Don't Drink the Water

[RedRoverComeOver]

Why?

It's spoiled...

This was at a state park this past week. As soon as I opened it up, noticed the brown and figured I had to let it run a little bit for it to clear up. Nope. This was after flushing anti-freeze out of system and after filling up fresh water tank. I dumped the tank before leaving. Left after my stay and stopped by the dump/potable water station on the way out and the same thing.

Went to the station and let them know. Maintenance got back to them saying they recently 'opened up new pipes' and could be 'iron'. Also told the state tested daily and was safe.

I didn't bother washing dishes with this and glad I always take drinking water and fresh water for things like this. I asked a couple of campers in the area if they had brown water and was told no (oblivious?) and use a filter. Sorry but don't think a filter will clear this up. Luckily I forgot my external filter and didn't bother adding the internal one because I'll wait until I get better water to sanitize.

[theHookers]

Cherry Creek State Park last summer we had to run the water for 10 minutes before it cleared the rust/iron. We should have filled at our previous State Park, but the potable water was not anywhere near the dump station.

Pichacho Peak State Park has had issues with it's water. The whole community water in the area has been contaminated...the reviews and information on the web now say a "water shortage".

But, these type of issues are why we always try and travel full on fresh and we carry no less than 15 gallons of drinking water.

Same reason we bring the generator even on the incredibly rare occasion we've had an electric site for our trip. Happened in Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area Campground, power was in and out on the half of the campground we happened to be in.

Ah Good Times. Like when we closed the slide on the open bathroom door and ripped it off it's hinges. A hammer and a battery powered impact driver and now that door actually works better than it did new.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by RedRoverComeOver

Why?

It's spoiled...

This was at a state park this past week. As soon as I opened it up, noticed the brown and figured I had to let it run a little bit for it to clear up. Nope. This was after flushing anti-freeze out of system and after filling up fresh water tank. I dumped the tank before leaving. Left after my stay and stopped by the dump/potable water station on the way out and the same thing.

Went to the station and let them know. Maintenance got back to them saying they recently 'opened up new pipes' and could be 'iron'. Also told the state tested daily and was safe.

I didn't bother washing dishes with this and glad I always take drinking water and fresh water for things like this. I asked a couple of campers in the area if they had brown water and was told no (oblivious?) and use a filter. Sorry but don't think a filter will clear this up. Luckily I forgot my external filter and didn't bother adding the internal one because I'll wait until I get better water to sanitize.

This is a perfect illustration of why I always fill my Fresh Water tank before leaving home and top off whenever a source of good, clean, water is available along my travels.

I don't hook up or fill tank until I've run a sample from the faucet into a clear container.

[moose074]

Not camping but lived in some apartments in Moosecreek AK water smelled like rotten eggs ( sulfur) had so much iron in the water I took one bath and was pulling iron slivers out the rear but cheeks for a week

[Attila the Pun]

Originally Posted by moose074

Not camping but lived in some apartments in Moosecreek AK water smelled like rotten eggs ( sulfur) had so much iron in the water I took one bath and was pulling iron slivers out the rear but cheeks for a week

Good thing you didn't have to go through a metal detector!

[5picker]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

This is a perfect illustration of why I always fill my Fresh Water tank before leaving home and top off whenever a source of good, clean, water is available along my travels.

I don't hook up or fill tank until I've run a sample from the faucet into a clear container.

X2

We always travel with a full fresh tank, either filled from home or topped off at a good source. You just never know when you won't make the destination where you "planned" to fill with water or whether once there, if it is any good.

[Jim in Halifax]

We never drink water at any camp site!!!! Be safe and drink bottled water!!!

[PodGeek]

Who drinks water when they're camping?

[RedRoverComeOver]

Camp water vs home water. Drained, filled with some home water but didn't have time to sanitize since leaving for vacation and didn't want bleach sitting around for weeks. Will definitely use internal filter afterwards along with the external one. Will still always bring my own drinking and fresh water.

[mnoland30]

When I lived in Williams, AZ, the water was from a lake that "turned over" twice a year with the temperature change. I'd run a bath, and debate whether I'd be cleaner or dirtier after bathing. Drinking the water gave me the runs. I went to Flagstaff and filled up my water jugs. The next year I purchased one of those little filters that goes on the end of the sink faucet. Problem solved. I was amazed at how well that little filter worked. When I go boondocking, I carry 50 gallons of extra water in the back of the truck.

Some wells just produce iron in the water. A filter will take care of it.

[Guspech750]

[MarkPW]

I just want to say I'm old enough to get the Little Rascals reference 😁, and a +1 for always carrying at least 20 or 30 gallons of water of known quantity.

Originally Posted by RedRoverComeOver

Why?

It's spoiled...

This was at a state park this past week. As soon as I opened it up, noticed the brown and figured I had to let it run a little bit for it to clear up. Nope. This was after flushing anti-freeze out of system and after filling up fresh water tank. I dumped the tank before leaving. Left after my stay and stopped by the dump/potable water station on the way out and the same thing.

Went to the station and let them know. Maintenance got back to them saying they recently 'opened up new pipes' and could be 'iron'. Also told the state tested daily and was safe.

I didn't bother washing dishes with this and glad I always take drinking water and fresh water for things like this. I asked a couple of campers in the area if they had brown water and was told no (oblivious?) and use a filter. Sorry but don't think a filter will clear this up. Luckily I forgot my external filter and didn't bother adding the internal one because I'll wait until I get better water to sanitize.

[garywilson]

You're just spoiled!
I though everyone routinely drank water out of a muddy hoof print.

[MarkPW]

I guess that's another way of looking at it!

[txarsoncop]

As a firefighter, we run into this issue a lot. Sometimes it's because we flowed a LOT of water for training or a fire, OR the local water purveyor has done work on the mains. Either can stir up silt and rocks. If WE flowed a hydrant we get property owners calling to complain about muddy water and clogged faucets.

If our guys don't flow a hydrant long enough before hooking up a truck we get rocks damaging the pump and valves. Just this Monday we had to flush one of our trucks to clear 3/4" gravel out of the pump and one valve that wouldn't close.

[dedobias]

5 gallon bittles refilled or exchanged at walmarts, meijers, sams etc. Small usb rechargeable pump. Not worth both my wife and dogs and I getting sick. Has happened.

[elob_tx]

A quarter cup of Chlorox will sanitize the water and precipitate the Iron and any Iron eating bacteria (they eat iron and produce the H2S stink) as small black particles to the bottom of the tank. When you get home just open the drain and rinse the tank clean. The carbon block filter will remove the Chlorox smell and taste from the water.

We lived in the country where we had a water well and had the same problem. Installed a chemical feed pump and a larger pressure tank. A Chlorox solution was injected ahead of the larger tank which gave the residence time for the chemical reaction to take place and a back washable aggregate filter trapped and removed the black iron particles coming out. A back washable carbon filter took out the Chlorox smell and taste. A water softener reduced the hardness and we were good to go. It beat the cost of moving somewhere else and besides the initial cost of installation wasn't that expensive to operate with a couple of 2 gallon Chlorox jugs and another five gallons of dilution water every 3 or 4 months.

[ilmor]

I've never drunk anything but bottled water while camping. I don't trust water from any campsite or any tank.

[Dana anderson]

Bleach out the Freshwater tank and lines in the trailer every year before filling with drinkable water. Use a zero water filter for drinking water and ice cube machine and also carry bottled water.

[dedobias]

Originally Posted by ilmor

I've never drunk anything but bottled water while camping. I don't trust water from any campsite or any tank.

You've never been drunk?