Emptying Fresh Water tank

[lablover]

What is the consensus on how to empty the fresh water tank? Do you just open the valve for the ride till it emptys itself? I know that many of you travel with water in the tank but we would like to keep the load as light as possible so would welcome any ideas on how to dump the fresh water.

[brandonsdad02]

I drain ours every time. I don't want to carry that extra weight. I just open it at the end of each trip but I relocated our drain valve so it's easy to get to

[Boss Hoss]

Drain the water.Clean water hurts nothing.

[WFD]

Empty it when we get home by simply using the drain valve and letting it go onto the lawn. We always travel with a few gallons in the tank just in case we need to use the bathroom or in case of emergency.

[gfarmcafe]

Originally Posted by Boss Hoss

Drain the water.Clean water hurts nothing.

X2. If we spend most of the day traveling, we carry two or three gallons in the trailer for the toilet. Bottled water in the frig for drinks. Don't like the extra weight up front in the tank. If we're in a park that doesn't have water hookups at the site, I'll fill the fresh water tank and empty it before we leave. No big deal.

[lablover]

I guess my real question is where do you drain it? At the campsite? Dump station? Pull the plug or valve and let'er rip when leaving the campground?

[madmaxmutt]

Because it is just fresh water, I just open it and let it drain. If I am on a short trip, I open it before I leave. If it is a long drive, I open it at my last rest stop before home.

[grege]

Originally Posted by brandonsdad02

I drain ours every time. I don't want to carry that extra weight. I just open it at the end of each trip but I relocated our drain valve so it's easy to get to

I've been wanting to do this but haven't come up with a plan yet. How did you do yours?

BTW, we too just open the bottom of the tank and let it drain. I did install a 1/4 turn valve so it's easier to do.

[lablover]

We had a lot of fresh water left so after dumping gray and black at dump station, my DH opened the valve and let'r rip for the 6 hour ride home. I was leery because I thought people might think we were dumping our waste.

[wharfrat48]

I just open and let it drain during the ride home. However, we did have a car pull along side of us earlier this year and advised us to pull over suggesting something was wrong. I pulled over thinking a tire had blown or something was dragging behind the camper. Never found anything, so I am guessing they saw water dripping from under our rig and thought we had a gas leak or something.

[KyDan]

Most states the highway patrol will stop you if they see something "leaking"
from your rig. It's against the law to "dump" anything on the highway even potable water. I do also drain mine but it's done by the time I get out of
the camp ground.
Also added a 1/4 turn valve as others have mentioned. When I pull the
wheel chocks on that side, I open the valve...

[bfrtech]

We have only filled our tank a few times over the past year. When we were finished with our trip, we open the valve and let it drain. We do sanitize the tank and water lines at least once per year.

[Grampa Jim]

I don't recommend dumping it as you roll down the highway. You could get stopped. Just open it at your compsite. We keep about 5 gallons in it while travelling for the toilet. A couple times a year, since we're full timers, we add a couple cups of bleach to control mold and mildew.

[itat]

Do not drain the FW tank when you're travelling down the road or at the dump station. If we are camping within a couple hours of home I drain it before leaving the campsite. I try to time it so we don't have too much water in the tank the last morning so as not to waste too much. If you need the water for bathroom stops along the way, drain it when you get home or back to your storage lot.

[NYDP77]

I would drain it right at the camp spot. I've never heard of an issue with fresh water. Some states/campgrounds have regulations on gray tanks. Also, would hate to forget to dump it and it becomes unclean/smells.

[rhumbert]

We pump all but a few gallons into the grey and black tanks before leaving to aid in dumping. Only takes a couple of minutes and a couple of full flushes will help stir things up. After dumping pull ahead and pump the remaining in the black tank and add chemicals. This does two things, gets the tank ready for the next trip and the drive will slosh the treated water around cleaning the tank.

[hotzfamily]

Pull the plug & let it rip - at the campsite, if the drainage is good. On the way home if the drainage is not good (don't want to leave a muddy mess for the next guy). We empty the fresh water at the end of each trip.

[rick42wood]

Originally our drain had a plug that needed a wrench to remove. I changed it for a valve that was much easier to open. If I know the next place I am going to has water I just open it and let the water drain out as we travel.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by KyDan

.... It's against the law to "dump" anything on the highway even potable water....

Is that true in all states/provinces/parishes?

[BusyRetirees]

We always run with 1/2 tank as we have too often arrived at a campground and they were doing repairs, city shut off water, maintenance flushes, etc. and no water was available or it was not potable. We have checked with the experts and they stated that 1/2 tank does not significantly affect the mpg.