Do You Need RV Sewer Weights?
Dealing with your RV sewer system is one of the least glamorous parts of the lifestyle. However, it’s necessary if you want to enjoy the benefits of running water and a functioning bathroom!
Dumping your black and grey water tanks should be a routine part of your RV maintenance, but sometimes this process can go awry. If you’ve ever had issues with slipping hoses you might have heard of RV sewer weights.
Sewer weights can help weigh your hose down and prevent slips and spills. They’re not strictly necessary, and most RV hoses don’t come with them included. However, we would recommend that every RVer use them anyway because they’re small, cheap, and can save you some hassle. The last thing you need is a malfunctioning hose that sprays everywhere!
Sewer weights are available for sale in many places, and they are available online, but you can also make your own. All that really matters is that you have something that can keep the hose in place while the tanks drain. It doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to be effective!
Below we’ll explore some of the benefits of sewer weights, as well as some of the different DIY options and commercial products you can use.
Why use RV sewer weights?
Because sewer weights are not standard pieces of RV equipment, it’s easy to overlook them. However, they have several benefits that make them worthwhile.
1. Connects Ill-fitting pipes and hoses
One of the main pros of sewer hose weights is the fact that they allow you to connect your RV to drains of any size. Although there are some standard measurements that most dump stations follow, you’ll sometimes find yourself facing off against a drain that’s too large for your hose. In these situations, your hose might come loose or knock against the opening.
If you use a weight, this problem disappears. The hose can feed into drains of any size and will stay locked in place while you drain your wastewater.
2. Helps you avoid messy cleanup
Perhaps most importantly, a good connection between your sewer hose and drain means that everything will flow smoothly and won’t spill out. Sometimes there are blockages in your black or gray tank, and these can stop up the plumbing when you try to drain.
If there’s an air pocket or a burst of water pressure, the hose can come loose and spray everywhere! This is a bad situation no matter which way you slice it, but it can turn into a nightmare if you’re trying to drain your black water tank. Nobody wants to deal with spills of sewage and wastewater. Fortunately, a simple weight can keep everything locked in place so you can avoid dealing with messy cleanup.
3. Allows tank to drain better
This point ties in with the one above. In addition to preventing spills, weights can keep the hose aligned and connected to the drain. With this smooth setup, everything can flow more easily and quickly. Even if there are blockages along the way, they won’t slow down the process.
Hose weights are also easy to attach and remove, so you won’t need to waste a lot of time setting everything up before you start dumping the tanks.
4. Opens you up to a wide variety of parks and dump stations
An increasing number of parks are using drains with threads, so you can lock the hose into place. But there are still plenty of campgrounds and dump stations (especially rural ones) that don’t include this level of security. If you pull in and find you don’t have the right type of connection, you might have to search for a new place to drain your tanks.
Once again, an RV sewer weight will help you out of this situation. You’ll be able to dump your tanks just about anywhere, regardless of the type and quality of the dump station. This simplifies your travel plans and helps you avoid unnecessary side trips.
Overall, an RV sewer weight is a great accessory to add to your inventory. You’ll probably survive without one, but it makes the job so much easier. Plus, it helps you avoid the risk of a nasty spill!
DIY RV sewer hose weights
If we’ve convinced you that weights are worth your while, now you’re probably wondering if it’s possible to make your own. Absolutely! There are tons of DIY options for this type of accessory because all it really needs to do is fit around the base of the hose and weigh it down.
There are plenty of commercial options you can purchase (and we’ll cover some products below), but lots of RVers have gotten creative and invented their own type of sewer hose weights. With just a bit of sand, water, or gravel, you can easily make an effective weight.
One popular format includes PVC pipes or small plastic containers. You can tie two of these to the sides of your hose, then fill them up with rocks, sand, or any other heavy substance that can weigh them down.
You can also go for a DIY sandbag method. Fill up a tube sock with gravel and wrap it around the base of the hose. Heavy items like paperweights, cement chunks, or just loose rocks around the campground can also be used in a pinch. The format doesn’t matter too much as long as you have something that keeps the connection stable.
Best store-bought options
If you would prefer to opt for a tried and true RV sewer weight, you can also purchase a pre-made product. These are often built to last, and you can easily incorporate them into your dump station setup.
One of the most fun options is the E49 Sewiepig. This is a cute sewer hose holder that looks like a little pink pig! Maybe it’s not the most utilitarian option, but it’s a lot of fun, and users have commented that they really enjoy using it. Dumping your tanks doesn’t have to be all business, and the Sewiepig will add a bit of charm to your RV. It is a bit expensive though, and there are plenty of alternatives that are much cheaper.
The Camco Orange Retro Camper RV Sewer Weight is another aesthetically pleasing option. Pigs aren’t everyone’s style, but this cute retro-camper design will appeal to most RVers. If you want to keep some of the benefits of a decorative weight, this is a wonderful product! It’s still a bit more expensive than some people want to pay, but it’s a good option to keep in mind.
You can also use studio weights, which are basically multi-purpose bags that can be filled with heavy materials. These are flexible and can easily wrap around your sewer hose. You can also use them to secure other items around your campsite, and lots of people enjoy these options because of their versatility. This four-pack of ABCCANOPY Sandbags is very popular, and they can work well as weights!
Get tips from other RVers
When it comes to RV sewer weights, you can pay as much or as little as you want. Although you might not necessarily need one of these accessories, we do recommend that you use some type of weight so you can enjoy the benefits listed above. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
For more ideas from fellow RVers, check out irv2.com. Users have provided lots of helpful tips for people who want to use RV sewer weights.
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Gorilla tape👍. Just had sewer pipe that is 1 foot high, used tape to make sure it doesn’t come off.
I use 2″ Gorilla tape to tape the drain fitting to the drain. Always works! Also, the tape comes in very handy around the campsite and doesn’t require much space.