.

I ran to the dump station water line and washed off my arms and hands as best as possible -- but there was 20 gallons of raw sewage all over the dump station pad.

I used a hose to dry to push all the effluent into the dump sewer, but it had spread so far that I couldn't get it all.

DISASTER.

Why did this happen? Well, during the last camping trip after draining the black and grey water tanks, I forgot to close the valves!! I didn't know it because the valves are hidden (2016 Cougar 5th wheel) under a lid.

Pitiful.
Thank you for posting this. We are at Oshkosh and have had the "honey truck" come and dump our tanks. We were out at the time and your post has prompted me to go and check that the operator closed the valves.
Timely advice!
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Old 07-25-2019, 11:19 AM   #4
bobnelms
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Thanks. And YES, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Did you do install it yourself?
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Old 07-25-2019, 06:01 PM   #5
Brentw
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Yepper, this what you want.
https://www.amazon.ca/Valterra-T58-T...31038926&psc=1
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Old 07-25-2019, 06:16 PM   #6
77cruiser
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I added a valve at the hook up because I couldn't get my valves to stop leaking, always would dump out about a cup to a pint when I pulled the cap.
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Old 07-25-2019, 06:35 PM   #7
Mongoose9400
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Those that have done it and those that will....
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Old 07-25-2019, 07:35 PM   #8
Ken / Claudia
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Years of doing the dump stuff, I am not too proud to tell you I have left a gray valve and the black valve open once each. Lucky and just luck I had the sewer hose in my hand when the black tank flowed out. I held the hose under the drain and it did not get all over me. John (JRTJH) on here gave great advice, get a drain pipe cover with a garden hose cap on it, hold your sewer hose under and unscrew that small cap.The flow is more controlled that way and you maybe able to close the open valve and stopp the tank from emptying all over the place.
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Old 07-26-2019, 04:35 AM   #9
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Wow, sorry this happened!! I've never had it happen to me (knock on wood) but I could see how it could. I've lost a sewer cap along the way by leaving it on the ground (it didn't have the string anymore), but thats about it. I will be more careful now in the future though!!
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Old 07-26-2019, 10:23 AM   #10
Frederick
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I ALSO HAVE THE EXTERNAL VALVE my black tank valve would not hold I ended up putting electric valves in
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Old 07-26-2019, 01:24 PM   #11
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Old 07-26-2019, 02:30 PM   #12
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An external twist on slide valve, installs in place of the cap by simply twisting it onto the barbs, then install the cap (I prefer one with a garden hose cap, just in case) and you'll not have any "massive gushes". You can still get a 3/4" gush, but that is controllable with a 2 or 3 gallon bucket and much less MESS (literally and figuratively) to clean up than a 3" gully washer......
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Old 07-26-2019, 04:10 PM   #13
hornet28
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One of my valves has a slight leak and I have a garden hose cap on the cap. When I dump I get the hose set in the trap then undo the garden hose cap with it draining into the sewer hose. Then I hook up the sewer hose
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Old 08-01-2019, 07:27 AM   #14
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Another vote for the Valterra twist on waste valve for the reason in the original post as well as leaky valves in an enclosed underbelly being very difficult to get to for service. It also allows you to use your grey to flush/rinse your black tank with the grey water ( people have different opinions on this but I've done it in a pinch ). Lastly for people with gate valves ( cable or electric ) which are in the underbelly it will let you buy just a bit more space if your grey tank fills by draining some into the line. For my camper it mainly helps when the tank fills up at night or just before going to a dump station and the level is high enough to block the opening to the vent pipe then the grey tank smell tends to bubble back into the camper causing a smell.
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Old 08-01-2019, 07:42 AM   #15
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I hope you didn't get sick from exposure to this waste!
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Old 08-01-2019, 08:35 AM   #16
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Man, I've been there too. It was our maiden voyage and the dealer must have left it open. I didn't even know which direction the valve should go!
Luckily I didn't completely remove the cap before I figured out what was about to happen and was able to quickly secure the cap before making too much of a mess. It wasn't that big of mess but it was disgusting and all over my hands! I ended up posting a reminder near the valves to check them before removing the caps including which position the handle should be in when the valve is closed.
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Old 08-01-2019, 09:12 AM   #17
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Add me to the list as one who has had that same experience. On every trailer since, I have installed what I call a "last chance" 3" valve just upstream of the dump cap. Now, I NEVER open a cap without making sure the "last chance" valve is closed!

Bonus benefit: On our new trailer, we have 2 gray water tanks that drain into the main drain. The forward tank includes the main bath, kitchen, & shower. It always fills first. The rear tank is the second bath sink only - it doesn't get much use. With my "last chance" valve closed, I can open both gray water tanks, allow them to balance, and take full advantage of the extra tank capacity. When ready to dump, after hooking up the hose, I close the gray tank valves (2) and open the last chance valve allowing the 3" line to empty of gray water. Then I dump as normal, starting with the black tanks.
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Old 08-01-2019, 12:29 PM   #18
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After boondocking for a couple nights I went to a full hook up site and had that happen When I was hooking up to the sewer! ....and the sites were tiered so my site was higher than the guy next to me was, guess where the waste went! Apparently I left them open from a previous trip. Luckily the guy wasn’t there at the time and I got it shut off before it made too big a mess and got the water hose out and cleaned it up!

You only need to have that happen once and you’ll double check that they’re closed after every dump!!
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Old 08-01-2019, 01:01 PM   #19
sonofcy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brentw View Post
I installed TWO of them on my drain pipe (only have 1 for 3 tanks) Leave the first one open all the time so that when the 2nd one eventually fails I can close off the system with the first one. These are in addition to the factory valve that is buried inside someplace. I also have a valve between the hose and clear 45 with cleanout one way hose adapter. Cheap insurance!
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Old 08-01-2019, 02:37 PM   #20
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Sorry this happened to you. I have yet to experience this, however, I had my own tor-Tilley-chip moment (from the movie RV). I hooked-up the sewer hose at the dump station and opened the valve only to discover a tear in the line. I was able to shut it off before it got too bad and was able to clean up with the water hose. The silver lining to this is the experience itself: What to watch out for. Also, you now have a good story for the campfire. I recommend giving it a title like “the great oh-sheet” caper” or something similar. We are all human and compost happens. 💩
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