Some campers come without sewer hose storage at all and some come with very small storage areas. Here are 7 ways to carry your stinky slinky and keep all the mess outside.
1. Additional Storage To Transport Sewer Hose and 90-Degree Fitting
Submitted By: Bill and Kira Jones, 2018 Northern Lite 9-6Q SE, 2017 Ford F350
I figured that TCM readers might be interested in this solution for carrying a sewer hose and a 90-degree fitting (elbow/adapter that fits into the in-the-ground sewer connection) on a truck camper.
We use a 15-foot sewer hose and elbow; Valterra kit D04-0250. While the truck camper has a square storage tube (built into the porch) for sewer hose storage, it is too small to accommodate the wider dimensions of the Valterra sewer hose couplers.
We were storing the hose (with end caps) and elbow (with one end cap and inside a ziplock plastic bag) in the basement storage compartment’s sliding plastic tray. We did not like using the basement compartment for this purpose from both a waste of space standpoint and for obvious safe hygienic practices.
We considered using 4-inch diameter PVC tubing to build storage, but that tubing was about 1/4-inch too small. We were not able to find 5-inch PVC, so it was onward to 6-inch. The 6-inch PVC tubing from Lowe’s (Charlotte Pipe 6-inch x 10-foot solid PVC sewer drain pipe) works well to hold the sewer hose and the elbow with plenty of spare room for ventilation.
The upper PVC tube is suspended by 3/8-inch chain links and secured to the porch by bolts. It is held to the tube by 6-inch (SAE 712) stainless steel hose clamps. The lower tube is attached to the upper tube, in two places, by two hose clamps joined by a single chain link. The sewer hose and elbow, are retained in their respective tubes at each end, by 1/2-inch x 10-inch aluminum rods, with safety pin clips at each end.
The planning took 90 days while on the road. The acquisition of materials, construction, and installation took about 14 hours. It cost about $100. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium.
2. Sewer Hose Holder Using A Fence Post
Submitted By: Charles Coushaine, 2018 Ram 3500, 2018 Cirrus 920
There was a sewer hose holder provided, but it was too short. Our new Rhinoflex sewer hose is much longer and did not fit. A new hose holder was necessary.
On the Cirrus camper there is a nice aluminum diamond-plate bumper with a flat bottom. That was the perfect location to attach a long pipe.
We used a 5-inch by 5-inch by 8-foot vinyl fence post cut to length.
End caps were attached using magnets. The whole device screwed to the underside of the camper bumper.
To see the full details of the build, please view the following video:
So far the mod has worked out great! The pipe is longer than the sewer hose. It is capable of also holding the end adapter. The magnetic end cap now faces the camper clean-out area making the whole dumping operation clean and efficient!
It took me six hours to complete this modification and cost me about $75. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium.
3. Extra External Sewer Hose Storage Solution
Submitted By: Barry Edwards, 2014 Ford F350, 2014 Lance 1050S
The bumper storage area on my truck camper would not hold the 90 and 45-degree sewer hose elbows due to the size of the pieces. While it would fit, attempting to close the storage gutter would find the pieces becoming stuck.
Due to the sizes, I was storing the sewer hose in a bag inside the drain release valve compartment. To prevent contaminating this storage area, the idea of an extra external storage came to mind.
I started with a 6-inch diameter, 24-inch length PVC riser found in the sprinkler section. I bolted a threaded clean-out plug adapter to one end to prevent it from sliding off.
Using a few leftover clamps and metal brackets from my garage stash, I secured the assembly to the camper’s wing channel bracket in three areas (the third bracket is hidden by the downspout).
The addition of pipe insulation was used to prevent chafing and bounce. The components store easily in the pipe and the cap screws on for security.
The mod has worked great. It’s on the sewer set-up side of the camper, and stays clear of the truck’s bumper when loaded.
It took me two hours to complete this modification and cost me $30. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium.
4. Sewer Tube Using 4” PVC
Submitted By: Jesse Taylor, 2006 GMC Sierra 2500, 2005 Lance 815
When I first purchased our Lance Camper, the sewer hose was a short one. I soon became tired needing to almost drive over the ground level dump cap to vacate my holding tanks.
I soon purchased a 10-foot flexible hose that was fine for dump stations, but was again short for those full-service campsites with electric and water on one side and the sewer connection at the other.
As I do mostly boondock camping, this was not a real big problem. However, the longer 10-foot hose did not fit into the handy hose compartment at the end of the camper.
To solve this, I band clamped a 4-inch white PVC sewer tube to the back ladder, blocked the bottom with a wooden plug with drain holes, and was once again a happy camper. That is, until some dirty, rotten, low down, no good person stole the dump hose from the camper in my driveway the night before a camping trip this year. Thankfully, I didn’t need to dump on that trip as I stayed in family driveways with bathroom privileges.
Above: The 4 inch by 4 inch by 8 foot PVC tube
When I got back from my trip I went to a major home supply store and purchased a 4 inch by 4 inch by 8 foot PVC tube. It’s the kind that slips over a 4×4 post for a backyard fence. I also bought two 4 foot by ⅛ inch by 2 inch aluminum flat rods.
As I have a rubber mat on the bed of my truck, I had a total of 4 ½ inches from the top of the truck bumper to the bottom of the camper. I cut-off the PVC tube so that it would not interfere with the camper and tie-downs. Now, I am able to remove the hose and connector from the new tube.
I wrapped the metal straps around the tube and used short screws at the corners to hold it onto the tube. The soft aluminum straps were easily bent by hand around the tube. The round hose should not be punctured by the screws so that the screws are not near the hose. The metal straps are placed between the camper bottom and the truck bed and the tube sits on top of the bumper, hidden in plain sight.
My next problem was to figure out how to get a 4 ½ inch round bayonet clear plastic sewer connector into a four-inch square tube. I heated the end of the tube in a pot of boiling water over my camp stove. When it was soft and flexible, I pushed it over a 4 ½ inch clay flower pot and the softened sides bowed out.
I finished expanding the sides by placing the flower pot into the boiling water, and again put the tube over the pot. I drilled two holes in both the expanded end (now cooled) and the other end. I then inserted a smooth shank bolt with a cotter pin and made a cover from some thin metal roofing flashing to hide the bayonet end.
Above: The sewer hose is now in a hidden place
Above: The sewer hose is now in a hidden place
My new 20-foot sewer hose is in a happy and hidden place, and so am I. Happy, not hidden. This mod has worked out just peachy dandy!
It took me one hour to complete and cost maybe $15. In my opinion, the skill level of this mod is easy.
5. Six Foot Piece of 4-Inch PVC for Sewer Storage
Submitted By: Paul and Marceil Gathany, 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500, 2008 Sun Lite 865SE
When we purchased our camper, one of the deficits in the design was the lack of a good place to store the sewer hose. There was no compartment for it. The only two options were to keep it in the bed of the truck, accessed via the inside pocket door, or in the compartment under the front bed step, where the freshwater tank is located. Neither seemed like something we wanted to deal with on our camping exploits.
The solution was quite simple. There is sufficient room on the passenger’s side, under the camper’s over the wheel well area. A six-foot piece of four-inch PVC drain pipe and an end cap fit the bill. Three half-inch holes were drilled and spaced along the pipe. On the opposite side of the pipe, directly across from the half-inch holes, quarter-inch holes were drilled.
The cap is placed on the end of the pipe toward the front of the camper. The quarter-inch holes are used for fastening the pipe with one-inch pan head screws. The half-inch holes give screwdriver access to the screws and provide drainage for any moisture that remains on the inserted sewer hose after cleaning.
There is plenty of room to insert the hose in the rear end of the pipe. A couple of half-inch holes are drilled near the rear of the pipe allowing for a mini-bungee cord to be fastened across the opening. This acts as a retainer to keep the hose from sliding out.
This modification gets the sewer hose storage outside of the camper and where it’s not really noticeable. Access is quite easy to reach and use. It doesn’t hamper loading and unloading the camper.
6. Hidden and Under the Wing
Submitted By: Dave and Dora Donovan, 2007 Chevy 3500, 2012 Chalet TS116
Our camper did not have a special place for the sewer hose. I do not like just placing the sewer hose in a storage compartment. A trip to Camping World solved the problem. I purchased two of the longest sewer storage tubes and then mounted one on each side of the camper. One is for the sewer hose and the other one is for my fishing rods.
You do have to make sure that there is room under your side overhangs for them after your camper is loaded. They worked on mine perfectly.
7. Magnetic Carrier
Submitted By: Terry Fleming, 1999 Ford F250, 2019 Adventurer 80RB
We purchased a 2019 Adventurer 80RB last year. The factory sewer hose storage will not accommodate a 10-foot sewer hose or a 90-degree elbow.
My solution was an external sewer hose carrier that can be magnetically attached to the bed of the truck and easily removed when it’s not needed.
I took a Valterra A04-5094BK EZ Hose Adjustable Hose Carrier ($45 on Amazon) and added a Lightronic Magnetic Mounting Bracket ($43 on Amazon).
I added a piece of mild steel to the brackets to make them a bit heftier. The tube carrier extends 50 to 90-inches to the needed length. As a bonus, it also twists to conform to the truck’s body.
On our test run I added a safety strap just in case the carrier wasn’t fully secured. North of Phoenix, Arizona I-17 has a 75 mile per hour speed limit and the winds were very strong on the weekend we tested the mod. The test was a success, so I will dispense with the safety strap in the future.
It took me two hours to complete this modification and cost me $90. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is easy.
Check out other mod categories from camper remodels to battery storage to back seat storage in our Mod Project section.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
