I want to install a utility station for my Barth that will include power, water, and cable. I have seen a few interesting versions at campgrounds; Disney has a simulated cement stump, I've seen some that are wooden with little roofs. Has anyone out there come across a real "killer app"? Or have a really cool idea for such a thing?

Also, how in the world does one go about making a cement stump

I built a $10000 40 X 35 metal building with insulated roof, 3 roll up doors, lights, heat and plumbed for water and sewer. . Talk about the tail wagging the dog. Is this a little bigger than what you were looking for?
Jim
P.S. This Barth sanctuary is now shared with two Volvos, one Scout, one large tractor, one Toyota rock crawler, one X-Mark zero turning radius 60" mower, one GMC Yukon, and assorted benches, shelves and tool boxes. In other words, it's complete chaos.

40 X 35 and 10K, well I hope you can plug the Barth in at least. I'm looking for pretty much the same exact setup as you have...minus the building

Power and water are easy - why would you want cable? Get a wireless network and use your home system. A Mac with Airport extreme is good to over 300 feet. Here is the procedure:
Locate your sewer line connection at the house - there will be a cleanout either at the surface or just below ground. The line will run to the main either in front or rear of your lot. Pick a convenient point and make a connection. run a 3" pvc pipe line to the point where you want the service station. Sewer is the most difficult because you have to make sure you have 1/4" per foot slope from the RV station to the service line. A plumber can do it correctly and it is worth the money.
For water find an outside hose bib and make a tap on the pipe and run a 3/4" pvc line at a depth of about 2 feet to your 2nd service point (do not run water and sewer to the same point - make them about 10 feet apart. You can direct bury a 50 amp single phase power line from a sub-meter panel attached to your house near your main breaker box (assuming it is on the outside of the house). If it is inside you will have to have an electrician install the sub-panel and then you can run the wire to your service point. A combination 50 amp and 30 amp receptacle can be purchased from any electrical supply house as well as the wire you need. They will also have a duplex plug in the setup and a housing that is weather-proof. just like the ones at the RV Parks. For both water and sewer you want to dig about 2 feet deep and center the pvc pipes in the holes than put in one or two sacks of Sakrete ready mix. Just pipe it in and smooth the water-power one so it slopes away from the pipes and slopes towards the sewer pipe. You don't need to water the Sakrete, it will draw moisture from the soil in the proper proportions to set. This can all be done in a weekend. I built mine so that in the event I ever move the services are next to my parking pad - which can be easily made into a patio.

Now that I read my typos it should say pile in the sakrete and slope the top away from the water/power. Slope the top towards the sewer.

Well, I can't do sewer due to code. The cable I may skip, but I am liking the wireless bit.

But my real desire in this post is to get clever ideas to make my utility station look, for lack of a better word... interesting. Not just a pressure treated post with stuff bolted to it. Like, I could hide all the stuff in an old gas pump, or something creative like that.

I do appreciate the install advice, but I want this thread to stay focused on the creative side.

How about a miniature Outhouse, just like home in New Hampshire



Cory's OutPost

Jack! Outstanding thought. Do you recall my NH Barn has a double-holer?

I couldn't do sewer either BUT I can have a "clean-out" any where I want and i am not limited to how many. Found a "convenient" location right next to the garage, It sometimes has been known to clean out the RV--HeHe--

I, too had a "clean-out,' conveniently located next to my normal RV parking place on the house we had before we moved into town. It was very convenient for cleaning out holding tanks as well as any unanticipated waste system clogs.

quote:

Well, I can't do sewer due to code.

You might consider a macerator or a jet pump.

1. Short answer: Dig a hole, line it with a bucket, drop a sewer ejector pump in it, and dump into the bucket. Connect the pump outlet to a cleanout.

2.Medium Answer: Skip to the last paragraph.

3.Long answer: For dumping at home, my 12 volt macerator was slow and overheated, owing to the 6 foot rise, the 60 foot run, and the size of my tanks. A Sewer Solution couldn’t do it, either.

I found 120 volt macerators to be ridiculously overpriced.

So I used a Wayne RPP50 sewage ejector pump with an RV sewer elbow stuck to the underside with 3M 5200 (or Shoe Goo). It is connected to the RV dump outlet by a short 3 inch dia RV dump hose. This required extending the bottom legs by about an inch with bar stock to allow it to sit on the ground.

The tethered float switch was replaced with an inline rocker switch at a safe length to avoid water.

The impeller does not grind, but generates a powerful vortex that just whooshes everything up and out. They are used in basement toilets that have to pump as-delivered "product" up one story.

The two inch inlet and outlet are not a problem, as we pass nothing quite that large.
The pump outlet goes to an elbow, then a 2 inch PVC check valve (Lowe's 154372), then a 2 inch flat reinforced vinyl discharge hose (Grainger1FYR3) into the house sewer cleanout. I cobbled up a threaded quick-connect to secure it to the cleanout.

The whole thing (less the discharge hose) fits in a kitty litter bucket for storage. The hose (all 60 feet of it) flattens out and rolls up and stores in an old Jack Bauer bag.

I installed a check valve at the connection between the pump and discharge hose.

I haven't timed it exactly, but it is stunningly fast. It pumps our 50-gallon black tank 60 feet with a 6 foot rise in about two minutes. Perhaps less.

If I were to make a permanent setup, I would just make a pit big enough to hold the pump with buried plumbing and let the float switch control it.

If I were to do it permanently, I would just make a pit big enough to hold the pump with buried piping or hoses and let the float switch control it. If code compliance were an issue, the outlet hose or PVC would be connected only when needed.

The ideal setup would be a pit large enough to not overflow when the 3 inch RV dump valve was pulled fully open. What fun that would be to test.

Some great advice, thank you. Maybe I will do sewer after all.

How bout more creative "station" ideas.

I'm in Florida, I thought about a little Tiki hut and frenching the mechanics into a giant piece of coral.