Can I dump black water into this?

[tomx]

Just got a 2006 Roadtrek 170. QQ on where to dump the black water.

There are 2 storm drain holes on the sides of my driveway. Is it OK to dump the black water there?

Any input is welcome!

Tom

[tomx]

If this is not OK, how much does it cost to build a black water dump station at home? Thanks!

Tom

[avanti]

If they are literally "storm drains", then NO, you can't dump into them. Storm sewers are completely different from sanitary sewers, and the former are not processed for sewage.

HOWEVER, most homes have cleanouts as part of their sanitary sewer systems. These are large pipes flush with the ground and with a cap on them. These may be used as dump stations.

They look something like this:



Also, there are often exposed sewer pipes inside the garage. These can easily be tapped into.

[Phoebe3]

+1 What Avanti said. Our cleanout is about 30 ft from where we park the RV (but downhill) so DH put together a large diameter pipe to fit into the cleanout and run partway up the hill so the sewer slinky will reach.

[Bud]

And there is always a toilet, if close enough which can be quite aways and uphill.

Bud

[Doneworking]

If you determine that you will be wanting to dump your tanks at home fairly frequently you might consider an add on macerator pump which could be connected and disconnected. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Flojet-18555-...or+pump+system

As I recall the RT 170 and 190s were gravity flow in those years around 2006. My 2007 RT 210 has a macerator built in and it easily pumps black and gray over 100 feet to my sewer cleanout through a 3/4 inch garden hose.

Given the relatively small tank(s) on a 170 this might be a worthy investment.

Paul

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by avanti

...
HOWEVER, most homes have cleanouts as part of their sanitary sewer systems. These are large pipes flush with the ground and with a cap on them. These may be used as dump stations.....

Addendum to this: newer subdivisions in my area have one such cleanout per each PAIR of homes, not one per lot. Both homes on either side drain to a common line, sharing a single capped port.

Unfortunately for us, our shared port happens to be on the side of our neighbor's driveway, right next to his basketball hoop. Maybe two times in the past 3 years we've had to ask him for permission to enter his driveway for the purposes of dumping. The rest of the time, we've used an off-site station. Just our luck that our houses were constructed this way.

[GeorgeRa]

We have a sewage cleaning port but it is easy to make a mistake. The easiest way to check is to have one person flushing a toilet and another one observing the opened port.

A mistake can be traceable and very expensive.

[mlts22]

One thing that helps, once you are -sure- it is a "clean-out", is a macerator pump.

Here in Texas, getting caught dumping down a storm drain is a $3000+ fine, perhaps some time in the county graybar. Best best is to find a dump station, or if it is worst case, hire a "stool bus" to pump the tanks out until you can confirm things.

[GeorgeRa]

You can always make yourself famous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9lALp_Fdgk

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Unfortunately for us, our shared port happens to be on the side of our neighbor's driveway, right next to his basketball hoop.

Could be worse... in my little townhouse neighborhood, they are all inside the house... it's in my sunroom.

What were they thinking??? I didn't find it until after settlement when I removed the carpeting to put in better flooring.

[sharter]

One of my fav movies shittersfull.jpg

[Bud]

Originally Posted by mumkin

Could be worse... in my little townhouse neighborhood, they are all inside the house... it's in my sunroom.

What were they thinking??? I didn't find it until after settlement when I removed the carpeting to put in better flooring.

Well, the toilet might not being working, so.............

Bud

[booster]

Originally Posted by mumkin

Could be worse... in my little townhouse neighborhood, they are all inside the house... it's in my sunroom.

What were they thinking??? I didn't find it until after settlement when I removed the carpeting to put in better flooring.

The houses that I have lived in here in Minnesota all had the main sewer line cleanout access inside the house, usually in the baseement or lowest level right where the sewer line leaves the building. It may have to do with the freezing ground and snow we get here, as an outdoor cleanout could get mighty tough to use in the middle of the winter, compared to the relatively easy indoor access.

[tomx]

Here is the picture of the hole I am talking about. I assume it is a storm drain.

Is that correct?

Thanks,

Tom

[avanti]

Originally Posted by tomx

Here is the picture of the hole I am talking about. I assume it is a storm drain.

Is that correct?

Correct. Stay away from that one.

[tomx]

Thank you all for the replies!

Did anybody build a sewer hole at home for RV dumping?

How much would that cost?

Thanks again,

Tom

[BBQ]

.

Look for something like this:

[GeorgeRa]

Most if not all houses have some access to a sewage line between a house and a main line. I would suggest to find yours, perhaps it is covered by dirt. County could have a drawing of the location. See my sewage line during our house construction.

[avanti]

We had a special dump station installed at a vacation home, but it was during a remodel and the sewers were dug up anyway. Cost almost nothing. Otherwise it is just a matter of finding the pipe, digging it up, and installing $30 worth of pipe. Either easy or hard, depending on circumstances.

BTW: When searching for an existing clean-out, you should also be careful that you didn't find the main shutoff valve for your city water feed. They can look similar, but that pipe won't accept very much sewage. Another reason to do the "flush and listen" trick.