 |
|
Last changes 2/11/2007 |
This may seem to be a rather mundane subject, but there really
are reasons to care about sewer hoses.
|
 |
When we started RVing with our motorhome,
Training Wheels, we bought the EZ hose system from Valterra.
This is the red hose system. The end fittings screw into the
coils of the hose. These include hose-to-hose connectors,
the 90° elbow that connects to the park drain, and the bayonet connection
to the RV. |
click on images to enlarge |
This system worked fine for us with Training Wheels. The Valterra
EZ also worked well when we started out with Tige.
When we dump the tanks, we follow the normal procedure of dumping
the black water tank and then the gray water tank. Since the
sewer hose was on the ground and typically there was a rise to the
park drain, there was a potential that some gray water was still
in the sewer hose after the gray water valve was closed.
We would pick up the hose starting from the RV end and walk any
remaining water toward the park drain.
When we use the clothes washer in Tige, the washer discharge
water is dumped straight into the drain pipe without going into
the gray water tank. This meant we would have to go outside
and lift and walk the sewer hose to drain remaining water in the
hose into the park drain after using the clothes washer. Since
we often do laundry when it is raining (nothing else to do), this
was inconvenient.
|
 |
We acquired a sewer hose support system. We picked the
Slunky hose support because
it seemed to be the most compact when stored. With the sewer
hose support, the hose is raised on an incline from the RV end of
the hose to the park drain. The sewer hose support also means
that the hose usually drops down to the park drain at that end.
The hose is now self draining. |
click on images to enlarge |
The introduction of the Slunky hose support brought a new problem.
The Valterra EZ sewer hose coil construction allows the length to
expand from about 4 to 20. Normally, the run from Tige
to the park drain is about 10. When the gray water tank is
dumped, the water flow force is rather substantial. The flow
is important for the removal of particles from the gray water tank.
This substantial flow force made the EZ sewer hose expand in length.
This would force the sewer hose off of the Slunky hose support.
The first thought was to string the hose out to its full length.
However, without the water flow force, the hose retracted to the
shortest possible length again pulling the hose out of the Slunky
hose support. So we had to put the hose back into the support
after dumping the gray water tank.
Visiting with Jack Mayer, we found he had some RhinoFlex sewer
hose from Camco. RhinoFlex is made from thicker material.
The thicker material makes the hose stay compressed unless it is
pulled out. If it is pulled out, then it stays at the length
it was pulled to. The shape retention also happens if the
hose is curved. The RhinoFlex hose is shaped to fit the path
from the RV to the park drain and then is stays in that shape.
By retaining its shape, the RhinoFlex hose would stay in the Slunky
hose support and solve our problem.
While shopping for RhinoFlex sewer hoses and fittings, we found
another brand that is similar to RhinoFlex but made from an even
thicker material and that material, polypropylene instead of vinyl,
was immune to ultraviolet light. This brand was Sewer Master.
|
 |
Using either the RhinoFlex hose of the
Sewer Master hose
was going to mandate that we get new end fittings. This was
another area where were found the Sewer Master to be better.
The RhinoFlex comes in two lengths. There is the
initial 15 set where you get a permanently mounted bayonet to RV
fitting at one end and a 90° elbow on the other. Add-on RhinoFlex
hoses come in 10 lengths. The RhinoFlex uses Easy Slip fittings
from Camco. I really did not like the twist-off wire clamp
used with those fittings. I tried these fittings at a Campers
World visit and found that I could not twist the clamps with my
hands. |
click on images to enlarge |
The Sewer master does not mandate any particular brand of end fittings
but they do recommend Prest-o-Fit Blueline fittings. I had
some concern about these end fittings, because they rely on static
friction to hold the fitting onto connector and other fittings.
I felt the bayonet connections that the Valterra EZ system used
were more reliable. Asking around, users who had no problems
with the Prest-o-Fit Blueline Pushover fittings ever coming apart
put those concerns to rest. The Prest-o-Fit Blueline Pushover
fittings slide into the hose and are secured with stainless steel hose clamps.
There is quite a cost difference between the Sewer Master hoses
and the RhinoFlex hoses, but we felt the longer wearing polypropylene
hose construction and end fittings options made the Sewer Master
a worthwhile investment.
|
 |
The Sewer Master hose comes in 12 lengths. We had one
circumstance where we had the 20 Valterra EZ hose stretched to
the limit. Two 12 lengths would be comfortable but we have
been recommended that an additional hose length will be needed
someday. So we acquire three lengths of Sewer Master hose.
Even being made of significantly thicker material, the Sewer Master
does compress to about a Ό of the total length. The
sewer hose compartment of the Travel Supreme just held the 20 length
of the Valterra EZ hose compressed. We knew that two lengths
of Sewer Master hose would not fit. We did not want to carry
sewer hose in Tiges cargo bay so we acquired two
Valterra sewer
hose carriers and mounted them under Tiges belly. |
click on images to enlarge |
 |
For fittings, we put a
Prest-o-Fit Sewer Hose Fittings
Blueline Pushover fitting an each end of each hose. We
also acquired caps that seal the Pushover hose fitting. After
the seals are pushed into the end fittings, you can carry the hose
around with worrying about dribbling dirty water. We bought
three connection sets. Each set includes two Pushover hose
fittings, two hose clamps, and a Coupler tube that the Pushover
fittings slip onto to effect connection of two hoses. You
supposedly can screw two Sewer Master hoses together but we did
not want to use that method.
We also acquire the necessary 90° elbow to connect to the park
drain as well as the bayonet end that attaches to the RV.
|
We had another problem to solve. The dump valves for the
Travel Supreme are located way up inside the insulated belly of
the trailer. This protects the valves from freezing in cold
weather. This means there is a fairly long run of drain pipe
from the valves to the bayonet end of the pipe where the cap is
put on for traveling. Since we tend to dump just before leaving,
there was always some water left in the drain pipe. When we
arrived at the new location, there usually was some settled dirty
water that would drop out when the cap was taken off. We would
try to have the hose under the cap to catch the water but it was
inconvenient. We acquired a Valterra Twist-On Valve that attaches
to the bayonet end of the pipe. The cap is now attached to
the Twist-On Valve. Now we can take the cap off and attach
the hose without worry about dirty water on the hands or the ground.
After the hose is on, then the Twist-On Valve is opened. Since
the Twist-On Valve only holds back a very small amount of water,
we do not worry about freezing. Even if the valve should freeze,
we can easily remove it.
|
 |
The one fitting we carried over from the Valterra EZ system was
a 45° elbow with bayonet ends. We put this between the RV
and the sewer hose so we can watch what and when stuff is coming
out of the tanks. When we are flushing the black water tank,
we can see when the flushing action has stopped moving stuff out
of the tank when clear water comes out. |
click on images to enlarge |
At the park drain end of the hose, the 90° elbow is usually used
to connect the sewer hose to the drain. Sometimes the park
drain has a threaded end and the 90° elbow has threads that match.
Sometimes, the park drain is just a plain pipe. You need something
to insure the 90° elbow stays connected to the park drain.
|
 |
When we started with Training Wheels, we acquired four heavy fishing
weights and two small bungee cords, put a weight on each bungee
cord end, and tied the bungee cords together in the middle.
This gave us a weighted cross that we put over the 90° elbow to
hold it down. |
click on images to enlarge |
 |
We found Hose Buddy on the Internet and felt it was a better
way to hold the 90° elbow down. We fill the Hose Buddy with
water to give it weight. Notice that the cut out shape of
the underside fits the shape of the elbow. When it's time
to travel, we empty the Hose Buddy, stow and go. |
 |
click on images to enlarge |
