Can I Dump My RV or Camper Tanks At Home?

While camping is one of the best things that families can do with each other, and most people see camping as a way to visit, and have fun, there are aspects of camping that can be a chore, one of them is dumping your grey and black water tanks. We are going to try and help with that, and answer a few questions that even the most seasoned campers might have.

Can you do dump your tanks at home? Yes! You can dump your grey water, black water, and extra freshwater tanks at home, as long as you are careful not to dump in the street. In order to dump at your home, you must connect your camper or RV to your septic tank or sewer line for it to be legal. All homes have a connection that can be accessed to both a septic tank or sewer system, so finding that will be critical to your dumping.

Can I Dump My RV Or Camper Tanks Into My Septic Tank?

Yes, dumping into your septic tank is completely legal, and normal and lots of people do it. Once you find your clean-out or bigger septic cover, you can run a hose from your camper to the septic tank and release the waste. If you cannot get to either of these two spots, you may have to do it in a more manual process, which can get messy.

What Is The Difference Between Grey And Black Water

When speaking in camper terms, you will have a grey water tank and a black water tank depending on the camper. Greywater is typically your shower and sinks water, that may have soap, and bits of food, but no waste. Blackwater, on the other hand, deals with human waste that comes from the toilet. There are some campers out there that have a single freshwater tank, and a waste tank that will mix both greywaters, and black water together into a single waste holding tank.

Can I Dump My Grey Water On The Ground

Depending on where you are, if your grey water tank fills because someone leaves the sink on, you might find that some campgrounds might let you empty your grey water onto the ground, but that is a rare exception.

I have been a position out in the mountains where I had no choice but to drain some water onto the dirt because of a leak, but I made sure to wash it off with a hose. Anytime you camp where there is a cement or paved pad for your camper, you should NEVER dump your grey water.

What Are The Dumping Methods

There are three different popular dumping methods to empty your waste at your home. Below are the three, with descriptions of how it is done

1. Using Your Camper Waste Lines: If you can get your camper or RV close enough to the clean out or septic tank, you can hookup your normal waste lines and have them fall into the pipe, and then you can release the waste into it. Once all the waste has been removed, you can then rinse out your waste lines, and you are done.

2. Using A Macerator: There is now a new tool called a macerator that you can hook to the pipe coming off your camper that when plugged in, will act as a blender that will grind all your waste up into extremely small pieces. The process of this would be to hook up the macerator, then hook your waste lines up, and a water line. You open the waste valve, turn on macerator, and let it drain. Once completed, you can run clean water through to clean the macerator, and waste lines, and you are all done.

3. Using Buckets: If you do not have access to putting your waste line into your sewer clean out, or your septic tank, you might have to hook up your waste lines, and fill up 5 gallon buckets and then hand carry them to your sewer or septic tank until all the waste is removed from the camper or RV. This can be extremely messy, and also takes a lot more time, so please be careful that you do not splash it and get it all over yourself.

How Often Do You Need To Dump Your Waste Tanks?

It is best practice to empty your tanks after each use. Most campsites will offer a dumping station for your convenience, but storing your camper or RV empty will be good for your life of it. Having your tanks empty will keep down the smell, and will make sure that your tanks are clean and will not get clogged. Opening your camper after leaving your tanks full might give off an odor that will make you not want to take it out camping. It is always good to empty and rinse your tanks after every camping trip you take.

Is It Safe To Drive With Full Waste Tanks?

While it is safe to drive with full tanks, it is not recommended for a few reasons. The first is that the extra weight that you will have to carry will not be good for the RV or truck pulling your camper. This can make the RV harder to handle, and will definitely make you get lower gas mileage. If your campground does not have a dump station, it might be best to google where one might be, so you only have to drive as little as possible with full tanks.

Can I Drain My Water Tanks While Driving?

As long as you are only driving with your fresh water open, there should be no problem at all with letting your water tanks drain while driving. I would suggest that you do not open the valve all the way, or wait until your camper is almost empty before you drive away. It is considered rude to drive in front of someone while dowsing them with water the whole drive home.

Final Thoughts

Dumping your tanks at home is a very popular choice for campers to do if their campground does not offer a dump station. Most dump stations charge you money to stop and dump your waste, so if you have the ability to get your camper or RV close enough to a clean out, I highly suggest you save the money and dump at home. Make sure you rinse your tanks out with fresh water, and put the proper chemicals in for safe storage.