Camp ground question

[Falcor1]

We are newbies with a class B Sprinter van. We have a question about camp grounds and the norms when it comes to the sewer drain location in a camp ground. We've only been to one KOA so far (all other places have been Harvest hosts, Cracker Barrels, and friends' driveways. The KOA was lovely.... except for one thing that threw me off, and I wasn't sure if the situation that concerned me was the norm and "to be expected" in most camp grounds. The problems was that each lot''s sewage drain location was directly adjacent to the neighboring camper's picnic table/camp fire, food grill area. So we were sitting there, just 8' away from where our neighbor's sewer line was. It was rather unappetizing for me so I ate my meals inside the camper. Additionally in another area of the park we saw a camper that had a cassette toilet and they were emptying it right there while their neighbors were sitting there trying to enjoy a cup of morning brew. Is this normal? Should the cassette person have taken the cassette all the way over to the bathrooms? Is it common for sewer drains to be laid out like this. Seems like black tank drain areas of two neighboring lots should be on the opposite sides of the lot. Also, I could see the cassette toilet camper washing out their tank with the water spigot that, I would imagine the next camper was going to hook up to their drinkable water supply.
This is all so very new to me and I;m still trying to learn the black tank ropes. Just wondering what is normal and what I can do to select the best campgrounds, and.... of course... be a better neighbor to the families that are next to me.

 

[rvlifer]

Sewer lines are usually on the drivers side of the vehicle when parked in the site. Most rvs have the sewer on that side. Some campgrounds have larger sites and they might be further apart but small sites will sewer hookups have to put them somewhere.

People arent getting any more polite so you see all sorts of things.

 

[Laura & Charles]

Yes, most all commercial RV parks that are “full hookup” are laid out as you describe. That’s what makes “large sites” desirable in descriptions and reviews. Look at the street side driver’s side) as your backyard and the curb side (passenger side) as your front yard. Typically, everybody’s front yard is looking at the neighbor’s backyard.

Many parks have at least some sites that are electric only or electric and water only (not full service) and they’ll have a dump station where you can empty your waste tanks.

Your sensitivity to dealing with it numbs pretty quickly. There’s a pretty humorous scene in the movie RV. Also, in Christmas Vacation, below

 

[8Muddypaws]

It's really bad hygiene and manners to clean the sewer Hosea directly from the spigot. I have a separate hose for the tank and hose rinse.

We don't drink the water in any RV park.

 

[John From Detroit]

Some parks are < > parks. that is the rig beside you faces the other way.. So you are DOOR to DOOR and SEWER TO SEWER.

This is less expensive for the park (less plumbing) and if you and a buddy are together you take adjecent sites so the Table side is common RVers are split 3 ways on this issue
Some like it / don't care / hate it.

Other parks are >>>>>> all rigs face same direction as you noted. Same 3 way split.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

We stay primarily in gov’t parks and most don’t have sewer hookups.
Saves us from what you experienced.

 

[workinonit]

My sewer drops are all enclosed. Granted they aren't hermetically sealed but most campers I see do have the proper hoses and fittings.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

I've seen all possible combinations of pedestal and utility locations, and if you look at it strictly objectively, the whole aesthetic of many RV parks and congested campgrounds is pretty comical. You're in a parking lot looking into your neighbor's windows, with water, sewer and power lines hanging out in plain sight, and usually vehicles and trailers strewn about everywhere. Yet people think hanging out in that scene is a getaway. I tolerate it for overnights but I would rather be in a cracker barrel parking lot than a side-by-each RV park, utilities notwithstanding. For more than one night there's got to be a compelling reason to stay at one, nearby attraction or something, otherwise a quiet campground with no hookups is a far more appealing choice for me.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Kirk]

In my experience, most RV parks have the sewer and other connections on the driver's side of the sires to match the side of the RV where the connections are located but, in most cases the utility connections are near the rear of the site and rarely farther toward the street than the middle of the site. That does mean that the utility connections are next to the outside sitting area of the next site but typically when there are tables those are nearer to the street to separate them from the utility connections for the neighbors. The amount of space between RV sites is always a factor and with the rising cost of land, the RV sites do seem to be smaller in newer parks. In general, more space between sites is found in older RV parks and in public campgrounds. A distance of 8' does seem to be uncommonly close but the proximity with more like 15-20 feet distance would be more common.

As to the cassette toilet owner, most parks expect the owners to take those to the dump station which usually has water for flushing that isn't used for drinking by others. We do occasionally see ignorant RV owners use the drinking water hydrant to flush a sewer hose, but thoughtful people do not do that. I always used a chlorine bleach mix from a spray bottle one the water hydrants before connecting and then flush a few seconds of water also, because we do not know what the customer before us did. I have also reached the point where I report people doing things like the cassette owner to the office. They should and most will do something about that. It is also possible that the cassette guy was just ignorant.

 

[rvlifer]

It is no different than backpackers who leave food behind where they camp or campers who wash their dishes in the bathroom sinks at campgrounds. There is no training required to buy an rv or go camping and i question how much of the general population understands food safety and what causes illness. You are gonna see a lot of bad examples out there. Good thing you are asking. Dont do something just cause you saw someone else do it.

 

[Primerump]

I've seen all possible combinations of pedestal and utility locations, and if you look at it strictly objectively, the whole aesthetic of many RV parks and congested campgrounds is pretty comical. You're in a parking lot looking into your neighbor's windows, with water, sewer and power lines hanging out in plain sight, and usually vehicles and trailers strewn about everywhere. Yet people think hanging out in that scene is a getaway. I tolerate it for overnights but I would rather be in a cracker barrel parking lot than a side-by-each RV park, utilities notwithstanding. For more than one night there's got to be a compelling reason to stay at one, nearby attraction or something, otherwise a quiet campground with no hookups is a far more appealing choice for me.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

agree 100% with Mark. they are basically parking lots for RV's, congested, noisy and not scenic in any way.

 

[Falcor1]

Thank you for such great input and for taking the time to help me learn. I've got a lot to learn and this helps immensely.

 

[Kirk]

I've got a lot to learn

But not nearly as much as the guy you saw empty his cassette. The key is in knowing when to ask as there are many experienced RV folks who are happy to help. All of us had to learn when we started so we just pass things along.

 

[blw2]

I've seen quite a few...usually private parks like that. A few have had my sewer connection a lot less than 8ft away from the neighbor's picnic table. I can think of a time or two when I purposely inconvenienced myself by not hoping up or not dumping when I wanted to.... because the were there. I waited till they were gone, or at least inside.

 

[rvlifer]

That kind of thing was why i preferred boondocking

 

[Boat Bum]

I do not connect my sewage as a course of action when I arrive. It's only my wife and I and I have plenty black tank capacity to last most of our stays, I empty the early morning we leave and we're empty for our next stay.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I did not read all the posts, so my comments may be a repeat from someone else.

For the OP: The fact is, every campground will have different set-ups. No two are ever the same. A lot of private campgrounds (like the KOA you describe) will have hook-ups like this. KOA campgrounds are "tight" quartered. They are designed to fit as many campsites as permissible by local zoning law will allow. And sometimes, they are so close to each other, an awning may not be extended fully without touching the neighboring camper.

But other campgrounds will be different. The sewer connections are usually located on the back side of the camper (the driver's side). But they CAN be located anywhere. Older campgrounds may have the sewer hookup at the very end of the parking pad, on the side, or maybe even multiple spots. And yet others, may not have any at all, as everyone uses a dump station.

My wife and I have never used a KOA style campground as a "destination" campground. They are crowded, sights are tight, and way too many street lights at night.

We prefer State Park camping. But most state parks do not have water or sewer on sites, only electric. Water and sewer has to be procured at a common water spigot for several in one area, and a common dump station for everyone.

The bottom like is, don't let your single experience discourage you. You just happened to land in the wrong campground for your personal taste.

If you travel, you will encounter just about everything. Be prepared for anything.

 

[gwinger]

In my experience, most RV parks have the sewer and other connections on the driver's side of the sires to match the side of the RV where the connections are located but, in most cases the utility connections are near the rear of the site and rarely farther toward the street than the middle of the site. That does mean that the utility connections are next to the outside sitting area of the next site but typically when there are tables those are nearer to the street to separate them from the utility connections for the neighbors. The amount of space between RV sites is always a factor and with the rising cost of land, the RV sites do seem to be smaller in newer parks. In general, more space between sites is found in older RV parks and in public campgrounds. A distance of 8' does seem to be uncommonly close but the proximity with more like 15-20 feet distance would be more common.

As to the cassette toilet owner, most parks expect the owners to take those to the dump station which usually has water for flushing that isn't used for drinking by others. We do occasionally see ignorant RV owners use the drinking water hydrant to flush a sewer hose, but thoughtful people do not do that. I always used a chlorine bleach mix from a spray bottle one the water hydrants before connecting and then flush a few seconds of water also, because we do not know what the customer before us did. I have also reached the point where I report people doing things like the cassette owner to the office. They should and most will do something about that. It is also possible that the cassette guy was just ignorant.

I carry a "y" valve. One hose is for supply to the RV and other is for rinsing the hose. One of the worst things some people do is to lay the slinky over the picnic table on the other site.
I hate to say this, but it's normally the newbies that are to blame.

 

[Domo]

Always use Google Maps to inspect your prospective campground site when making a decision.

 

[rvlifer]

Even the standardized ones such as koa arent the same. There are 2 koas in nashville. One is really nice. The other not so much