How to dump your tanks in a RV

rv dump station

Before we get started, look for the FHU (full hook up) at your campsite…both the water spigot and sewer hook up are usually located very close together. If they are not at your campsite, locate the dumping station provided.

gloves

Put on your gloves!!

camper tank valves

Find the compartment where the dump valves are located, open the compartment. You’ll see a 3 inch black “Y” pipe coming down out of the bowels of the RV with two T shaped pull handles…or if you have a really long 5th wheel, you’ll see two separate 3 inch black pipes sticking out from the bottom of your trailer…these should be connected to drain pipes and Y-ed at the sewer hook up…at any rate…(do not pull the T handles, not yet!)…you’ll see a termination cap fastened to the end of the 3 inch pipe.

rv dump attachment

While the T handles are still CLOSED, unscrew the termination cap slowly from the end of the pipe.If you need to: Attach the clear sewer pipe adapter to the end of the pipe.

Attach the sewer hose to the end of the clear adapter. Insert the other end of the sewer hose with the elbow fitting into the sewer hook-up in the ground.

Remember black first, gray last! This means, always dump your black tank first and save the gray tank for last. This way the grey water will flush the black water residuals down the hose and into the drain.

Slowly and carefully open the black water T handle. The liquid and waste will start to flow down and out.

Attach the “rinsing wand” to the garden hose. With the wand securely attached to the garden hose, insert the wand into your toilet…far enough down so the water will not blast out of the toilet and all over the bathroom or you.If you do not have a rinsing wand, just stick the hose down as far as you can. Make sure the on/off valve is set to “off”. Then slowly turn on the garden hose until flow is at 100%. If using the rinsing wand, gently move the wand around to hit the walls of the holding tank.

Remove the wand, lower the hose into the toilet. If not using the wand, just keep the hose in place and now close the toilet seat, but not so tightly as to restrict the water flow. Turn the water on at 100%. It's great to have a helper to be outside to watch the clear adaptor and you can stay in to make sure nothing floods! When the water runs clear, you're done with the black tank! Congrats!

Now the gray tank-slowly and carefully open the gray water T handle. The liquid and food waste will start to flow down and out.

Look at the clear sewer pipe adapter…when the grey water flow is at a trickle, close the grey water T handle. Let any water in the sewer hose finish draining. gently disconnect the clear sewer pipe adapter from the end of the 3 inch pipe. Now turn on the garden hose to a gentle flow of water…50% flow…and thoroughly rinse out the sewer pipe, the rinsing wand, and the garden hose. Clean and stow everything away for next time.

Follow the directions on the label, pour the suggested amount of blue holding tank chemical directly into your toilet and flush into the holding tank….run the water for a few minutes.