Patti Eliminates Blackwater Problems
It looked simple when the techie did everything during the walkthrough of our new new trailer. And he faithfully asked, “Got that?” about 200 times, to which we dutifully replied, “Uh huh, mmm humm..yep.” But my orderly check list and carefully sharpened pencils (two, lest one go dull) bit the dust when confronted with countless facts and hoses.
If it’s true that people retain 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they see, and 80% of what they do, then count me in that 80%. If I don’t do it, I don’t get it. Our walkthrough was proof. We watched the techie perform vital matters related to winterization… something about how valves have to bypass the water heater and water tank, but whatever you do, don’t do this, and be sure to do that. Yep, the guy who can operate an RV in his sleep got to do it again, but neither of us actually did anything. However, I feverishly wrote down every word he said while Ray watched closely, shooting furtive glances at me that translated into “ Did you get that?”
"Oh Black Water, Keep on Rollin' "
Next, the delicate topic of blackwater sewage, one of my personal favorites. Seeing as how this is a family site, I won’t repeat my dad’s less than elegant phrasing for blackwater (Hey, no one ever accused my Dad of being tactful, especially when we were RVing.). Anyway, the techie showed us the hookup for blackwater, but he didn’t hook or unhook any hoses. Neither did we. But he did lob us a convincing, “It’s really easy, you’ll see…” Yea, right. I saw Robin Williams in “RV.” You can’t fool me.
The good news is that Ray really did understand most of what the guy said. My zone consisted of “Wow…there’s a lot to this.” and hissing at our son to videotape the techie’s face when he talked instead of his back. Yes, we taped the whole thing. There is hope.
The dealership techie did the best he could with what he had…that would be us. We have no idea how to do the blackwater hose thing on our first non-driveway campout next week, nor am I amused at my husband’s suggestion that we “practice with chocolate milk.” My solution to dealing with RV blackwater is to have none. No one is allowed to use the bathroom in our trailer. Ever. Unless it’s me, of course.