Going camping this weekend for first time.. no water at the site

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Humanaquarian

Humanaquarian

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(See my signature for make and model)
It?s early here in Missouri but going to be warm this weekend. Doing our shake down trip and want to test everything while still under our 30 day warranty (used).
So our water tank holds 35 gallons, we can fill that before hand. My question is about the sewer. How do you rinse out the black tank with the water on board or will the Grey water flush take care of that?
I?m just wondering will 35 gallons water of fresh be enough for 2 days of camping and rinsing...
Thanks ? in advance
 
It will be difficult to flush your black tank after a couple of days camping using the facilities on board. Most, but not all, CG have a dump station used to flush both the black and grey tanks. Most CG also have water somewhere in the CG in case you need to re-fill but if you conserve water you can stretch 35 gallons for a couple of days. Unless you are boondocking with no facilities you should be fine but read in the libraries on this site on how to properly dump your tanks. Black first and then the grey in all cases as the grey will flush out your dump hose.
 
As with most answers on this forum - it depends.

Our personal experience with two of us camping is that we can go 5+ days on less than 40 gallons of water.  This is with each of us taking 1-2 "military showers", washing dishes (although we use quite a bit of paper and then use that for starting our campfire), flushing the toilet, brushing teeth, etc.  I'm sure we could do better if we followed even more strict use such as only flushing after number 2.

As far as dumping, we never rinse the black tank.  Dump black first, then gray.  We do add some extra water to the black tank (just by flushing the toilet) before we head home so it can slosh on the road and be ready to dump.

Good luck on your first outing!
 
Make sure you have water in your black tank before use and the add more after you have emptied, this is so that the tank is not dry so things cannot stick!  Put a good few litres in.  Then make sure your fresh water is full.

There are only 2 of us and we get a good 3-4 days out of our tanks and could probably do longer if we were a bit more careful.  You can do dishes once a day and even use a basin and use it to flush the toilet.  Also take the military style showers as suggested above and you should be fine (if there are only 2 of you that is, if there are 5 of you it might be different  ;)).

Check out this website to see if there are dump stations close by if you are worried about it:

http://www.rvdumpstations.info
 
We too routinely go at least 3-5 days on 40 gallons of fresh water.  The two things that will kill you are long showers and careless dishwashing.  It's surprising how much water washing dishes can use, especially if you're not careful. 

If we limit to one or two navy showers and are careful with the dishes, it's no problem at all.  We also bring filtered drinking water in one or two 5 gallon Coleman jugs.

As for tank flushing, our rig has a flush fitting, which I connect to a hose at the dump station.  I've not heard rigs that use on-board fresh water for this.  I believe you're thinking of the common practice of ALWAYS DUMPING BLACK FIRST so your gray dump rinses out the sewer hose.  That doesn't rinse the actual black tank.  You need a flush fitting or flush wand (that you put in the tank through the toilet) to do that.

For a weekend, I doubt you'll have any trouble at all with even basic conservation techniques.

Have a blast!
 
Winter is not over here in Missouri.  Most likely, there will be freezing weather again before it's over.  So, enjoy your weekend, but be sure to re-winterize before it goes below freezing again.  Your warranty won't cover damage due to freezing.
 
You might want to take along a couple of gallon jugs of emergency water to flush the toilets if you run out or on your way home. 

After a couple of trips, you will get the hang of conserving water.  Use paper plates and never let water run unless you are using it, and then make sure it is a small stream. 
 
THere is often water at the dump site even if there is not park wide.. But even if there is not

35 Gallons should last 2 people for 2 days. Can not be sure. though so perhaps 1 couple 5 gallon jerry cans just in cuss.

Second. to flush the tank, Dump, if you have both jerry cans still full close valve and dump one of 'em in the toilet (hold the pedal down) open valve, then dump the 2nd one. in the toilet. .close valve and dump the gray tank.  YOu might wish to save a couple gallons for flushing the hose

To do this create a "Hump" in the hose. (After dumping not before)(
Then disconnect RV end of hose (Valves closed)( Pour in the rinse water and "Walk" the hose (Life the RV end high, then move toward the ground end lifting hose as you go so water is "Flushed" to the ground.  Disconnect and store.
 
If there is no fresh water for flushing at the dump station, don't lose sleep over it.  The world isn't going to end!  Just dump the black, then the gray (rinses the sewer hose) and head on home. You can flush the black next time you have more water available.
 
Man, you guys are great! This was is a great site and even though this type of question has probably been  asked before, you guys answered with great advice! Looking forward to this new phase of our lives!
 
I think you'll find this to be an incredibly helpful bunch.  I've learned so much here!  It really took much of the stress out of purchasing our first coach.  Without a doubt the most helpful and pleasant internet community I've been a part of.

Make yourself comfy and stay a while.  :)

 
Well, we postponed our trip due to the propane tank needed replacement (severe rust).I only knew to look st that due to this site. I also am having a final inspection by a third party before we sign and drive off. Even though we have a 30 day warranty I want to make sure we have as much piece of mind as one can have buying used RV.
Thanks again!
 
Why don't you camp for a day or two in your driveway? 

A lot of people do that as it's a good way to find out if everything is working and also to figure out how things work.
 
Don?t have that luxury, we have to store it about 5mi away... plus, haven?t actually bought it yet. Our money is down, but waiting for the final repairs/ inspection.
 
Nice looking rig, judging by your profile pic.  Might you have a few more of the outside and interior?  I'd love to see them.  :)
 
I tried but my file sizes are too big, but it is super clean -like it just rolled off the showroom floor!
 
Humanaquarian said:
I tried but my file sizes are too big, but it is super clean -like it just rolled off the showroom floor!
Click to expand...

If you Google "free photo resizer", a number of sites come up that can do this for you.  I can't recommend a specific one, as I have and use Photoshop, but if you're interested, there are plenty of ways to do it for free.

It's a beautiful coach.  I'm sure you'll love it!
 
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