Using Campground Hookups

Campground hookups are primarily of concern to RVers but tent campers can sometimes benefit from water and electricity.  Tent campers usually make do with shared restrooms and shared water faucets but having your own water and power right at your site can be useful.  Campgrounds with full hookups give you maximum flexibility in using your RV systems.  Full hookups usually means water, electricity, and sewer connections at each site.  Phone, cable TV, and Internet may be optional.  Many campgrounds today offer free WiFi Internet service if you have a wireless adapter on your computer.  You just need to get the network ID and password.  Water and sewer connections are part of the full hook-up price you pay at the campground.  Electricity is usually included, but sometimes there may be an extra surcharge if you have electric heat or use your air conditioner during the summer.   In rare cases, there may be a meter on each site so you pay for the power you use.  With power, water, sewer, and WiFi, you pretty much have all the conveniences of home.  Phone and cable TV are not always available and are usually extra cost services if they are.  The proliferation of cell phones has pretty much eliminated land line phone service in campgrounds.  Tent campers may find it convenient to have water and electricity at their site.  Having your own water faucet is handy and saves packing water from a central community faucet for cooking, doing dishes and washing.  If you have a portable hot water heater you may be able to connect it if you have your own faucet at your site.   Access to electricity gives you power for entertainment systems, lighting, and cooking options you might not otherwise have.  Tent campers will usually have little or no use for sewer connections.  If you use a porta-potty, you should take it to the dump station to empty it, not attempt to dump it into the sewer port in your site.  The dump station includes a basin around the sewer to contain any spills so they can be safely washed down.  The sewer connections in each site do not include a basin so any spills contaminate the ground around the sewer pipe, leaving an unpleasant and unsanitary condition.  As you would expect, RV sites with hookups will cost more than primitive sites, but the extra cost is usually well worth it if you can take advantage of the services offered.  Full hookups would be of little use to someone with a truck camper or small trailer with an ice box., no A/C, and no on board sanitation facilities.

City water connections on most RVs consist of a recessed female hose connection on the side of the vehicle.   You simply connect a drinking water rated hose between that connection and the faucet at your campsite.  The use of a pressure regulator between your hose and the faucet is highly recommended.  Variations in city water pressure have been know to overpower and damage plumbing inside RVs.   On hot. sunny days, high pressure may rupture the hose.  Installing the regulator at the faucet ensures you don't have high pressure in your hose or your RV plumbing.   Always use a special fresh/potable/drinking water rated hose for connecting city water and for filling your fresh water tank. Avoid using an ordinary garden hose for your connection, or to fill your fresh water tank.  They can add the smell and taste of the plastic of the hose to your water, especially when the water sits in the hose in the sun for a while like it does when connected to the RV water system.  The chemcials leeched from non-potable hoes may also be toxic.  Drinking water hoses are made of special materials that don't leave odors or taste or toxic chemicals in the water.  Some are treated with anti-microbial compounds that inhibit mold and mildew that sometimes grows when the hose is in storage.   Drinking water hoses are usually white or light blue so you can distinguish them from ordinary garden hoses.  Because some city water supplies are not particularly good tasting, you might want to add a filter.   It could be a portable, in-line filter, available at RV stores, attached to your hose for your city water connection or when filling your fresh water tank.   For more convenience, you might add a residential style filter inside your RV.   The replacement filters are said to be less expensive than RV in-line filters, last longer, and except for changing the filter occasionally, they don't require any effort.  Whenever you are connected to city water, make sure your hose doesn't pose a trip hazard.  If it isn't long enough to lie flat, add another section of hose. Hoses usually come in 5, 10, 25,50, and 100 foot lengths. If your faucet is close to your city water inlet, a 5' hose may be sufficient.  I have only encountered that once or twice in thirty some odd years of RVing but I still carry a short hose in case I get a chance to use it.  I also carry a 50' hose, just in case the faucet is way at the end of my site.  Just make sure you roll and store any excess under your RV so it doesn't become a trip hazard.   I once met a guy with a 40' trailer that had the water connection way at the front. The faucet in the campground was at the rear of the back in site.   He only carried one 25' hose, so he was out of luck with the faucet more than 40' away.  Better to have more than you need than less.  You can always roll up and store the excess under your RV.   You might want to coil the hose in an insulated bag to reduce pre-heating of the water supply.   Luke warm drinking water isn't very palatable although it IS said to be healthy.   A handy gadget you will want to use is an elbow that screws into the connection on your RV so the hose hangs straight down instead of  sticking straight out.  Without the elbow, your hose will have a tendency to kink right at the connection to the RV.  
The city water inlet contains a back flow valve that prevents water from spewing out the city water port when you use your on board pump.  I once saw an RV where the owner had removed the back flow device.  Apparently he never did any boondocking and wanted higher water flow when connected to city water.   If you have any problems with the inlet they are pretty easy to replace. For a temporary fix for a missing or leaking back flow valve you can screw a plug into the hose connection to prevent water from flowing out when using the on board pump.  If you're tent camping, having water at your site eliminates the task of carrying water from a central faucet for your needs. You might even hook up a portable sink via a hose. Just make sure you have an appropriate way to get rid of the waste water.

Electrical connections are usually pretty simple.  Most RVs have a 30-amp shore power cord.  The plug is a 3-prong plug and looks a lot like the one on an electric dryer.   Simply plug it into the matching receptacle on the power post at your site.   Large RVs and many newer units may have 50-amp shore power cords.  The plugs on these have 4 prongs.  If the campground has 50-amp service, simply plug your shore power cord into the matching receptacle.   It is a good idea to verify proper wiring of the 50 amp receptacle to ensure yo get proper power and don't damage your electrical system.  A simple voltmeter can be used to verify the receptacle is wired correctly.  You need a voltmeter that will handle at least 300 volts.  Insert the leads from the voltmeter into the two flat, vertical slots of the receptacle.  It should register about 240 volts.  If it registers 0 volts, the receptacle is wired wrong.  A properly wired 50 amp receptacle will have 0 volts on the Neutral line.  One that is mis-wired may connect both hot lines to the Neutral creating 100 amps on the Neutral line and exceeding its capacity and creating a fire danger.  If you have a camper or an older trailer with an ordinary 15-amp power cord, you will either have a recessed male receptacle (called a motor base)  on the side of your vehicle to plug a heavy duty extension cord into or a shore power cord with an ordinary 15 amp grounded 3-prong plug on it.  Again, simply plug it into the matching receptacle on the power post.  Most campground power posts have 15-amp outlets as well as 30 or 50 amp receptacles.  There are adapters available so you can still hook up your 50-amp power cord even if the campground only supplies 30 amp service.   However, you will only have 30 amps of power available.  There are even adapters to connect to ordinary 15-amp household outlets.  Again, using a 15 amp adapter only gives you 15 amps of power.   There are special "Y" adapters that plug into both a 15-amp outlet and 30-amp outlet to attempt to approximate 50-amp service.  The additive function of this adapter is only effective it the campground pedestal is wired so that the 15 and 30 amp receptacles are each on their own circuits, so they may or may not add capacity.  Some pedestals have 15 amp outlets on the same circuit as the 30 amp outlet just for convenience.  To get 240 volts there must be two separate 120 volt circuits that are 180° out of phase.  If the two circuits are the same phase, you will only get 120 volts and testing between the two hot leads (two flat slots in the receptacle) will yield 0 volts.   If the pedestal is wired so both outlets are on the same circuit, you still only get 30-amps. 30 amps is usually enough for most RV applications, but not enough to run 2 roof air conditioners at the same time.  RVs wired for 50-amps can usually run both ACs at once, IF you are connected to 50 amp service.   If you have to step down to 30 amp service because that's all the campground has, you should only run one AC at a time.   Just a reminder that some campgrounds may charge extra for electrical service if you have and use a roof air conditioner.  Tent campers might take advantage of a site with hookups to run TVs or other entertainment equipment.  You might use electric lights instead of lanterns and you might even find the use of microwave ovens and electric fry pans an added convenience.   I've even heard of people using electric blankets in their tents, but the I don't find that idea very practical.   I would rather bring along an adequate sleep system that can be used without power.   It is safer and more reliable and you won't wake up cold if the power goes out in the middle of the night or someone trips over your power cord and disconnects it.

Sewer connections are often misunderstood and feared by new RVers.  Making the connection is really pretty simple.   You connect the twist lock connector on the sewer hose to the dump valve on your RV and put the other end into the sewer pipe at your site.   There are a variety of adapters to ensure a good fit with the sewer pipe.   It is usually a good idea to put a rock or other heavy object on the sewer hose to make sure it doesn't come out of the ground if the hose adapter doesn't screw into the pipe or fit tightly.  Always wear disposable rubber gloves when handling your sewer hose.  The biggest confusion comes in using the sewer facilities while camped.   Many people think they can hook up the hose and then just use the facilities inside just like they would at home. That might mostly work OK for gray water from sinks and showers, but is a problem for the black water waste from the toilet.  The problem is that solid wastes will pile up in the holding tank instead of being flushed down into the sewers.  RV toilets don't use 3-5 gallons of water per flush like home toilets do. You must leave the valve for the black water tank closed.  Actually it is best to leave both valves closed until the tanks reach at least 1/2 to 3/4 full.  Many experts say to wait until the tank is nearly full.  Then dump and flush the tanks like you would at a dump station. dumping the black water first, then the gray water.  Letting the tanks drain directly allows solids to build up in the tanks.   Letting the tanks fill before opening valves ensures there is sufficient liquid in the tanks to create a flow adequate to flush out solids and particulate matter.  Letting the tanks fill also gives the chemicals time to break down solid wastes for better flushing and reduced odors.  Sometimes leaving the gray water valve open will allow food particles and other contaminates to settle out and accumulate in the tank and cause unpleasant odors.  Having plenty of soapy water from showers and washing dishes helps clean the dump hose after dumping the black water tank so I recommend keeping both valves closed until time to dump.

Phone, TV, and Internet connections are available in some campgrounds.  Most campgrounds that provide Internet service these days do so via WiFi so all you need is a wireless adapter on your computer and network ID and the password for the router.  Few RVs have phone connections for land lines and few campgrounds offer phone lines, but in case your RV and the campground you're staying in does support landlines, you'll need a cable to run from a phone jack on your RV to one on the camp site pedestal.  The connectors are usually standard phone jacks.  For cable TV you'll need a coax cable.  This screws onto a connection on your RV and to a matching connector on the pedestal.  If your RV doesn't have phone or cable connections, they can usually be added fairly easily.   You will want to install an appropriate water-resistant connection on the outside wall and run wiring inside to the location where you want to plug in your phone or TV.   Any hardwired Internet service would use either a coax or CAT-5 cable and you'll need matching connections on your RV.  Most campgrounds that offer Internet do it via a wireless router or WiFi so you don't even need a cable -- just get the network name and password for the router from the office.  Large campgrounds might  have multiple WiFi routers and they should tell you which one would be best to connect to from your site.  Some facilities might have satellite TV channels available via a hard-wired connection.  If your RV is equipped with an external cable connector, it would be a good idea to carry a coax cable with you so you can take advantage of cable and/or satellite TV if it is available.

Other usual campground facilities usually include picnic tables and fire pits for your use. Sometimes the picnic tables are under some kind of structure that provides shade or rain protection but mostly they are in the open.  RVers are expected to take advantage of fire pits in their campsites but you should always be considerate of other campers.  Avoid burning trash that would emit foul odors or excessive smoke or would foul the fire pit.   Restrict your fire to designated fire pits and don't overload the fire ring with fuel.   Avoid using gasoline or other flammable liquids to start your fire.  They give off dangerous and offensive fumes and the use in a confined area is extremely dangerous.  Picnic tables are designed for eating.  They should not be used for climbing toys by children and be sure to take care when using a camp stove or portable BBQ on picnic tables.  Plastic tables will melt and be severely damaged if not protected with fire pans and wood tables can char or even catch on fire!  Some sites have standing charcoal grills and putting your stove or BBQ on them would be much safer.

Hook it up!