Filling fresh water tanks

[CamperKev]

I just recently purchased a 21 foot Bigfoot. I’ve had it hooked up to city water. I was going to sanitize the freshwater tank. The monitor shows that the freshwater tank is empty. I bought a smaller diameter garden hose to use as a filler on the outside Filling port.
Water immediately comes back out of the fill port. The monitor still shows the freshwater tank is empty. I have messed with the valves at the water pump and drain and nothing seems to make a difference.
The manual is not much help. Any suggestions?
Thanks, K

[John in Michigan]

Generally in RVs, the fresh water tank has a dedicated fill port, i.e., it's not filled via the city water connection.

[Huck]

Are you still connected to city water?

[ThomasC]

There is a drain valve for the water tank. Open it and see if anything comes out.

You don't fill the tank by the hose connection. There is a lockable cover and a white cap about an inch and a half in diameter that you squirt the water into. DON'T pressurize your tank with a hose.

[Glenn Baglo]

Might look like this. Fresh water is on right. City water on left.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by CamperKev

I just recently purchased a 21 foot Bigfoot. I’ve had it hooked up to city water. I was going to sanitize the freshwater tank. The monitor shows that the freshwater tank is empty. I bought a smaller diameter garden hose to use as a filler on the outside Filling port.
Water immediately comes back out of the fill port. The monitor still shows the freshwater tank is empty. I have messed with the valves at the water pump and drain and nothing seems to make a difference.
The manual is not much help. Any suggestions?
Thanks, K

If the monitor is to be trusted the fill is plugged / kinked. No need for a smaller hose, this filler will work, and Walmart no longer sells it, but all of my local farm and barn stores do.
https://smile.amazon.com/Camco-Shuto...%2C361&sr=8-11

[South Coast Stu]

What year? When you say "outside filling port" what do you mean? A pic would help.

Agree with ThomasC - try to drain fresh water tank and see what happens. The monitors for all tanks can malfunction. Also, when not connected to city water and with pump on, what happens when you open a faucet?

[Spongelander]

With some trailers (our Casita, for example) putting in water too fast will cause it to back up and spurt out. Also, if the hose fills the entire port, air can't escape, and the tank will get pressurized.

[CamperKev]

First of all being new to this forum, I wanna thank you all for your quick responses. It seems on this particular trailer, The fill hose to the freshwater tank cannot be put inside the spout at all. Otherwise it creates an airlock. So you must hold the fill-hose right at the opening. If you hold it just at the right spot, just at the right angle, it will fill the freshwater tank. It’s a little crazy that you have to run through all these scenarios to diagnose why you cannot do such a simple thing. My fallback was to call the previous owner. I appreciate that the RV world is full of good people.
Thanks again
CamperKev

[Glenn Baglo]

If you look at the photo of fresh water fill that I posted, just to the right of the fill port is a small hole. That is the vent that allows air to escape during the fill. If that is plugged or the vent hose is kinked, it can't do its job.

[CamperKev]

Thanks Glenn. I will check that out.
The good news is, the tank is fillable. The water pump works. The monitor system works. So all is looking well. Thanks

[Iowa Dave]

When I fill my fresh tank on the Escape and have good water pressure and volume like at my home, as the tank gets full there is a gurgling sound and the last of the air comes out of the tank and that vent hole starts to whistle. Then I know to step back, reduce the flow volume with a hose end ball valve coupler and watch for water to come out of vent hole. Shut the water off, put the cap on, close enough. As I head home from my last night at a camp, I open the fresh water drain and drop the remaining fresh water. Never had a problem. And empty in a few miles.
Iowa Dave

[Radar1]

You might have better luck filling the tank with one of these. Smaller in diameter than most water hoses, the narrower diameter should allow air to vent out if the fill is otherwise unvented. We use one of these to fill our freshwater tanks, and it includes a shut-off valve.

[CharlesinGA]

I had not seen this earlier but having a 21RB BF I know what you are talking about.

I ended up installing a new water fill port and hose due to problems. I supported the hose, and it actually goes uphill and then back down hill to the tank. This is a terrible installation the way BF built it. You need a clear plastic 1/2 ID hose about 2 ft long with a brass hose fitting on it, I made it, so the clear hose reaches all the way into the tank. I open the cargo door and watch the water rise up in the tank (some trailers have a panel that blocks view of the aft most portion of the tank.)

The owners manual shows an adapter similar to this, or the one above that Dave illustrates and requires you use it to allow air to vent properly. I found out the hard way that shoving a garden hose end in the filler is a recipe for disaster and THEN I read the owners manual. Then I fixed the crappy installation BF did on this trailer.

If you are a member of BOCI I did a complete thread on there.

https://bigfootowners.com/forum/?min...ewtopic&t=2410

I'll attach a couple of pics.

First is the clear hose with brass hose adapter. It does two things, it gets the water all the way to the tank, and it is small enough to allow air to escape from the tank during filling. DO NOT depend on the vent to allow the air to escape during filling. It is small, probably has water standing in it, and probably has mold in it too.

My fill tube was too short and poorly fitted to the outside filler neck, It came off as soon as the weight of water got in it and also the air could not escape. I managed to clean it up fast and none got under the floor. I replace the filler neck as the vent nipple broke, and then installed a new longer vent line and new longer filler hose, and supported them with straps. It was a real pita thats for sure but now I don't have water sloshing out and water does not stand in a sagging filler hose either.

Charles