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Old 01-19-2018, 02:57 PM   #1
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233S How Do You Know When To Stop Filling The Freshwater Tank?

I've tried some generic searching and I'm seeing anything from fill until it shoots back at you, to if it gets that full it's too late and the tank will end up on the ground. My best thought so far is time how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, and go 8 times that. Should give me a 3 gallon buffer. Thanks in advance for any and all replies!
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Old 01-19-2018, 02:59 PM   #2
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It will overflow when full. If mounted correctly it will not end up on the ground!
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Old 01-19-2018, 03:08 PM   #3
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The issue is in a lot of RV's these days the fresh water vent tube does not come out the top of tank and they have loops in the hose that holds water.

I always fill mine until water comes out the vent but I had to remove underbelly cover and shorten my vent hose to remove the extra hose that
would fill with water and cause it not fill completely.
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Old 01-19-2018, 03:12 PM   #4
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There is also a known issue with some water tanks not being properly supported and falling out. I had Coachmen add 3 more supports under my tank at the rally. I do tow with water in the tank so I made sure it was staying put.
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Old 01-19-2018, 05:02 PM   #5
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Just vet o e of these...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0058...BuL&ref=plSrch

It's great for black tank flush too if you like to keep the valve closed
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Old 01-19-2018, 05:07 PM   #6
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The poor tank support design affected the Mini Lites and Micro Lites. Not sure about the Roo/Shamrocks.

The trick is to fill the tank slowly. You always want the vent line to be able to handle the amount of water you're putting in, otherwise the tank will pressurize and balloon.

Some people use these flow meters:


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-Wa...2212/205489792

The problem with them is that, unless you know your tank size AND you know your tank is empty when you start, you don't know really know how much water will fill it. Once you have any water in it at all, you can't really tell how much it is.
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Old 01-19-2018, 07:59 PM   #7
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When it overflows.
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Old 01-20-2018, 01:19 PM   #8
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Use your ears. When I first start putting water in the tank it is a low rumbling sound. once it reaches the overflow it will change to a higher pitched gurgle. The higher the pitch the closer you are to the top of the overflow. Once it overflows, the gurgling stops. After a couple of times, you can stop it right before it overflows.
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Old 01-20-2018, 02:38 PM   #9
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Fill it until it overflows & shoots back out the fill hole.
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Old 01-20-2018, 02:43 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bradacc View Post
I've tried some generic searching and I'm seeing anything from fill until it shoots back at you, to if it gets that full it's too late and the tank will end up on the ground. My best thought so far is time how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, and go 8 times that. Should give me a 3 gallon buffer. Thanks in advance for any and all replies!
Fill it until it overflows. Make sure to sanitize the system before drinking the water.
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Old 01-20-2018, 03:18 PM   #11
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You can fill the tank until it comes back at you with no problems. However, I don't like to fill mine all the way, because it adds weight. I add water until the gauge shows about 1/3. This gives me enough water to flush the toilet and wash my hands in case a pit stop is needed.
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Old 01-20-2018, 03:41 PM   #12
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I get my V lite to fill completely by run water from hose full till I hear gurl then slow flow way down till over flow. Through trial and error I have found I can get extra 5 gallons or more in tank.
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Old 01-20-2018, 05:21 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by bradacc View Post
I've tried some generic searching and I'm seeing anything from fill until it shoots back at you, to if it gets that full it's too late and the tank will end up on the ground. My best thought so far is time how long it takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket, and go 8 times that. Should give me a 3 gallon buffer. Thanks in advance for any and all replies!
On a typical, unmodified FR vehicle, you will know when the tank is full because it will explode, gushing every last drop onto the ground. At least if your tank is mounted as badly as mine was (5'er HG 28RLT).

The ends of the brace that holds the tank up wasn't welded properly, which allowed the tank to 'float' around under the van. This allowed the tank to rub against other hard parts and caused wear along the top edge. This resulted in the tank losing about half its load of fresh water on our very first trip (and I had not filled it completely at that stage).

After we got home, I filled the tank again. Because this takes some time I decided to do some other necessary work inside and so was not monitoring the process very closely (actually I had forgotten about it). When the floor bounced, bubbled and rippled inside the van, accompanied by a HUGE explosion, followed by the Niagra Falls sound effect as 200 litres of fresh water flooded the underbelly and the road, all of which would be envied by any Hollywood foley dept. I knew I had a problem.

Four months later, after being ignored by the dealer/warranty holder (he hung up the phone in my ear) and rejected by the insurance company (it was a manufacturing defect), $4500 and a new baffled stainless steel tank later, all is good.

Be warned.
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Old 01-20-2018, 07:03 PM   #14
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Fresh water tank

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Originally Posted by bikendan View Post
When it overflows.
Why haul extra water down the highway at 8.34 lbs per gallon. Use the flow meter above, add ten gallon to get you there, fill up at the camp site.
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Old 01-20-2018, 07:12 PM   #15
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Why haul extra water down the highway at 8.34 lbs per gallon. Use the flow meter above, add ten gallon to get you there, fill up at the camp site.
rivnut
I guess that depends on how much water you need... Some of us need all we can get
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Old 01-20-2018, 07:13 PM   #16
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Why haul extra water down the highway at 8.34 lbs per gallon. Use the flow meter above, add ten gallon to get you there, fill up at the camp site.
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Because we dry camp most of the time.
No electric or sewer hookups and no water hookups, just one water spigot for 8-10 campsites.
And it's not threaded so you have to use a Water Thief or shuttle water in a jug.

Not everyone has hookups available where they camp.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:37 PM   #17
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I purchased a hose adapter with an on off valve and clear plastic tube on it.
I got out a 5 gallon water can, turned the water on full blast, opened the adapter, and timed how long it took to fill the 5 gallon water can with my cell phone clock. I divided my tank capacity in gallons (not easy to find), divided it by 5, turned off the water and inserted the adapter into the tank fill opening, and started filling the tank.
What I learned was that the air in the tank also comes out the tank-fill opening. I turned off the water to let the air blow back. Of course what I learned was that this threw the timing off. Ultimately the earlier suggestion to listen to the sound of the water worked the best. As the pitch increases you know you are close and can slow down the water flow at the adapter. I mention this adapter because it screws onto the hose and allows water flow to be controlled at the RV which saves a lot of water on the driveway.
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Old 01-21-2018, 10:38 PM   #18
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Thanks for the replies everyone, good info!
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Old 01-22-2018, 03:44 PM   #19
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I guess I'll be the naysayer and go against popular advise. DON'T let your fresh water tank overfill. Unless they've made significant changes to the water tank and support frame work for the 233S in the last model year, your apt to do some damage if you do. The water tank is not very rigid and will blow up like a balloon. It will press up against the floor and push down against the frame bending it out and it will eventually end up on the ground. The overflow will bleed off some of the pressure but its a 3/8" overflow. If your filling with a standard size 5/8" hose, well you do the math. I did this very same thing the first year I had my rig. I got distracted while filling the tank and came back after a couple of minutes to find it on the ground. My wife and kids were already in the truck waiting for me to finish up so we could roll out. It was not a good day. I watch the tank and shut the water off when the level is close to the top. I wont let it overflow.
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:04 PM   #20
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I guess I'll be the naysayer and go against popular advise. DON'T let your fresh water tank overfill. Unless they've made significant changes to the water tank and support frame work for the 233S in the last model year, your apt to do some damage if you do. The water tank is not very rigid and will blow up like a balloon. It will press up against the floor and push down against the frame bending it out and it will eventually end up on the ground. The overflow will bleed off some of the pressure but its a 3/8" overflow. If your filling with a standard size 5/8" hose, well you do the math. I did this very same thing the first year I had my rig. I got distracted while filling the tank and came back after a couple of minutes to find it on the ground. My wife and kids were already in the truck waiting for me to finish up so we could roll out. It was not a good day. I watch the tank and shut the water off when the level is close to the top. I wont let it overflow.
[ATTACH]Attachment 160651[/ATTACH]
Yeah, the flimsy FW supports are a known issue on Roo/Shamrocks and Mini/Micro Lites. Lots of threads here on failures and how to beef up the supports.

Here's a thread that shows the problem and several fixes that folks have done.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...de-129346.html
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