We’ve had several “adventures” with our sewer hose. In our first RV, the previous owner stored the hose in the RV’s hollow, rear bumper. We did the same. It seemed like the perfect place, and so convenient. The hose stayed far, far away from our other RV equipment. No worries about cross-contamination or lingering odors. It was perfect. That is, until on our third trip out the bumper cap came off and the sewer hose vibrated completely out of the bumper! Clueless, we arrived at the campground without a sewer hose. Worse, we were hours away from a store that sold them. The experience cured us of the bumper storage idea.
Another time, we arrived at a campground only to find that our sewer hose would not reach the dump port. Only after demonstrating our predicament were we given an alternate site.
Another time we forgot our sewer hose completely. Still relatively new to RVing, our hose was stored inside a solid green container. Because identical containers were also in our garage at the time, we overlooked the sewer hose storage box and arrived at the campground without it!
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Bucket it
Friends of ours swear by their “stinky slinky” storage: a bucket. When it comes time to put away their sewer hose, they wind it around inside a five-gallon bucket. They attach a bucket lid and place the hose bucket in the back of their pickup, where it lives until it’s needed next time.
This idea didn’t work for us. For one thing, we pull a fifth-wheel RV. Our hitch takes up quite a bit of space in the bed of our pickup. Wood blocks, wheel chocks, emergency cones, and an extra fuel tank consume the remainder of the space.
Another reason we nixed the bucket idea was that we routinely carry more than one sewer hose. (As mentioned, there are times when one hose won’t reach the campground dump port.) Two hoses will not fit into a five-gallon bucket, and we didn’t want to give up the extra space a second bucket would require. Certainly, if you have the space, go for it! With a bucket lid, you won’t have an odor problem and you can easily tote the bucket(s) where you need them at the campsite.
PVC pipe
You can purchase premade straight pipes designed to hold a sewer hose, like this one. It comes with mounting brackets and self-tapping screws. It’s adjustable, too.
Many RVers I know purchase regular PVC pipe and use it to make their own sewer hose storage pipe. With a little ingenuity (and perhaps a YouTube video like this one) you can DIY a storage solution too.
Fence post
You can use a PVC fence post to house your RV sewer hose. It’s similar to the pipe idea and seems to work for some RVers. Watch how one camper did this DIY project here.
Bag it?
My husband noticed these RV hose storage bags on Amazon. Although the manufacturer claims each bag is waterproof, I’m not sure it would work for us. For one thing, each bag features a “strong breathable mesh top.” The mesh “allows air to get in and lets excess water evaporate, ensuring a dry environment for your water hoses.” Hmmm. It’s the “mesh top” that concerns me. Wouldn’t fumes escape? What prevents contamination should the black water bag accidentally be placed upside down?
Plastic storage container
Currently, bins like these are what we use to store our RV sewer hoses: a heavy-duty plastic storage container with a lid. The lid seals very well, we can see at a glance what’s inside, but the biggest bonus is that we can use the storage container to sanitize our sewer hose periodically. We pour a bleach and water mixture directly into the container, slosh it around and inside the sewer hose, and pour the “gunk” into the campground sewage port. (Note: Be sure to rinse the container afterward so that the bleach won’t compromise the integrity of the plastic.)
The sewer hose storage box stays inside the front (battery) storage bay, well away from other hoses and freshwater connectors. The box also accommodates our 90-degree sewer connector—something no PVC pipe or fence post hack will allow.
How do you house your RV sewer hose? Tell us in the comments below or send pictures, please!
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##RVDT1907
Why do you feel a need to sanitize a sewer hose? First time in my nearly 50 years of rving that I heard of this one.
Exactly, what a waste of soap and water. Do you sanitize your drain pipes at home? Maybe if you feel a need to put your hose away for the winter clean, okay, but if anyone doing this after every trip is in need of a new hobby.
Me too.
My PVC fence post cover/ rain gutter combo works very well to hold all my sewer hose (20 ft.) and connection pieces, including 45 and 90 degree elbows and gasketed adapter for odorless campsite connection, end caps, etc.
Vinyl fence post with an aluminum gutter section inside that slides out to expose the stinky slinky. Fence post cover sealed on one end of the post and on the dumping side, a attached but removable post cover. Mounted to underside of trailer behind the second axle.
Rear bumper. Lost a cap once. Probably due to not putting it on all the way. The current caps have managed to stay on for thousands of miles. I always compact and push the “stinky slinky” a ways in so as not to apply pressure on the caps. Good name for them by the way. I don’t think I’ll ever call them a sewer hose again.
just drill a hole thru the bumper and cap and use a nail or similar item thru the hole. that will keep the cap on.
I use an old laundry basket in the front compartment of my Montana 5th wheel. The front compartment is separated by a bulkhead from the main storage, and houses the battery and propane tanks and is well ventilated and not weather tight or heated. I connect each hose top to bottom, making a ring or doughnut, and rinse them with the hose before putting them away. There is plenty of room for 2+ hoses, elbow, and other waste plumbing hardware and spares. I use the rest of the compartment floor for my 20lb propane tank and kitty litter 40lb bucket. I installed a wire shelf about 20″ above the floor to keep an assortment of other light stuff like caulking, lubricants, and insecticides.
Great organization, John! Happy travels!
I find it helps to use the stiffer hoses like Rhino or Ramble that collapse or expand, and tend to stay where you put them. My coach has a built-in storage tube for one hose. I store two extension hoses in a small carpeted pass-thru compartment … at least one is used frequently, along with the u-shaped gutter pieces they are stored in. The most important part is that ALL sewer hoses are stored with BOTH ENDS CAPPED. No drips, no mess, no stink in 20 years. I have never “cleaned” or sanitized a sewer hose beyond dumping gray water after black, and then using my black tank rinse system for another brief rinse or two.
Very lucky that my B+ has a perfect size hatch near the waste valves. Everything in it is sewer stuff including removal tools, extra hoses, fittings, etc. Isolates the germy stuff from anything else I am carrying.
Prior to this setup, had a sturdy airtight bin where all the stuff resided. Main thing is to keep it isolated, and allow room for whatever add ons you might need.
Regarding cleaning the slinky, Camco makes this Sewer Hose Rinser- just hooks up to a garden hose and has an on off lever. Works great and its easy
I use the bumper for the primary hose and a bin for additional hoses and fittings. I drilled a hole through the bumper and cap and use a hitch pin to hold the caps in place. 10 minutes and $1.50 at the hardware store and the caps are locked in place. Everything gets sanitized after every camping trip.
In the rear bumper, had bungee cords holding end cap, replaced the ends with magnetic bumper caps!
5″ vinyl fence post cover mounted vertically to rear ladder with hose clamps. Hinged cap @ bottom with cutout to allow 90deg fitting stay attached. Holds 25’of hose & fittings. Painted to match RV paint scheme not perfect but most people don’t even recognize.
Like others have said. The bumper is a great place to store it just invest in a better bumper cap solution.
My husband mounted a large plastic toolbox with two steel latches to our bumper using L-brackets. It has never opened up accidentally on the road in 10 years of travel. The toolbox has four holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. The wound up sewer hose fits in there perfectly, along with his plastic gloves. It looks like he forgot his toolbox on the back bumper of the camper as we drive down the road, but it has been the perfect solution for us.
What stinky slinky? We have a macerator and extra garden sized hose. Has worked everywhere for every RV we have owned. Current is number 3.
Grey water last cleans out black water residue. No sweat, no stink.
I have installed 2 Valterra Hose storage pipes under the rear of our 5th wheel. There was room between the spare tire and the 2″ receiver to install both. Between the 2 I carry 40ft of hose.
Bumpers are fine if you don’t rely on simple rubber caps. I also cap off dump hose ends to minimize any mess while handling and storage.
The problem with bumpers is they rust and rust will eat up a plastic hose in less than one seasons use. If there was a way to paint or coat the inside of the bumper with a rust proofing coating it would do what it’s supposed to.
I use the bumper but I got rid of those caps. I use a piece of coat hanger to go threw the holes and bend it down so it won’t come out. I had one bumper that only had one opening so I drilled a one inch hole in it for air movement.
This has worked for 45 years and let’s the hose dry out.
We use storage tubes, two of them, mounted under our 5th wheel. We also have a drawer based storage unit in the basement where we store a macerator and it’s power cord and connectors.
I installed a 4” PVC sewer pipe designed for a septic field with holes on the bottom using plumbers perforated steel strapping to mount it to the bottom of the trailer next to where the dump valves are making it convenient. I installed a vented cap on the opposite end of where the dump valves are and a screw on cap on the other end. The vented cap and drain holes in the bottom allow for complete drying. The hose end fittings, the 45 degree fitting coming off the dump valve and the 90 degree extension that fits into the sewer pipe are stored in ziplock gallon size bags after the fittings are thoroughly cleaned. I carry 20’ of hose in an 8’ pipe, never a mess the next time I use it. The ziplock bags are replaced regularly, and I always use rubber gloves.
We use a large tote container with a tight closing lid. The container holds two ten foot sections of hose and all connectors. The tote is washed every
3-4 months with a Clorox solution and sun dried. The hose is thoroughly rinsed after each use. We also spray Lysol into the container after stowing the hose and before closing the lid. A box of gloves and the can of Lysol set next to the tote. The person wearing the gloves doesn’t touch the bay door key, the tote latches, the water hose or spigot valve, or the Lysol can. We also keep a pump bottle of hand sanitizer next to the box of gloves.