When not using for a few weeks - water tank full or empty or partial?

[SurreyNick]

This may seem like a daft question but when we're not using our motorhome for a few weeks should we empty our fresh water tank or leave it partially empty or fill it up completely? If it's completely drained can creepy crawlies get in via the overflow?

 

[kevenh]

We drain the fresh water if motorhome is staying on the drive for over a couple of weeks. What was unused on the last trip becomes water for the garden.

We haven't had insects in our tea

 

[Grasmere9]

I always drain the fresh water...stagnant water

 

[PP Bear]

Park up and leave it as it is. I can then have water and ability to flush in storage when I’m there sciving working hard on the many odd jobs that arise, such as the essential task of checking the inside of my eyelids, which takes a lot of maintenance these days.

Also keep the 20 litre water containers full if I haven’t used them and won’t tip it away. I do decant it into the main tank in the storage yard if I get low in the tank.

Then top up whatever’s required before I set off again

 

[Chockswahay]

It’s chlorinated…… it’ll keep for weeks

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[gpat]

Drain it. Bugs can't live in a dry tank.

Chlorine will only last a few hours.

 

[Chockswahay]

Haha, this thread is much the same as the one about how much water to carry when driving……

I’m going to give pretty much the same answer as I did on that thread ……. 50000 miles, full water…… never had a belly ache

It’s a choice thing I s’pose

As it happens we have a sailing yacht and never drain the tanks on that all year….. most ‘yachties’ won’t either…… still never had a belly ache

Jus sayin

 

[David and Sally]

Drain it if leaving for a few weeks. Otherwise we use Aquatabs.

 

[MattR]

Chlorinated water says safe in a bottle for 6 months. If your tank is full or nearly full, I'd leave the water in it.

 

[gerry mcg]

I'd say drain it and refill with fresh water before departure.
I thought chlorine diassociated / evaporated from water within a week, so you start to lose the chlorination protection

How Long Does it Take for Free Chlorine to Evaporate From Tap Water Entirely?

Surely many aquarists have heard that chlorine will leave faucet water after some time. But exactly how long does it take for tap water with Chlorine to be safe for fish? Can the clearance be

aquanswers.com

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Spriddler]

Not a daft question and one often asked along with other basic questions by those new to motorhomes. Same answers and opinions willingly repeated every time that question's asked but you may find it useful to familiarise yourself with the 'Search' facility.

 

[Garfields]

Chlorinated water says safe in a bottle for 6 months. If your tank is full or nearly full, I'd leave the water in it.

Sorry only if it is sealed
Chlorine dissipates fairly rapidly when open to air.
It reduces between water treatment works and your home taps. It is common for extra to be added in the water networks.
Personally I empty what's left in the tank after each trip.

 

[PP Bear]

This is the beauty of the forum and just how independent we are from each other.

What works for one, doesn’t for another and so it goes on. I guess the answer to many questions is ask, get the huge mixture of answers and make a personal decision on what suits you best.

Same with tyres, tyre pressures, travelling with tanks full or not, toilet threads and the like.

The search facility at the top of the page and mentioned by Spriddler above, will nearly always give the answers people are looking for and will list all our thoughts and opinions once again. Once we’ve found our ideal solution, we rarely change our minds.

Aint the forum and being a motorhomer great

 

[gpat]

I'd say drain it and refill with fresh water before departure.
I thought chlorine diassociated / evaporated from water within a week, so you start to lose the chlorination protection

How Long Does it Take for Free Chlorine to Evaporate From Tap Water Entirely?

Surely many aquarists have heard that chlorine will leave faucet water after some time. But exactly how long does it take for tap water with Chlorine to be safe for fish? Can the clearance be

aquanswers.com

You are correct

Less than a week

If I was being technical I would tell you that chlorine decays exponentially.

 

[kevenh]

This is the beauty of the forum and just how independent we are from each other.

What works for one, doesn’t for another and so it goes on. I guess the answer to many questions is ask, get the huge mixture of answers and make a personal decision on what suits you best.

Same with tyres, tyre pressures, travelling with tanks full or not, toilet threads and the like.

The search facility at the top of the page and mentioned Spriddler above, will nearly always give the answers people are looking for and will list all our thoughts and opinions once again. Once we’ve found our ideal solution, we rarely change our minds.

Aint the forum and being a motorhomer great

The site’s preference is that posters answer questions with details rather than send members off to do their own search.
But it’s handy to improve our DIY skills.
Jim posted these search tips.
It’s from a general thread but I thought he’d done a topic on it but can’t find that.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[nicholsong]

Haha, this thread is much the same as the one about how much water to carry when driving……

I’m going to give pretty much the same answer as I did on that thread ……. 50000 miles, full water…… never had a belly ache

It’s a choice thing I s’pose

As it happens we have a sailing yacht and never drain the tanks on that all year….. most ‘yachties’ won’t either…… still never had a belly ache

Jus sayin

Grahame

I observe that MHomers get too prissy compared with yachties.

Take being level as an example.

Who would trust a stem wineglass full on a yacht table even in harbour? We use tumblers even on the MH.

 

[Garfields]

Grahame

I observe that MHomers get too prissy compared with yachties.

Take being level as an example.

Who would trust a stem wineglass full on a yacht table even in harbour? We use tumblers even on the MH.

Easy to be level in a yacht in harbour
You have a big lump of lead on the bottom to keep you upright

 

[cyberyacht]

Drain it. Bugs can't live in a dry tank.

Chlorine will only last a few hours.

Even if you drain it, the tank will still be damp and in my experience tanks always have a little bit swilling around at the bottom. I'm perhaps a little more circumspect in the current extreme temperatures but generally only top up a day or two prior to next trip. (Ex yachtie who never drained his fresh tank)

 

[gpat]

Even if you drain it, the tank will still be damp and in my experience tanks always have a little bit swilling around at the bottom. I'm perhaps a little more circumspect in the current extreme temperatures but generally only top up a day or two prior to next trip. (Ex yachtie who never drained his fresh tank)

That is true but don't forget bugs need food. Deprive then of the food and they will die. Their food is in the water. Soon exhausted if there is only a teeny bit.

 

[hja]

If not using for a few weeks we drain the fresh tank, but not the boiler, completely and refill. At the end of the day if the water has been hanging around for a while I just do not fancy using it.
There was an article somewhere the other day, maybe in the last but one caravan club magazine, about research around leaving water in the tank. It said a greater threat came from the spray when you ran the tap rather than used the water. You inhale the droplets and that can cause illness. Their comment was that those people who often get a cold after their hols may well be getting the infection from water droplets.
I will try and find the article again.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cyberyacht]

That is true but don't forget bugs need food. Deprive then of the food and they will die. Their food is in the water. Soon exhausted if there is only a teeny bit.

Yeah but... If you're as small as a bug, in bug terms there's tons of food available.

 

[gpat]

Yeah but... If you're as small as a bug, in bug terms there's tons of food available.

Ha Ha. Yeah maybe.

 

[Just smiffy]

Do we empty the pipes and tanks at home in our houses when we get back after a few weeks/months…?

You’d all be surprised and wouldn’t drink from a tap if you saw the state of the runs into your houses and especially the holding reservoirs for the town….

 

[Chockswahay]

At the risk of being pedantic the reference to chlorine evaporating is exactly that ……. EVAPORATION!

How is that gonna happen in an enclosed tank?

(now I am just off out to my garage to find a hard hat and maybe a flak jacket perhaps )

 

[Podney]

So,when the chlorine in the water in the tank evaporates………where does it go? In the tank,maybe,or does it miraculously escape through the sealed tank??? I’m confused

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[MattR]

Do we empty the pipes and tanks at home in our houses when we get back after a few weeks/months…?

You’d all be surprised and wouldn’t drink from a tap if you saw the state of the runs into your houses and especially the holding reservoirs for the town….

We should run our hot taps for a few mins and not hang around while the shower is rinsed through.... Aerosol water in hot water pipes is potentially dangerous. Cold WATER pipes are not dangerous AFAIK although some recommended running them for 30 seconds before drinking the water.

We rarely drink water out of our mh tank but use it for showers and washing up; we top up when we need to and only empty it if we're not planning to use it for a few months or more.

 

[Garfields]

At the risk of being pedantic the reference to chlorine evaporating is exactly that ……. EVAPORATION!

How is that gonna happen in an enclosed tank?

(now I am just off out to my garage to find a hard hat and maybe a flak jacket perhaps )

Its being depleted not evaporating.
Chlorine strength will reduce while being pump through pipe lines.
It's your water in your motorhome do what you like with it.
Personally I don't want to be using any that's been in the tank far any length of time.

 

[gpat]

So,when the chlorine in the water in the tank evaporates………where does it go? In the tank,maybe,or does it miraculously escape through the sealed tank??? I’m confused

Now that's a whole can of worms.
Its lost by two means.
1. It reacts with organic matter in the water to form disinfection byproducts

2. It comes out of solution as a gas and is absorbed into the air.

Remember that the amount of chlorine in tap water is only around 0.2mg/litre. So a 100litre tank only has 20mg. That 1/50th of a gram. Less than a droplet.

I did warn you not to get me started.

 

[Podney]

Now that's a whole can of worms.
Its lost by two means.
1. It reacts with organic matter in the water to form disinfection byproducts

2. It comes out of solution as a gas and is absorbed into the air.

Remember that the amount of chlorine in tap water is only around 0.2mg/litre. So a 100litre tank only has 20mg. That 1/50th of a gram. Less than a droplet.

I did warn you not to get me started.

But where does the expression “whole can of worms “ come from?

 

[gpat]

But where does the expression “whole can of worms “ come from?

Another can of worms on top of the one we already have