Unwinding RV Hose Facts

RV hose selection is crucial to your RV enjoyment. Rule #1: Always use a clean white RV/Marine hose for your fresh water supply. Rule #2: Never use your clean white RV/Marine hose for any other purpose. Rule #3 Always use a different color hose for everything else. Why is this important? Water entering your RV should be as clean as possible. If you use just any old hose you'll introduce bacteria into your water system. If you faithfully use this color distinction method on your RV you'll save yourself a lot of misery. You don't want to stick your white hose down the toilet to wash it out then hook it back up to your fresh water system. (I know that was gross, but it brings home the point). Store your white hose away from sewer hoses and connectors. When you roll it up it's a good idea to screw the two opposing ends together. This prevents water left in the hose from leaking out and keeps the hose ends clean. You can choose from several varieties of hoses at your local RV store or WalMart. I use the NeverKink self-straightening hose. These hoses cost more but last longer and they kink less than other brands. They aren't "kink-free" only "less kinky" overall. I also prefer the 5/8 inch diameter and carry a 50 foot and two 25 foot lengths. I also carry a short 10 foot hose for close-in hook-ups. Many times I've needed to hook up several lengths of hose to reach the RV. I've never used the flat type hoses because everyone I've asked didn't like them. If you've used these flat type hoses, double click on the blue "comments" section below and tell us about your experience with them. It could be they are victims of a bad rap. When I wind up a hose for storage I use a bungee with a knob and roll them hand-over-hand and fasten the coil with another bungee. If you want to spend some money you can invest in an automatic hose reel that will keep your hose nice and tidy. It's important to inspect your hose from time to time to ensure the washer is flexible and not cracked. If the washer looks warn, replace it. It's also a good idea to periodically run a bleach/water mixture through your fresh water hoses to kill any bacteria. This is especially important if you have not used your hoses for a long period of time. Many RVers carry a spray bottle with a bleach/water mixture to spray on the new campsite faucet prior to hooking up the fresh water hose. You never know when Fido has been there before you. Keeping it reel - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing and Road Scholar

RVers Have Sewer Alternatives

I saw an RVer using a small green sewer hose a few years ago and wondered what it was. Full time RVers Larry and Cheryl Mattingly pulled up in the camp site next to us and broke out this same mysterious sewer hose. I had seen other campers using it and looked at it in the RV store but didn’t give it a second thought. Now my curiosity pushed me to inquire about this device. Larry has been using “The Sewer Solution” for about three months and loves it. It will pump sewage up to three feet high so you don’t have to worry about the elevation of your sewer receptacle. The Sewer Solution acts in a similar way to a macerator. It uses water pressure to operate when emptying the black water tank. The high pressure water stream breaks up waste and pushes it through the hose. The connection at the sewer is snug (there are three sized foam adaptors for this purpose). You can get an additional 10 foot extension to make your system reach farther. A clear window in the element that attaches to your rig lets you see when the tank is running clear. After you’ve emptied the black water or grey water you can rotate the water connection 90 degrees and use the water to back-wash the tanks. Larry leaves his grey water tank open and it drains just like you would do with a traditional sewer hose. When Larry is ready to break camp, he dumps his tanks, back-washes them, closes the valves which rinses the equipment (including the hose) and then he can store the system in a much smaller space than the traditional equipment. If you’ve been using this system or have used it in the past, please leave a message for us in the “comments” section below and tell us what you think about the Sewer Solution. Jim

Learn What A Macerator Can Do For You!

Want to stay on a relatives property in the comfort of your RV but can’t because your holding tanks won’t let you? Want to stay at a pristine campground for more than a few days but can’t because your holding tanks won’t let you? Well, perhaps it’s time you purchased a macerator. A macerator connects to your RV sewer drain. You open the valve and turn on the macerator and it chews up the sewage with blades (kind of like a blender) and then sends the small particles out a garden hose.I’ve used mine as far as 150 feet up a small incline. I use it to empty both the black water and grey water tanks. This allows us to stay at campgrounds that do not have full hook-ups for longer periods of time. It’s not as convenient as full hook-ups, but it much faster and more efficient than using a blue boy. The trick is to park close enough to the dump station to do this. I’ve also run the hose into a bathroom window and down into the toilet – it works great! Here, I’m dumping my grey water into a grey water drain – notice the great water pressure this unit has. This unit operates on 12 volts DC and has a handy plunger style switch. It comes with its own carrying case and is easy to use

The Key To Making Campground Setup Easier

There are many annoying things that can happen during setup or takedown of your RV. One of my problems was misplacing my side compartment key. I would be busy breaking down camp and reach in my pocket and no key. Oh, I left it on the front seat of the truck…no, not here maybe on the bumper…no not there, let’s see where in the heck did I put that key??? I solved this annoying problem by putting my key on a neck strap key-keeper with a detachable key ring. This way I have my key with me at all times and don’t have to try and remember where I left it. It makes life MUCH easier both when setting up and breaking down camp.

Following A Routine RV Parking Procedure Saves You Time And Avoids Frustration.

A novice RVer with a 5th wheel pulled in next to us the other day with a sparkling new $60,000 unit. He almost sheered off the utility pedestal when he pulled in. He spent the next 15 minutes pulling forward and backing up into this pull-through site until he had it where he "thought" he wanted it. After what seemed like a long time, a loud exchange erupted between the husband and wife, “What are you doing, you can’t pull forward!” “What do you mean? What’s it gonna hurt if I pull forward…” and on it went. It took him well over an hour to get it all hooked up. Not bad for a newbie – I hope this didn’t cause a divorce.

Before you pull into a spot, whether it's a pull-through or a back-in you need to do a visual calculation of where you are going to place your rig before you proceed. I usually stop, get out and survey the spot before I pull in. Please don’t get in a hurry when positioning your rig into your campsite. Don’t take all day, but also don’t be intimidated by someone waiting while you back in – it’s an RV campground and the RV etiquette book says they must wait patiently until you are safely off the road. Before you pull into or back into your campsite look for low tree branches extending over the site. If you have a large rig and back under a tree branch, you could tear your roof, rip off an air conditioner, vent or solar panel. I’ve passed up nice camping sites and driven back to the office to request a different site just because a tree limb was too close for comfort. After I’ve done a visual inspection of the site, I like to identify exactly where I will put my street side (port or driver side) front wheel of our 5th wheel (this is the side of your rig where your hook-ups are located). Determine where you want to position your RV relative to the hook-ups. Is there a power pedestal where my slide outs will extend? I don’t want to bump into a power pedestal or a post with my slides. Also, I don’t want to have to put an extension on my electric power chord if I can avoid it. Notice in the next picture that the power cord barley makes it to the utility pedestal.I also want the sewer drain to be relatively close to the sewer hook-up but that’s not always possible. Also, try to position the sewer drain on your rig uphill from the sewer hook-up at the site. Trying to make sewage move uphill is a challenging task – don’t try it unless you have a macerator. After all these determinations (which only take a few seconds once you’ve done it a few times) I usually mark the ground with a visual marker for where I want to line up the wheels of my coach. You can use anything as a marker, a rock or stick just as long as you can see it with your mirrors or you can have someone stand two feet off to the side and two feet behind (for a pull-through) or in front (if a back-in) where the wheels will eventually rest. You do this because you may need to level your RV and you need the two feet in order to pull up on the leveling boards.Self leveling motor coaches skip this step unless you're on a slope: Once I have the 5er at this point I check to see if it is level and if I need to level one side or the other, I put the leveling boards in place prior to pulling forward (or backing) into the final stopping position. We also use handheld radios when backing into a site, and Marilyn can tell me when the wheels are on top of the leveling boards. Before we extend the slide I double check that we’re not going to hit any obstacles. If you are not 100% sure you will clear the obstacle, measure and reposition the rig if necessary. Following this procedure or something like it will give you confidence in you parking ability and actually make setting up faster. It will also set the tone for a happy camping experience! Jim