Motorhomes & grey waste
Having toured all over Europe, I have to say that the standard grey waste disposal arrangements on club sites must be the most difficult I have encountered.
Everywhere else in Europe there is usually a grating to drive over, dump the grey waste and a hose to rinse down any spillage.
On club sites you have to manoeuvre the motorhome dump tap over a two foot square drain cover, remove the cover while crouching down and twisting your body to get two hands on the handle to remove the drain cover. As anyone with a bad back will testify that is not a good idea. You then have to repeat the process in reverse to replace the drain cover after the grey waste has been dumped.
Can I suggest the the club fits gratings over the open drains so that the covers can be removed before manoeuvring the van in to place please? Many a sore back will be avoided!
Comments
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Seems you’re not aware that the club has an upgrade program in place for MHSPs and gradually the manhole covers will be replaced by gratings that we simply drive over.
We encountered a new one at Chester Fairoaks last week and it was much easier. It even has a black waste dump point for black tanks which some people used for grey waste! Then one guy missed the grating entirely and discharged his grey waste onto the concrete surround!
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the waste points the OP refers to usually incorporate a sloping concrete surround that doesn't require the pinpoint accuracy required at CC sites.
ive only used one of the refurbished waste points so far, Minehead... not much of an improvement I'm afraid....a narrow grill, on a steep slope.
this one required resiting as well as redesign but that was obviously over budget....
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I’ve not seen the Minehead one, BB, but the one at Fairoaks was good. How that guy managed to miss it, I’ll never know. 😁
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Almost all the grids I see in foreign countries are festooned with caked on toilet paper. Innocently I thought that's what the waste grids were for. Is that not the case?
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We were pitched up on a service pitch at Hebden Bridge opposite the new motorhome waste disposal set up very few either didn’t know the new wide grid was the motorhome waste disposal point or preferred the challenge of positioning over the grate, perhaps as with the pitching on the offside of the peg instructions when checking in motorhomers need to have the new wide grate system explained.
mind you not that many people observe the pitching Instuctions so perhaps it is a pointless exercise
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David, I was referring to the ''refurbished' slim diagonal drain in your photo....which replaced a 'humped' affair a while back.
my point was that, having dug up the whole road to replace this (under way on our previous visit) the warden told us they were 'redeveloping the MHSP'...when if fact it is the same as before....the 'improvement' is only to the cross drain...
the actual waste point can be accessed reasonably ok, but if not dead centre with the drain line up, the lie of the land causes much of the water that lands in the 'sloping area surrounding the drain' to spill out and down the road towards the office when it sould run back into the drain.
having had the kit in place to update the drain, why on earth not include an 'across the road' catchment area for the grey waste...?
oh, and the water pressure at Minehead is just about non existent.....takes most of your stay to fill the van, so I do it at home when visiting this site...
the photo shows us out in the country in France on a pretty low use aire, yet the waste point (to the right of the hedge' is as per the 'std' and has a full square concrete catchment area to guide the water into the drain.
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I know that, read my post....
the point was that, having dug up the road to 'improve' the drain, why not 'improve the MHSP' at the same time, as the club is 'embarking on an improvement program'.....
is there a better time to improve it that when the kit is already in place and you're carrying out other similar work only a few feet away?
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Theory ? is the site on mains drainage? If not then has there been a problem with the tanks filling with rain water that runs down the hill? It has been a problem at other sites since the raised surrounds were removed from service point,
Things are not always as first noticed
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your post has nothing to do with my point....
the surface catchment portion of MHSP is poor, the club is apparently set on improving them, the road (a yard away) has to be dig up to replace the drain.....why not do the MHSP improvement while the kit is in place?
just seems logical to do both jobs at the same time....?
'nah, mate.....we only do drains......more than my jobs worth to tackle MHSPs'.....
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We have seen a few improved grey waste points on Club Sites. Rowntree Park is an interesting one, itrequires a complete drive around Site to get to it, but decent when you get there. Perhaps part of issue for Club is placing and siting something into very old sites, not originally designed with such dumps in mind. At least Club is trying, and a bit quicker than we were originally informed things would be. Luckily we don't choose our sites based upon grey waste dump point!
Looks a nice Aire BB.
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Your last sentence is pretty spot on BB
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you can't believe (pehaps you can....) the fun and game when a contractor sliced through the broadband cable for our close....
different companies to dig the hole, repair the cable, test the system, fill in the hole, etc, etc....
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The upgraded Hillhead service point has been moved away from the facilities block and is now at the top of the site near the recreation area. Unfortunately it requires a long drive around for some users and is very close to the entrance to the play area. Another reason for parents to supervise children and for drivers to take extra care.
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the different siting of these will also have been noticed by the OP...
'over there' they are inevitibly sited just before the exit so that customers can use them on the way out....where else?...
on club sites, just about everyone we've used is either in the middle of the site or past the exit (BW a classic example) meaning a drive from your pitch (around the one way system) followed by another complete lap of the circuit to get out.....
I thought it might be a good idea to try and reduce traffic volume on sites but apparently not...
surely digging an adjoining trench from the MHSP (placed just prior to the exit) to the existing sewer would be a good trade off against multiple circuits of the site just to dump waste water......?
as Brue says, the one at Hillhead (which we used recently) has been moved and is very good, but totally in the wrong place...
if just past the damn thing on the 'circuit' it's a mighty long way back round at HH and then you have to do it again to get out.....
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I can't comment on the vagaries of CMC site work organisation but if the Minehead waste disposal point is the same as the photo it most certainly has not been upgraded. The long gully drain is, I imagine just for disposal of rain water not motorhome waste. Those sites than have been upgraded are really excellent and certainly the equal any I have seen elsewhere.
The positioning of MWP's on some Club sites leaves a lot to be desired. Two sites we have been to recently, Lady Margaret's Park and Barnard Castle require you to do a complete circuit of the site usually involving barriers depending on where you are pitched. However I am sure that more thought will be given to this in the future.
David
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more thought, David?....
perhaps that could have happened before moving the newly constructed HH one twoa place that just about guarantees everyone on site will have to do a lap and half if not more....
as I said to JVB, I realise it's the drain thas been updated by why the heck not do the MHSP upgrade at the time the road is dug up and the kit is withing a metre...?
'vagaries' or not.....a simple bit of joined up thinking whould have done the job?.....in fact, two jobs, at the same time
if they can't coordinate something like this what chance of understanding why the best MHSP location isn't in the middle of a large one way site network.
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It has if what I said in my post is correct
or in your "opinion?" It could not be correct ?as to put a rainwater galley would not involve large cost compared to a complete remodel of the service point but a shoe seller would know that
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We were at Minehead two weeks ago and because of the slope had to turn my Motorhome around and face up the slope to empty my grey waste, another site we have been to is the newly refurbished site at Buxton were the MSHP is in front of the toilet block but you have to turn back on site and when finished have to drive round the site again to exit.
Both were blank canvas's and they took the cheap option, did they ask any wardens with Motorhome the best place to site MHSP probably not.
BB is certainly right about Minehead
P
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Hymer offer the option of an electric valve with cab mounted remote control plus a camera to check that the waste valve is aligned with the drain point. I always thought that was truly over the top but perhaps not!
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was truly over the top but perhaps not!
Surely that the whole point of it!!
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But then being a 7 year owner of motor caravans ,when we and others did not need to get any organisation to spend thousands of pounds modifying MVSPs to cater for poor motor caravan design and used our own brains to modify our vehicles, to cater for that, whereas it seems there is not the capability of most out there to do the same
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I presume JVB that you opted to give up your motorhome and return to caravanning because you found aspects of it didn't suit you? Likewise you would expect caravan facilities to be reasonably easy to use and I think it would be fair to say that those with motorhomes would like to enjoy a similar ease of use. Lifting heavy grids to dispose of grey waste can be difficult for many and improvements to site facilities will be welcomed by all.
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We returned to tugging, as we found as a large amount now seem to finding out , that as we got older and only one of us drives ,and my wife can no longer cycle ,that a motor caravan was not as user friendly ,as having transport that can go almost anywhere a couple of steps away from the much more room of a c/van for the length ,as far as site facilities are concerned, as we have noticed with what seems a very large majority of motor caravans are being used as caravans(stay on sites)and only use the mhsp on arrival and on departure , the rest of the stay water and waste is being done the same as c/vans,and when "It pays to talk" several on our latest trip are admitting that they have
Bought it because they do not want or worried about towing now
Have not "camped"before but were not or partner scared of towing,and want to see the UK more ,very few have said they are going "over there "
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My reasoning JVB, is that access to facilities should be as good as possible for all site users, whatever their choice of leisure vehicle. It's got nothing to do with their ability to tow or drive a vehicle or their age, it's just an access issue that can be improved upon. Personal opinions about the whys and wherefores of other users is irrelevant but ease of access is important to all and I think that's a fair and reasonable outlook on the present situation.
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