Fresh Water Tank....

[ralphieboy]

I tend to agree with not drinking or cooking with the water from the fresh water tank. HOWEVER...
Why do we have a fresh water tank if we are not able to use the water from it??? I can only assume we ONLY wash with this water???
Is it something about the plastic? or the tank itself?
I have read of those who carry their water in plastic containers... and some mods with pumps going to outside portable plastic containers... I can't see the difference here!
Is it we assume that the campground water is contaminated?
How about if I filled the fresh water tank with "filtered" water from the campsite source?
What about having something like a "Brita" container to filter the water (from the fresh water tank) as we dispense it to drink?
Or... just filter the water as we use it?
It just is seemingly contradictory to have that tank... then carry gallons and gallons of bottled water or other containers of water???? This puzzels me!
Thanks
Ralph & Peggy

[Glenn Baglo]

Why do people buy and drink water from bottles instead of from the tap?
If you flush your tank and water lines with fresh water with chlorine ( bleach ) added, and do that a couple times a year, your only problem will likely be the taste of the local water.
Since Nestle fills their bottles with water from Hope, B.C., I'll get mine from the tap.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Why do people buy and drink water from bottles instead of from the tap?
If you flush your tank and water lines with fresh water with chlorine ( bleach ) added, and do that a couple times a year, your only problem will likely be the taste of the local water.
Since Nestle fills their bottles with water from Hope, B.C., I'll get mine from the tap.

And so does Zephyrhills in Florida. Their water comes from the municipal water supply, is charcoal filtered, and bottled. Yet people buy it by the carload because they have convinced themselves it is better or healthier.
Furthermore, Glenn is 100% correct about sanitizing. Having worked in public water supply for over 20 years, I can tell you that I have seen some stuff come out of water mains that would convince you that the fresh water tank on your trailer is clean by comparison. You may not like the taste, but any water being supplied to the public in Canada or the U.S. is safe to drink. If any campground were supplying unsafe water, the health authorities on either side of the border would be all over them like white on rice.

[ralphieboy]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Why do people buy and drink water from bottles instead of from the tap?
If you flush your tank and water lines with fresh water with chlorine ( bleach ) added, and do that a couple times a year, your only problem will likely be the taste of the local water.
Since Nestle fills their bottles with water from Hope, B.C., I'll get mine from the tap.

Thanks Glenn!
I tend to agree with you... as long as we flush the tank periodically!

I rented a 32 ft. RV a couple of years ago for 10 days. I agreed with the warnings to NOT drink from the fresh water tank... Who knew what the previous renters did? Or wether or not they were careful with mixing or storing black water hoses or gray water hoses with fresh water hoses?????

[ralphieboy]

Originally Posted by CPW

And so does Zephyrhills in Florida. Their water comes from the municipal water supply, is charcoal filtered, and bottled. Yet people buy it by the carload because they have convinced themselves it is better or healthier.
Furthermore, Glenn is 100% correct about sanitizing. Having worked in public water supply for over 20 years, I can tell you that I have seen some stuff come out of water mains that would convince you that the fresh water tank on your trailer is clean by comparison. You may not like the taste, but any water being supplied to the public in Canada or the U.S. is safe to drink. If any campground were supplying unsafe water, the health authorities on either side of the border would be all over them like white on rice.

Thanks Carl... I agree!

[Jon Vermilye]

Since I travel for long trips, my fresh water tank sometimes has fairly "old" water in it. Doing a chlorine soak while traveling is a bit difficult, at least when dry camping. My solution has been to add a sink mounted filter for cooking, although most of the time I use cheap gallon jugs of generic water, at least for coffee or tea. It is also handy for "bad tasting" campground water.

[Elly G]

We fill our tank with the water that comes through the Camco filter. We are usually hooked up to a water supply at our campground. We also use a Brita pitcher for drinking water. So when hooked up, drinking water is double filtered. We've been fulltiming for 4 months, and no sickness! At the three month mark, I bleached all the lines and the tank.
I do have a question about the hot water though. When I sterilized the lines, I did not close the water heater off. Is that the correct procedure?

[varmint]

Drink water from the fresh water tank? Not us. We fill gallon jugs from campground tap water and pour it through a Brita filter.
How would a person clean a fresh water tank? Maybe run some chlorinated water through it?
We use the tank water for cleanup and the stool sprayer.

[LindaandPat]

Originally Posted by ralphieboy

I tend to agree with not drinking or cooking with the water from the fresh water tank. HOWEVER...
Why do we have a fresh water tank if we are not able to use the water from it??? I can only assume we ONLY wash with this water???
Is it something about the plastic? or the tank itself?
I have read of those who carry their water in plastic containers... and some mods with pumps going to outside portable plastic containers... I can't see the difference here!
Is it we assume that the campground water is contaminated?
How about if I filled the fresh water tank with "filtered" water from the campsite source?
What about having something like a "Brita" container to filter the water (from the fresh water tank) as we dispense it to drink?
Or... just filter the water as we use it?
It just is seemingly contradictory to have that tank... then carry gallons and gallons of bottled water or other containers of water???? This puzzels me!
Thanks
Ralph & Peggy

I have to carry extra 20 gal because water tank is too small . That gives me 40gal good for 5 days without hookups . We do use our shower every night . We bring separate 3 gal which has a dolphin hand pump to get water out for drinking and cooking . Also good for 5 days . We get the water in the 3 gal from home which we have a water distiller hooked up a spearate faucet at sink and to our ice maker . If we go to a campground with water hookups incoming water we filter and just bring our 3 gal for drinking etc. .

[LindaandPat]

Originally Posted by LindaandPat

I have to carry extra 20 gal because water tank is too small . That gives me 40gal good for 5 days without hookups . We do use our shower every night . We bring separate 3 gal which has a dolphin hand pump to get water out for drinking and cooking . Also good for 5 days . We get the water in the 3 gal from home which we have a water distiller hooked up a spearate faucet at sink and to our ice maker . If we go to a campground with water hookups incoming water we filter and just bring our 3 gal for drinking etc. .

Also would like to introduce ourselves Pat and Linda . This is our 1st post here . We love all the good idea's and fiberglass trailers . It seems like a good bunch of people .

[Evergreengirl]

We have a 17' Bigfoot and can carry 28 gal. in our fresh water tank. We use it for cooking, washing dishes, taking showers, hand washing, and flushing the toilet. It's not so much that we worry about how sanitary the water in a campground might be, but rather how bad it can taste. For example, if you travel in the Southwestern states you'll know what I mean - the water in that part of the country can be very alkaline and "soapy" tasting. It can also upset your stomach too. There's a reason so many people in NV, UT, AZ, and NM have filtration systems in their homes and why you see so many places there where you can buy or refill 3 gal. jugs of purified water.

So we carry about 5-6 gal of water in our tow vehicle. We have 3 gal. in a good square water container that has a spigot on it which we usually leave outside on our picnic table and use for filling the teapot, etc. We bring a one gal. jug into the trailer to have handy for getting a drinking glass of water or that sort of thing. We do a taste test on the campground water and if it has no off tastes, we'll refill our jugs with it. If it's yucky tasting, we refill from one of those water dispensing machines at a supermarket. As with so many things about camping, and RVing, everyone will have different wants and needs!
'
PS - welcome to the forum, Linda and Pat!

[rick in arvada]

I use the water in my twin 12 gallon water tanks for everything. For drinking water, ice making water, and coffee water, I run it through a PUR water filter [rated better than Britta]. I think this is much easier than moving around jugs of water from some other source.
Rick

[Radar1]

I use the water from our fresh water tank whenever we don't have a city water hookup and as we travel on the road. I flush and sanitize it as needed. I also carry a couple extra jugs when on long trips where water will be scarce and top up my fresh water tank as needed.
I consider the fresh water tank as a useful and convenient way to carry and use water. I might have to follow Rick's lead and add another 12 gallon tank in my Scamp for those trips out West. Seems like water is getting scarce, especially at some of the CA state parks I've been researching.

[rick in arvada]

Forgot to mention, I'm using the 7 cup PUR pitcher, not an inline gizmo that filters everything. The size of the pitcher is small enough that it is easy to keep on the counter for easy access. I use two filters a season.
Rick

[Paul O.]

We deal with the water pretty much as Radar1 described. While on long road trips, we drink commercial bottled water for convenience. As far as cleaning and sanitizing the tank, winterizing the Scamp is an opportunity to do it. And, I think I posted in another thread, any alien life hiding in my water lines froze to death this winter, assuming that the RV antifreeze didn't do it in! I prefer to travel with just a couple of gallons in the tank to keep it light.

[tractors1]

I use my fresh water tank to drink water. I keep it clean. No problems in 30+ years of camping. The secret to success is called maintenance, not magic.

[LindaandPat]

Originally Posted by tractors1

I use my fresh water tank to drink water. I keep it clean. No problems in 30+ years of camping. The secret to success is called maintenance, not magic.

Charlie do not like tastes in water after drinking distilled water for about 21 years after 1994 Earthquake . We do keep our water tank clean that isn't the issue . Only will use for baths , cleaning dishes and toilet. Don't like most water in restrurants unless they filter it .

[Bob Miller]

As a number have mentioned, to many it is about taste, not only what's in the tank but what's added as you travel.


My concern, as I live in a year round warm climate, is the water tank becoming an incubator for contaminants between trips, so I go with local tap water for drinking & cooking. I may not always like the taste, but it's usually free of Montezuma's Revenge etc.


Here is my answer: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ter-68313.html

[rdickens]

An article from an RV magazine recently reminded me about using white vinegar as a cleaning solution for fresh water tanks.

We have used our fresh water tank when dry camping for a week at an aviation event and at parks where there are no city water hook-ups.

After reading this discussion, I guess I will just be even more mindful about using a water filter
and about fresh water tank sanitation and maintenance.

Ray


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[ralphieboy]

Very good comments and ideas! This is what is so good about this forum... so many opinions to read.
This really helps in the decision making process... to be well informed!
Thank you all...
Ralph & Peggy too!