DIY serviced pitch

Shuttleworths
Shuttleworths Forum Participant Posts: 69
edited July 2019 in Caravan & Motorhome Chat #1

When I was at the club site at Brecon recently a motor home chappie had his water supply permanently connected to the normal water supply. He had to keep disconnecting it whenever he saw somebody approaching to fill up! After the second time I asked if the fully serviced pitches were all taken, when he said no I am afraid I did call him a cheapskate! He slammed his door!! Anyone else come across this?

Comments

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #2

    No, I've not but there are always a few inconsiderate folk around in all walks of life.

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #3

    I've never seen this done "permanently" but have often seen MHs filling their tanks at the standard service points. A bit cheeky really, maybe they don't like waiting in turn to use the allocated service area? wink

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #4

    No, except on a recent non CAMC site where we "shared" a spare water point with an adjoining van and he actually went out and bought a diverter to keep us both going! (This was previously a site manager's pitch converted to normal use, I bet next time we go it will have been turned off. wink) I would object to someone permanently attached to the water supply if it had communal access.

  • derekcyril
    derekcyril Forum Participant Posts: 408
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    edited July 2019 #5

    Best one i saw was a caravanner on angelsy  cs site using 2 hook ups one for van one for oil filled radiator in awning ,should have heard him moan when charged for 2 hook ups 

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited July 2019 #6

    as long as no one else was wanting to use a communal tap, I wouldn't have an issue with anyone else 'borrowing' it....no permanant connections should be allowed though...

    ...but as its a MH, surely they would fill it and it wouldn't need the tap for many days after that?

    certainly no need for permanent connections .....

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,402 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #7

    But not everyone uses their MH the same way as you do, BB, as is evidenced by the comments in the serviced pitches thread.  And on this occasion apparently there was a permanent connection. At Broaday,  if my memory is correct, one of the normal service points has a notice asking MHers not to use it, yet we still watched one being filled up at it last time we were there. 

    It's simply a fact that some folk will please themselves and bu##er the rest of the world!

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #8

    I suspect some are a little hard of understanding, M. They don’t realise they are blocking the road and preventing other people using the tap nor do they realise there is a dedicated MHSP. Yes, they’ve been told when they book in and have been given a site plan but it’s gone right over their heads. 

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #9

    I think you were spot on when you said that there is a huge difference between need and want

    As a philosophical bear once said:

    I know I don't need one, but I'd like one very, very much please

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #10

    +1

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #11

    When I arrived to use a serviced pitch at Forfar (an experiment to see if I liked/needed one) there was no tap.  The occupant of the ajoining pitch did not have a long enough hose to reach "his" tap with his caravan parked the way he wanted so he had just used "my" tap.

    The warden sent him off sharpish to buy a splitter. As he left before I did I took it into safe custody, and jolly useful it has been for washing bikes and boots, and filling the kettle.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,860 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #12

    If I was parked next to a Service Point and had a long enough hose I would certainly top up my tank which probably wouldn't take any longer than someone filling an Aquaroll. However I would keep an eye and be prepared to disconnect if someone arrived with a kettle to fill and probably if someone turned up with a water container. If I am not inconveniencing anyone I don't see the problem. 

    David

    Just for clarity I don't currently have a hose that is long enoughsmile

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,046 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #13

    We do!😂

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #14

     While the joining together of power cables is expressly forbidden (except at the National Rally) there is nothing in the Club Rules about joining water hoses, so a group of enterprising members using caravans with on-board tanks could get together and join up a few of their hoses and go around the site filling up the tanks.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,644 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #15

    For a small fee of course!!wink

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited July 2019 #16
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited July 2019 #17

    How many club sites have a proper dedicated MHSP? A manhole cover in an awkwardly accessible position is "not" a MHSP.

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,387 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #18

    I don't see the problem either especially if the site's MSP is poor. Some Wardens object and others don't to this practice. I had my hose disconnected by one warden who said I was creating a trip hazzard with my bright blue hose laid across the back of a couple of pitches. While I didn't argue the point it struck me as being odd that 25 meters of orange cable wasn't a trip hazzard.

    peedee

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited July 2019 #19
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  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,303 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #20

    I agree David. Did that with our aquaroll, at Baltic Wharf, on one stay of a week. The water point was in range of our service pitch hose, so I left it uncoiled beside the van and trailed it out to fill up on a daily basis. I can't see any problem in that, it monopolised the water point for the same length of time that taking it there would have, and inconvenienced no one.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #21

    That's similar to the one we "shared" with another van not long ago however when we arrived on the pitch he had connected to the water and we had no access until he kindly went out and bought the connector. (His idea, not ours we just thought it was going to be a bit of nuisance disconnecting him each time we needed access.) I suspect others when faced with a connected pipe will feel a bit miffed if the owner isn't visible. Some water points are quite a trudge and I think to be fair it's not always going to work on some sites. The owner of the pipe needs to be there. smile

  • bandgirl
    bandgirl Forum Participant Posts: 440
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    edited July 2019 #22

    I got one of those after seeing it in the March club magazine.  Hadn’t heard of them before as we don’t use a hose at home.  It was great to be able to have our Aquaroll mains adaptor on and still be able to draw jugs of drinking water straight from the tap without disconnecting the hose from the tap when we were on a serviced pitch recently.  I bought a Draper one from Robert Dyas as I was in town.

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #23

    Could have done with a splitter when we was at Chateauroux, the tap nearest to us (not service pitch) was plumbed into the folk behind, when I went to look they had a washing machine (full size) in a trailer surprised didn't have the heart to disconnect it mid load.  

     

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #24

    There will always be a very few who take liberties, it's a part of human nature that most of us rise above. Unfortunately that's why there is a need to frequently 'remind' folk of rules and guidelines. It's for their own good and helps 'protect' us from the selfish. They will grind us down if allowed so keep smiling and refreshing their memories.😋

     

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited July 2019 #25

    Good luck with that Micky boy👍🏻

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #26

     While you are at it Mickeysf, you could help them with their estimations of the measurement of the physical world around them. Five miles per hour and two meters spring to mind.

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited July 2019 #27
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  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2019 #28

    Such places? Thing is we are constantly reminded of rules and regulations from the cradle to the grave. For example start your car and drive down the road and you might just see how many there are! Such reminders are everywhere in all aspects of our lives. But there again some don't notice them because they are for everyone else's benefit!😉

    Why should we allow those selfish folk to dictate and why shouldn't we let them know?

    I've yet to go on any site which has absolutely no 'rules'. 

  • hitchglitch
    hitchglitch Forum Participant Posts: 3,007
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    edited July 2019 #29

    I’m puzzled by this. Motorhomes have water storage tanks of anything from 60 litres to 150 litres with 100 litres about the normal which is enough for several days so why a permanent connection? 100 litres takes around 5 mins to top up.

    The bigger problem surely is what they do with the waste. Discharge into the nearest hedge?

  • young thomas
    young thomas Forum Participant Posts: 11,356
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    edited July 2019 #30

    hitch, agreed.....I've mentioned in another thread that SPs (and the permanent connections in this thread) are simply not required for MHs with decent water tanks...and, of course, owners without profligate usage habitsundecided

    why, with a large tank of, say, 100 ltr would anyone put 20 ltrs in each day?.....

    surely, if that was ones usage, you'd put in100 and use up 20 every day and then refill on the 6th day.....or go home if staying for five...

    so this 'permanent connection' would be needed for 5 mins every 5 days....not every day...

    if you want a pint of beer you don't get the barman to put in a half in a pint glass and then walk back again for the other half later.....or do you?

  • Merve
    Merve Forum Participant Posts: 2,333
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    edited July 2019 #31

    Several years ago now I came across this on a CL in Devon which is now closed. There was one tap available to the five vans on site but Charlie boy turns up and links his Aquaroll up to the tap on a permanent basis. - I’m alright jack!  Every time we wanted water we had to disconnect the hose from the tap. I never put it back on. There was something not right about this guy. A couple of days later, another vehicle turned up and more people joined his party- probably his son with wife etc. I learned later that this specimen had left just £40 in the honesty box for a holiday of 10 days or so for 5 or 6 people. The only reason he had left that was due to the fact that he could have been prosecuted for the offence of extract electricity. He must have owed another £200 at least. Did the farmer take his reg no? Did he check whether he was a member of the club? I don’t know but The club would, if he had been a member, chased him up and either banned him or censured him in someway. These articles are rare but they do exist. Well done to the Shuttleworths  for calling him out!