fresh water in tank? how long

[Scout]

being new to this motor home thing and coming from a caravan lifestyle, I'm wondering should I dump the freesh water after each trip, is it safe to leave it in for a week? or longer, I have been carrying about 1/2 a tank full and topping up on site, leaving again will around 1/2 a tank full ( this is just how its worked out and has not been planned)


regards

 

[old-mo]

I always dump any remainder when I get home..

And open all taps and leave drain taps open,, to let as much fresh air through as possible..

Prior to next trip I just wash through with fresh,, and only take enough for a few cuppa`s enroute and fill up at the site..

 

[lorger]

Same here just have enough for a few cuppas and allways empty when home i leave all taps open also and leave my waste outlet tap open aswell so all smells if any can get out.

Gerry

 

[Scout]

I always dump any remainder when I get home..

And open all taps and leave drain taps open,, to let as much fresh air through as possible..

Prior to next trip I just wash through with fresh,, and only take enough for a few cuppa`s enroute and fill up at the site..

thanks, Im of for a dump then

 

[Scout]

Same here just have enough for a few cuppas and allways empty when home i leave all taps open also and leave my waste outlet tap open aswell so all smells if any can get out.

Gerry

do creepy crawlies get in ?

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[finby]

I agree with all the advice so far. I always drain down and run the taps through after each holiday. However if the van is not used for a while, I fill up and add Milton tabs (or similar steralising tablets) and give a good flush through. Better safe than sorry !! Remember to drain down the water boiler too, especially at the onset of winter (or if the van is not being used for any length of time).

 

[Scout]

I agree with all the advice so far. I always drain down and run the taps through after each holiday. However if the van is not used for a while, I fill up and add Milton tabs (or similar steralising tablets) and give a good flush through. Better safe than sorry !! Remember to drain down the water boiler too, especially at the onset of winter (or if the van is not being used for any length of time).

with the van I allways did the milton thing at the end of the season and again prior to starting the next season, but is it nessercery to drian down if your going to use the MH each weekend? I'm still concerned about leaving outside drain off taps open to spiders and stuff, surly its inviting problems,?

 

[Hopesy]

We always use a seperate 5L container for making drinks probably a bit paranoid but don't quite trust the water tank :Blush:

 

[finby]

Drain down , but close the drain taps / dump valves. That way you have no worries about spidery things etc

 

[old-mo]

with the van I allways did the milton thing at the end of the season and again prior to starting the next season, but is it nessercery to drian down if your going to use the MH each weekend? I'm still concerned about leaving outside drain off taps open to spiders and stuff, surly its inviting problems,?

That was the idea of filling up and flushing through,,, to get rid of any creepy crawly`s.

Another thing you could do is put a bit of the wife`s tight`s taped to the drain pipe,, inside taps should be ok..

But remember to take the tight`s off your misses before taping them on the outlet pipes..

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[45eEver]

Seb, how's about using your spare water to water plants, flowers, tree, etc on the site before you leave?

Carrying half a tank of water home puts money in the tax-mans greedy hands by wasting fuel.

Save the world for ungrateful grandchildren?
​

 

[FisherFun]

Seb, how's about using your spare water to water plants, flowers, tree, etc on the site before you leave?

Here Here! Remember the order reduce, re-use, re-cycle. so a) try to carry less water and only yop up as necessary, b) use to water plants before last plan of c) recycle it into the drains
:thumb:

 

[Scout]

But remember to take the tight`s off your misses before taping them on the outlet pipes..

whoops
oh:oh:oh:

 

[The Wallace]

We keep fresh tank full and waste empty whenever possible, even at home. Have twice been in a situation with no access to fresh water for a day and were able to cook, drink, flush the toilet and shower without worrying about running out.
Van is also our spare, spare, bedroom and can be called into use at 5mins notice without having to phaph about filling water.
100 litres of water is 100KG (same as a full fuel tank ) so no great fuel penalty for carrying water around when set against the luxury of having it. If we were serious about fuel economy we would not holiday in 3.5 ton (or bigger) vans with the aerodynamics of a housebrick.
Our cold water goes through a Whale filter and tank is cleaned with 'off the shelf' cleaner when we remember but less than once a year. No problems so far.

 

[Scout]

given it thought, I'll dump the fresh if i'm not using the MH for a couple of weeks, if using it more than that I 'll keep it around 25% full to give best sinario of having water avaible and not too much fuel wastage through carring unneeded weight, it wasnt this tricky with a caravan.


wife has refused to lend me her tightsso taps have been closed after draining

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[Lincolnshire Rover]

We always use a seperate 5L container for making drinks probably a bit paranoid but don't quite trust the water tank :Blush:

Same here I had to take my tank off the other weekend and had a look inside there was some debri in the bottom and I always drain off after every trip thats why we have always used a 5Ltr for drinking and the main tank for washing etc

 

[Geo]

Worried about Water tanksoh:
Have any of you taken a look inside your loft tank
dead spiders, dead birds, slime and crap all in the bottom
and you happlily shower and clean your teeth with itoh:

 

[madbluemad]

Hi Geo
One of the last fittings to be installed to a new house is the toilet because sombody will use it whether it is plumbed or not.

So given that the toilet isnt installed what do you think they use.

And people think Wild Camping is rough

Jim

 

[vindiboy]

As our van is in almost constant use I don't drain water tank during Summer, I keep topping it up and add a drop of Milton now and again, I have just discovered water purifying tablets at Asda 71p for 56 so I am currently adding one of these now and again.We don't actually drink the water from the storage tank but use 5 litre plastic containers for drinking water.When in Spain and lately Morocco I obtained tank water from some very interesting places ie wells , garage forecourts and mountain fuentes and so far no problems with our regime.:thumb:

 

[madbluemad]

Hi vindiboy
According to scotlandjim cemeteries are a good place for water. They all have a tap around or about the entrance
Jim

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[AlasdairM]

But remember to take the tight`s off your misses before taping them on the outlet pipes..

Why??

 

[Mark breen]

being new to this motor home thing and coming from a caravan lifestyle, I'm wondering should I dump the freesh water after each trip, is it safe to leave it in for a week? or longer, I have been carrying about 1/2 a tank full and topping up on site, leaving again will around 1/2 a tank full ( this is just how its worked out and has not been planned)


regards

Hi We never drink the water from the tank so it never crosses my mind to empty out the tanks.
"The Breens"
:thumb:

 

[ant & Linds]

Fresh water in a holding tank isnt exposed to the sunlight so doesn't get that horrible green gunk. An experiment i did in my Youth was to fill a collapasible water tank and leave it in the sun. Soon the tank was filled with green gunk and slime. A similar experiment with opaque tanks still had clear water weeks later. I assumed that this is why aquarolls aren't clear.

The mistake i made was to use a clear container as a water cylinder whilst carvaning for a fortnight. The latent green gunk from the clear container somehow poisoned the water system of the van which began to smell and had black floaters for years to follow.

I have a zigg bottle (aluminium cylinder) and the water is still fresh enough to drink after 2 years ( i did this) it just tasted a little aluminiumy.

So My evidence is
Fresh water should stay fresh in a van holding tank providing:
A, the tank doesnt get any sunlight.
B, the tank hasnt been poisoned by a previous stagnant sunlight fill.

Was that you just made that smell? no it was my bottom (Bad Boys Club joke)

 

[scotjimland]

Why are folk so scared of tank water ? .. beats me .. as Geo said.. ever seen inside a loft tank ..

I remember as an apprentice, one of the jobs I was given was to clean out the hot water urn in the workshop that was used for making our tea.. when I emptied it and looked inside there was a leather hob nailed boot.. boiled almost white .. no wonder the men were complaining of bad tasting tea .. but no one was ill..

back on topic.. we only use water from the tank, and in three years full time no one has game down with the dreaded lergi.. so unless you are washing socks in it what do you think you might be likely to contract ?

It's a sealed tank, made with high grade food quality plastic, as are the pipes.. better than most house tanks and pipework..
To be on the safe side, sterilise once per year .. including your filling hose, clean all site supply taps before connecting with a spray of bleach, flush the hose before filling and drain before storing.. and leave the paranoia at home.

 

[bashers]

same here

used to live on a boat with steel tanks about 50 years old.
they were huge and gave us enough water for about 10 days.

drunk from it without problems for three years.

its really only an issue if you are leaving the water for a while

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[Losos]

We always use a seperate 5L container for making drinks probably a bit paranoid but don't quite trust the water tank :Blush:

That's a good idea, never thought of that, my converter guy wants to put the fresh water tank under the chassis, good place I guess but I'm not too happy about what could get in and I wouldn't know about it. BTW I read recently that all spiders are poisonous, that's something else I never knew of course some more than others I guess but ticks (which are part of the spider group) are particularly nasty carriers of all sorts and they are very small too, could easily climb into a tank drain doen pipe.

 

[Dodgey]

We're with ScotJimland on this, same routine basically, and we're not fulltiming.

Just a flush through with fresh if some anoying fact of life (work) stops us getting out for more than three weeks, but otherwise just top up. We usually travel with a full tank, like it's really going to make a difference to the MPG, and besides, nowt more fun than pulling up, gas on, fridge on, water heater on and crack a can watching the tuggers and tenters spending all weekend putting up and out then down again

That wasn't meant to sound, err, snobby??????

PS with Winne, we're reviewing the gas on fridge on bit, not meaning to restart one of those topics, but another in the list of thing we don't need to worry about.

 

[Losos]

Worried about Water tanksoh:
Have any of you taken a look inside your loft tank
dead spiders, dead birds, slime and crap all in the bottom
and you happlily shower and clean your teeth with itoh:

I did once when last in England but although there's loads of bad things I could say about Czechland at least all their water is direct off the mains, no loft cold water tanks here they would probably freeze in winter even with 3" of Rockwool wrapped around them.

 

[pappajohn]

you could always fit a Link Removed.

even filters out waterborn virus's.

put swamp/ditch water in the tank, even pee in it, and it becomes pure, germ and bug free drinking water, instantly:thumb:

ideal way to turn wine to water.....Oops....wrong way round..oh: