Dirty trick - be alert

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Frank B

Frank B

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2005
Posts
1,582
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Some time ago I pulled the cap off the sewer to discover that I had left the black knife valve open.  Big mess, part of which ended up on me.  I assumed that I had forgotten to close it, though in some 15 years of trailering , I had never done that before.


Today the same thing happened. I am sure that I didn't leave that valve open.  But we were away from the trailer a few times during the week, and the valves are clearly labeled on the side of the trailer.


Get in the habit of making sure the knife valves are closed before taking the cap off the sewer drain. Some people may think it is funny for a person to be covered in sewage.


Frank.
 
I got in the habit of checking the valves and standing to one side when removing the cap. I don't want to experience that although I did have the hose come of the twist lock once, that wasn't fun.
 
I installed electric valves a long time ago. The switches are behind a locked hatch. No bending over to move those dadgummed handles for me.  :) 8)
 
Are you sure it wasn't "another senior moment" ?

In thirty years of RV'ng I have never heard of any one pulling a nasty trick like that.

Jack L

 
  Certainly ?NOT? funny! Anger would be an ?extreme? understatement of my emotions. Another good reason for ?remote? boondocking!  ?
 
JackL said:
Are you sure it wasn't "another senior moment" ?

In thirty years of RV'ng I have never heard of any one pulling a nasty trick like that.

Jack L
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I have heard of this happening to folks on other RV forums and sites. One person said they were getting gas in their MH and when finished put the hose back, got his receipt got settled and started to pull off. He heard shout and horns honking at which time he stopped. When he got to the rear there were two gas nozzles stuck in the space between the bumper and body. The hoses had been pulled out of the pumps. Management said they would take care of it. My question is, if folks were able to see that he was pulling away with gas hoses stuck to his MH, why didn't they see someone putting them there?
 
Are you sure it wasn't "another senior moment" ?
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All things are possible, but this time, I don't think so.


Regardless of the perpetrator, whether my own stupidity or a trickster, the moral of the story is clear: Check the knife valves before removing the cap.


I'm going to put a piece of bright orange tape on the cap to remind me.





 
Frank B said:
All things are possible, but this time, I don't think so.


Regardless of the perpetrator, whether my own stupidity or a trickster, the moral of the story is clear: Check the knife valves before removing the cap.


I'm going to put a piece of bright orange tape on the cap to remind me.
Click to expand...

If I did that the next time I went to hook up my sewer hose I would think "Who the hell put this tape all over my sewer cap" just before I dumped corn infused poop all over myself.
 
After my second drenching upon removing the cap (much to the delight of my travel buddy grandson), i realized that the grey valve was not closing completely.  Black is a straight line shaft from the handle.  Grey is cable drive with a 180 degree bend to close the valve.  Thus the corn was only what slipped past the strainer in the kitchen sink (i hope). 

Electric valve is on my list of things to do, probably next, having replaced coach batteries and installing solar 2 weeks ago.
 
I have individual black and grey valves, plus a single "master" valve just before the capped outlet. Both the individual tank and master valves must be opened before anything will drain.
 
I have heard of it happening so I made my black valve handle lockable.
 
Oldgator73 said:
I have a Rottweiler and two pit bulls chained to my sewer connection.
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That would deter me!  Sounds like you take the saying "Don't mess with my Sh##" to a whole new level!!
 
I've had a pretty effortless time dumping our tanks, but there are two exceptions, both of which I solved with a simple plastic grocery bag.

First, same as a lot of folks, I get about a cup or less of "water" that weeps past the knife valves and occupies the space behind the cap.  I don't have enough clearance to the ground to install a second knife valve. 

The other issue was a one-time thing (so far).  Driving home with tanks mostly full, we went from fairly cold conditions to fairly hot ones.  When I pulled the cap on the drain line, I was dismayed to find out that the pipe had pressurized a bit, between the valve and cap.  When unsuspectingly pulled the cap, it depressurized rather quickly, and I got a sudden mist of "water" right in the kisser!  NOT fun.

To solve both these issues, I now carry some empty plastic grocery bags.  I put one over the entire cap and pipe end, then loosen the cap through the bag.  This catches any water that has bypassed the valve, and contains any "surprises" that may escape under pressure.  Then the bag goes into a nearby trash can, and all is well. 

I had no idea that the pressurization could happen, but you can bet I won't forget!  :)
 
Funsteak:

I now carry some empty plastic grocery bags.  I put one over the entire cap and pipe end, then loosen the cap through the bag.  This catches any water that has bypassed the valve, and contains any "surprises" that may escape under pressure.
Click to expand...

Brilliant! Thanks for the tip.  Won't solve the issue that started this thread, but very practical as I too have a bit of liquid that piles up behind the cap, and have also had the 'pressure' issue.
 
On a previous RV that sometimes had a bit of seepage, I kept a plastic coffee can handy to catch the water. Then the can got dumped into the hose before hooking it up at the RV end.
 
If it fits fet yourself a CLEAR fitting that twist locks on your coach dump fittings. If there is any suprises awaiting you it would show thru the fitting...works well for us....
 
Buy one of these spin on valves and it will end all your problems. It's a great backup valve in case one of the main valves leak by a little. Pull the cap off, connect the hose, open the main valve then open this new valve. Simple.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-Twist-On-Waste-Valve/dp/B000BGHYJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519343937&sr=8-2&keywords=rv+valves
 
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