When we take on the fulltime lifestyle, we also put on some new "hats" for the roles we assume. What kind of hat does a "sanitary engineer" wear? I dunno, the only part of my uniform in that role is a pair of good, thick, rubber gloves.
Getting out the sewage becomes our "problem," and that can really BE a problem if we’re not sure of where to ‘get rid of the goods.’ When set up in an RV park, it’s not a problem, but on the road, or when boondocking, it gets a bit more complicated. Here are some possible places to dump your tanks:
Highway rest areas
State, National, and Federal Parks (often dump stations located outside of the campground, but where not, you may be "stuck" paying a small fee. Better than eating it.)
Local government sewage treatment plants (check out the phone book, call the main number and ask for the treatment plant)
Truck stops (particularly those catering to RVers, like Flying J)
DON’T think you can sneak over beside the road and off-load your tanks. The "Midnight Dumper" only creates image problems for RVers, and if you get caught, there can be a really stinky fine associated with such behavior.
If finding dump stations is near and dear to your heart, then check out The RVers Guide to Dump Stations, a comprehensive guidebook to public dump stations across the US. Available from the RV Bookstore, follow this link for more information.
Happy dumping!
4 comments:
Try this website:
http://www.rvdumps.com/index.htm
It has a listing of dump sites all over the country.
Everyone might find www.rvdumps.com helpfull if you have internet access. You just might have to plan ahead if you can't access the net while driving.
When returning from short trips, if your fixed-location home has "clean out ports" for the sewer, located within a reasonable distance of your driveway, you can use these too. These are usually quite similar to the sewer ports in an RV park; and essentially lead to the same place - the municipal sewer system. In some cases their location is obvious, while in other cases you may have to track them down using a utilities diagram for your house. In most neighborhoods there probably won’t be any problems if you keep a low profile and are careful to keep things tidy. Obviously, the ports have to be located at a lower elevation than the RV's dump valve. (Some homes don’t have clean-out ports, or they are buried or otherwise inaccessible.)
Or you could use a "macerator pump" and a smaller diameter hose (a garden hose or similar - but keep it separate so you don't accidentally use it for fresh water!) to reach to a clean out port that's at a higher elevation, or too far away for the regular large sewer hose to reach. You could even use the macerator to pump into a toilet inside your house, but some people may not like the idea of dragging the hose inside their house.
Time for confession! More than once I've had to dump only the gray tank in some off road location always in the weeds. How many have let their dogs wander and did not pick-up after. **It happens!
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