Police officers are required to quickly assess the character and intent of folks they come in contact with. Sometimes you bet your life on the quick judgement you have made, and sometimes you are wrong. We are always looking for “tells”, subtle indications of the character, education and intent of the folks we deal with. Like a bolt from the blue, I have discovered a foolproof way to form an opinion of folks you have just met. Give them a RV of any description and watch them attach the sewer line. You’ll know pretty quickly who you are dealing with. Here is my insight.
The biggest issue with the installation of hoses is sanitation. When folks lurch into a RV site, bail out and light a fire in the grill, then grab the sewer hose from the carrier, still leaking from the last stop, hook it up and sit back with a cool beverage and burger flipper in hand…..all without gloves or any effort to wash their hands, do not join them for lunch. These folks have ancestors who started the typhoid epidemics of old. Nitrile gloves are sold at a number of retailers for pennies a pair. Careful sanitation engineers use gloves and carry around a spray bottle of stuff that will kill anything from the meanest virus to the Red Army. It is also worth noting that gloving up, handling the sanitation chores and then handling your fresh water lines with the same gloves on doesn’t work either. Here comes the typhoid again…..
Next up are folks who have no concept of the laws of physics. It (and that includes poo) will not run uphill. These are the folks who will attach the hose to the unit, then to the drop in the ground with no concern whatsoever about what the hose is doing in between. They expect the contents of the hose to miraculously find it’s way between the two points with any and all manner of high points in their layout. They end up “running” the hose, picking it up and draining the contents into the drop. There are any number of inexpensive devices out there that insure a steady drop between your unit and the ground drop. Watch these folks carefully, especially with vehicles on grades, as they just don’t get it.
Infrastructure. As mentioned above, there exists all manor of little slinky looking devices, adjustable trays, even slides to place your hose in to insure that gravity does it’s job. You are dealing with an inveterate tinkerer when he hauls out 100 pounds of wooden blocks and pieces of PVC to route his hose to the drop. He wants folks to know he is practical and clever. I see tight. He will also have the sorriest hoses, that have seen years of service with electrical tape wrapped around the holes and tears. As a side note, he is usually careless with the gloves. These hoses carry not only waste, but some of the harshest chemicals outside of the Redstone Arsenal, where biological warfare stuff is stored. These chemicals are dropped into holding tanks by folks who are sanitation savvy to stop odors and protect the environment. 😂 Another enemy of hoses is heat and cold, with honorable mention to UV rays, all considerations that hasten hose breakdown. If you are next to one of these guys, don’t look for them to buy lunch. If they skimp on sanitation and rely on homemade sewer systems……they are not generous, nor do you want to touch stuff they have touched!
As a final note, always be generous with your time and knowledge with new campers who just don’t know. They are easy to spot. In Texas, two Army nurses pulled into the spot next to ours. They were twins and absolutely cute as they could be. They were also new to the pastime and were struggling with electrical and sewer connections. Bless their little hearts. I took the time from my busy schedule to help them get connected, even “loaning” them an adaptor from 50 to 30 amp service so they would be able to run their air conditioner. Their sewer connection was anything but serviceable and I explained how to route their line so that it would work properly. I viewed the experience as an old Captain helping two young Captains enjoy their new lifestyle. What could go wrong? Sharon was not as inclined to help them to the same extent…believing that experience would be a better teacher for them.
Another of life’s lessons……..
Have a great weekend!
SR
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