PSA-Lessons you would rather not learn at the dump station

lkc001

Please, tell me I'm not the only one here who has had an "accident" at the dump station!!  So, on the way back from Red Feathers, stopped at the dump station.  I'm sooo glad it was today and not yesterday when a thousand RV's would have been lined up to dump, as it was, only one guy got to witness the fiasco.  I think he was laughing at this "mature" single woman as he pulled up in the opposite dump lane. . . . . Karma on him.  Note--this is the first time in all my years of camping and dumping had a bad experience, until today!!  So, I have one of those "flush king" attachments that I use to backflush the tanks, and it has worked perfectly for the last 2 years!  Loved it!!--so much easier than running a hose into the the trailer to flush more water through the toilet and worked very well.  I get everything all hooked up and pull the black tank lever and it starts spewing sewage from the gate valve area of the flush king.  Apparently you should not leave the flush king in your storage tubs on the front of the trailer over the winters in Colorado, as that area can be prone to cracking.  Most of the mess did go down the sewer hose, but not all, I still had to hose down the area as well as I possibly could, given there wasn't a lot of water pressure at the dump station water hose.  Ewwww----Dear Gawd--so embarassing. .  .  . .one more thing to put on my "getting prepared for camping season" checklist---check the watertightness of the flush king!!!     

Dalehelman

Be careful when buying bayonet fittings. Some of the real cheap ones only 2 hooks instead of 4. On a 2 hook connection if one breaks the whole thing comes apart. A 4 hook will hold together.

lkc001

@Dalehelman. Yes This was one with the 4 hooks

BrianZ

For certain, @lkc001, you are not the only one!
We once had a poorly connected dump hose that leaked when one of the 4 hooks was not properly engaged but fortunately was not a big mess.  On another occasion, I forgot to screw the lid back on our waste hose storage tube after dumping.  After a short distance, upon making the first right turn, the hose slid out & was dragging on the pavement.  The end of it got run over & crushed by the trailer wheel.  I thought I heard a faint but unusual scraping sound, so I pulled over into a parking lot to investigate.  What a surprise that was, and good thing it was after our last night of camping.  We now carry a second dump hose stored separately, just in case.  The embarrassing part was realizing that I had driven right past a group of state police cars who were all standing there chatting in the parking lot (an annual picnic maybe, or just lunch hour in SW VA?), but none said anything about the hose I was dragging on the pavement right past them or tried to flag me down.  They probably had a good chuckle.

lkc001

@BrianZ. It makes for more stories  to tell right??  LOLL

Marceline

BrianZ said:

I forgot to screw the lid back on our waste hose storage tube after dumping.  After a short distance, upon making the first right turn, the hose slid out & was dragging on the pavement.  The end of it got run over & crushed by the trailer wheel.  I thought I heard a faint but unusual scraping sound, so I pulled over into a parking lot to investigate.  What a surprise that was, and good thing it was after our last night of camping.  We now carry a second dump hose stored separately, just in case.  The embarrassing part was realizing that I had driven right past a group of state police cars who were all standing there chatting in the parking lot (an annual picnic maybe, or just lunch hour in SW VA?), but none said anything about the hose I was dragging on the pavement right past them or tried to flag me down.  They probably had a good chuckle.

Once I was driving down I5 and a pickup pulled alongside and the two guys inside were waving frantically. I immediately pulled over onto the shoulder, thinking that something horrible was wrong with my trailer. I walked around and around the trailer and my tow vehicle but I couldn't find anything wrong. I spent the rest of the drive cursing the rednecks who'd pranked me to get me pull over in a fairly bad spot. I got to my campsite and enjoyed a lovely couple of days by the ocean. On my way out I went to the dump and discovered that I had no sewer hose.  The hose was supposed to be in a sewer hose holder that I'd attached to the side of my frame. The back end of the tube is under the front of the trailer. The cap at the back was gone, along with the hose. 😲

lkc001

@Marceline guess they were trying to tell you it was dragging along under/behind your trailer?  LOLL good story!