Phase Four Industries - THE COMING CRISIS IN

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THE COMING CRISIS IN

Thursday, September 07 2006 @ 11:53 AM Pacific
Contributed by: christine
Views: 938

When we enjoy the RV lifestyle, whether it is in a pop-up camper in the state forest or in a luxury motorcoach in an upscale RV resort, there is one miserable task that probably all of us could agree on.

That would be the emptying of porta-potties, cassettes, holding tanks and removing dirty water and human waste from the RV to an approved sewer connection, dump station, or septic system. It is, by far, the task that RVers really dislike and wish the industry would do something about it.

The RV industry is probably the only industry that deals with the disposal of human waste and we do it without any standards, government regulations, or oversight authority that makes sure it is being safely disposed of so that the health and well-being of all RVers is being protected.

We are one of a few industries that have managed to avoid the watchful eyes of government regulations and it is only a matter of time before the folks in Washington and our state capitals find out that the way the RV industry deals with this topic is completely unacceptable when you consider the consequences when it is not done right.

And we all know how many times it is not done right. There probably isn’t anyone reading this article that doesn’t have their own horror story that includes a dumping disaster. Perhaps the ones we have experienced may not have been as bad as Robin Williams’ fecal shower as depicted in the recent movie titled RV.

Sure there were a lot of laughs in theaters across the country, but when the laughter subsided and the movie was relegated to the clearance racks at video stores and your local Wal-Mart, the thought of just how ugly and messy this task can be . . . and how dangerous it may be to you and other members of your family.

There’s a reason why you don’t see many women rushing to complete this task when you break camp or pull into a dumping station. They want no part of this one guys! This is when they invoke that famous line; I’ll take care of things on the inside (pink jobs), and you can take care of things on the outside (blue jobs)!

As As our industry grows and we continue to see an increase in the number of RV’s sold, and the many new baby boomers enjoying the lifestyle, we are going to have to change the way we do things because this new generation of camping enthusiasts is not going to stand for business as usual, especially when it comes to their health and environment.

The
The tide does appear to be changing and one Circle of Trust member company is head and shoulders ahead of the competition when it comes to changing the way we evacuate waste from an RV.
That comp That company is Phase Four Industries of Hollister, CA (www.phasefourindustries.com). Under the direction of Doug Swarts, the president, this forward thinking group has an interesting selection of products that deal specifically with waste evacuation. Doug retired several years ago after he sold his semiconductor business and hit the open road in a converted bus. As an engineer and inventor, it wasn’t long before he was once again tinkering with things and trying to improve those areas of RVing that he really detested.
As he traveled around the country he soon realized that he wasn’t alone in his distaste for emptying his holding tanks. Think about it; have you ever met anybody in your camping travels that told you they did enjoy emptying their holding tanks? I doubt it.

The first RV invention Doug developed was an electric dumping valve. It is absolutely amazing to me, and most RVers, that manufacturers continue to build everything from pop-up campers to million dollar motorhomes and then put those stupid and worthless cable pull valves at the exit point of your waste management system.
Doug’s invention, called Drain Master, is quickly becoming an industry standard and can be found on the shelves of most RV dealers parts and accessories stores and on the racks and in the catalog of Camping World. Many RV manufacturers are now starting to include the Drain Master valves as standard equipment.
As more new people discover the joys of camping and RV travel, they also join the rest of us in wondering why emptying the holding tanks has to be such a distasteful task. This increase in active RVers is also bringing with it a significant upswing in the number of incidents of raw waste spills at campgrounds, RV resorts and dump stations.
Doug is leading a group of concerned industry advocates who are working with the RVIA to proactively address these problems before the government intervention, penalties, or enforcement policies that force the industry to make the changes under the watchful eye of a government agency or regulatory body.

Also helping out in the campaign is Also helping out in the campaign is Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor, a respected author, instructor, and consultant in the RV industry. Gary can be read in several RV publications and now has a new television show titled RV Roadtrips on the DIY network on cable television.

The Rally Park at Lazydays, the industry’s largest RV dealership, recently had to post notices in the park that explained a recent enforcement policy from the EPA that prohibited the washing of RVs. It seems the EPA didn’t want any soap or detergents going into the city storm drains. And this was just dirty water.

Can you just imagine what the EPA would be like if they ever took soil samples around dumping stations or waste outlets in campgrounds or RV resorts! I’ll bet you can, and that is why the industry must now step up and establish standards and procedures for the efficient and healthy disposal of human waste, and change the plumbing codes that govern how a manufacturer addresses this situation with their products.

Swarts wasn’t content with replacing cable pulls with electric valves and went to work on a totally automated waste management system that would guarantee a safe and environmentally friendly way to empty holding tanks.

Phase Four Industries recently introduced the Waste Master system of products that remove all of the distasteful aspects of emptying one’s holding tank and replaces the process with an extremely durable sewer hose that is connected to the RV. At the end of a hose is a nozzle that does secure the evacuation system in an approved sewer outlet, without touching the hose or the outlet.

Several manufacturers are ready to announce the manual version of the Waste Master system on their RVs.

This is the ultimate system-The nozzle and sewer hose are pre-connected, pre-stored and ready to go. Open the bay door and simply extend the industrial grade sewer hose with special nozzle attached. It is a lot like extending a gas nozzle from a gas pump. There’s no stooping and fumbling to plug it into the ground inlet. Now, just open the lever and push two buttons. It’s so clean; you could even do it with white gloves on. When you’re done, all you do is close the lever, press the button, and it retracts itself fully. No mess. No dripping. No coiling. And best of all; it’s totally sanitary.

As our politicians like to remind us each election season; Help is on the way! This time is actually is and Phase Four Industries is leading the change.

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Specializing in :Waste Master, Drain Master, Sewer Master, Pure Power, waster digester, gate valve, dump valve, waste valve, sewer valve, speciality valve, holding tanks treatment, eliminate odors, tank chemicals, Pure Power, Industrial Gate Valve, tank drain valves, waste water control.

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