Where do you go, when you gotta go?

When we take on the RV lifestyle, we also put on some new "hats" for the roles we assume. What kind of hat does a "sanitary engineer" wear? I dunno, the only part of my uniform in that role is a pair of good, thick, rubber gloves.

Getting out the sewage becomes our "problem," and that can really BE a problem if we’re not sure of where to ‘get rid of the goods.’ When set up in an RV park, it’s not a problem, but on the road, or when boondocking, it gets a bit more complicated. Here are some possible places to dump your tanks:

Highway rest areas

State, National, and Federal Parks (often dump stations located outside of the campground, but where not, you may be "stuck" paying a small fee. Better than eating it.)

Local government sewage treatment plants (check out the phone book, call the main number and ask for the treatment plant)

Truck stops. We point in particular to those catering to RVers, like Flying J. The "J" has instituted what some RVers think is a dreadful arrangement: An electronically controlled dump station, meaning you pay to convince the electronics to let you dump. If you have a Flying J RV customer loyalty card, the price is $5 to dump, and $10 without. We've found some Love's Travel Stops have free RV dump stations--they're a little harder to find.

DON’T think you can sneak over beside the road and off-load your tanks. The "Midnight Dumper" only creates image problems for RVers, and if you get caught, there can be a really stinky fine associated with such behavior.

If finding dump stations is near and dear to your heart, then check out The RVers Guide to Dump Stations, a comprehensive guidebook to public dump stations across the US. Available from the RV Bookstore, follow this link for more information.

Happy dumping!