When to drain the water (1 Viewer)

[Andyrpm]

Hi all, relatively new to motoerhoming and have a question about the fresh water.
We are currently using our van every couple of weeks and I'm never sure if I should be emptying the fresh water tank in-between jaunts. How do you guys play it? Do you only empty at the end of the season, if it's going to be standing for a week or two or every time you get home?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

 

[tonyidle]

I open the drain for a while whenever l refill at home just to freshen the supply. It isn't critical unless its months between uses. I don't drain down as such unless it's left unheated during freezing conditions.

 

[suavecarve]

As soon as it rains at home i empty the tank if i remember. It doesnt over matter if if its a couple of weeks or so and as long as you arent drinking it, jus using it for showers and washing up etc.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Ours gets emptied only if it’s going to be parked up for an extended period in freezing weather conditions.

Other than that it’s never emptied.

We use the water for everything including drinking.

 

[ymfb]

Is it ok not to drain the system and rely on the dump valve to do its job ?

 

[sdc77]

Is it ok not to drain the system and rely on the dump valve to do its job ?

Yes
But...
If you aren't going to use the van over a cold period it may be wiser to drain down in advance.

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[Lenny HB]

Always drain down after every trip. Chlorine disperses in around 4-5 days so I don't want unsafe water in the tank.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Is it ok not to drain the system and rely on the dump valve to do its job ?

The dump valve only protects the boiler, not the whole water system.

 

[Two on Tour]

Always drain down after every trip. Chlorine disperses in around 4-5 days so I don't want unsafe water in the tank.

Most water authorities use chloramine which is where ammonia is added to chlorine to form a long-lasting disinfectant.

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[Reallyretired]

Only drained before prolonged storage, but topped up every couple of days when in use to freshen it up.

 

[scotjimland]

Is it ok not to drain the system and rely on the dump valve to do its job ?

NO .. as said, that only empties the boiler... if you don't do a proper drain down, you can get frozen taps that will crack and can be costly to replace.. pumps are also vulnerable if not drained.

your manual will have instructions on that procedure..

on my Hymer there are two other drain valves , plus a drain in the fresh tank.. these have to be opened, taps left open and in the centre position, pipes are them blown through from pump end with low pressure air to ensure they are empty

if it's a pressurised system, the pump filter cover should be removed and pump drained..

 

[The Wino]

Drain every time and have fitted a plastic drain tap on the pipe rather than just a stop end to make it easy.Can,t understand one of the previous posts about waiting for it to rain!!!!

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[Mr Chrysalis]

We never drain the freshwater tank. However we use the van at least 3 days a week, right through the year, so it is regularly getting emptied through use and refilled when it gets down to about a quarter full. In this way it is the same as the water tank at home. Like at home we only drink water from the freshwater tap ( ie comes directly from the mains, not via the tank in the attic) in the Moho we only drink water from the bottled water we keep in the fridge ( unless we boil water to make a cup of tea, in which case we fill it from the tap. The Moho is kept at home and is heated throughout the winter. I woulddrsin it and clean the tank if I saw any discolouration or unusual smells but so far not had a need.

 

[sdc77]

So our dump valve drains the entire system (assuming you open taps tp let air out etc) but thete is some wster left in the bottom of the cold water tank. The dump valve is lower than the base of the cold water tank.
As above... we don't use it normaly as the van is in use all year round.

 

[two]

I only dump (drain the pipework) in winter. For the rest of the season I empty the fresh tank occasionally, when I remember, and we’ve not come to any harm yet. The motorhome spends a lot of time unused (we have other interests).

Tend to travel with only enough water for the journey and fill at our destination, so any “contamination” would be somewhat diluted by the time it’s used.