RV Dump Station Etiquette

Above, Malibu Creek State Park's dump station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As far as I can remember, there was only one time I had to wait an inordinate amount of time for a fellow to finish emptying his RV holding tanks at a dump station. He sure took his sweet time. I felt like using Rodney Dangerfield's line from Caddyshack, "Let's go while we're young!"

Normally, I empty mine at my campsite's sewer portal. But if I went dry camping with no hook-ups or dump station available, I would go to Malibu Creek State Park (when I lived in L.A.) or to Red Rock Park Campground and use theirs. They would charge a small ($5-10) fee.

RV Travel has posted an article on how long should it take for someone to empty his/her holding tanks at a dump station and proper etiquette for using one.

It begins with:

Someone recently asked: “How long is too long when others are waiting behind you at the dump station?”

This caused me to ponder an appropriate answer. How long is too long to occupy a dump station when others are patiently waiting?

“If you’re doing everything properly, you can get the job done in less than 15 minutes without even making a mess.” Says RV blogger Jessica Lipscomb.

I prefer to disperse camp (aka boondock) versus camp in developed campgrounds or RV parks that feature full hookups with sewer. Therefore, I am dependent on public dump stations along my route to dump my holding tanks. If potable freshwater is available, too, I will also refill my freshwater tank while I am there. I am never sure where the next opportunity to do so might present itself.

To read more, go here.