Cousin Eddie (of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation)  stands proudly on our dashboard, the patron saint of our RV world.

He serves to remind us that there is one big reality when you full-time in an RV; The black tank gets full, and someone has to dump it.

In Bella-BoW, there is a little light on the toilet flush panel.  When the tank is almost full, the light comes on.  The light also lets me know it’s time to look busy doing anything else so poor Dave has to take care of the problem.

If I had designed the RV, this event would include a recording of Cousin Eddie yelling “shitters full!”. 

These are things we never thought about in a home.   The toilet flushed, and the contents mysteriously disappeared, never to be thought of again.

Not in an RV.

Things flush and go into a kind of poop purgatory known as the black tank.  When that light comes on, DumperDave has to go outside, open the bay door that contains the dump valves and pull the black handle.

At which point, fingers crossed and a whispered prayer to St. Eddie, the connection to the sewer holds, and the contents of the black tank go down the drain to their final reward.

It’s nasty.

On delivery, the dealer starts you out with a pack of RV safe toilet paper (1 ply, sandpaper quality), and one package of tank enzymes along with a few horror stories about what can happen with that tank and hose.

In my opinion, that shitty welcome basket should include a paper hazmat suit and rubber gloves because the green grass in the spray zone around the sewer connection tells me those stories are true.  At times, I even believe I can hear the screams of horror that echo in the lingering energy of the unfortunate dumpers who have occupied this space before.

To this point, we’ve been lucky ( and I think, smart) and have had no issues.

But you know as soon as I make the statement “it must be the unlucky stupid people who get covered with crap,” that it (s**t) will happen, and it will happen that one time that DumperDave is tired and I’m the one who pulls that black handle.

So, I’m not going to say that.

EVER.

I’ll just continue to be busy when that light comes on and never, ever walk barefoot on that lovely green grass.

Stay tuned…..