In this special episode from our 2019 trip to and from the Grand Canyon, we show you how to dump the tanks of your Cruise America Rental RV, including real world tips to make it go more smoothly. Even if your sewer hose is a little leaky. Yikes!
We understand you’re nervous. But emptying the tanks is really pretty easy if you remember a few simple things:
- Disposable gloves
- Connect the hose to the port on the RV, then place the other end into the sewer hole
- Keep the hose from recoiling by leaning a rock or someone’s foot against it
- Empty the black tank first (massaging the hose really does help)
- Close the black valve and then empty the gray water valve
- When the gray tank is empty, disconnect the hose
- Return the hose to its storage bin
- Secure the screw cap on the port
- Dispose of disposable gloves
The video features a bonus shot of Nola curled up in the passenger seat. Just because. She’s a little embarrassed, actually, that we’re showing how to dump the tanks, but she enjoyed the Cruise America ride! I think she would’ve preferred a video on how to dump dog treats onto the floor so she could eat them all.
If you now feel comfortable dumping the tanks of your rental RV, you might enjoy learning some of MT’s organization tips: Ep 6: Organizing Tips for Your Rental RV
Update 2/28/20:
Before we left on our trip, I watched several videos on how to dump RV tanks. Though rigs vary somewhat, the same principles apply whether or not it’s from Cruise America. For some comedy, one of our favorite channels, Long Long Honeymoon, has a fun Dump Station Adventures video.
We dumped our tanks at the excellent Dodge City KOA in Dodge City, KS, which has a dog park right next to it.
The KOA also backs up to the Wright Park Zoo
Earlier on our trip, we stayed at the wonderful Prairie Oasis Campground, just off I-80 in Henderson, NE. You can barely hear the interstate thanks to the cornfields!
