Traveling with water in fresh water tank.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by dstacy969

I don’t mind traveling dry, since I always stay places where potable water is available.

And that is great if all goes OK.

I've told this here before... I've been saved twice by carrying a full fresh tank of water.... one time, we got to our destination and the pumping system was down at the park. No water to be had for many days. It was nice to have our own.

Second time we were at about 4-5 hours into 8 hour trip when my Uncle who was traveling with us, had transmission problems in his motorhome. He got towed to a repair facility where we both camped in the parking lot overnight waiting on service the next day. We were miles from our planned destination. We had water, they didn't have any. I pumped some from my R/V to theirs and we both made the best of a bad situation that would have been way worse without water.

[wally007]

Always carry some. Stuff can happen. It may be a gorgrous riverside campsite 1hour before you planned on stopping or an accident that shuts down your route for 6hrs. Either way easy to be prepared, so why not?

[dukenukem]

Your Tanks don't have baffles in them to prevent water from going from one side of tank to the other, half a tank of water moving around can make those hanger that hold the tank in place have a lot of stress on them, 3/4 tank or 1/4 would be the limits, I run either full tank no slosh or 1/4 tank with very little weight.

[B and B]

Tank falling out hype and water aside.

Have a GREAT Canada Day Weekend with The Stones!!! The first concert on their North American Tour! Get Some Satisfaction !!!!

#truenorth

[poriggity]

Always full and I top it off at every opportunity. I'd rather have too much than not enough.

[formerFR]

...the water tanks in RVs are wonderful inventions, they are made to carry water....


any more questions?

: )

[SlowrideHD]

I never travel with less than half a tank of fresh water. I like to be prepared. Different levels of fuel sloshing around in fuel tanks has never been a problem in my 50 years of driving. Neither has water in tanks.

[pgandw]

I have an A-frame. Camping in Colorado and Utah - usually at state and national parks and forests - I always travel with a full water tank. There are many dry sites or electric only sites in these campgrounds with a couple of spigots scattered the campground.

Tank supports appear a little on the light side so I look at them when I fill the water tank. Open bottom on an A-frame. So far, so good.

Also, full water reduces my tongue weight a little and makes the trailer ride smoother.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[frank4711]

We are new to camping ... I keep 1/2 full even though we do not dry camp ... like to have it for clean up after we dump and unhook city water also I prep black tank with tablet and a few flushes to splash around on ride home and be ready and fresh for next trip...

[glen1971]

We usually head out with a full tank, if our destination is close. Or 1/4 tank if it is further away and we know there is a reliable and decent water source on site or near by.

Does anyone carry a spare water pump with short hoses and long enough wires with alligator clips (or similar) to reach the batteries? My thought is we have ran out of water in the fresh tank, have lots of room in the waste tanks, have access to drinking water at our campground, and usually bring a 5 gallon jug of water with us. My thought was I could pump out of the jug into the fresh tank, more of a "just in case" option.

[Chuck_S]

Rolling Stones?! Bring out the walkers and wheelchairs. For them and the audience.

Full water tank for me 100% of the time I remember. But my fresh water tank is above and on the floor inside a cabinet and not supported by straps. A construction technique to consider when buying a camper.

-- Chuck

[quicky06]

Originally Posted by glen1971

We usually head out with a full tank, if our destination is close. Or 1/4 tank if it is further away and we know there is a reliable and decent water source on site or near by.

Does anyone carry a spare water pump with short hoses and long enough wires with alligator clips (or similar) to reach the batteries? My thought is we have ran out of water in the fresh tank, have lots of room in the waste tanks, have access to drinking water at our campground, and usually bring a 5 gallon jug of water with us. My thought was I could pump out of the jug into the fresh tank, more of a "just in case" option.

I carry 2 plastic water jugs , 6 gallon each,, no water pump though just use the spots on the jugs to pour it into the fill port.

If I were you I would have a longer hose between the pump and the tank and just pump it out of the tanks while in the truck. No need for longer wires this way.


I also carry full water with me everywhere I go. I have had to beef up the supports for the tanks though.

One thing that has been on my todo list is to put in a couple valves to allow me to fill the tanks from my city water connection. This way I could fill while I dump at state parks and won’t have to pull foward to fill up. Can also fill the tanks when I have a water hook up.

[glen1971]

Originally Posted by quicky06

I carry 2 plastic water jugs , 6 gallon each,, no water pump though just use the spots on the jugs to pour it into the fill port.

If I were you I would have a longer hose between the pump and the tank and just pump it out of the tanks while in the truck. No need for longer wires this way.


I also carry full water with me everywhere I go. I have had to beef up the supports for the tanks though.

One thing that has been on my todo list is to put in a couple valves to allow me to fill the tanks from my city water connection. This way I could fill while I dump at state parks and won’t have to pull foward to fill up. Can also fill the tanks when I have a water hook up.

I've looked at pouring it from the jug, but I think at best I'd end up with about 3 gallons out of 5 in the tank. lol..

The longer wires would be no issue, it would be 6 of one and half a dozen of another.. It was just a thought if it is something to look at, or if it is another thing I'll end up carrying and never use..

To fill your fresh tank, why not get a Y connector with valves? Then all you need is a second hose and you would be good to go...

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/camco-2...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[quicky06]

Originally Posted by glen1971

I've looked at pouring it from the jug, but I think at best I'd end up with about 3 gallons out of 5 in the tank. lol..

The longer wires would be no issue, it would be 6 of one and half a dozen of another.. It was just a thought if it is something to look at, or if it is another thing I'll end up carrying and never use..

To fill your fresh tank, why not get a Y connector with valves? Then all you need is a second hose and you would be good to go...

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/camco-2...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

My water tank fill is on the drivers side so going across to the other side can be a pain while I have the sewer houses out.

And for me I would rather have 25 foot of hose than 25 foot of wire. Maybe it’s just the energy saving side of me.

[myredracer]

I have seen MANY reports over the years of FW tanks falling out including some photos. Not a pretty sight. If you don't know how your tank is supported, it's on you if it does fall out.

As noted above, a partially full tank can be worse than a full one. RV FW tanks aren't baffled and the force of water of the constantly sloshing around can damage the supports.

In some cases, depending on where the FW tank is located, a full tank can detrimentally affect tongue weight. And if you happen to have a Reese dual cam WDH, it can cause the cams to not be centered properly in the bar ends. We have the Reese DC and unknowingly left home once with an almost full tank (thanks to a leaking check valve). The handling was awful and I thought we had a tire going flat. Pulled into a rest stop and drained the tank and was fine after that.

Sure, you should be able to travel with water in your FW tank, but like many things about RVs, quality & workmanship can be far from what it should be.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by glen1971

We usually head out with a full tank, if our destination is close. Or 1/4 tank if it is further away and we know there is a reliable and decent water source on site or near by.

Does anyone carry a spare water pump with short hoses and long enough wires with alligator clips (or similar) to reach the batteries? My thought is we have ran out of water in the fresh tank, have lots of room in the waste tanks, have access to drinking water at our campground, and usually bring a 5 gallon jug of water with us. My thought was I could pump out of the jug into the fresh tank, more of a "just in case" option.

We sometimes carry extra water in 5 gallon jugs.
I dont carry a spare water pump but we often use the antifreeze/winterization inlet with a hose into the jug. Switch the winterize/dewinterize valve and such from the jug. The on-board pump doesn't care where the water supply comes from, jugs or tank, depending on the valve position.

[oldsmasma]

In our motor home the fw tank is under the bed / above the floor. We usually travel with about a half tank and fill up at our destination but in case of power failure or whatever would still have lots available for several days. I also carry a couple of 2L bottles of water too.

When you get to Burl’s Creek your headed to our neck of the woods. Enjoy the show. Saw them in the 60’s.
Hard to believe they’re still going. Have fun!

[Philkaty]

well if it can hold the water in the first place than it is fine to travel with it. We travel out to the desert and always leave with a full tank and also have a trailer with a 55 gallon water barrel.

[sherman12]

Once the camping season starts there is always water in my fresh tank. Sometimes more, some less. Just like the fridge is always on. If I think about it that we haven't been using much water tank water over the past couple of outings I'll dump the tank at home, only to fill it again.

During our trip to South Dakota last summer we carried about a 1/2 tank at all times.

[ARICE]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Having a R/V and not being able to have the fresh tank full while traveling is like having a tow vehicle that you could only put a total of 5 gallons of fuel in it... useless.

Each brand/model is different as to how the fresh tank is mounted and how reliably it will ride when full.

EACH OWNER is going to have to inspect (or have someone) to see whether YOUR tank is capable of carrying the weight.

If not, you are either going to have to reinforce it, get a different R/V (that CAN carry a full tank of water) or live with the fact that you have paid hard earned money for something you can not use to its fullest.

I would never own a R/V where I couldn't always carry a full tank of fresh water if I so chose... and I usually choose to!

And don't get me started on the "I don't carry water so I get better fuel mileage" theory. If the difference in fuel mileage with a full fresh water tank vs an empty tank keeps you from making a trip, you have foolishly spent your hard earned money on an R/V. Find a different hobby/way to relax.

One of the best posts ever. I read all these posts on towing capacity and water tank load management and just shake my head.
Who in their right mind buys a piece of equipment to only use it to a 50-60 percent or substantially derated capacity?......