Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

Art-n-Marge · 06-16-2009, 05:27 PM

Grampachet, that is a nice manifold setup but my plumbing on the 3500RL isn't practical for that kind of set up since the fresh water inlet is at the rear corner, the sewer outlet fitting is in the center of the RV and the black flush fitting is toward the front of the RV. That being said, here's my story...

From what I am finding, it is better to have more shorter lengths of sewer hose than just one or two long ones. Shorter sewer hoses means that a straighter more correct length is better than hoses so long they wind around and create low points where the "drain liquid" can collect. I have seen some sewer drains with no support that attach to the RV outlet and they use a 20' hose to go 4 to five feet and it just lies on the ground in a wound up mess.

I have a 15' and 20' sewer hose, but I plan to cut them to a 5' and three 10 footers and create new finished ends to attach the extension couplings. I also prefer to use the longest slinky/slunky made that stretches out 15' (there may be longer). The good thing about the slinky/slunky is that it accordians so it works just fine for a short run. The bad news is that it is not always long enough, so I also have the three piece gutter style for longer runs. I bought these at an RV store, but a cheaper solution is to buy 4" PVC and rip it down the middle to create the halves. The goal is to create that straight shot to the sewer fitting to have the best draining possible. Leaving the hose on the ground flat and wound up just does not seem practical.

For fresh water hoses, I have 2 x 25' hoses. These don't hurt being too short or too long because coiling isn't so bad since they operate on pressure, not gravity. I used to use the flat style nylon weave hose that took up less space but where we camp mostly in the southern California desert-like areas I have lost too many of them to sharp thorns or rocks (it does not take much to cause a pinhole leak. Reverting back to the standard hoses and I haven't had one break since. I also use separate grey water hoses for the Tornado backflush for the black tank and at the sewer outlet fitting. I use Y connectors at the water supply and anti-siphon in-line adapters to prevent contamination and there you have it.

Speaking of anti-siphon adapters. I use them but I HATE THEM! They are constantly cracking and failing all the time. Does anyone else have this problem with this terrible quality? I can't seem to find metallic types and would be willing to pay the price versus the constant replacement of this plastic crap if they exist. Do I need to ask for a different thing that would work? When I ask for anti-siphon adapters I always get directed to this crap at Home Depot, Lowes, or Ace Hardware. The RV stores I go to don't seem to have them either.

06-16-2009, 05:27 PM	#23
Art-n-Marge Montana Master Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Murrieta Posts: 5,816 M.O.C. #9257	Grampachet, that is a nice manifold setup but my plumbing on the 3500RL isn't practical for that kind of set up since the fresh water inlet is at the rear corner, the sewer outlet fitting is in the center of the RV and the black flush fitting is toward the front of the RV. That being said, here's my story... From what I am finding, it is better to have more shorter lengths of sewer hose than just one or two long ones. Shorter sewer hoses means that a straighter more correct length is better than hoses so long they wind around and create low points where the "drain liquid" can collect. I have seen some sewer drains with no support that attach to the RV outlet and they use a 20' hose to go 4 to five feet and it just lies on the ground in a wound up mess. I have a 15' and 20' sewer hose, but I plan to cut them to a 5' and three 10 footers and create new finished ends to attach the extension couplings. I also prefer to use the longest slinky/slunky made that stretches out 15' (there may be longer). The good thing about the slinky/slunky is that it accordians so it works just fine for a short run. The bad news is that it is not always long enough, so I also have the three piece gutter style for longer runs. I bought these at an RV store, but a cheaper solution is to buy 4" PVC and rip it down the middle to create the halves. The goal is to create that straight shot to the sewer fitting to have the best draining possible. Leaving the hose on the ground flat and wound up just does not seem practical. For fresh water hoses, I have 2 x 25' hoses. These don't hurt being too short or too long because coiling isn't so bad since they operate on pressure, not gravity. I used to use the flat style nylon weave hose that took up less space but where we camp mostly in the southern California desert-like areas I have lost too many of them to sharp thorns or rocks (it does not take much to cause a pinhole leak. Reverting back to the standard hoses and I haven't had one break since. I also use separate grey water hoses for the Tornado backflush for the black tank and at the sewer outlet fitting. I use Y connectors at the water supply and anti-siphon in-line adapters to prevent contamination and there you have it. Speaking of anti-siphon adapters. I use them but I HATE THEM! They are constantly cracking and failing all the time. Does anyone else have this problem with this terrible quality? I can't seem to find metallic types and would be willing to pay the price versus the constant replacement of this plastic crap if they exist. Do I need to ask for a different thing that would work? When I ask for anti-siphon adapters I always get directed to this crap at Home Depot, Lowes, or Ace Hardware. The RV stores I go to don't seem to have them either.