RV clean out in Shop

[mggreen]

I'm just trying to think ahead, so bare with me. Getting ready to pour my concrete in my 40x64x16. Plumbing in for bathroom( sink, toilet,and shower) and sink in shop area. What I want to do is put in something for a RV or Travel trailer to clean out for waste. I don't own either right now but down the road I may and I think it might be a nice feature to have if I back the RV or Travel Trailer in the shop and be able to dump the waste water. Hell, if I get kicked out of the house I could live in shop in the RV and have it hooked up to the septic. Ha
That being said, what do I need to do? This all is going into my septic tank, not city sewer. Thanks guys.

 

[coljar]

It would be a good idea to put one inside since you're in the planning stages, but I would put one on the outside for when you want to dump it without pulling it in the garage.

 

[blacksporty]

Just plumb it to the same line as the toilet, make sure that if/when you do get an RV that you use waste chemicals that are septic friendly, like no formaldehyde....there are certain ones that are safe. Some people don't use any chemical, I am not one of them.

 

[Clik]

PVC fittings are cheap. Put a flush-mount cleanout in the floor and a two foot high one outside. The one outside needs to stick up high to avoid lawnmowers. If you don't want something sticking up, pour a small pad around a flush-mount so it doesn't get lost in the grass.

 

[redmondjp]

If you have kids or there are kids in the neighborhood, you may want to secure the openings on these cleanouts. I won't tell you about the time that my best friend as a kid popped the cork (literally, it was a 4" dia. cork) for the future bathroom in the unfinished basement and tried to fill it up with every ball that he could find - you can imagine the outcome!

My 5-year-old son likes to drop rocks and sticks into every hole in the ground that he can find.

 

[AE2]

My dad just did the same thing. Whether you will use it or not, now is the time to do it.

 

[HoosierMark]

If you put one outside, put it far enough away that it will easy to dump into. You also want to position it far enough away that if you have visitors they can access it. While your planning don't forget to incude a water line for clean up and to connect to for an RV. Same with a 50 amp electrical connection inside and out.

 

[mggreen]

Boy this is what I love about GJ, I didn't think about the extra one outside and flush mounting one outside in concrete.Great ideas! Now stupid question? This 4 inch clean out, just use male threaded cap and just pipe it strait down to line with the toilet? Thanks gentlemen

 

[6t7gto]

Slope the area in the floor toward your pumpout drain.
Everytime I use the pumpout station at the campground I always have some spillage.
The slope will make cleanup easier.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

I just went through this. Built a new 1000sf race shop with a pad next to it for the motorhome we bought in May.

I went through all kinds of calculations to figure out where I would park the M/H on the parking pad and where the dump was on the M/H. I have infloor heat, so we have a huge grade beam which make it difficult to impossible to put the "dump station" outside. So I put the PVC pipe in the garage about where the dump is on the M/H with the idea of putting a hole in the wall just big enough to get the hose through. I thought I had it all figured out.

Then we used the M/H a few times. I realized and learned that it isn't a good idea to level the valve for the black/grey water tank on the M/H open all the time. If you are parked for any length of time, hook the waste pipe up, leave the valve closed, let the take partially fill (half to 3/4s is fine), then dump. This keeps the "stuff" from building up in the bottom of the tank and in the waste, drying out, and then not wanting to get into the sewer like you want it to go.

If I had it to do all over again, I would put the PVC pipe to the sewer just inside the door, obviously off to the side. When it was time to dump the M/H I'd simply fire it up, move it ahead to few feet, hook the hose up, dump, unhook the hose, move the M/H back. No hole in the wall.

Mine dump pipe is an inch or so above the floor. It terminates with simple 4" female PVC fitting. I screw a 4" male PVC cap into it. There is of course a P trap below it. Here is a cover that you can put on it (think its PVC):

http://www.rvparksupplies.com/p/RVSITESEWERCAPFOOTPEDALF/

If you terminate the pipe two feet above grade as one poster suggested, you'll never get the sewage to flow into the pipe; water won't flow uphill and most RV sewage discharges are two feet or more off the ground.

I used this Access Door Power Lighted Access Door Outlet from Jamestown Products:

https://www.jamestownadvanced.com/t/category/rv-power-outlets

I had it configured for the 50amp RV plug, 30am RV Plug, and 20amp regular (GFCI) plug.

Good luck with this project. Keep us posted.

 

[Chris705]

I used 3" Watts brand cast iron clean outs and purchased brass treaded cover plates that are dead flush with my floor. I did not put a trap in the 3" branch line cause I didn't think I would run enough clear liquid through it to get the solids out of the trap....I just pitched my branch lines at 1/4" back to main. I put two CO's long the street side edge of my trailer (ends up along a side wall of my 40' deep garage). I space them 10' in and then 30' in from the front figuing it would allow dumping whatever model trailer/motor home I ever purchased. The cast iron clean out casting was about 4" tall and I used a rubber Ferco connection to my PVC branch line.....once the floor was poured it locked it all in. I won't use it all that ofter and the cap will remain on until i need to empty my tanks.....I also plan on having a hose bibb nearby.

 

[muddy tires]

Just a consideration for having a clean out inside the garage. The dump stations at the parks always smell while you are using them. You may want to make provisions to ventilate the odours when you dump.

 

[Falcon67]

2nd on the "not inside" deal. And, having a hose bib close by for washout. The dump at the drag strip is a brass 4" outlet with a hose right there.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Put it outside, that thing could get stinky!!!

Run wires that can do 30amp 110v or 50amp 220v to where the drivers side rear of the rv would be. Mine is currently set up for 110v 30 AMP.


Chris

 

[tarmy]

I did a similar thing...only I didn't stop with sani. I put it outside along the end on the garage. I also installed a hose bib for water supply and an RV park type 50 amp panel on the outside of the building so either I or my buddies could set up their motor home and have A/C and the whole hook up right there.

The other benefit of an RV set up along the garage...you can wash, store RV, boat ( with battery tender), whatever. Also, the 50 amp plug will handle the welder I have...so I can work on stuff outside.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Just a consideration for having a clean out inside the garage. The dump stations at the parks always smell while you are using them. You may want to make provisions to ventilate the odours when you dump.

Put it outside, that thing could get stinky!!!

Run wires that can do 30amp 110v or 50amp 220v to where the drivers side rear of the rv would be. Mine is currently set up for 110v 30 AMP.

Chris

I've tried it once already. There is some odor for about five minutes (that is with the big doors closed). Most of the time I'll be dumping in warm weather when the big doors will be open. Now that I have it inside, I realize that if I had it outside I would have had the dump pipe cap to walk around, stumble over, sweep around, and shovel snow around. I'll let you know next summer how its working.

One of the things I liked about the Jamestown RV Power panel is that there is room for three different plugs and I could order it any way I wanted. I choose 50 (240), 30 (110), and 20 (110). I could have selected 50, 50, 50. Gives you lots of flexibility. Electrician has only the 30amp working now on a temporary basis. When its finished I expect each plug to be on a separate breaker/circuit.

 

[tarmy]

That is what I did...my RV panel has a plug for the typical 50 amp RV ...and I had mine made with two 20 amp plugs and a 30amp fitted for my welder...it is lockable and weather tight...works great.

 

[rburke65]

AE2.... Looks like Aviation Electronics (?) 2nd class to me.....

 

[mggreen]

Thanks guys for all the great ideas and insight. Trying to get this all figured out so I'll be ready in a month or two to get this baby poured. I may PM some of you a little closer to time and ask last minute questions.
Thanks