For those of you who aren’t into the RV life (yet?), I’m sure you are fascinated by the, ah, waste disposal process. Well, wonder no more. Here’s a tutorial.
First, arm yourself with the fecal fingers of fate:
Wrestle the slinky out of the holder:
We have separate dump valves for the “blackwater” and the “greywater” tanks. Some rigs use a “Y” connection so that both drain into one outlet. We prefer two valves so that we can drain the black first, then use the water from the grey to help clean the, er, “stuff” out of the slinky. The slinky uses a bayonet fitting to attach to the valve. You first remove the cap, attach the bayonet, then pull the slide handle (at right) which opens the slide gate, which is what really keeps things in. (This shot, to show all the parts, actually was taken after draining the grey tank empty.)
After attaching to the black valve, you open the sewer cover (ewwww),
MAKE SURE you put the business end of the slinky well into the pipe and HOLD IT with your hand. Faithful readers from years back will recall our first dump experience. I didn’t realize the force with which 18 gallons draining all at once puts on a flexible hose. It becomes a veritable python, and writhes and wriggles with considerable gusto. Let’s just say that I was doing the Mexican hat dance trying to stay one step ahead of the whirling, regurgitating snake. So keep one hand on the hose while reaching back and pulling the slide gate open.
Once the flow has stopped, you have to rinse out the black tank. We have a wand gadget that has four holes around the base that squirt water like a sprinkler. Attach the wand to a garden hose, and pass it through the window to the faithful helper:
The F.H. puts the wand down the straight waste pipe in the toilet, I turn on the water, and she sprays up and down to rinse anything off the walls of the tank. I close the slide valve to allow some water to fill the bottom of the tank, then open it to flush the bottom. Water off, slide closed, slinky off, cap replaced. F.H. then puts some biodegradable, non-formaldehyde tank goop in the toilet, adds a couple of flushes of water to “prime” the tank, and we’re good to go. We repeat for the grey water tank. When the sewer pipe is a bit higher than ground level, like here, you have to “walk” the slinky from the valve towards the pipe in order to get all the water out.
After doing the grey tank, we rinse out the slinky
and drain it before shoving it back into its hole.
And that’s more than you ever wanted to know about doin’ the dump.
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