Reduced Hand Strength? Possible really great tool!

[Bethers]

Liz had extenders added to her dump valves on her last rig. I think those might be worth it to you, also. I wouldn't consider a rig once that I had to lie down to get to the valves. They immediately told me they could fix it. Ha, stupid designs.

[Liz]

Extension added to bring connection to edge of RV as Beth mentioned.

[Birdie]

I need to preface this by saying I mostly fill my tank over half full when I find a good water supply. Then I use my own tank of water. I always hope to find good water and temperatures above 50*! Sometimes it just doesn’t happen!

I screw the water regulator on to a Y and then I put quick connects on the Y and the hose to the Y. So I have to stomp my feet to get the regulator on the faucet. (Today I let the water spray around while I filled my fresh water tank!) I have a quick connect on the in house connector also. I use a filter and depending on how close/far I am to the faucet I will use another hose, 10’ with quick connects to make the connections work. I just use a lot of quick connects because once they are on you just push or pull and you are through. I recently bought a 4’ hose I intend to leave connected to my rig. My water connections are in a bay behind a door so I can do that. I have not filled my water tank before today in about 18 days. I have a 40 gallon tank. I try to not let it get below 1/8 of a tank.

[JudyJB]

Someday, I would like to own a motorhome where I did not have to stick my head into a storage compartment to attach the sewer hose. Really. I assume that some long-armed engineer designed and tested the system, but my arms are not long, to say the least. So, I have to open the compartment door and latch it. Then, I have to bend over and stick my head into the compartment to reach where the sewer hose needs to connect.

And while the dump fixtures on most trailers point out, mine point down. There is a plastic plate that covers a hole in the bottom of the storage compartment. So, I have to remove the plate and then remove the cap on the dump valve. Then I have to thread the hose up from underneath, through this hole, and attach it to the dump valve mechanism. With my head stuck inside, of course. The hard parts are removing the cap, screwing on the sewer hose, and then removing the hose when I am done.

Will have to get someone to take my photo doing this someday, but it will not be a pretty picture!

[OTW]

ACtually , those strap things are oil filter wrenches, used to remove oil filters from mechanical things like cars, tractors etc. I’ve used them before but never on the RV. Gonna try it after reading this. There is also a 90 degree elbow that screws into the trailers city water connection that you can then attach the hose too. Way easier that trying to screw hose to the connection itself and you don’t get a kinked hose either as it hangs straight down. Camping World or any RV store has them.

Huh, I know about the elbow attachments but never thought of just leaving it on there. That would make things a lot easier if it doesn't get stolen off the rig and it probably wouldn't, they're not that expensive. That would make that part a whole lot easier for sure. (Nothing like missing an obvious solution, lol.)

Yup, technically these get sold as oil filter wrenches and strap wrenches but they just look the same to me. I liked that there were 2 sizes in this one and have already diverted the small one to be kept in the kitchen because among other uses, I have a thermos coffee mug with a whole sealing mechanism on the top (way more than just a lid) and that thing seems to vacuum seal itself so that even if set to "open" it won't budge sometimes. Completely smooth sided, it depends entirely on finger strength and I tried the small strap wrench on it yesterday and whoosh. Off it came, no marks, nothing. I can see a very useful future for these two tools.

[OTW]

Extension added to bring connection to edge of RV as Beth mentioned.

Liz - Where do you get those extenders??? Can I leave it on all the time? My dump valve points outward, not downward so it probably wouldn't be any lower than the assembly is now, just closer to the edge of the trailer which would help me a LOT. (I looked for "rv dump valve extender" on Amazon and nothing like your photo showed up.

[OTW]

Someday, I would like to own a motorhome where I did not have to stick my head into a storage compartment to attach the sewer hose. Really. I assume that some long-armed engineer designed and tested the system, but my arms are not long, to say the least. So, I have to open the compartment door and latch it. Then, I have to bend over and stick my head into the compartment to reach where the sewer hose needs to connect.

Oh Judy! Well explained, I could picture it. Yeah, it would be really good to find a way around that PITA arrangement for sure! Just out of curiosity can you reach the hole through the cubby with one hand as you're feeding the hose up through it with the other? What about an elbow attachment and just letting the hose be attachable through the cubby without having to feed it through the hole? (That sounds like it would have potential drawbacks too though.) Who designs these things???!

[OTW]

I have a quick connect on the in house connector also.

So Birdie, the female half of the quick connect is then permanently attached to the freshwater inlet on your rig? So once at campground the only thing you have to thread and mess with is the water pressure regulator-to-campground faucet, right?

I looked at these on Amazon and apparently some are prone to leaking. Is there a particular brand you buy? I noted they're all referred to as quick connect (probably like all copy machines got called Xerox machines).

[Liz]

Extension added to bring connection to edge of RV as Beth mentioned.

Liz - Where do you get those extenders??? Can I leave it on all the time? My dump valve points outward, not downward so it probably wouldn't be any lower than the assembly is now, just closer to the edge of the trailer which would help me a LOT. (I looked for "rv dump valve extender" on Amazon and nothing like your photo showed up.

I got mine at TRiAm RV in Ocala, FL where I had my RV serviced, but they are definitely available at Camping World and probably wherever RV supplies are sold. Maybe even some Walmarts.

[JudyJB]

My utility compartment has a door on it, so no extensions are possible. I do stick the hose up through the hole with one hand and grab it with the other. The positive of the door and a separate compartment is that I just stick the rinsed out sewer hose into the compartment--no having to deal with the rear bumper as storage, but the negative is that the hole in the bottom is the only way the hose can be attached. The connection comes down from the top of the compartment. I will have to take a photo of it. The compartment also has my electric cord in there and the plug I have to plug it into when I use the generator. I also store the sewer hose ramp or whatever you call it in there. It is a dirty place, so my water hoses and things like my outdoor stool, external water filter, and all the extra electric cords and connections live in the "clean" storage bin next to the utility cabinet.

And who designs these things? Tall men with long arms. Also, young men who can bend over to reach difficult things because they don't have arthritis or bad backs.

I once happened to be in a line at the Fleetwood factory parts building, waiting to get something or other. Behind me was a young Fleetwood engineer. I lit into him about how I had to hop up and down to reach the lights on my ceiling because I am short. He said in the less expensive motorhomes like mine, they assume people can use a small stool to reach ceiling lights, so they don't bother with wall switches. Grrrr. I asked him if his wife had to use a stool in their house to turn on lights. Ummm. Noooo. He had really never thought about that. I also asked him what children were supposed to do to turn on lights?? Wait for an adult to do it for them??

Part of this problem is that when we buy an RV, we seldom check to see how all the practical stuff operates. The salesman will point out the dinette and kitchen storage, and the large shower area, along with the comfortable sofa, and all the other inside decorator stuff. We only discover after we buy one that we have to be a contortionist to do some daily tasks.

[OTW]

I got mine at TRiAm RV in Ocala, FL where I had my RV serviced, but they are definitely available at Camping World and probably wherever RV supplies are sold. Maybe even some Walmarts.

Ahh, just found it! I'd used a wrong descriptor in my search. Amazon has it made by Camco in different lengths. THANK YOU! This will solve several problems.

[OTW]

My utility compartment has a door on it, so no extensions are possible. I do stick the hose up through the hole with one hand and grab it with the other. The positive of the door and a separate compartment is that I just stick the rinsed out sewer hose into the compartment--no having to deal with the rear bumper as storage, but the negative is that the hole in the bottom is the only way the hose can be attached. The connection comes down from the top of the compartment. I will have to take a photo of it. The compartment also has my electric cord in there and the plug I have to plug it into when I use the generator. I also store the sewer hose ramp or whatever you call it in there. It is a dirty place, so my water hoses and things like my outdoor stool, external water filter, and all the extra electric cords and connections live in the "clean" storage bin next to the utility cabinet.

And who designs these things? Tall men with long arms. Also, young men who can bend over to reach difficult things because they don't have arthritis or bad backs.

I once happened to be in a line at the Fleetwood factory parts building, waiting to get something or other. Behind me was a young Fleetwood engineer. I lit into him about how I had to hop up and down to reach the lights on my ceiling because I am short. He said in the less expensive motorhomes like mine, they assume people can use a small stool to reach ceiling lights, so they don't bother with wall switches. Grrrr. I asked him if his wife had to use a stool in their house to turn on lights. Ummm. Noooo. He had really never thought about that. I also asked him what children were supposed to do to turn on lights?? Wait for an adult to do it for them??

Part of this problem is that when we buy an RV, we seldom check to see how all the practical stuff operates. The salesman will point out the dinette and kitchen storage, and the large shower area, along with the comfortable sofa, and all the other inside decorator stuff. We only discover after we buy one that we have to be a contortionist to do some daily tasks.

LOL your questioning of the engineer - great questions! All valid! So in the meantime if you have trouble with the overhead lights (I have to tiptoe to reach some) what about a 1-ft. piece of 3/4" dowel with a felt end. As for the sewer setup, it sounds convenient to have all the dirty stuff able to be shoved in there but very much a PITA when dumping. That's bad enough without additional hassles. I got lucky on design there -- someone built in a shelf halfway up the cubby I use for utilities so I can keep clean stuff on top, and I had a big plastic bin that just happened to be a right height for the bottom shelf and the right depth/width for all my sewer hose parts and with a pretty tight lid so that part works great. It would seem though that since your sewer valve points downward that maybe you could screw on the extension adapter Liz has -- the one I found on Amazon comes in lengths up to 9" but no reason you couldn't use a couple together if it's a longer span, to get that through the cabinet hole and sticking out the bottom. Just in case that might/could work, here's its link...
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-39592-Clea ... l_huc_item

[JudyJB]

The problem with adding an extender is that I would have to lay on the ground to get under the vehicle to reach it. I suppose I could add a 90 degree bend, but then it would stick out the side very, very low.

This design problem is not limited to RVs. The auto manufacturers design their vehicles (except maybe trucks) for a 5' 10" male. This results in car seats that hit us short people in the wrong places on our thighs. It also means the headrest is too high so that when we turn around, it blocks our view. In addition, unless the car has an automatic seat, we cannot see out easily, and have to move our seats up too close to the steering wheel. And even with adjustable seat belt height, the seat belt hits us on our necks and causes vocal cord damage in a severe accident!!! (Yes, that is true.) And in some vehicles, that is why for short people like me, the calves of our legs hit the lower part of the door frame as we try to get out. I loved my Chrysler Town and Country minivan because it not only had a power seat, but had the pedals that moved closer to you.

I did ask an auto engineer about the increased airbag danger of sitting so close to the steering wheel. He told me it was OK because the explosive charge in the driver's side was a lot less than the passenger's side, so it would not cause damage.

[OTW]

JUDY -
Well, at current height of 5-4, I have some of that but not all of it. I do worry about the seat belt shoulder strap because it does cross over my collar bone and sometimes actually onto my neck. Not helpful! Sounds like you've considered all the options for dumping easier and that none of them would work easier than what you have now. Next time you have it in for service, if you haven't already, possibly ask if there's any creative solution to it?

Actually as I'm picturing what I understood of your rig's setup, I'm just wondering about cutting up a short section of flexible sewer hose -- the Rhinoflex type where it's like an accordion bellows, where you can stretch it out to full length (in this case in order to go through the hole) or crunch it up tightly together, contracted so it's in the cabinet but its end is about level with the hole. That section of hose would be permanently hose-clamped onto the real dump valve, and then have a new (clamped on) dump valve on the working end. Since that sewer hose design bends whether collapsed or extended, and it collapses quite tightly together, it could even be of an extended length that's long enough to round the corner of the hole it comes through and extend enough to be closer to you when you're working with it. As for retrieving it from outside the hole when dumping, there could be a pull-strap attached to its clamp that's reachable from underneath. And that pull strap itself could be double-purposed as a hose keeper by threading it across the hole, blocking the collapsed, contracted hose from falling through the hole on its own while driving. Is something like that a possibility? Because if it is, it would ride recessed inside the cabinet, held in place by the threaded pull-strap that would span the hole, and then when dumping, unthread the pull-strap and use it as a pull-strap to lower/extend the hose through the hole, pulling it out toward you for easy handling. This assumes I'm picturing it correctly.

[Birdie]

OTW, the quick connects don’t last more than year, year and a half at the most. Well except the metal ones. But the metal ones are more expensive. I buy sets of three at Lowe’s and expect to replace every year. A couple $3-4 bucks a pkg. It is worth the expense.