# Emptying RV waste??



## rickblake (Jan 14, 2009)

Hi

got a ford econoline e350 c class RV

I am new to this so help/advice please.
Just been bleaching the tanks and notice that the toilet and grey waste exit from horizontal large diameter pipe. How do I empty the tanks without spraying all the mess everywhere, which for obvious reasons is not a good idea. Do I need a pipe to direct it down into the site waste tank? I am off to france next month, what happens there?

Thanks

rick


----------



## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

You need a Rhinoflex flexi waste hose, which our very own *damondunc* supplies on his excellent site >> here <<.

Didn't the seller tell you how the waste system worked? 8O










Dougie.


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi Rick you need a sewer hose, contact Linda at stateside tuning http://www.statesidetuning.co.uk/ 
or Duncan at star spangled spanner http://www.starspangledspanner.com/

It joins on to the end of your pipe, however both here and especially abroad ground level roadside dumps are conspicuous by their absence on a lot of sites, so you would be well advised to buy a macerator, this goes on the end of your rigid pipe and grinds everything up and pumps it down a 1" pipe. Both the above companies sell them.

Olley


----------



## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

olley said:


> Hi Rick you need a sewer hose....


Too late. :lol:

Dougie.


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

Yes but I evened the score on the macerator. :lol:

Next question Rick, keyboard at the ready.

Olley


----------



## spykal (May 9, 2005)

15 all , new balls :lol:


----------



## androidGB (May 26, 2005)

olley said:


> It joins on to the end of your pipe, however both here and especially abroad ground level roadside dumps are conspicuous by their absence on a lot of sites, so you would be well advised to buy a macerator, this goes on the end of your rigid pipe and grinds everything up and pumps it down a 1" pipe. Both the above companies sell them.
> 
> Olley


I understand what a macerator does, but if groundside dumps are a bit thin on the ground, how does this help?

You still need somewhere to put your "end" be it 1" or 3"

Andrew


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi Andrew as they will pump to over 100', (depending on model) you can put it where you like. :lol: 

Usually in the Elsan dump or whatever else you euro guys are using.

Olley


----------



## camper69 (Aug 30, 2007)

olley said:


> Hi Andrew as they will pump to over 100', (depending on model) you can put it where you like. :lol:
> 
> Usually in the Elsan dump or whatever else you euro guys are using.
> 
> Olley


So how do you get the liquid that remains in the pipe out if it is uphill?

Derek


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

hi you pump black waste first then grey.

Olley


----------



## camper69 (Aug 30, 2007)

olley said:


> hi you pump black waste first then grey.
> 
> Olley


Surely when the grey tank is empty there is nothing to push the liquid that is in the pipe out, you are just left with a pipe full of grey waste.

Derek


----------



## androidGB (May 26, 2005)

olley said:


> Hi Andrew as they will pump to over 100', (depending on model) you can put it where you like. :lol:
> 
> Usually in the Elsan dump or whatever else you euro guys are using.
> 
> Olley


Olley, I must have led a sheltered life, because I can't say I've ever seen it being done.

On my van I got the worst of both worlds, a fixed tank with a small capacity :lol:

Andrew


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

hi, never had a situation where the dump was higher than my macerator, my outlet is over 2' off the ground. However if I did, the worst I will get is a bit of soapy water over my hands, as I remove the macerator and raise it up in the air.

Their won't be much in the pipe as the macerator will have sucked air down the pipe as the liquid ended.

The only time I have had trouble was my own fault, when I first fitted it I used the wrong cable, and blew the fuse halfway through a black dump.  Nothing for it but to close the valve and remove a macerator full of poo, plus of course what poured out of the short section of pipe after the valve. I think its called "getting down and dirty" :lol: 

Olley


----------



## kkclassic (Oct 26, 2008)

Hi

The macerator I bought from Duncan has a connection for a water hose so you can back flush both the grey and the black tanks and then the macerator so all is clean.

The macerator fits directly on the end of the 3" pipe on the RV you also need a suitable electrical connection, you then open the black valve and pump the black tank out when this is finished, open the grey valve and this will back flush the black tank. You then pump out the grey water after this is complete you can then open the fresh water tap on the macerator and fill both the tanks with clean water once this is done you can then pump this out. This leaves everything sparkly clean. The reference to no drive over dump points or ground level points is that on Euro/UK sites they have a raised elsan dump point which is raised off the ground about 2 feet so the macerator not only grinds all to small size but also allows you to pump up to 100ft with the correct hoses thus you can pump into the raised dump point.

Hope this helps
Kevin and Tricia


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Rick.
First beware of leaving bleach in your RV waste tanks. It pickles the gate valve seals..!!!!
Use a bucket of ice cubes to clean out the debris in the black tank and take the rig on a short run.

Usually and I can only stress USUALLY there will be a man hole cover near most toilet blocks both in campsites or supermarkets that can be lifted to empty your waste both in France and UK.

So you will need a large lever or screwdriver to lift these lids.
I do have some spare US hoses and clamps if you are passing Lower Normandy

Ray.


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi have to say I do grin a little at shows when I see all you euro guys struggling to the dump point with your thetfords.  

If the daughters are not with us we can easily go a week between empting, if they are; we are lucky to go a day.  

Olley


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Thanks Olly, 
Now I know what's involved I see why Euro Sheds use the campsite facilities.

Rick, just one other point. If you do get a macerator beware that anything other than toilet tissue will jam it up. Things like wetwipes and even some fibrous hand wipes will clog. Unblocking a clogged macerator will remain etched in your memory forever.

Ray.


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

raynipper said:


> Rick, just one other point. If you do get a macerator beware that anything other than toilet tissue will jam it up. Things like wetwipes and even some fibrous hand wipes will clog. Unblocking a clogged macerator will remain etched in your memory forever.
> 
> Ray.


Hi Ray nobody told me that when I first got mine.  not a mistake you make twice.

Olley


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes Olley.
One of my claims to fame was getting up close and personal to many female stars and celebrities when they clogged the RV loo.

You can imagine how personal we had to get...!!! :roll: 

Ray.


----------



## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Why don't you do as the euroman does and leave the valves partly open and spread some all over the roads (muck spreading)

Loddy


----------



## rickblake (Jan 14, 2009)

*found it!!!!!*

Hi
s you all advised me, I was looking on the net for the hoses etc and came across a bumper cap in the same section!!! What the hell is that for one asked??????? Went to RV and took bumper cap off and found RV waste hose -- not a bad start to the day!! Fancy being pleased to find a sewer hose.

thanks for the info and help.
Seriously, anyone know what the availability of dump places are in france an italy? When I was in small campervan before there were public dumpstations all over the place and well signposted and free!!

cheers

rick


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Hi Rick.
Congratulations. Yes the concertina dump hose was often stored in the rear bumper. But again beware the rust chafes the thin plastic hose and you end up with a sprinkler system...... :roll: 

France is much better than UK at providing motorhome dump stations. There are three within 4 miles of us. Most towns will have one somewhere.

You will see a sign with a motorhome on it and a spray from underneath indicating a dump station.

I think the Italians just dump it anywhere......  

Ray.


----------



## RogerAndHeather (Dec 23, 2007)

Hi Rick

I never really got on with a macerator, it is hard work, takes a long time, and you can never be sure of being near enough to a dump point on all sites, especially if you are going to be staying for a few weeks.

After a few messy incidents, I bought one of these Fiamma 40W Roll-tanks > http://www.fiamma.com/products/QMP.asp?Fam=P09, with a Sanitary Flex kit (on page 2 of the same link), a couple of years ago and now leave the macerator at home. The tank fits snugly on the rear ladder so therefore also acting as a deterrent to your local ladder jumping yobs and I leave all the bits within it. Sometimes, especially in Portugal where most of the (especially the Orbitur) sites have a dump which you can drive alongside, I just use the good old B&Q bucket. If you use plenty of Blue, I pour in a bit after every flush (make sure that you mix it well in with the water), then you are not going to offend anybody with using a bucket - we carry 6 * 2 litre bottles of blue to last our 6 month trip as it is expensive out there.

Good Luck

Roger


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Hi Rick.
Just found the link to our stop-over in France.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules.php?name=Campsites&op=display_results&csid=4084

Ray.


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

RogerAndHeather said:


> Hi Rick
> I never really got on with a macerator, it is hard work, takes a long time, and you can never be sure of being near enough to a dump point on all sites, especially if you are going to be staying for a few weeks.
> Roger


Hi Roger, how? you connect it up, un-wind the hose, stick it in the Elsan or whatever and turn it on, that takes 2-3mins, and it then empties my two tanks in around 5mins, uncouple, wind the hose up, and its all done. Perhaps 10-15mins for the whole job.

I also have a 45litre "waste hog" if the dump is impossible to reach, and last year for the firsttime it was, I think from memory I needed about 6-7 trips to empty them, and that took a lot longer than 15mins. and was a heck of a lot harder.

Macerators Rule OK. :lol:

Olley


----------



## RogerAndHeather (Dec 23, 2007)

Hi Olley.

You must have big waste tanks needing 6-7 trips with a 45 litre hog!! We only have (about) 100 litres of black tank to play with so we need to empty a bit more often - I bucket the grey waste most mornings, there is never a lot and a lot of sites ask us to use it on the foliage etc. 

I am not knocking macerators, I will probably use mine again someday, and am only suggesting a simpler/cheaper alternative which works for us. Normally, we only spend a few days at each campsite so it is more convenient to empty one hog or bucket-full (we do carry 2 of those completely indispensable B&Q blue buckets) before we leave. Obviously, if there is a 'drive-over' no probs.

My biggest problem was when staying on a site for (say) over a couple of weeks, bungling old me and macerators just didn't get on together. I only carried a 20 metre flat roll of hose (A Lexington is short of storage space, especially to segregate a lot 'dirty' stuff) and I very rarely found it long enough to reach a chemical dump - I use chemicals so I would not discharge into a normal sewer (you have obviously smelled the result of people doing that, particularly at Bonterra). Take for instance, a favourite long-term spot for us, Armacao-de-Pera (over Xmas, Hogmany etc), and everybody keeps at least my 20 metres hose length away from the dump points, the drains are so bad that the stench is horrific - in places like that my macerator was no good to us and we used the hog to empty the black, one trip, about once week. My bungling gave us a few embarrassing moments with the macerator, once I couldn't have clicked the hose properly in place and we did a good impression of a farmer and his slurry. Another time I must have had a blockage in the pipe, thinking it was finished I removed the macerator, it (the black stuff) was then able to 'whooooosh' out unhindered - that time it looked as if the farmer had caught me with his slurry.

At the moment I am leading a quiet life with my buckets and roll-along.

Cheers, Roger


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

Hi Roger, ok see what you mean, we have 150litres black and 200litres grey, so a bit more. 

Olley


----------

