Fresh Water Tank Filling 2109S

[Sahall]

Up until now, I have always used the city water connection but this summer's trip will require the use of onboard water. I filled the tank recently and sanitized it but I was never sure I got it full.

Is there an overflow hose on the 2109S? I just kept putting water in and it would spurt out the filler but then would take on more. Looked like it needed a vent / overflow hose.

Thanks

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by Sahall

Up until now, I have always used the city water connection but this summer's trip will require the use of onboard water. I filled the tank recently and sanitized it but I was never sure I got it full.

Is there an overflow hose on the 2109S? I just kept putting water in and it would spurt out the filler but then would take on more. Looked like it needed a vent / overflow hose.

Thanks

There's a small vent next to the filler hole.

[chriscowles]

Fill slowly. If the vent hose gets water in it, the resistance to air may exceed the resistance of the fill hose to back pressure, resulting in it spurting out the filler.

Considering using a tank filler hose. It gets the inflow farther down into the filler neck. You can stick it in and not have to hold it. Even with it, go slower. If you do that, I suggest also using a 90 degree elbow to reduce pressure on the fitting.

Valterra makes a fancy one that screws onto the filler cap. It seems like overkill to me but people obviously buy them, or Valterra wouldn't sell them.

CamcoValterra

[Sahall]

Thanks, I'll look for the vent hole and check out the filler hoses.

[flyflotrtim]

You might want to carefully determine the volume of your fresh water tank one time and then use a meter like this to avoid overfilling in the future. My tank holds 12 gallons less than the factory specs say it should.

https://www.amazon.com/SAVE-WATER-ME...6888840&sr=8-7

[Oregonian]

My 2017 Vibe says it holds 44 gallons of fresh water. So 44-6 in the water heater should equal 38 gallons. I filled my tank to the point where the overflow runs out and then I checked how much it took....about 21 gallons! I used 5 gallon pails to check the amount coming out of the fresh water drain. Pretty frustrating. The "stealer" says..."well the gauges show full. Not sure why this is happening, I'd love the additional 17 gallons when I dry camp.

[flyflotrtim]

Originally Posted by Oregonian

My 2017 Vibe says it holds 44 gallons of fresh water. So 44-6 in the water heater should equal 38 gallons. I filled my tank to the point where the overflow runs out and then I checked how much it took....about 21 gallons! I used 5 gallon pails to check the amount coming out of the fresh water drain. Pretty frustrating. The "stealer" says..."well the gauges show full. Not sure why this is happening, I'd love the additional 17 gallons when I dry camp.

Yes pretty amazing they can't put an honest number in the spec sheets.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Oregonian

My 2017 Vibe says it holds 44 gallons of fresh water. So 44-6 in the water heater should equal 38 gallons. I filled my tank to the point where the overflow runs out and then I checked how much it took....about 21 gallons! I used 5 gallon pails to check the amount coming out of the fresh water drain. Pretty frustrating. The "stealer" says..."well the gauges show full. Not sure why this is happening, I'd love the additional 17 gallons when I dry camp.

Just out of curiosity, can you see your fresh water tank? Is it under a bed, or where you can see it from the bottom? If so, would you report the following?

• Length, width, and height in inches?
• The product of the above three, in cubic inches?
• The quotient of the above number divided by 231, in gallons?

[Utah Traveler]

Fill SLOWLY
OPEN up pressure relief valve on water heater so you also fill the heater, shut pressure relief valve. Now you have an extra 6 gallons.
Always fill slowly or if air gets trapped in fresh Water tank you will balloon the tank.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Utah Traveler

Fill SLOWLY
OPEN up pressure relief valve on water heater so you also fill the heater, shut pressure relief valve. Now you have an extra 6 gallons.
Always fill slowly or if air gets trapped in fresh Water tank you will balloon the tank.

Or simply open a hot water tap while filling, turn off when water runs from the tap.

If you don't like doing two things at once, fill the tank 1/2-3/4 full, then stop filling. Turn on pump and open hot water tap. Run until water flows. Turn off tap and pump. Resume filling until full.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Utah Traveler

Fill SLOWLY
OPEN up pressure relief valve on water heater so you also fill the heater, shut pressure relief valve. Now you have an extra 6 gallons.
Always fill slowly or if air gets trapped in fresh Water tank you will balloon the tank.

How does filling a fresh water tank by gravity get water into the water heater, when it's downstream of the pump and at a level higher than the fresh tank?

[Bob2019]

When filling my water tank, I found you better have the RV nearly level as you don't want to push water in to the low tank side fill connector to the tank. It will just flow back out and not fill the void in the high side of the tank.

Fill that baby slow too which allows air to stabilize in the water tank with water in, air out of the tank through the vent and/or water fill outlet.

[Buster Rockwood]

I use a meter that tells me when it's full, no guess work.
Rainwave RW-9FM LCD Digital Water Flow Meter
On Amazon...where else!

[hack522]

I guess my 23SS is easy to fill. The fresh water tank is visible inside the TT. I made the screwed in cabinet panel into a door so I just pop it open after the filler line starts spurting.

[jbflag21ds]

I used that save-a-drop meter the other day to fill my tank for my recent trip. Since it is impeller based, run the water on the ground/lawn until it comes out of the meter, then use the shutoff on the fill hose. Then reset the meter and start filling your tank.

The air in the hose will make the impeller move super fast and run the meter up before any water actually goes into the tank.

I found that my 21ds/2104s took 48 gallons per the meter in my 52 gallon spec'd tank. I was not totally level and I ran it until water was coming out the main fill and not the vent, though it did spurt at time.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by jbflag21ds

… Since it is impeller based, run the water on the ground/lawn until it comes out of the meter, then use the shutoff on the fill hose. Then reset the meter and start filling your tank. ... The air in the hose will make the impeller move super fast and run the meter up before any water actually goes into the tank. …

I learned something today.

Thanks

[warsaw]

Originally Posted by Sahall

Up until now, I have always used the city water connection but this summer's trip will require the use of onboard water. I filled the tank recently and sanitized it but I was never sure I got it full.

Is there an overflow hose on the 2109S? I just kept putting water in and it would spurt out the filler but then would take on more. Looked like it needed a vent / overflow hose.

Thanks

I to own a 2018 2509s and had the same problem. I dropped the underbelly covering to inspect the hangers on the fresh tank to make sure it was secure enough to travel with the tank full, that's when I noticed the fill tube for the tank looped down and then back up to the fill hole leaving a trap for the water.
If that wasn't bad enough somebody and their wisdom decided to wrap the vent hose around that one creating another blockage when that got water in it. I unhooked the vent line and straitened it out and tied both higher up in the frame and end of problem, I can now fill with no back flash.
I did find one bolt missing from the tank support so I re-drilled and put bigger bolts in and added another brace to be reassured.
Hope this info is helpful. I guess quality control starts at the consumer!

[GDogs5]

I made the mistake of filling water tank too fast and ballooned the tank, bending the cross-brace. Yay! After a day of installing a new length of thicker angle iron, I took apart the intake port. It turns out the vent port (near the intake) hose that allows air to escape from the tank was kinked right at the vent port. The is softer material than PEX, and it's pretty much a 90deg angle at the vent port. I placed a few hose clamps to keep the kink from occurring, and now I can fill much faster. If you don't feel an obvious air flow from that port, my bet is that it's kinked.

George

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by warsaw

I to own a 2018 2509s and had the same problem. I dropped the underbelly covering to inspect the hangers on the fresh tank to make sure it was secure enough to travel with the tank full, that's when I noticed the fill tube for the tank looped down and then back up to the fill hole leaving a trap for the water.
If that wasn't bad enough somebody and their wisdom decided to wrap the vent hose around that one creating another blockage when that got water in it. I unhooked the vent line and straitened it out and tied both higher up in the frame and end of problem, I can now fill with no back flash.
I did find one bolt missing from the tank support so I re-drilled and put bigger bolts in and added another brace to be reassured.
Hope this info is helpful. I guess quality control starts at the consumer!

When I rebuilt the FW tank supports I found the same thing with the filler and vent hoses. I used zip tires to hang the hoses where they wouldn't have traps in them.