# Groover into sewer?



## pointswest (Jul 2, 2018)

cuzin said:


> Does anyone empty their groover into the sewer clean out in front of their house? Other than pissing off your neighbors is there a reason not to do this?


I most always use this at my house to empty the groover if there is not one at the takeout.

PW


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## cnalder (Jul 7, 2016)

I do but have no close neighbors. I never pass up a scat machine tho.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

If your sewer cleanout had a compatible hose fitting and a near by garden hose it might make sense. I have used the septic tank clean out at my house, but it was really a lot more messy than the typical RV dump. Since then I have found serval locations nearby that offer free RV sanitation dumps.


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## scrtsqurrl (Feb 21, 2014)

Yes, no reason not to. Your neighbors shouldn't even notice unless you are doing something horribly wrong. A backflow preventer on the hose line is a wise precaution. It is extremely unlikely but possible to pull waste into your potable water system. $10 of easy insurance.


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## Village Lightsmith (Jul 14, 2021)

Is that a sewer or a storm drain? There can be a big difference.


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## jeffro (Oct 13, 2003)

I dump mine into the sewer cleanout on the side of my house. Neighbors are feet away so I hold off if they are outside. I take it home even if there is a cleanout at the takeout. Much better to take my time at home then trying to get it done in the hot sun after a day in the river. If it goes poorly I'd much rather be at home too.


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## mcfarrel (Apr 1, 2006)




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## agrankin (Aug 31, 2017)

I use our sewer clean out. Super easy and convenient and can do it at my own pace.


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## tetoncounty (May 19, 2016)

I've got an Eco Toilet system which basically has the same fitting set up as an RV tank: drain hose at one end and hose fitting at the other. I always wait until I get home and pop the riser off one of our septic tanks and flush the groover. Easy and fast. Smell is contained.
If you're living in town and hooked up to a sewer system it would work the same to use your exterior sewer cleanout riser, which almost any modern house will have.
I also make a point of dumping a gallon of water into the groover at takeout so that it sloshes around for hundreds of miles on the way home. Makes the process even easier.


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## KingElbear (Feb 28, 2013)

I use the clean out as well, but I also use the active bacteria to break it down. I have heard the the Blue RV septic stuff is not good for the sewer systems so I avoid that stuff. I built a stand that the groover can sit on and drain out. Hook it up to water and and come back in 30 min usually works pretty good.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I dug down and put a cleanout before my septic tank for just this purpose. Sometimes I wish I had poured a concrete pad around it, but since going to the jonny partner groover system, never had a spill, and never had a problem. Always use the "camp a chem" formaldehyde free stuff, safe for septic tanks




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Robot or human?






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Never had an issue doing it this way. YMMV..


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## COEngineer (May 29, 2013)

Village Lightsmith said:


> Is that a sewer or a storm drain? There can be a big difference.


THIS. The drains in my neighborhood go to a creek. If you're dumping in your local waterway, you're...well, you're not a good person to put it nicely.


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## cuzin (Oct 4, 2007)

COEngineer said:


> THIS. The drains in my neighborhood go to a creek. If you're dumping in your local waterway, you're...well, you're not a good person to put it nicely.


It would be the one in my yard with the threaded PVC cap that smells like turds. Not the one on the corner that the scary clown is hiding in.


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## Recreation_Law (Oct 29, 2013)

COEngineer said:


> THIS. The drains in my neighborhood go to a creek. If you're dumping in your local waterway, you're...well, you're not a good person to put it nicely.


You are a criminal at the least and looking at fines starting at $10,000 or more each time you have done it.


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## bbergs (Jun 23, 2017)

Please don't do this. H2S gas can be deadly and once you open the manhole there might not be time to recognize it before it's too late. You are rolling the dice with your life.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

bbergs said:


> Please don't do this. H2S gas can be deadly and once you open the manhole there might not be time to recognize it before it's too late. You are rolling the dice with your life.


Hydrogen Sulfide is colorless and odorless.. never heard of it in a sewer, but there IS methane.. Either way, why would you open a manhole?


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## bbergs (Jun 23, 2017)

Hydrogen sulfide (also known as H2S, sewer gas, swamp gas, stink damp, and sour damp) is a colorless gas known for its pungent "rotten egg" odor at low concentrations. It is extremely flammable and highly toxic. Hydrogen sulfide also occurs naturally in sewers, manure pits, well water, oil and gas wells, and volcanoes. Because it is heavier than air, hydrogen sulfide can collect in low-lying and enclosed spaces, such as manholes, sewers, and underground telephone vaults. Its presence makes work in confined spaces potentially very dangerous.


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

H2S is definitely NOT odorless. It definitely DOES occur in sewers. 

It is heavier than air, so it won’t reach up and kill you if you open a sewer clean-out. It is certainly one of the major concerns for confined space entry. So don’t enter! But a finger is one of the only human body parts that could fit into a clean-out while still attached to the body.

A sewer clean-out isn’t even considered a confined space because it cannot be entered. It does meet the other two criteria - not designed for human occupancy, and limited means of egress. But you cannot enter it, so not even considered a confined space. 

So…. Don’t stick a long hose down the hole and suck out the gas to test to see if it’s safe.


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## hooligan shmulligan (Jan 31, 2020)

Jesus Christ, pretty sure no one is opening man holes, crawling down and dumping there shitter. Lighten up Karen.


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## Rivertripper (Oct 11, 2019)

Poop is poop. As long as it goes to a public WWTP or a private septic system, an outside sewer line cleanout is a good place to put it. But, it needs to be reasonably new and tight; your tank ought to be sloshy, and you need to chase it with lots of water.

I have an eco tank system. I got rid of the corrugated flex (nasty stuff) and put short lengths of 3” corrugated drainage pipe and elbow on the fitting that eco supplies for dumping. Makes a stiff spout that I can attach to the tank and tip into the cleanout. Smooth inside and easy to clean.

Gas, H2S or CH4, maybe a concern on old municipal sewers; but as others say, you are above ground and outside. As long as you don’t light up or do this in your house you should be fine. FYI, few RV dumps are vented; they are direct connections to the sewer just as your cleanout is.


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## jeffro (Oct 13, 2003)

hooligan shmulligan said:


> Jesus Christ, pretty sure no one is opening man holes, crawling down and dumping there shitter. Lighten up Karen.


Seriously people chill out. Sans uncle Eddy, nobody is dumping crap into the storm drain. If you see ninja turtles you've gone way too deep. Don't stick your d*** in it either. On a more somber note I had a minor spill last summer. I had to instigate a "no corn" on the menu after that indecent.


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## jwburdge (Apr 9, 2014)

What do you use a groover for? It's way easier to just shit against a tree.


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