Did I mess up?

[The Veals]

Last week was our first time rv'ing. Everything went very well until the dump station. I was prepared to do it correctly but forgot one thing. I pulled the black tank valve open and nothing came out. I then proceeded to open the grey valve and still nothing. I knew may grey tank was just about full and my black tank showed as empty. I went inside to check my tank levels and it showed both tanks full. It was at that point I took the hose off and realized I forgot to remove the little hose cap for storage on the hose. The good thing is there was no 'solid' waste in the black tank (we used the park restroom for that). Also, the shower and sinks were dry after my mistake. Did I mess something up? Do I need to do some maintenance on it after this or am I good?

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the Forum

The only thing you messed up was your perfect record..Dont sweat it, at least your goof was a little one.

[ctbruce]

Welcome to RV'ing. One series of potential mishaps followed by another. It keeps it real and real interesting.

[Tbos]

You won’t repeat that one again. Maybe because you did someone else won’t make it. We all learn from each other here. My Dad had a check list for everything. If you think it might help you may want to consider doing that. Relax and have fun.

[Fishsizzle]

You’ll be fine. I’m still freaking from the dude that left his tailgate down and took out his front compartment door.

[MattHelm21]

A great help in these situations is to permanently add the Valterra twist-on tank valves to the end of each dump pipe on your rig. In instances like this, you can in most cases close them trapping any disgusting stuff in the pipe while you sort things out and minimize leakage.

http://www.valterra.com/product/twis...e-valve-boxed/

[notanlines]

All good advice! Might I ask, "we used the park restroom for that" where did this come from? I suppose some 'seasoned RV'er in your neighborhood who once rented a popup for a weekend' told you the re-sale on your RV will be higher if you and Momma travel to the park potty rather than actually using facility for its intended purpose? (Chip, don't start on me! I'm an old man and these inventions take time...)

[The Veals]

Honestly, I was worried something would go wrong at the dump station! My mishap could have been a lot worse because when I pulled the hose off it spilled onto my feet lol

[KingFisher]

Originally Posted by notanlines

All good advice! Might I ask, "we used the park restroom for that" where did this come from? I suppose some 'seasoned RV'er in your neighborhood who once rented a popup for a weekend' told you the re-sale on your RV will be higher if you and Momma travel to the park potty rather than actually using facility for its intended purpose? (Chip, don't start on me! I'm an old man and these inventions take time...)

I often wonder about that. Buddy of mine asking me about my florida rv lot, "How is the shower house?".
I say I don't know, never been in it.
He says "Oh you're always supposed to use the shower house and toilets so you don't mess up your rv".

I don't get it. I bought my fifth wheel so I could have my own toilet and shower. Among other reasons.

[Controller23]

Originally Posted by KingFisher

I often wonder about that. Buddy of mine asking me about my florida rv lot, "How is the shower house?".

I say I don't know, never been in it.

He says "Oh you're always supposed to use the shower house and toilets so you don't mess up your rv".



I don't get it. I bought my fifth wheel so I could have my own toilet and shower. Among other reasons.

Same, it would have completely defeated the point of buying a camper..

[IMASAP]

Originally Posted by The Veals

Honestly, I was worried something would go wrong at the dump station! My mishap could have been a lot worse because when I pulled the hose off it spilled onto my feet lol

I learned early on not to wear flip flops to the dump station. Never forgot that lesson !

[Fliehigh]

Originally Posted by IMASAP

I learned early on not to wear flip flops to the dump station. Never forgot that lesson !

Best Advise in this thread!!!!

[meaz93*]

And....know one saw you and or video taped via cellphone in this slightly embarrassing situation?-lol
No harm no foul/ man card.

[PSHJR]

Yea on our first trip, after about 3 days, I'm laying in bed awake at two in the morning thinking about how long the rods seemed to be on the black and grey tank handles. Sure enough, checked them in the morning and they were pulled out. Fortunately I had a 5 gallon bucket courtesy of the great dane for water and there was no line at the dump station. Part of my checklist on setup now is to make sure those valves are closed. And now I throw in my rubber boots for use at the dump station.

[LewisB]

Originally Posted by The Veals

Honestly, I was worried something would go wrong at the dump station! My mishap could have been a lot worse because when I pulled the hose off it spilled onto my feet lol

I haven't done it on my new trailer yet, but on every previous trailer I have installed what I call a "last chance" 3" valve immediately upstream of the dump connection. This started because I had inadvertently left the black tank valve open and installed the cap on the end of the dump line. Everything appeared to work normally until I pulled the cap at the dump station and proceeded to dump my entire black tank out on my feet and all over the dump station pavement! Also, if you have some internal "leakage" in one of your valves (either black or gray) when you pull the cap, you get whatever has leaked by the tank valves.

With newer modern trailers, you typically can't see any of the tank valves. There is no way to visually check their status. In most cases, you get the mysterious T-handle through the frame and you are just hoping that the tank valve is closed and holding the tank contents.

Enter the "last chance" valve. Hook everything up, get it all set, open the desired tank valve and then the "last chance" valve. For $15, it's pretty cheap insurance.

[KSH]

Why isn't everyone dumping the black tank first, then rinsing the hose with the grey tanks? Then you don't need to worry about leaving the black open since it was already done..

[ADQ K9]

I have a 2 gallon bucket that I put under the connection when I pull the cap to connect the hose. Mine has always dribbled a bit both black and gray from the residual left between the valves and opening. I'm gonna get a "Last chance valve" tomorrow.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by KingFisher

He says "Oh you're always supposed to use the shower house and toilets so you don't mess up your rv".

I don't get it. I bought my fifth wheel so I could have my own toilet and shower. Among other reasons.

My wife and I figure, the more offensive material we can send down the campground's live plumbing, the less we have to deal with personally when it comes time to empty our own rig. We're not fanatics about it, we just try to minimize it when possible.

As for the shower, I can use the one in the rig if I'm very careful and think about every move. It's not quite a phone booth, but it's really close. I've never encountered a campground shower anywhere near as tight.

[LFord]

Originally Posted by KSH

Why isn't everyone dumping the black tank first, then rinsing the hose with the grey tanks? Then you don't need to worry about leaving the black open since it was already done..

That's the way I was taught, by an experienced RVer, before my first outing. I thought everyone did it that way??

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by KSH

Why isn't everyone dumping the black tank first, then rinsing the hose with the grey tanks? Then you don't need to worry about leaving the black open since it was already done..

Regardless of the order that you do it in, it's always possible to have a brain bubble and forget to shut one of the valves at the appropriate time.