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Old 05-27-2012, 05:13 PM   #1
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How to drain tank completely?

Just got our first pop-up a couple weeks ago (NEW 2010 Flagstaff 206ST). Fortunately my buddy has the same model, just different year and bought used so he's helped with many of my questions already (as I've helped him with stuff, such as what the screw hole used to be for where his tension line wasn't anymore ).

Anywho, neither of us can figure out exactly why the drain valve for the freshwater tank is side mounted, so you can't get all the water out of it. What are we missing, or do people just let water sit in there and sanitize more often...? I mean, sometimes it will sit for a month or so without use because of our jobs not allowing a lot of free weekends. What about the winter? Speaking of sanitizing, how much harder does this make it to flush out all the bleach solution?

Thanks in advance, looking forward to getting back into camping since back when I was in the Boy Scouts many years ago.
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Old 05-27-2012, 11:26 PM   #2
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Think about this, if you put a fitting in the bottom of the tank, One, it may drag and get broken off. Two, it will have to screw in at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Now what holds more water, the side mounted valve , or the bottom mounted one? Sorry, I know this isn't much help, but not a lot you can do.

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Old 05-28-2012, 06:43 AM   #3
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Draining the water tank is not so simple as you would think. I myself open the drain valve when I leave the campground and the slushing around gets rid of a lot of water.
In this weeks news letter of RVTravel.com there was an article on how long you can keep water in your system. Interesting reading but to point, F.E.M.A. says if you start with a good clean and reliable water source, you can keep water in your tank and water heater for six months as long as you can keep other contaminates out of your system.
RVTravel.com has a weekly newsletter with all kinds of interesting facts on rv'ing and other camping related items, Check it out and see if it's any thing you might be interested in.
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Old 05-28-2012, 07:36 AM   #4
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When we're going camping, I put some water in the tank and open the
drain and let it mostly drain out then refill it.

This is easy for me because my trailer is at home.
Not so easy for folks who park at a storage lot or someplace away from home.

In the fall I open the drain valve so it can slosh out on the drive home
from the last trip out before we winterize.
In the summer I don't worry about the water that doesn't drain except
for a light flush as mentioned above.
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Old 05-28-2012, 08:18 AM   #5
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When we had the PUP with the side drain, I would open the valve and jack the other side of the trailer. You could also park on a slight hill with the valve on the don side. It will not get rid of all the water but there will not be much left.
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Old 05-28-2012, 10:13 AM   #6
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Yes I realize side mounted is safer from a 'keeping it from being ripped off' standpoint, was just making sure i didn't miss something.

I have noticed the couple times I've moved it the water sloshing out. Jacking up the one side, at least to get the bleach water out, is also a good idea. Thanks!
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Old 05-28-2012, 10:20 AM   #7
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fresh water tank

When I had a pop up I would keep the tank filled when I got it home and drain it and and flush it once before going out. Keeping it filled keeps the air contact surface to a minimum so I never had any issues.

I wish I could do this with my 5th but it lives at a storage site when we are not using it.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:26 AM   #8
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I ended up drilling a small hole in the bottom of the tank. 3/16 I think.
Then I put in a hex-head screw that has a rubber washer before I fill the tank.

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