Monday, August 3, 2009

FLOJET Portable Waste Pump

TO EMPTY THE HOLDING TANKS ON THE CAMPER HAS BEEN AN UPHILL BATTLE, LITERALLY!!! 

NORMALLY WE KEEP THE BLACK TANK CLOSED, AND EMPTY IT ONCE A WEEK, ON SATURDAY. THE GALLEY TANK, AND GRAY WATER TANK ARE OPEN TO DRAIN AS WE USE THEM.  ON THE VERY FIRST DAY WE REALIZED THAT OUR 20 FOOT SEWER HOSE WAS NOT GOING TO REACH FROM THE TRAILER, UPHILL, TO THE DUMP PIPE. 

WE WENT TO WALMART AND BOUGHT ANOTHER 20 FOOT SEWER HOSE.  THE SECOND DAY THE GROUND WAS WET AROUND THE NEW HOSE AND ON SATURDAY WHEN I WENT TO EMPTY THE BLACK TANK THE NEW SEWER HOSE LEAKED LIKE A SIEVE!  THE DAMN GROUND SQUIRRELS (CHIPMUNKS) WERE CHEWING HOLES IN THE HOSE TO GET AT ANY MOISTURE POSSIBLE IN THIS ARRID AREA.

I GOT OUT THE DUCT TAPE AND  WRAPPED THE HOSE WHERE IT LEAKED.  I WAS DISGUSTED WITH A BRAND NEW HOSE LEAKING. NORMALLY I GET 18 MONTHS OF LIFE OUT OF WALMART’S SEWER HOSES.

THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS THE GROUND WAS STILL WET, THE SQUIRRELS CONTINUED TO CHEW, AND MORE DUCT TAPE WAS LIBERALLY APPLIED.

SEWER 003

THE DUMP PIPE IS TRULY UPHILL FROM THE DUMP VALVE, AND THE LOW POINT IS IN THE HOSE JUST BELOW THE DUMP VALVE.  GRADUALLY THE WHOLE HOSE FILLS UP AND IT DOES DRAIN UPHILL INTO THE DUMP PIPE.  THE WATER PRESSURE IN THE SEWER HOSE QUICKLY SHOWS ME WHERE THE HOLES ARE AS THEY SPRAY MINATURE FOUNTAINS OF … AH …… SHIT!

I HAVE TO WALK THE HOSE AT EACH DUMPING TO GET THE BLACK WATER TO DRAIN DOWN THE DUMP PIPE.

SEWER 002

I FINALLY DECIDED TO CLOSE ALL THREE VALVES ON ALL THREE TANKS TO SEE IF WE COULD GET BY A WEEK WITHOUT UNLOADING ANY WASTE WATER. NO PROBLEM, THE TANKS ACCOMMOADATED A WEEKS WORTH OF WASTE WATER, BUT NOTHING CHANGED.  THE GROUND WAS STILL WET, THE SQUIRRELS STILL CHEWED HOLES IN HOSE, AND I FINISHED APPLYING A SECOND ROLE OF DUCT TAPE ON THE SEWER HOSE.

AFTER A COUPLE OF MORE WEEKS OF THAT, I FINALLY REALIZED THAT THE GRAY WATER TANK VALVE WAS LEAKING.  I WENT TO CAMPING WORLD AND BOUGHT A GATE VALVE ADAPTER TO PLACE ON THE END OF THE TRAILER’S DUMP PIPE.

SEWER 006

THAT WORKED !!! THE GROUND IS NOW COMPLETELY DRY DURING THE WEEK, AND EVEN WITH DAILY SHOWERS AND DISH WASHING WE ARE ABLE TO GET THRU A WEEK WITH OUR HOLDING TANKS.

THAT NEXT SATURDAY WHILE WALKING THE HOSE TO GET THE WATER TO DRAIN UPHILL INTO THE DUMP PIPE, THE HOSE BREAKS LOSE FROM THE RED ELBOW. DAMN, THERE IS SHIT WASTE WATER EVERYWHERE!

SEWER 004

THE GROUND SQUIRRELS ON THE OTHER HAND ARE DESPERATE, AND HAVE BEEN CUT OFF FROM THEIR WATER SOURCE.  THEY HAVE EATEN ALL THE HOME OWNERS CATI IN SEARCH OF WATER, AND ATTACK THE SEWER HOSE.  ONE MORNING I FIND A BIG HOLE AND OUT OF THE SEWER HOSE CLIMBS ONE OF THOSE PESKY SQUIRRELS.

IT’S SATURDAY AGAIN, AND TIME FOR MY WEEKLY ORDEAL OF EMPTYING THE HOLDING TANKS.  I’M DANGEROUS LOW ON MY THIRD ROLL OF DUCT TAPE, THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS 115 DEGREES, I OPEN THE VALVE AND SHORTLY AFTER THE WATER PRESSURE BUILDS THERE ARE 25 MINATURE FOUNTAINS SPRINGING FROM THE SEWER HOSE !!!

THAT’S IT !! IT TOOK HALF THE SUMMER FOR ME TO FINALLY PROVE THAT “SHIT DOES NOT ROLL UPHILL!!!”

I STOPPED AT CAMPING WORLD ON OUR TRIP TO VEGAS TO GET THE CAT SHOTS AND BOUGHT A FLOJET MACERATOR WASTE WATER PUMP.

 

SEWER 001

THE MASCERATOR PUMP RUNS OFF OF 12 VOLT POWER, HAS IMPELLORS THAT GRIND THE WASTE, AND HAS A BACK WASH SYSTEM FOR YOUR TANKS, AND TO CLEAN OUT THE PUMP.  YOU ATTACH A REGULAR GARDEN HOSE TO SAFELY PUMP THE WASTE WATER UP HILL.  THE FIRST REAL TEST OF THIS EXSPENSIVE PUMP FROM CAMPING WORLD WILL BE NEXT SATURDAY.  WISH ME LUCK !!!

1 comments:

Dewayne said...

My wife and I live in our 30 ft Jayco Travel trailer. Althought we are not retired we are part time security for the Marina at which we live for free. The sewage drain is over 100ft from our trailer. We purchased a flojet waste water pump and I LOVE it. Dumping is done in only a couple of minutes and by flushing we have eliminated the inside ordor. Hope you like your flojet as much as we do.