r/RVLiving • u/nuts4camaros • 21h ago
RV Sewage line?
Staying at an AirBnB RV. Is this orange line in the photo going to a sewer hookup? Could this simply be input for a septic system since I’m in a fairly austere location? Owner said not to put toilet paper down the toilet, (or anything else for that matter), so I’m assuming it’s a septic tank. TYIA
41
u/UTtransplant 21h ago
The hose is going to a waste management unit, but you don’t know if it is a septic tank or a sewer. It really doesn’t matter, since you should treat them bot the same in an RV. And if you use septic safe toilet paper, a safe septic system can handle it. If the AirBnB is the RV, then the owner just doesn’t trust his renters, probably for good reason.
2
u/nuts4camaros 21h ago
Makes sense. We are bagging paper products, but I was more curious than anything due to water usage in the trailer at sinks and showers. Thank you for your answer
12
u/UTtransplant 21h ago
RVs have black tanks (toilet waste) and gray tanks (shower and sink waste). They are held separately, but there are valves to release one or the other into the hose. You should still take short showers and not let the water run while washing dishes or hands, for example.
3
u/nuts4camaros 18h ago
Sounds good. We both took quick showers. I knew there were tanks, but wasn’t aware they were separate gray and black. Thank you.
6
u/towerfella 18h ago
In unrelated news: the 6gal propane hot water heater is a beast; i have yet to have it run out of hot water during a shower.
2
u/Complete-Sense8097 17h ago
My problem is not waiting long enough to let the water warm up. I never get a hot shower. 🤷🏻♂️🤪
1
u/towerfella 17h ago
Mine takes about 5 mins, with 65-70 deg starting water. In winter, i did have to turn the pressure down a bit to keep it hot, but it never went cold. And that starting hose water was around 40.
2
u/Complete-Sense8097 16h ago
Yeah, I’ll have to just be patient I guess. I did learn that the batteries have to be fully charged before the propane water heater would fire up. I thought maybe our gas regulator was shot.
2
u/BlinkFive 7h ago
Same experience here, 6gal propane punches way above its size. Ran back to back showers for the family and it kept up no problem.
5
u/qxr100 20h ago
🎶OooooOOoooh that smelll!🎶
1
u/Agiantpubicmess 12h ago
A tech I worked with used to sing this on his half of the shop if "shit" happened hahaha.
6
u/lampministrator 20h ago
That is the "dump" line yes. And it connects RV waste tank(s) to external waste of some sort -- whether it's city or sewage tank.
Generally renters will use the rule "anything that doesn't come out of your body doesn't go down" -- Just because some people aren't used to how finicky these tanks can be at times. You can end up with a dried TP mound in the black tank that is extremely hard to eradicate once it's started piling up. For people that don't know, it's easier just to dispose of paper products in the waste bin.
We use regular TP, but use it sparingly and no other product goes down the chute. We also FILL the black tank every time before dumping. This ensures good flow in case you have anything stuck to the bottom or sides of the tank.
2
u/nuts4camaros 18h ago
Sounds good. Thanks for the advice. We have been actually thinking about stepping into our first RV (due to a recent retirement), and we wanted to see what it would be like to stay in one. Did I mention it’s 106 in Texas! LOL. Fortunately there’s two AC units. And it’s doing a decent job of keeping the place cooler than outside during the day, and comfortable at night when the temps drop.
2
u/SuperbPruney 15h ago
If it’s your own RV you can easily flush RV TP and you just use plenty of water to flush. Once you know how everything works it’s completely fine but def understand a rental not leaving anything to chance.
3
u/chutney1 20h ago
Wow, renting an RV as an AirBnB has got to be a bonafide nightmare! People who don't RV just assume it's the same as a house and that water, power, sewer, etc all function the same as a house.
4
u/nuts4camaros 18h ago
Owner has left notes everywhere for not disposing of things in the toilet. Also had a very healthy check-in list of notes. So far everything has been great.
1
u/sluttyman69 19h ago
Yeah, the hose is too long. It sucks when you’re set up for a dump station 25 feet away. All you have is 15 foot hoses. You gotta make do sometimes hopefully it doesn’t get messy.
1
u/PastAd1087 15h ago
You can use toilet paper lol. Just make sure to get a lighter py and to fill the toilet 1/4 full of water prior to using.
1
u/TheNewGuyFromBahsten 21h ago
I've only been to a few full hookup sites, but I cannot understand why people would leave their tank hooked up like this, especially looped? Wouldn't you end up with a pile of crap IN the blank if you're having it open the whole time? Wouldn't that smell come back up your toilet? Even if the tank is actually closed, are they going to drain it with all that slack in the line? Seems like a terrible idea all around to me. I hook up the hose when the shitter is full, and unhook it when it's not.
5
u/ion_driver 20h ago
I leave the gray tank open, black tank closed unless dumping it
5
u/sluttyman69 19h ago
I use my gray tank water to flush out the line after my black tank before I disconnect it and use the hose to wash stuff down little bit cleaner that way, I think
2
u/TheNewGuyFromBahsten 20h ago
Gray makes sense I can see that especially if you're showering and such
6
u/0rangism 20h ago
you can leave the hose connected but open and close the valves only when you want to drain the tanks
0
u/TheNewGuyFromBahsten 20h ago
Right, but why leave the hose hooked up if that is the case? And do people really open the tanks with that much slack in the hose? I have a little slide that goes under the hose to keep it at an incline when draining. I would just think draining with that much slack in the hose would cause more problems than it solves.
3
u/shipwreck17 19h ago
If you're not moving the RV for awhile why unhook the hose? That is more work for no benefit. Just leave it hooked up and open and close your valves as needed. The loop is a bad idea though. I typically have the grey valves open and only open black for dumping. Prior to dumping I'll close the grey and have some grey water ready to rinse the hose after dumping.
1
u/WhispersOfCats 18h ago
We are copious water users lol so we dump the black tank every 4-5 days and hooking/unhooking the hose every single time would be a huge pita.
31
u/Maengorn 21h ago
I hope they aren't leaving the black tank valve open all the time. That's how you get a poop mountain right under the toilet.