Can you Leave Your RV Sewer Valves Open?
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- We'll show you what NOT to do with your sewer valves, the problems it can cause, and a few tips on how to avoid it! This is a common question I see in owners groups all the time. Though most people relate the question to new RVers I've seen plenty of veteran campers do the same thing!
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I think in a list of your best videos, this one is definitely number 2.
I see what you did there😅
Now that's a Crappy joke 🤣
😂🤦♂️
I'm groaning yet laughing at the same time.🤣🤣
@@muzerhythm2242 mission complete
I'm thinking the sewer scene from the movie RV!
That entire movie is a treasure
I love watching the poo go through the clear elbow. Show of hands--are ya with me?
I am also a rhino flex hose user too. A clear extension at the RV hook ups is a nice addition. I also like using the drop INS to help break down the solids and reduce the smell from the black tank. Another sanitary thing is to use a separate hose and pressure reducer For the black tank flush. Another tip for dumping the tanks is after everything is hooked up crack the Gray valve to check your connections. Cleaning up Gray water is a lot easier than the black water. Great video RV nerd keep up the good work.
This will be our 3rd summer camping. Couldn't go last year. Next week will be our 1st trip since 2019. Still feel like newbies. We learned the hard way about leaving the grey tank open. Not because things dried up. Got sewer gasses smell in the camper. And it was in the 100s that trip. Its a small 19ft. So, that smell stays with you.
Woof. Yeah. People don't realize how the grey tank can often smell even worse than the black if you can imagine that
I just saw this. This IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT video yet. 😮
I just started living full time in an RV due to the lack of student housing in my area. This video answered all my questions in it. Thanks!
Here in Utah, there was a news story on TV about students buying RVs to live in while going to school due to the high cost of apartments!
"Boom! pink eye!" ... my new sales pitch for sewer hose kits that includes gloves
Hahaha
So everyone just needs to figure out how and what works best for their individual situation! I also use paper towels and wipe out all cooking oils, meat fats, butter from all pots, pans frying pans to keep oily stuff from my gray tanks along with using Dawn dish soap that does cut through those types of THINGS
I have seen plenty of sewer hoses left on the ground at camp grounds, why, because they sprung a leak. One of the main reasons sewer hoses degrade, is many RV'ers use the rear bumper to store their sewer hoses. After all, that is where many RV'ers are told that is where they are meant to be stored. While it is true, the rear bumpers are designed to fit sewer hoses. That is the worse place to ever store them. The metal slinky in the sewer hose is a dissimilar metal to the metal the bumper is made of. This causes electrolysis between the dissimilar metals and results in catastrophic failure of the sewer hose. The metal slinky in the sewer hose basically reacts to the metal bumper and kind of pickles itself, swells and degrades until it starts cutting the plastic of the sewer hose. Then when you need to use the sewer hose to empty your tanks, holy s- - t, it springs a leak. You are lucky if you notice it when it might only be pin holes. Other times it massively shreds itself and you can guess or know the results. Many RV'ers just constantly replace these sewer hoses, some of us just do it yearly.. The way to avoid this problem is to store the Sewer hose in a plastic tube under your RV. You can purchase plastic tubes made specifically for this at places like camping world or you can make one and save a couple of bucks by using a large piece of PVC pipe or PVC fence posts from places like HDepot. My last RV I sold had the original 11 year old hose that was used a lot. That hose was like new when I got rid of that RV. I will never store an RV sewer hose any other way but in one of those plastic tubes mounted under the RV.
Those tubes really are great and the bigger ones can easily fit things like your hose fittings as well
@@JoshtheRVNerd Hi Josh, People just do not realize that the sewer hoses (at least the quality ones) are made for longevity, but that the square tube rear bumpers actually destroy them. Also it is a waste of time to keep replacing them. I hope people read this. Thank you.
I made a big PVC storage tube for my Rhino! So far so good!
@@Joe26003 Great idea
@@arlenewolf5260 thanks! I’ll investigate, Dave!
Toilet paper recommendation: test it yourself. I ran a small experiment 2 years ago, put two squares of three different brands of TP in identical Tupperware dishes with the same amount of water and gave each a small shake. Let them sit for an hour. Guess which one broke down the slowest? The "RV" brand. Our Sam's Club TP broke down the best. It's what we've used ever since
Great tip!
And the one thing I always try and do is start with 5 or so gallons of water in the black tank just to have a little head start before adding solids.
Oh man
Absolutely
This all the way
Found that out the hard way. Thank God . The manager at McCall rv resort came to my rescue. Spent an hour flushing out my tank. My hero
Bet you'll never do that again!
Best tank treatment....Happy Camper. I also use it in my gray tanks.
I will agree with your video.. LOL
In all but ONE regard, which you didn't touch on here, and it's really not within the scope of the "valves open".. but I'll toss it in here anyways...
If your using a 12V External MACERATOR.. do NOT use the RhinoFlex coupling at the tank outlet! Sadly, the fitting on the rhinoflex 90 degree coupling is NOT rated for any back pressure that a Macerator may cause, and it WILL separate. Trust me, I learned this the hard way, and poop showers are NOT fun! If, like me, you want to be ready for anything and you bought a macerator to fill up your "schwaggon".. use the Valterra clear 45 degree elbow, it's ONE PIECE, and rated to handle far more pressure than your Macerator could ever cause to back up when dealing with the tank. The discharge side of your 12V Macerator is very low pressure, even at 25', so you CAN use the RhinoFlex there without any major worries.
As for the "bare hands".. well.. some of us don't have much of a choice due to injury and/or disability in our hands making wearing gloves a huge no-no for mostly anything.. for dumping, I *ALWAYS* keep my 2nd fresh water hose handy, ( we all have a 2nd hose and a y-gate to hook up to the park water right?) , wash with bleach water and rinse off everything before starting, and when I'm done, and ALWAYS wash my hands before, multiple times during, and after. Yeah, it's not ideal, I agree.. I'd much rather wear gloves.. but when you can't feel your fingers or hands with them on, your a much bigger accident waiting to happen. Just putting it out there so that people don't look at someone not gloving up to deal with the "dooty" as well.. disgusting. I don't much prefer it, but I also don't prefer broken fingers or hands from slamming into things either, so it's the lesser of two evils really. Yes, it's not ideal.. but if you want to enjoy things, you do what you need to do.
Oh man - good point here. Didn’t think about it
Add lots of water to the black tank before using your toilet and put in some Happy Camper to break down the paper and poop, then it’s ready for use.
Good advisory here
It’s also Recomended to not leave the valves opened when hooked at a site because nasty bugs from the camp site tanks can crawl up your tanks and work their way up your plumbing. Great video. Thanks.
Recently found your channel, like this morning. Great content. We have been RVing since 91. Started with a fifth wheel, and were trained by the Service Department Manager how to take care of our unit. Class room setting for an hour, and then 2 hours hands-on with unit. Fast forward 5 units later, have never had instruction offered with any new ones. As trained, we keep valves closed, when ready to dump tanks, we use rhino hoses, of course, I take 5 gallon bucket of water to restroom. Going back outside, I dump black water tank, once complete, going inside I dump 5gl water down toilet. Going outside I close black water valve, then open grey water valve, thus flushing hose. Once complete I place 5gl water in toilet, toss in a cleaner packet. I pour 2gl water with 2 tablespoons of dawn dish soap down the shower. We leave campground, our tanks are cleaned as we drive down the road. Never have had a problem, even with tank sensors. Thanks
We have a septic tank at home so we use the "septic safe" TP from the grocery store. Never had a problem.
I usually put about 2 gallons of water down the toilet when we set up to avoid the poo pyramid..
You should put a gallon or two of water in the tank with the chemical at the start.
Trip over a sewer hose at night? Wrap several pieces of reflective tape on them, same for water hose, and electric, easily seen at night. Works very well.
Brilliant. Super simple
Thank you
I use the Rhino Flex 15' dump hose and also carry a 10'
IT'S A DIRTY TOPIC BUT SOMEBODY GOT TO TALK ABOUT IT. Good tips for the people MR JOSH
Thanks Uncle Josh you didn't poo pooh the subject. You stepped right in it and your shoe is still clean. Right to the point thats why we enjoy watching and learning from you. Keep up the great videos and the rving tips and tricks. By the way it hot here in Dallas.
Some mighty fine ten ton punnage there
I like to test out things so pull the gray and make sure everything looks good. Then close the gray open and the black drain, black water flush, reopen the gray and clean the hose.
That's such a good idea
That is what you should call these videos " word with the nerd"
lol I just might :)
Josh number 1 in a number 2 system. lol. So many people have no idea where their food comes from or goes when they are done with it. Good video helps to explain to even experienced people why the tank does not seem to empty any more.
Lol ty
I leave the gray water open all the time, no issue. def not the black, and I flush it every week. Full timer here. Also get drain covers for the shower and sinks, keeps the sewer fleas from coming up.
I left my grey tank open and within 3 months had an incredible clog of hair grease and just nastiness. I then had to have someone come out and power wash the inside of my tanks to break the clog. So yeah keep em closed. Thanks Josh for educating the masses.
Yeah grey buildup is a nasty thing
I have also put a black tank chemical pod in the gray tank... I also put a 3rd pull valve on thr main hook up befor the cover to prevent spillage from what does not drain after valves
Love the Rhino flex. I replace the whole kit every year instead of waiting for something to fail. Also, before opening any valves, double check all your connections! The force of the water/etc. will spin open a loose connection and create much panic!
Oh man.. great tip
Camco makes a bayonet valve that connects to the end of the outlet then you can put the cap on that, it's like a fail safe incase a valve leaks.
I personally use a 45deg elbow right where the hose connects to the ABS. Doesn't slow the flow down as much as a 90, and easier to see what's coming out, especially when the sewer end is 20ft from your tanks. I also use a combination of the tank flush and a PVC wand. PVC wand can direct spray where you need a jet, and fills the tank up decently quickly for flushing.
Also not sure how picky folks are about flushing but after camping, I always flush the tank several times until the water coming out of the black tank is clear and has no signs of solids in the water. Surprised me a few times where I thought the tank was clean and all of a sudden, a wodge of TP goes rushing past, one less contribution to the pyramid.. :-)
I tend to also subscribe to the belief that the better to over flush than under
I have learned more watching your videos then from any of the others I’ve seen. I’m sort of a fabricator/mechanical builder/do it yourself guy with a pretty good grasp of physics and this was a good eye-opener. Much obliged Josh.
And thank you very much for the kind words tonight
For my end of season, I take the shower hose (if it reaches) and fill the black water tank with hot water through the toilet. Helps to break down the chunks.
Use good quality chemicals in the black tank, take a flash light and look in during the clean out. Flush, flush again. I usually flush 3 to 5 times and look inside. After cleaning, put some water and chemical in the tank. I also put chemical in the grey after flushing. I want my tanks clean and no issues, a little extra effort goes a long way to pleasant camping....
You won't regret flushing too much.. but you may well regret flushing to little!
On my Dad’s camper the Rino flex works great. The only thing it didn't stand up to was a black bear, but i’m unaware of any poop-chutes that are Black Bear resistant.
LOL yeah.. bears > rhinos?
Josh, your viewers also need to purchase the black plastic donut that helps seal the sewer outlet pipe. Many campgrounds require them since it not only facilitates a "cleaner dump" but also keeps annoying critters, like biting flies, from breeding in the sewer system, yikes!
TY
Sewer hose storage tips, tricks & ideas.
Especially on toy haulers that don't have a storage tube for sewer hose.
I mean the first thing I thought of is "add the tube"
They're readily available aftermarket
@@JoshtheRVNerd I was thinking of that also but wasn't sure if it was available or not.
Thanks much.
Thank You for another awesome tutorial. Over a 10-year period we spent approximately 1650+ days living in our 5th wheel trailer while work camping in Wyoming. We wish we had access to these videos back there and then.
Due to the harsh conditions of living mountainside at 8,000 asl, we had to keep the water running 24 hours a day to keep from freezing the water lines of the camper and campsite. Hence, the gray water tank drain remained open until we could be sure of the weather. Flushing the gray tank after being open for months proves you to be correct. We were luck not to have clogged the gray water drain with the despicable buildup. (5º F after a 10" snowfall was our coldest night and with ingenuity nothing froze up.)
Thanks again!
Ty for sharing some real world experiences with everyone
Thank you for the info. Was not aware of the gray tank threat
It's very minor by comparison but "theoretically" should be treated the same
Facts about the sewer hose , I have a rhino flex 15 ft and I ended up needing a 10 ft extension I went cheap from. Walmart ,well I found out what cheap does when golf ball size hail came flying down on my rv. It completely destroyed that Walmart sewer hose and the rhino flex was absolutely unharmed lesson learned!
THANK YOU SIR ...YOUR SIDE BAR INSTRUCTION OF SEWER ACCESSORIES AND WHAT TO DO MAKES ALOT OF SENSE...(WHEN I GET A RV, THAT IS)
I am new to life in RV and I have a vintage( old) RV that serves as my home. Thank you for your simple and good information.
Everything you say is true, Josh. The other reason not to leave your tanks open, is if your camper has a sewer roof vent, you stink up the entire area, don't do it......
Ah, good call
Thanks for all the info, learning over here! We are new to having a bathroom and have barely used it.
Josh your a national treasure,u call a spade a spade thank you
TY Steve. I try buddy! :)
Thanks. Good info.
I like the Rhino Flex also!
I mean this with all sincerity, thanks for taking me there. (It actually was very informative.) Tony
TY for joining us :)
What a great video. I knew about pulling the gray tank second but i had no idea about letting the black tank fill up. I just figured keeping the b tank open all the time was better. But your explanation now makes perfect sense. Thanks for explaining this crappy topic.
By the title, I originally thought the question referred to when you are driving down the road. Like "can I leave a snail trail of black tank sludge while rolling down the interstate?" Glad you specified that you meant it while hooked up to park sewer.
that's a mental image I don't care to revisit any time soon
@@JoshtheRVNerd people this past weekend didn't shut there valves after they dumped there tanks and proceeded to drive off with crap still pouring out.
Had the Pyramid issue in new 5th wheel in 70’s on the road to Colorado from Ohio. We didn’t know. Some Dealer guy came onsite and explained the problem.
Was a real job getting it to clear out. We learned the Lesson.
Got a Clear, Valved Backwash twist on for our 28 ft trailer while we had it. Still have all the Gear, need a new Rig to put it on. 😉
I know a few people that could assist you with that 😉
Good stuff! I could care less a good hose costs 4x more- That's what I'm buying!
Yeah sewer stuff... you don't want to skimp on sewer stuff
@@JoshtheRVNerd been there done that with my grandpa whos always trying to save a buck it's no fun when that cheap hose or fitting fail and they almost always fail when dumping the black tank.
For those without the black tank flush can use the Rhino Blaster. That’s what I had when I had my Jayco 184BS.
Josh thank you!! Someone tried to tell everyone in an Rv group “you can leave the valves open and put a “pee trap” bend in the sewer line.” No. No you can’t. He said I was crazy. My response was “Okay go ahead and keep doing it, your Rv service dealer will love handing you a giant service bill.”
Some people just want to see the world burn..
And backup with dookie
@@JoshtheRVNerd Their just doing it all for the dookie.💩
Thanks Josh. I heard from a most unreliable source that leaving the grey tanks open was ok. So tonight, mid video, I paused, put on my headlamp and went outside to close them. (2 grey tanks)
So thanks, josh the buzz killing RV nerd. 👍
Read thru the comments here. You'll find a few folks who had left their grey tanks open & didn't like the result
It's a MUCH slower buildup in the grey tank. Extra water when flushing is your friend
The clear Rhino blaster 45 elbow at the camper connection since our Wolf Pup doesn't have a black tank flush. Also have a hose flush connector for when we're done dumping and flushing
We are camping this weekend I will shoot a quick video of how the lippert waste master works
Drop me a link. Would like to see it!
Great video Josh. I always use rhino flex hose and fitting. Thanks for sharing brother👍👍
Very informative. Also leaving your valves open let fumes come up from the sewer. I only open my valves to dump then close them back.
Absolutely. Leaving them open is just a constant recipe for disappointment
I've used a lot of different hoses love the rhino flex
We needed this info ! Thanks,
My pleasure! Glad it helped :)
I do have the rhinoflex hose good stuff
Thanks so much for addressing the grey tank! I have long hair and shed worse than a husky and am concerned about the hair over time in the grey tank. (OXO makes a variety of styles of shower drain strainers which help a bit).
Thank you for your info.
Our pleasure!
If I'm camping for more than a weekend, I leave the grey tank open until the last day or so. Your sinks and shower have traps, so as long as they have water in them, they're sealed to the sewer. The last day or two gives me enough water to adequately flush the grey tank.
Also, opening grey after black, with black still open, creates a bit of a siphon against the black tank, helping to pull remaining debris out.
Enjoying the tips. Just got my first travel trailer this year.
Congrats! Hope you make some great memories. We have plenty more to learn from on this channel!
Thanks for the good information.
Love the rhino flex! I would also recommend adding a gate valve to the end, nothing worse then taking the cap off and a little something comming out.
Alright everyone- let's just admit it out loud- it's GREAT seeing that dirty stuff leave through that clear elbow, and knowing it's working! I like to see my creations in one last proud corn-filled parade after a good camping trip!
Man.. it's too early in the morning to be reading stuff like this but I'm over here laughing nonetheless
Thanks Josh, more great tips! Much appreciated, your in a class all by yourself, Aye!
Wow. Ty Bruce
Great advice and explanation!
Ty!!
We use pretty much all the rhino stuff to Josh , dealer recommended and just years of good luck with their stuff !
Awesome ty
Very good video. Very specific. Having lived in an rv full-time, I echo your advice wholeheartedly. It freezes during the winter here, so I wrapped our water line in tape as well as the sewer hose.
TY Linda
7:59 🙏🏽 Thanks Josh the RV Nerd for this #WordFromTheNerd segment❗️👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👍🏽👍🏽🙌🏽
Let’s just say ‘I’m RELIEVED you shared’❗️🚽💩😉❗️😅😂🤣😆
Glad we were able to help you lighten that load off your shoulders
GR8 video and advice, cheers Mate!
Ty!!
Great Video! Glad I caught it!
Ty for watching!!
love your tips n tricks n honsety great job n the quirky comments are hilariious
Ty Terry :)
I also use the stair step expanding setup to keep a slope from the RV to the dump and I leave a P-trap drop to ground level just before the step system with some gray water in it as my wife’s showers are so long as to overfill the tank and necessitate leaving the gray valve open! My shower just flushes the black and fills the P-trap!
Thank you so much for this information. I am new to all of this and so any good info is so much appreciated. I have been researching this stuff for a long time....so I can purchase my rv. And knowing things like is is valuable! You really do rock, Josh. I think you should do your own Ted Talks about RVs!!! Just saying!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the info, we are going from a boat to an RV and I was thinking of just leaving the hookup open. I did not think it thru. Been watching a lot of your reviews on RV's and tips videos. A huge thanks for all the great information you are sharing. Having a youtube channel, I know how much work and personal time it takes to put all of this together.
Glad it was helpful! Welcome to the RV Nerd Herd lol
My hose is Titan gray and lime green, very durable. I obsessively rinse and dump. People prob make fun of me, but my trailer doesn’t stink.
Thanks good info
Glad it was helpful!
Yrs ago when I bought my first camper, a older long time RVer told me just what you went over in this video plus he said after he dumps both tanks & is about to pull out to go home, he pours a bag of ice in the black tank & a bag in the grey. He said the sloshing done wonders for any build up ! And the more curvier & stop/start the better. I have done this since & he was right.. never had a build up issue & its amazing what will still come out next go around without even adding any poo to the tank.
Yeah the old ice trick still works well
WOW, that's a great idea! 💡
Some manufacturers tell you not to use ice due to the potential of damaging your level sensors. Curious if you’ve had sensor issues with the ice?
We dry camp almost exclusively at race tracks and in-between races and rely heavily on our sensors since we do not have the luxury of dumping anytime necessary.
@@Live_Concepts no I have not had any issues at all. I could see how big chunks of ice or way too much ice could damage them tho.
@@Live_Concepts Does your RV use the older style probe sensors for 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full or do you have a sonar system that reads your level as a percentage? Also, if you're using the older style probe sensors; does your monitor panel allow you to fine-adjust the levels to properly calibrate them to your tank size?
We use the lippert waste master system love it
I've been curious about those. TY for the input
I totally believe in having the tanks as full as possible when dumping!
Great information Josh, thank you 🙏
My pleasure!
I think I can tell if a tank is empty the main purpose of the see-through connector is to see if any solids are still coming out or if it is Clearwater
Thanks for the info. We are newbies to the rv world.
My pleasure!! Hope it helps
Thanks Josh.... You handled this subject well.
Well thankya!
Valterra Flush King 45 Degree Reverse Flush Valve Attachment. Great way to keep your tanks flushed out
We learned this the hard way! 😳😳
Man.. bet you don't do that again
It's so easy to do. On the surface level it just makes sense
Then, once it's too late you're like "oooh noooo"
First trip out, great info especially the poo pyramid, never looked at it that way. Great info.
Hopefully you never have to look at it that way 😆
Use and like the RhinoFlex 15 ft drain line. Came with the clear elbow and added the straight clear attachment at the trailer outlet. No guessing. Worth the little extra cash.
*If it's within your ability, use the facility's facility*
We just had a fun and safe trip.
Where to?
@@JoshtheRVNerd A place called Johnson Shut ins State Park in MO. A 150 mile one way trip towing '18 Grey Wolf 26BH. The park is all updated due to the electric company's reservoir failing and decimating the camp about 15 years ago. Full concrete pads and private full hook ups.
We tend to not use the black tank if possible. We indeed do let the tanks go to 2/3 then partially dump except for when we breaking down the site, then full dump. We also like the clear attachment with the cleaning jet for a hose to clean out the grey, black, and hose.
Video is a great example of what you should do, great going Josh
TY Richard :)
There is a video on here were a guy shows how 2 ply septic safe paper is quicker to bio degrade faster then rv/marine paper
Link?
I recommend a gate valve as well, just to keep accidental spillage from occurring. I have a clear rhino extension at the top and bottom of my rhino flex and carry an extender, just in case. Also, it’s a good idea to get some sort of support to give your stinky slinky a good angle to at which to drain, and there are a million out there.
Another great video.
Ty!
I like the Rhino Flex hose. I've tried a couple of more expensive ones but went back to Rhino Flex.
They're my general pick as well