By Gail Marsh
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!
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, please!
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RVDT2693
I have the bags from Amazon. The sewer hose bag, labeled “dirty” has a clear solid top. Not mesh.
First of all, I drain the hose, connect the ends, and do a quick rinse of outside with the sprayer in my service bay. The result is not stinky and not messy.
I keep all my sewer hoses and related gear in an old laundry basket in the front compartment of my 5th wheel. The basket is on the floor of the compartment, which is sheltered from weather but well ventilated, along with other suitable items, like a large bucket of kitty litter and wheel chocks. A second (upper) shelf is where I keep a box of assorted caulk tubes, and another box has assorted aerosol lubricants.
Two joined 10′ sections + 6″ clear section in the bumper. Magnetic cap on one end, very tight bug-screen cap at the other. Have only needed the 2nd section a couple times. Plus, under the bumper at the utility side I’ve mounted a steel ammo box (added a weep hole) with a small carbineer as the ‘lock’. The box stores the sewer connection, slinky wrenches (which are rarely needed) and plumber’s O-ring grease to keep the rubber inside the hose connectors pliant and lubricated. I do keep my box of nitrile gloves in a near bay. Never had the hose move from the bumper on its own. All stinky parts are both outside and immediately at hand.
We keep our hoses – yes, plural – in a clear plastic bin in a storage bay in our motorhome. For us clear bins are important so we can see what is in each bin. We are fortunate to have the space in our storage bays. I know not everyone does.
We stored the hose in the bumper of our previous 2 trailers. We solved the loose end cap problem by drilling a small hole through the bumper and end cap and inserting a reflector with a rod through the bumper and cap. Our current trailer’s bumper seemed smaller or our hose was larger so we now store the hose in a clear bin that resides in the back of the truck until needed.
Our fifth wheel came with a hollow rear tube bumper, but it was replaced with a thicker walled tube to support the rear rack. The new bumper inside measurement will not accommodate the fittings on the end of the stinky slinky. The slinky now resides in a fence post behind the axles and under the trailer. There is also room in the pipe for a length of roof gutter to support the hose and make it easier to remove from the storage post.
I always rinse out my hose so never applied stink problem. I also use plastic totes for storage, but use 6″ deep totes, they work perfectly and I can stack them in my camper storage space.
I still use the metal sewer hose carrier (also the rear bumper of my trailer). Since the covers are all a rubber cap, I drilled a small hole in the top of the bumper cap and use a small screw into the top of the bumper and into the rubber cap. So far it has worked well for me the past seven years and I’ve never lost a rubber bumper cap. It creates an inconvenience in having to have a screwdriver to remove the screw and the rubber cap, but it’s a small inconvenience that I’ll endure.
Our Brinkley Z3400 came with two Valterra hose storage tubes mounted under the RV, perfect for our two dump connections (front black & gray and rear gray). We did have a situation where our hose wasn’t long enough to get from the front connection to the sewer connections. So we purchased another hose with nowhere to store it. We use the storage bags with the mesh top and now use that for the extra hose as well as our black tank flush hose. It lives in the bed of the truck. We have a gooseneck so plenty of room for it there. It’s nestled in with a couple of storage bins and held forward in the bed by a telescoping bar across the bed. Haven’t noticed any fumes, but I rinse them well.
I use square rubber caps for the end of the square bumper tube. Nothing extra to worry about and no space lost in storage. I have seen a couple different styles of “cap” at various campground “stores” and hard to beat $5 for a pair of caps.
I have caps that can be bought on Amazon. After rinsing the hose I cap each end, no odor or leakages.
We currently use the clear totes that are labeled in our garage space front of TT.
We are going to use a bin bolted down to a cargo carrier on the back of the TT. It will be stronger and hold more of the sewer items.
Thank you for the numerous storage solutions you discussed, Gail! We have a 21-foot sewer hose connected to the macerator in our wet bay. It has a removable cap and is curled into an open area on one side of the wet bay. We also carry three lengths of 4-inch sewer hose, capped on each end in a bay designed for it. The three lengths total about 40 feet. Have a great day and safe travels!
Storing waste hose in the bumper was a disaster when we experienced the loss of the endcap just as you had.. I simply drilled 3/16″ holes top and bottom of the bumper on each end. I drop in 3/16″ x 6″ bolts through each end. That was 9 years ago. Been FT for 7+years. Carrying 2 hoses in the bumper no problems.
Collapsible hose and the pipe caps that come with it. Collapse the other hose and lock both ends together. No rescan needed scape
I mounted a PVC fence post underneath our travel trailer behind the trim skirt, so it’s completely out of sight. It is long enough to contain our hose and an extention. The opening is perfectly located next to the outlet to our tanks, so I only have to squat once, can pull the hose out and connect it without having to collect the hose and drag it to the outlet. Putting away is just as easy.
We use 2 green pvc pipes (they are lite weight) one long one for the two hoses and a shorter one for the connectors, elbows etc They have screw on ends and are attached by ratchet straps to the back rack on our tear drop
Good day fellow rv’ers! We hope the 2025 season has been spectacular for you so far!
We have 2 rv systems which we use.
valterra sewer solution – we have up to 70’ of hose and no issues with grade. We carry the minimum 10’ at all times in the bag. Although this system uses the most water to masticate; it is totally quiet and scent free. We use this whenever we are at a location for more than a night. It is stored in the bag that came with our awning screen and all the accessories needed to. 18x18x4 zippered bag.
We also have a rhino system. This one is permanently inserted inside a 8’ pvc pipe. (Removed one ends fittings and slid it through- re-affixed) with a fixed cap for each end.
Bought before Thor got their hands on the company, my Jayco has a square tube bumper purpose-built to store the sewer hose when not in use. No chance for odor or contamination to enter the inside. It angers me to learn that these dual-purpose square tube bumpers are victim to the industry’s push to get customers back in the store seeking solution to a problem once solved.