The first time you pull into a full-hookup campsite, you’ll be looking at a pedestal with a bunch of outlets, two spigots, and a sewer cap in the ground — and absolutely none of it labeled in plain English.
This is the moment that separates the people who panic from the people who’ve read ahead.
You’re reading ahead. Good. By the time you finish this, you’ll know exactly what connects where, in what order, and why the order matters. It’s not complicated. It just requires someone to walk you through it once.
What “Full Hookups” Actually Means
A full-hookup campsite gives you three connections:
- Electric — shore power from the grid
- Water — pressurized city water directly into the RV
- Sewer — direct drain to the campground’s sewer system
Each connection is independent. You don’t need all three to camp — plenty of people camp with just electric, or just electric and water — but full hookups are the most comfortable setup and the easiest place to start if you’re new.
Here’s the gear you’ll need before you start connecting anything.
What to Have on Hand
Your rental owner should have most of this in the rig. Confirm during your walkthrough.
For electric:
- Shore power cord (attached to the RV — you’re not sourcing this)
- 30-to-50 amp adapter or 50-to-30 amp adapter (in case the campground pedestal doesn’t match your RV’s plug)
For water:
- White drinking-water hose (not a green garden hose — those aren’t rated for drinking water)
- Water pressure regulator (protects your RV’s plumbing from high-pressure municipal lines)
- Water filter (optional but smart — campground water quality varies)
For sewer:
- Sewer hose with fittings (usually 10–20 feet)
- Sewer hose support (the plastic accordion-style ramp — keeps the hose elevated for proper drainage)
- Rubber gloves
- A bucket of water and black tank treatment tablets
If any of this is missing, it’s available at any Walmart, hardware store, or camping supply shop near most campgrounds.
The Right Order of Operations
This matters. Connect in the wrong sequence and you’ll either trip a breaker, contaminate your fresh water, or — in the sewer department — create a problem with a very specific name you don’t want to learn by experience.
Connect in this order:
- Level the RV and deploy stabilizer jacks
- Sewer
- Water
- Electric
Disconnect in reverse:
- Electric
- Water
- Sewer
The reason sewer goes first on connection and last on disconnection is simple: if something goes wrong with any connection, you want to be able to walk away cleanly. Connecting sewer before water and electric means your grey tank will start filling from water use immediately, which helps flush the hose when you dump later.
Step 1: Level the RV
Before you connect anything, level the rig and drop the stabilizer jacks. Your refrigerator (if it’s a gas absorption model) needs level ground to function properly. The slideouts shouldn’t be extended on a tilted rig. And frankly, sleeping on a surface that’s three degrees off feels like sleeping on a hill, because it is.
Use leveling blocks, your rig’s auto-leveling system, or both. Check with a bubble level or your phone. Get it right once and you’re done.
Step 2: Connect the Sewer Hose
What you’re connecting: Your RV’s dump outlet to the campsite’s sewer inlet — usually a round pipe opening in the ground, sometimes with a threaded cap.
How to do it:
- Put on your gloves. This isn’t optional — it’s just smart.
- Remove the cap from the campsite sewer inlet and set it aside (you’ll need to replace it when you leave).
- Attach the sewer hose to your RV’s drain outlet. Most connections are a bayonet-style twist lock — insert and turn clockwise until it seats. Make sure it’s fully locked before you proceed.
- Set up your sewer hose support if you have one. The hose should run slightly downhill from your RV to the sewer inlet — gravity is doing the work here. An elevated hose that sags in the middle traps waste and causes problems.
- Insert the other end of the sewer hose into the campsite sewer inlet. Some inlets accept a push-fit; others are threaded. Make sure it’s seated securely.
Important: Keep both tank valves (grey and black) closed at this stage. You’re making the connection, not opening the drain. Leaving the black tank valve open continuously — a common mistake — allows liquids to drain while solids accumulate. You end up with a situation RV veterans call a “poop pyramid,” and it lives up to the name.
Step 3: Connect the Water Hose
What you’re connecting: The campsite water spigot to your RV’s city water inlet.
How to do it:
- Locate your RV’s city water inlet — it’s on the exterior of the rig, usually a white or blue fitting labeled “City Water” or “Fresh Water.”
- Attach the water pressure regulator to the campsite spigot first. Campground municipal water pressure can run 60–80 PSI or higher. Your RV’s plumbing is typically rated for 40–50 PSI. Skip the regulator and you risk blowing a fitting or connection inside the rig.
- Connect your white drinking-water hose to the pressure regulator.
- Connect the other end of the hose to your RV’s city water inlet.
- Turn on the campsite spigot slowly — all the way open.
- Check the connections at both ends for leaks. A small drip at a fitting usually means it’s not fully threaded. Turn the water off, re-seat the connection, try again.
- Head inside and open a faucet briefly to confirm water is flowing. It will. Turn it off.
Turn off the water pump. When you’re on city water, the pump isn’t needed and shouldn’t be running. There’s usually a switch on the interior control panel. Off means off — running the pump against pressurized city water doesn’t damage anything, but it’s unnecessary noise and wear.
Step 4: Connect Electric (Shore Power)
What you’re connecting: Your RV’s shore power cord to the campsite power pedestal.
First, a brief orientation: the power pedestal is the box on a post near your site. It typically offers a 30-amp outlet (three prongs, the round one on top), a 50-amp outlet (four prongs), and one or two standard 120V household outlets. It has breakers or switches that control power to each outlet.
Know your RV’s power requirement before you start. Look at your shore power cord plug:
- Three-prong plug = 30-amp system
- Four-prong plug = 50-amp system
If the campsite doesn’t offer the right outlet for your rig, you’ll need an adapter. A 30-amp RV can use a 50-amp site with a 50-to-30 adapter. A 50-amp RV can use a 30-amp site with a 30-to-50 adapter — with the understanding that you’ll have reduced power capacity and can’t run everything simultaneously.
How to connect:
- Make sure the pedestal breaker for your outlet is off before you plug in. You should hear a click or see the switch in the off position. Plugging into a live outlet isn’t dangerous in most cases, but it can cause arcing at the connection — a small spark and unnecessary wear over time.
- Plug your shore power cord firmly into the pedestal outlet. It should seat completely and not pull out with a gentle tug.
- Flip the pedestal breaker to on.
- Go inside and check that power is live — interior lights, outlets, and the display panel should all show activity.
- Check your RV’s main breaker panel (usually inside a cabinet or closet). All breakers should be seated. If anything tripped during connection, reset it.
A note on 30-amp connections: 30-amp service delivers about 3,600 watts. That sounds like a lot until you try to run the air conditioner ($1,500–$1,800 watts), microwave ($1,000–$1,500 watts), and electric water heater simultaneously. Watch what you’re running concurrently. The breaker will trip before any damage occurs — but it’s more pleasant to avoid it.
Checking Everything Works
Before you unpack and relax, do a quick systems check:
- Interior lights: On? ✓
- Outlets: Plug something in and test. ✓
- Air conditioning or furnace: Run it for a minute. ✓
- Water heater: Switch it on — give it 20–30 minutes to heat. ✓
- Water pressure: Open a faucet — steady flow, no drips at the connections? ✓
- Refrigerator: Switch to electric mode if it’s a dual-fuel unit. ✓
- Sewer hose: Get on your knees and look at both connection points for any leaks or loose fittings. This is worth the 30 seconds. ✓
If everything checks out, you’re set. Make a coffee. You’ve earned it.
A Note on Dumping the Tanks
You’ve got the sewer hose connected — here’s when and how to use it.
Don’t dump constantly. Keep both tank valves closed during your stay. Open them only when the tanks need emptying — typically every 3–4 days for the black tank, or when either tank reads about two-thirds full on your monitor panel.
How to dump:
- Open the black tank valve first. Let it drain completely. Close it.
- Open the grey tank valve. The soapy grey water flushes the hose. Let it drain completely. Close it.
- If your site or campground has a tank rinse connection, run fresh water into the black tank, let it slosh around, and drain again. Repeat until the water runs clear.
- Add a few gallons of fresh water and a black tank treatment tablet to the black tank. This prevents odor buildup and helps break down solids between dumpings.
Black opens first, grey closes last. That sequence is the reason your sewer hose stays relatively clean.
Disconnecting: The Departure Checklist
Departing is when things go wrong. People are in a hurry. They forget steps. They drive off with a water hose still connected, which is both embarrassing and expensive.
Disconnect in this order:
Electric first:
- Switch off the pedestal breaker
- Unplug the shore power cord from the pedestal
- Coil and stow the cord in the exterior compartment
Water second:
- Turn off the campsite spigot
- Open an interior faucet briefly to release pressure
- Disconnect the water hose from the RV inlet first, then from the regulator/spigot
- Drain the hose, coil it, and stow it separately from the sewer equipment
Sewer last:
- Make sure both tank valves are closed
- Remove the sewer hose from the campsite inlet first
- Disconnect from the RV outlet
- Rinse the hose if a rinse station is available (many campgrounds have one)
- Cap the campsite sewer inlet and replace any covers
- Break down the hose support, stow everything in a dedicated exterior compartment — never mixed with water or food equipment
Walk the exterior before you start the engine. Look at the pedestal — nothing still plugged in? Look at the water spigot — hose disconnected? Look at the ground — no hose lying there? Look at the rear of the rig — sewer hose stowed?
That walk takes 90 seconds and prevents the kind of departure story that starts with “so we were leaving the campground and…”
Troubleshooting the Most Common Problems
Tripped breaker at the pedestal: You’re drawing too much power simultaneously. Unplug, reset the breaker, plug back in, and reduce what’s running at once. On 30-amp service, don’t run AC and microwave at the same time.
Low water pressure inside: Check that the spigot is fully open. Check that the pressure regulator isn’t defective (they occasionally fail stuck-closed). Try disconnecting and reconnecting.
Sewer hose leaking at connection: The bayonet lock isn’t fully seated. Disconnect, reinsert, and rotate until you feel it click into position. Check the rubber gasket — it may be missing or displaced.
Smell from the sewer connection: Normal to a small degree — you’re connected to a sewer. If it’s significant, check that the hose connections are tight and that your black tank valve is fully closed when not dumping. A loose fitting will let gas escape.
Water pump running constantly: The pump is pressurizing against the city water inlet. Turn the pump switch off. If it continues running when switched off, there may be a leak in the system — check all faucets and connections.
You came to a campground to relax, not to troubleshoot. But knowing the system means the troubleshooting, when it happens, takes five minutes instead of an hour.
Pull in, connect up, and go enjoy the reason you’re there.
Looking for your next campsite? Browse RV rentals on Outdoorsy and find a rig ready for any hookup configuration.
