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Old 04-19-2021, 10:28 AM   #1
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Smile Forest River has fixed fresh water tank volume in specs!!!

One thing that has annoyed me since shopping for my RV in 2018: The deceptive numbers in the official Forest River specs, when it comes to fresh water capacity. I was just looking at specs on other trailers for when I get 5-foot-itis (as you all know, wishing you had a trailer just 5 feet bigger. At least those of us with 20' trailers!) I stumbled upon the specs on their website for various trailers, including my current trailer.



My original brochure shows fresh water capacity at 37g. Kind of a lie, because 6 gallons is unusable part of capacity in hot water heater. This was always deceptive to me and annoying. The reality is, you only have 31g to work with.


Now, specs show fresh water capacity is 31g, black 30g, grey 30g. Thank you Forest River for finally making specs match reality!!!
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Old 04-19-2021, 11:04 AM   #2
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Not to burst your bubble... maybe they've installed a smaller tank?
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Old 04-19-2021, 11:10 AM   #3
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We actually use the fresh water in our water heater.
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Old 04-19-2021, 11:21 AM   #4
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Picker, some of us epro/geopro forum members measured actual tank volume and came up with around 31g, and we were all scratching our heads why specs say 37g. The remaining 6g is in the water heater.


Mr. Dan, yes, it's true you use the fresh water in your water heater, but without water in the fresh tank to pressurize system and push it out, it is trapped in there and you can't really get it out (Removing the anode is the only way, and you cannot get water out in controlled fashion, and not without crud).
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Old 04-19-2021, 11:27 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJKris View Post
Picker, some of us epro/geopro forum members measured actual tank volume and came up with around 31g, and we were all scratching our heads why specs say 37g. The remaining 6g is in the water heater.


Mr. Dan, yes, it's true you use the fresh water in your water heater, but without water in the fresh tank to pressurize system and push it out, it is trapped in there and you can't really get it out (Removing the anode is the only way, and you cannot get water out in controlled fashion, and not without crud).
Kris, I was yanking your chain slightly but your comments do bear the question... has anyone measured the tank size the the new unit where the specs say 31 gallon?
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Old 04-19-2021, 11:34 AM   #6
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That I can't say. I would find it hard to believe they downsized the water tank on these boondocking models, but anything is possible. Hoping any owners of newest models can confirm this is not the case.
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Old 04-19-2021, 12:34 PM   #7
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Wrong size tanks

I was wondering why my literature said my Fresh water tank was 48 gallons when I could only fill it to 31.
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Old 04-19-2021, 12:36 PM   #8
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The most important reason for providing the water capacity specs is to establish the weight when the system is full. This includes the capacity of the fresh water tank, the hot water heater, and the residual water in the hot and cold plumbing--likely about a gallon. If a single spec is too misleading to an average shopper, perhaps the manufacturers could put several capacities in their literature. But the total capacity should be posted on the sticker provided when the unit leaves the factory. 37 gallons of fresh water is 307 pounds, significantly reducing your cargo carrying capacity with a single axle trailer.
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Old 04-19-2021, 12:38 PM   #9
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Why not list tank capacity plus total system capacity?
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Old 04-19-2021, 12:47 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by corky310 View Post
I was wondering why my literature said my Fresh water tank was 48 gallons when I could only fill it to 31.
If you look at your literature carefully, it does not say fresh water tank, it just says fresh water.
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Old 04-19-2021, 12:48 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by db7512 View Post
Why not list tank capacity plus total system capacity?
Hired!
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Old 04-19-2021, 12:58 PM   #12
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No where have I seen the usable amount of the fresh water tank listed, only the capacity. If you include the amount of water left in the FW tank and onboard filter if you have one after the pump looses prime the usable amount is greater than just the capacity of the water heater.
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Old 04-19-2021, 01:04 PM   #13
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Quote:
If you include the amount of water left in the FW tank and onboard filter if you have one after the pump looses prime the usable amount is greater than just the capacity of the water heater.
Now, as your avatar saying says, I'm just as confused as you are!
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Old 04-19-2021, 04:03 PM   #14
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I think "tank capacity" is an elusive number for any tank be it gas, water, or waste.

My TV has an advertised tank capacity of 28 gallons. I have driven it until the fuel gauge is down and dead solid on the bottom stop in the gauge and yet when I fill it up I have gas overflowing at the fill pipe at 25 gallons.

Just like with my truck, where I have 5 gallons of "spare" gas (also fuels generator), I carry 5 gallons of water for just in case. Advertised capacities have always been suspect in my world as some are merely "extractamus ex wazoo" numbers and in other cases are affected by how the liquid is extracted (suction not to the bottom, etc).

As for weights on my TT, I just weigh when filled and ready to hit the road. A Sherline tongue weight scale and a free weigh at my nearby State Patrol scale keep me properly loaded.
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Old 04-19-2021, 04:20 PM   #15
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Well, it's nice to have a ballpark idea of how much water you have. The difference in 31 gallons and 37 gallons is like 16%. I don't expect to have 31g of fuel available in a 31g tank like you mentioned, the dip tube does not go to very bottom to prevent sucking up crap. Same with my oil burner tank. Tank is 275g, dip tube doesn't go all the way to bottom, so only about 250g are usable.
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Old 04-19-2021, 04:24 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Dan View Post
We actually use the fresh water in our water heater.
It's kind of like lead-acid batteries - you might have a 100Ah battery but you can (should) use only 50%. In the case of the water heater, it's not accurate to include it as usable unless you consume the contents after the fresh water tank is empty.
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Old 04-19-2021, 04:45 PM   #17
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So obviously I can't speak to all FR models, but I know exactly the capacity of my Freedom Express 192 RBS fresh water tank, as I carefully measured it just two weekends ago, ref: https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ow-228762.html

The specs on my unit is 49 gallons. And that's exactly what it holds, down to the gallon - 49. When I tried to fill it with a 50th gallon, it overflowed out of the fill tube. So in my case they did not try to account for the capacity in the hot water heater, nor the water in the plumbing lines, etc.

(Minor nuance: I really have a 2020 model, it was ordered and delivered in 2020, although the sticker says 2021. But all of the changes they made in 2021 I don't have, e.g. the split storage space under the bed, etc. The only reason I bothered to mention that nuance is because the 2020 spec sheet said FW was 49 gal. whereas the 2021 spec sheet for the 192 RBS says 50 gal. I can put exactly 49 gal. in my FW tank.)

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Old 04-19-2021, 04:48 PM   #18
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Why does that bother you. First start to fill up your fw tank then open up the value to the wh that will solve your problem then you will have your37 gal
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Old 04-19-2021, 05:00 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by aray View Post
So obviously I can't speak to all FR models, but I know exactly the capacity of my Freedom Express 192 RBS fresh water tank, as I carefully measured it just two weekends ago, ref: https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ow-228762.html

The specs on my unit is 49 gallons. And that's exactly what it holds, down to the gallon - 49. When I tried to fill it with a 50th gallon, it overflowed out of the fill tube. So in my case they did not try to account for the capacity in the hot water heater, nor the water in the plumbing lines, etc.

(Minor nuance: I really have a 2020 model, it was ordered and delivered in 2020, although the sticker says 2021. But all of the changes they made in 2021 I don't have, e.g. the split storage space under the bed, etc. The only reason I bothered to mention that nuance is because the 2020 spec sheet said FW was 49 gal. whereas the 2021 spec sheet for the 192 RBS says 50 gal. I can put exactly 49 gal. in my FW tank.)

Ray
How did you measure it?
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Old 04-19-2021, 06:09 PM   #20
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I filled a 6 gal. jug to mix with the bleach solution I was using to sanitize the FW tank. I timed how long it took to fill that jug, measuring down to the second. That then gave me the flow rate coming out of the hose in gallons per minute. After dumping that 6 gallons of water (now mixed with one cup of bleach) into my presumed 49 gal. FW tank, I then subtracted out the 6 gal. and calculated the time needed to fill an additional 43 gal. Restarting the hose flow, I timed the water going in, and shazam, within just a few seconds after I expected to hit the 43 additional gallon mark, water started pouring out of the opening. The timing was so perfect, down to just a few seconds of what I had calculated, I have great confidence in the results, and hence the size of my FW tank.

Ray
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