Camco Sewer Hoses are JUNK!!!!!!!

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John Lawrence

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Joined
Oct 26, 2018
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Location
Golden Valley, AZ
So I had to replace my old hose back in July. Not much here in town (Eagar, AZ) for shopping choices so I went to Ace and bought a Camco hose--- 10 or 15 foot, medium brown color.

This past Monday we had snow here (about a foot). Surprised everybody to have such an early snow. So Tuesday it had stopped snowing but still a lot on the ground so I was checking things out on my trailer (2000 Thor Wanderer Wagon 32 foot 5th toy hauler) and found that my four month old Camco sewer hose had cracked in about a dozen different places! I no longer have the receipt so no chance for a refund, besides which, I already threw it away

So back to Ace I went & bought a new hose---- Camco 20 footer (medium brown) with a swivel in the middle and yellow fittings. Went outside about an hour ago to plug in my heat tape (more snow coming and temps in the low 20's). I glanced at my sewer hose and there was a freaking crack in it!!!!! It's only been in use for 5 days!!!!!!! And the coldest it has gotten was about 40.

Well, Ace is closed for the day so I can't get a new hose. And the only brand they sell is Camco. They had better give me a refund (preferred) or at least give me a new hose. I will NEVER EVER buy a Camco product again!
 
I have a couple of Camco Revolution 10 ft hoses I've been using for 5-6 years with the only damage caused by a dropped screwdriver. Even that was an easy repair with a hot glue gun. I just recently bought a 15 ft Camco Rhino hose to have on hand due to the age of the other hoses. I'll probably start using that one and relegate the others to spares status for when I need the extra length. I like the way the Rhino collapses and holds its shape. I just hope it holds up as well as the Revolution hoses have.
 
I had a cheap-o hose melt from just sitting in the sun.  Lesson learned: Don't by crappy crap hoses.
 
A few things that helps maintain good hose health.....

Avoid being in direct sun light. Avoid stretching the hose out to far. Carefully place hoses in storage compartments. Be sure the hose is protected from being stepped on. Keep a tube of the original GE silicone around for repairs.

Using hot glue is good because it bonds quickly and will bond to clean surfaces in all weather conditions but isn't as flexible as the original GE silicone. Use alcohol as a surface prep for the silicone, apply in warm temps and let dry for at least 24 hours before moving the hose.
 
I have had our "Rhino" 15 for 11 years and not a problem,,,, then I also know folks that can destroy a cannonball if given the chance..>>>Dan ::)  ( I also ONLY use it for draining the tanks,, it never is left in the elements for any extended periods..)
 
Camco makes several quality grades of sewer hoses, with differing wall thicknesses and some with different materials and designs.  The best are the RhinoFlex and RhinoExtreme, and the Revolution.  The lower grades are colored gray, brown and blue and are the same vinyl material in differing wall thicknesses. Thicker is more puncture resistant, but probably not more resistant to cold-weather cracking.

I would not be surprised that any of them fail easily when exposed to snow & ice. 

I would typically get a 2-3 years of constant use from the good gray Camco hoses, but when I switched to the Rhino for its improved usability, I also got increased service life,  double or triple the gray ones and probably 5x the brown or blue ones.
 
I have a couple of older brown Camco hoses that just won't give up, hopefully they will last till quality hoses become available.  I do believe you about the quality of most Camco products being junk, I bought four Camco Items at Walmart a few years ago and returned or junked them almost immediately.
 
Vinyl sewer hoses and freezing temps = cracks period.
Great material when warm, but very brittle when cold.
I'm not surprised with snow and 20's you found them cracked.
As Gary suggested, a higher quality hose may withstand these cold temps better.
 
I've had very good luck with the RhinoFlex hoses.  Yes, they're Camco and sold in Wal-Mart but they're several steps above the thin wall hoses.  They last several years in a combination of desert sun and occasional below freezing temperatures.  The usual failure mode is a crack at one of the flex points, a wrap of electrical tape seals it until I can replace it.  Just don't try to flex the hose when it's below freezing.
 
These days I think the hose I last used was the "Sentenil" and I believe Tetford.

Liked it

Best hose I ever had was the one I used when I was broke down in GA. it was the freeby that came with the new RV.  Dang thing lasted 3 years in the GA sun.. Never leaked.  Shattered when I went to unhook believe it or not.
 
I bought some cheap generic brown hose without bayonet connections (had to buy separately) from Amazon which worked well for me. I was parked at a spot that was 40 feet from the sewer connection. Worked fine for me all winter. Left it outside all winter. Then put in storage shed in the spring when I moved back to my lot in an RV resort. Plan to use it this winter again. However, if I ever need to replace, I'll buy hoses that have the bayonet connections preinstalled. It was a severe PITA to add the bayonet connectors.
 
I bought some of this in 2.5" diameter for my shop vac and am really impressed. 2 feet is supposed to extend to 14 feet, but its closer to 10. But if you have an 8 foot bumper storage tube, that means you can get up to 40 feet without needing extensions.

It is really flexible and doesn't seem to be affected by cold weather on my shop vac; but is it transparent, so if you have solids in the black tank, it may deter you. My current sewer hose is just hose clamped onto a bayonet and it works just fine, so I may stick with that and try adding one of these hoses. I replaced my toilet with a commode, so I don't have to worry about solids within visibility.
https://www.rockler.com/rockler-4-dia-dust-right-hose-2-l-compressed-extends-to-14-l
 
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