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What Is a Full Hookup at an RV Park(Photo: )

Oct 01, 2016 Many times the campground sewer hookup is elevated off the ground, providing an automatic trap for those that leave their sewer hose on the ground. If not, running your hose up and over a couple of blocks, higher that the diameter of your sewer hose, is sufficient. By keeping the gray tank valve closed until the tank is almost full, you will eliminate the localized venting of the campground sewer gasses at your particular site. The more RVers who follow this precept, the less likely we’ll have to endure septic odors in and around the campsite. Evacuate the black tank first.

Recreational vehicles are designed for 'boondocking,' or camping without hookups. A fresh water tank, 12-volt battery-operated appliances and holding tanks allow most RV travelers to disconnect from utilities for a few days. Hookups provide increased comfort, including the ability to use unlimited water and run items that draw a great deal of power such as televisions and air conditioners. Most RV parks provide either partial hookups, which include electricity and water, or full hookups, which add sewer service. Some deluxe parks also include hookups for cable television and telephone lines.

Electricity Requirements

Some RVs, including pop-up campers and most travel trailers, use 30-amp electric power. Larger RVs, including motor homes, most fifth-wheels and a few travel trailers, use 50-amp power. It is possible to step the power source up or down with designated electrical cords, allowing 30-amp units to use a 50-amp power supply or 50-amp units to use a 30-amp supply. Most RV parks provide a mix of both types of hookups, although 50-amp power is often more expensive. Some campgrounds provide only 30-amp service. Electric hookups are available at all designated RV parks and many campgrounds that cater to both RVs and tent campers.

Water Hookups

Water hookups allow RV travelers to connect their rigs directly to the campground’s fresh-water supply. The water typically comes from the municipal water supply or a campground well and is considered potable, or safe to drink. Water hookups are provided at all but the most remote or primitive campgrounds.

Sewer Tanks

RVs have built-in holding tanks that contain gray water from sinks and showers, as well as black water from the toilet. Although these tanks have enough space to hold an average family’s discarded water for a few days, they must be emptied periodically. A dump station is a place to dump the holding tanks, but it is necessary to either drive the RV to the dump station or use a portable waste tank to transfer the contents. Campgrounds with full hookups include a sewer connection on the RV site, allowing the tanks to be dumped as needed without leaving the campsite.

Cable Television and Phone

Cable television and telephone hookups are sometimes provided at deluxe RV parks, particularly those that serve long-term travelers who stay one or more months. Some parks require payment for cable or telephone service, while others include the price in the nightly rate. Telephone hookups are less common in the cellphone age but are still prevalent among parks that cater to older travelers. Many campgrounds provide wireless Internet access, but it is not considered a hookup since there are no wires, hoses or cables.

References

Writer Bio

Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer specializing in disabled adventure travel. She spent 15 years working for Central Florida theme parks and frequently travels with her disabled father. Fritscher's work can be found in both print and online mediums, including VisualTravelTours.com. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of South Florida.

One of the unpleasant necessities of RVing is the process of dumping holding tanks. You RVers (and big boater’s, too) have made a conscious decision to carry your “crap” with you. Every once in awhile, you have to get rid of it and make room for more. Make your RV life better, easier, cleaner by following this “rule”… Make it easy for the sewage to get from the coach to the hole in the ground!

In our seminars, we hear more wild stories about sewage than anything else. RVers confess to leaving both tank valves open while hooked up (a no-no), comments about dumping the tanks every second/third day regardless of how full they are (another no-no), recipes for home-brewed toilet chemicals (still another no-no), and myths for cleaning tanks. Nearly all admit they learned how from a friend. The bottom line is that you do not want “poop in your pipe,” so here’s the correct procedure for dumping your tanks. Sorry, we don’t care how your friends told you to do it.

Author Note… Some RVs have “pumping” toilets that literally pump the flushed debris from the toilet to the black tank. This is required if you have a REAR toilet and your black tank is mounted mid-way in the coach. The rear-bath-floorplan is becoming more common.

Your RV sewage system is not like that home septic-tank system in operation—but only in theory. Most RV toilets flush straight down—a direct drop into the black tank, i.e., like the old outhouse. If you have ever looked down that outhouse hole, you saw what was affectionately known as the “cone of crap.” Without sufficient liquid in your holding tank, you end up with a cone of crap in your black tank—hard to get rid of (difficult to dump) and expensive to repair—not good. Plus, your home toilet flushes debris through a curving water channel. This creates an effective water seal to prevent odors. You must take other steps to prevent odors in your RV.

Square One
First, having a greater mass of sewage (solids and liquid) provides a greater “head pressure” (like storing water way up in the air in a water tower). So when your tank valve is opened, that head pressure helps force sewage out through the hose. The sewage sort of pushes itself out through the sewer hose and (with the help of some gravity) your tank is quickly emptied. That’s what you want—all the sewage to gush out like water through a fire hose but not trickle out like sprinkling your flowers with a watering can.The bottom line—don’t dump too often or too soon!

Second, while we did not check with all RV manufacturers during our research, consistently, the recommendation was to have the black water tank at least 1/2 full before dumping it. Doing this naturally changes the ratio of liquid-to-solids. As the black tank fills through normal usage, you add more liquids than solids by flushing. Plus, the increased amount of liquid will help break down the solids (along with the mandatory chemicals and, hopefully, some driving around to help “break” up any solids).

Parked for a Few Days
Make it easy for the sewage to get from the coach to the hole in the ground. Position that sewer hose as straight as possible and going slightly downhill. Use a sewer hose rack if possible. If your hose is too long because you are parked too close, position it in a long, gentle downhill curve—no tight turns, Figure-8s, or hills to climb. Look at this real hookup (below). With this setup, the sewage must traverse some difficult twists and turns and, at one point, actually go straight up. Maybe this person works for one of the big roller coaster parks like Six Flags!!!

You can leave the grey tank valve open to trickle-drain as you use the coach. When you’re about half full in the black tank, close the grey tank valve and accumulate grey water (take a shower, do a couple loads of dishes, or just run some water in the sinks). When the grey tank is at least 1/2 full, then the dump sequence is as follows:

1. Open the black tank valve and dump. If you have a black-tank flushing system, use it—two or three times is best.
2. Close the black tank valve.
3. Open the grey tank valve and dump the grey water. By having your grey water tank mostly full of sudsy water (showers, dishwashing, etc.), this liquid-soapy mixture will rush through and actually wash out residue in the sewer hose.
4. Put in the toilet chemicals.

Try this…

• If you have to dump black early (less than 1/2 full), run extra water into the tank. Use your flush hose and run it through the bathroom window to rapidly fill the black tank through the toilet.
• Clear sewer connections allow you to view the sewage but you simply cannot know if any solids are left in the black tank. Liquids will flow around them—especially if these solids have not broken down. So it’s best to drive before dumping. The sloshing action helps break down solids. Even a couple of times around the campground will help.
• Do not use your white water hose for anything other than potable water!
• The black tank flush will help keep your tank monitors from malfunctioning and help wash more debris out of the tank. It works by means of a high-pressure spray inside the black tank. This spray will hit the walls of the black tank. We typically do a black tank flush 2-3 times each time we dump.

Toilet Chemicals
A caution: Don’t use any toilet chemicals containing formaldehyde, period. Just don’t. On that note, in RVs, toilet chemicals do two things.

Breakdown solids… Toilet chemicals are bacteria and enzymes that literally digest—i.e., decompose—non-liquid stuff in the holding tank. Some toilet chemicals will start this process in 3–4 hours and continue
working. This breakdown process works in your black tank exactly like the home septic tank with two exceptions…

1. Your RV system is tiny in comparison (a home septic tank may hold 1,500 gallons)
2. You do not “dump” a home septic system so the chemicals work for months.

Prevent odor… Toilet chemicals help control odors.

Should You Leave The Traps Open When Camper Is On Full Hookup Site Free

It is common in our seminars that people have told us (and the other attendees) they mix their own toilet chemicals! They use cleaning liquids, caustic soaps (dishwasher soap), pine oil, cooking yeast, bleach, water softener chemicals, and other home brew mixtures in an attempt to save money on toilet chemicals. There are other, much easier, ways to save money. Consider this… just one night of boondocking will save enough to buy toilet chemicals for a few months!

We use Rid-X®—designed for HOME septic-tank systems. It is bacteria and enzymes just like the “RV” toilet chemicals. We use two capfuls of liquid Rid-X in our 56-gallon black tank with 4–5 normal “toilet flushes” to add water. We also use one capful in our grey tank about every other time we dump since the grey tank will produce sewer-like odors, too. Then, run enough water to flush the Rid-X out of the drain’s P-trap. Use the liquid Rid-X, not the crystals! The reason is that you need such a small amount, using the crystals makes it difficult to measure. The liquid is much easier to measure.

Like all the RV products we use and recommend, we rely on other RVers we trust to test it and let us know about any problems. With Rid-X, I have now used it consistently for 16-plus years and friends have used it for many years—all this with no problems and no apparent degradation to seals, valves, or any part of the sewer system in our respective coaches. Finally, I had a long talk with the engineering staff at the Rid-X manufacturing company. He verified what we were doing and provided lots of great information.

Should You Leave The Traps Open When Camper Is On Full Hookup Site Images

Author Note… Rid-X now markets a toilet chemical for RVs. While I have NOT researched this, my assumption is that it may be just a watered-down normal Rid-X. We have continued using the concentrate for home septic systems and do not plan to change.

The Future of Dump
The 12-volt-powered macerator pump is one of the more recent innovations in RV sewage. Not a gravity process, the pump suctions waste from the black tank, grinds all waste solids into 1/8-inch or less particles, and transfers (pumps) it through a small-diameter hose to the waste receptacle (hole in the ground). By attaching a 3/4-inch garden hose, you can pump up to 300+ feet away with a 20-foot rise. This means you can park a football-field away from your neighbor’s house and dump into their second story bathroom toilet!

Should You Leave The Traps Open When Camper Is On Full Hookup Site Near Me

What Did We Learn
Make it easy for the sewage to get from the coach to the hole in the ground. Yep, rain or shine, you have to dump. Your RV sewage system tops the list of things you do not want to tear into nor pay someone else to do that for you! Therefore, you must take care of it with regular maintenance, proper care, and use. So, we do not care what your friends do with their system. After all, they don’t know what they don’t know—and you don’t either.