Black tank · gray tank · at the rig
RV pumping in Pocatello
Full tanks on a rig that is set up to stay? Leave it where it is. The truck comes to the RV, at the house or on a seasonal site, and pumps the black and gray tanks out through the rig's own sewer outlet.
A truck, not a station
Who pumps RV holding tanks in Pocatello
We send a pump truck to the RV wherever it is parked in Pocatello, Chubbuck, and the acreage ring around them, and empty the black and gray holding tanks through the rig's sewer outlet. Nobody hitches up or drives anywhere. This is a mobile pump-out, not a dump station, so there is no lot to pull into.
RV septic pumping is the same job under another name, though a rig has no septic tank of its own. Its holding tanks have no drain field behind them, so everything that goes in stays there until somebody pumps it or dumps it. That makes an RV pumping service a scheduling question more than a repair one, and the same truck that handles septic tank pumping at the house does the job.
RV pumping at home vs. at a seasonal site
The work at the rig is the same in both places. What changes is who says the truck may come in and what else is due on the same trip. At the house the septic tank may be due as well, and one visit covers both. On a rented or seasonal site, the owner of the ground has the say.
Parked at the house
A common case out here is a fifth-wheel or a travel trailer beside the shop on a bench lot or a Tyhee acreage, sometimes with a family member living in it for a season. The house is probably on septic too, and a direct pump-out keeps the rig's load out of the house tank.
On a seasonal or rented site
Rigs parked for the summer or the hunting season at a rented spot down toward Inkom, McCammon, or Lava Hot Springs often have no sewer hookup at the pad. Whether a pump truck may come onto the property is the landowner's or the park's call, so check with whoever runs the site before you book.
Lived-in rigs
How often does a lived-in RV need pumping?
It depends on the size of the tanks and the people living in the rig, so the honest interval comes from your own rig, not a chart. The gray tank usually fills before the black one. Start both empty after a pump-out and keep track of how many days pass before the gray tank is full. That count sets the schedule.
For a rig someone lives in, we set a standing visit on that interval, often weekly or every other week, so nobody has to watch the gauges. A camper parked between trips is a different job, usually one pump-out at the end of the season before it sits for the winter.
Panel gauges are a poor guide. Residue on the sensor probes can keep a just-emptied tank reading partly full, which is why the day count works better.
One hookup, both tanks
Black and gray tanks in one visit
One visit empties both. On most rigs the black and gray tanks drain through the same sewer outlet, so the crew makes one hookup and pulls each tank in turn by opening its valve. We pump the black tank first and the gray tank second.
Black tank · first
Toilet only: solids and paper. It goes first so the gray water that follows rinses the outlet pipe and the hose. If the black valve was left open on a sewer hookup, the liquid ran off and the solids stayed behind in a pile. Tell the crew, since that tank needs water added before it will pump clean.
Gray tank · second
Shower and sinks. It fills faster and smells worse than people expect, mostly from kitchen grease and food scraps. Some rigs have a second gray tank for the galley with its own outlet, which means a second hookup.
Tanks full and the rig is staying put?
Say where it is parked and roughly how full each tank reads. We tell you on the call when the truck can come and what it costs.
Getting the truck there
What the pump truck needs to reach your RV
A loaded pump truck is heavy. It parks where the ground will hold it and runs hose from there to the rig's outlet, so the way in and the ground under the truck decide how the visit goes. What helps:
- Firm ground for the truck: gravel, pavement, or frozen ground. A river-bottom lot near the Portneuf in a wet spring, or a lawn after rain, is where trucks sink.
- A way in. Gate width, low branches over the drive, and a steep bench driveway with snow on it all change where the truck stops.
- The outlet side of the rig clear of stored gear, with any skirting panel over the outlet removed.
- Valves that pull and a cap that comes off. A stuck valve is worth mentioning before the visit, not after.
If the rig sits well back from the drive, say roughly how far when you call, so the crew brings enough hose.
Below freezing
RV tank pumping in winter
A rig lived in through a Pocatello winter usually has heat on the tanks, pads or a heated underbelly. In practice the trouble shows up at the valves and the outlet pipe, which hang below that heat and freeze first. If a slide valve will not pull on a cold morning, do not force it. A cracked valve body is a bigger problem than a late pump-out. Afternoon sun often frees it.
A heated hose keeps fresh water flowing but does nothing for the waste side. Our judgment is to keep the gray valve closed until the tank is close to full, so the water leaves in one rush instead of a trickle that freezes in the line, and to book winter pump-outs for the warm part of the day. A plowed path from the drive to the outlet side saves the crew digging a trench through a drift. If a frozen tank backs up into the shower pan, treat it like any backup: stop the water and call about emergency septic pumping.
The honest alternative
When a dump station is the better answer
If the rig is road-ready and you are pulling out anyway, a dump station is cheaper and quicker: drive in, drain, rinse, go. Several fuel stops around town have one. A pump truck earns its fee when the rig is not going anywhere, leveled on blocks with the slides out or set up as somebody's home.
Questions we get on the phone
RV pump-out questions, answered straight
Can I empty my RV into the septic tank at the house?
Plenty of acreage owners run the sewer hose into a cleanout, and a healthy tank handles an occasional dump. Two cautions from our side. A full-time rig adds another household’s load to the tank, so its pumping interval gets shorter. And some of the stronger deodorizer treatments sold for holding tanks are hard on the bacteria a septic tank depends on. Pumping the rig directly keeps both out of the house system.
Do I have to move the RV or unhook anything?
No. Leave it leveled, blocked, and hooked to power where it sits. The crew needs the sewer outlet cap reachable and the valves able to open. If skirting covers the outlet, take that one panel off before the truck arrives.
Do you pump travel trailers and fifth-wheels, or only motorhomes?
Any rig with holding tanks and a standard sewer outlet, from travel trailers and toy haulers to Class A and C motorhomes. If the rig has a second gray tank with its own outlet, mention it so the crew plans for two hookups.
Can the RV go on the same visit as my septic tank?
Yes, and it saves a trip out. When the truck is already at the house to pump the septic tank, emptying the rig parked by the shop is a little more hose work.
What does an RV pump-out cost?
It is quoted on the call. The number depends on how far out the rig is parked, how many tanks and outlets it has, and whether it is a one-time pump-out or a standing visit for a rig someone lives in. You hear the figure before anything is scheduled.
Free straight quote
Where is the rig parked? We'll bring the truck.
The address or the general area, which side the outlet is on, and how full the tanks read. We call back with a time and a number. Or talk it through at (208) 427-2504.
- The price you hear on the phone is the price on the invoice - gallons and travel included, no fuel-surcharge surprise
- If the honest answer is "your tank can wait two more years," that's what we say, and you keep your money
- Every crew sent to your place holds the Idaho DEQ pumper permit - ask and they'll show it