What is the secret or your method of storage? Seems like the size of the sewer hose storage hole, which has a sharp curve, does not accept sewer hoses with couplers and for sure, the elbow that is placed into the camp ground sewer dump. Is there a hose brand that adapts to the storage compartment or will I forever have to disconnect all parts from the hose to use the storage compartment?
All thoughts appreciated. Thanks in advance.
I had two PVC pipes laid along the shelf along the outboard bulkhead of the engine compartment and secured with clamps. For the connectors I used a citrus mesh bag hung over the cap on the air filter.
I find all that fits is a hose with the thetford fitting on one end and the other end bare or with a small sleeve. I keep my regular hose in the small bay just aft of the passenger side rear tire on my 38'.
Brett did a cool thing on our coach, only the angle fitting has to come off when storing. Has room for a spare extension. Works perfect!
We permanently removed the vertical panel over our bay faucet, opening a LOT of room above ABS drain pipes. We store several sewer hoses in this newly accessible space.
We also removed our OEM storage tube in front of rear tires. In our coach we have curbside open space between fuel & propane tank, where we fit several 4" thin-wall PVC pipes stacked, each with a spare sewer hose extension (with fittings) for special long-distance dumps.
Could you share a picture of the area, please? Thank you
I lined area with 16 gauge stainless and made a shelf for the reels, and store the hose under. Did away with sewer hose door and covered with stainless.
John
John and Stacy: I'm curious, how expensive was that stainless? It looks fantastic!
I did alot of the work...had estimates of 2 coach bucks. 16 gauge is 1/16" thick...very solid.
John
It came out really nice!
Don
Thanks Don, you were my inspiration.
John
I did much the same thing but used aluminum. Much easier to drill holes and bend.
Here are pictures of our bay improvement changes:
Our 'daily sewer hose' storage in space above ABS pipes after removing panel.
The 'extra sewer hose' storage in PVC tubes next to fuel tank.
Panels removed above fresh water tank and in front of water manifold.
Elec cord cable entry sealed to keep critters out and electric pedestal outlet tester.
SmartPlug twist-plug replacement and fresh water tank level florescent lamp.
Several more pictures of our bay improvement changes:
Elec cord cable entry sealed to keep critters out and electric pedestal outlet tester.
SmartPlug twist-plug replacement and fresh water tank level florescent lamp.
Two kinda newbie questions how much sewer hose to keep onboard, 36' sounds like a lot. What is a sewer donut? I put a sewer dump station in the coach house because it's 36 mile round trip to the nearest dump station. Silicone slinky Hose that came with the coach looks like a qaulity hose. Got baptized by a 5ver hose back in the 80's.
Has anyone tried covering the fiberglass with a thin layer of stainless steel trim paneling?
I imagine maybe having to trim the fiberglass a bit, then wrapping and gluing the SS panels around it. That would also let you reconfigure the cutout locations and added gauges.
Trent
A sewer donut is a hollow rubber cone that is used to seal the hose to various sized sewer pipes.
I just connect the ends together and put the pipe in the compartment just forward of the wet bay. I removed the PVC storage pipe for better access to the isolator panel the hangs behind the rear tires.
Since you asked... I have posted on this general subject many times so if you want more detail, it can be had via the search function. But here are a few pictures which show the basics. I used West Systems epoxy to laminate 22 gauge stainless after cutting down the original fiberglass. I had wanted to use thinner but the condition of the shear used by Industrial Metal Supply on that day wasn't able to cut the 26 gauge material I wanted. They offered me the 22 gage instead for the same price, so I took it. I brought IMS a cut list so that I wouldn't have to make any long straight cuts. The 26 gage would have been much easier to work with, but the 22 gauge actually worked better for the curved part of the upper section because it is quite rigid when bent. Though the thicker material was much more difficult to glue to the fiberglass, I wasn't overly concerned because the various penetrations with their attendant fasteners added a mechanical bond. I did rearrange some of the penetrations to suit my purpose, For instance, I moved the electrical inlet towards the center of the panel to facilitate the third valve installation. The original electrical inlet was directly over the sewer outlet which wouldn't have allowed me to add a third valve without having to put it sideways. I wanted to put it behind the panel (which I eventually did) and I wanted it to be a direct pull rather than another cable pull. I also adjust the utility faucet location. The 22 gauge was rigid enough that I could have used it without the fiberglass backing, but it is as solid as a rock with it. As it happened, IMS gave me the (very) slightly mis-cut 26 gauge material for free and I used that to line other parts of the compartment during subsequent refinements (adding the reels etc.). I still have some left which will eventually find a home elsewhere on the coach ::) . I loves me my stainless steel...
Don
Don,
Thank you for the additional details. I did not realize you had used the fiberglass and the stainless. I do not know what gauge my SS sheets are, but they are pretty thin.
Trent
For hoses I got these ...
Amazon.com: Valterra D04-0275 20 Feet Dominator Sewer Hose Kit: Automotive (https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00BDEPJ1W/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
The kit includes 2 10' hose sections. They have end caps (included or available) so that when you collapse the hose to its short length you can seal it up. Collapses to about 42" and stays there until you stretch it out. One hose stores nicely along the back side of the joey bed in the big bay and the door when it is closed. The other one is in the drivers side bay that I added behing the rear wheels.
Hi Dee,
Welcome to the forum. We just did a wetbay remodel to accommodate our sewer hose storage. A lot depends on how much sewer hose you will need and must store. Hose construction is also a factor. Cheap hose is hard to work with. I don't like spending cash on sh.t but in this case, money spent on a good sewer hose is money well spent!. We have had no problem with 20 feet. You can read about our solution here.
Another Wetbay gets it's modifications (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=34893.0)
One other consideration. I see your coach has low miles and it is new to you as owner. We also had low miles when getting ours. Lots of things can happen to a coach that sits for long periods of time. Whatever your mechanical experience level is, it may be good getting everything thoroughly checked out. Lift pump, airbags, fuel lines, etc., bulkheads, more. Ask the forum for information as you get settled with your coach. Everyone here has been wonderful to us as we stumbled through.