Water and your water tank

[FloridaRosebud]

A question about how you work your water tank. We drain our before the RV heads to storage (as others have told us to do) however yesterday my wife was chatting with some folks who said they always store their tank full, so if they need to leave quickly (we live in Florida, so think Hurricanes) they have a full tank of water and gas. What do you folks do? BTW - we drink bottled water if that makes any difference.

Al

[RLS7201]

tropical36 wrote:
Since so many have done it in so many different ways with success and what's been working for them, the only suggestion left, is for taking a sample now and then to have it analyzed and certified safe for drinking. If that's all good, then I see no real reason why you can't stay with what you've been doing.

Smooooooooooooooooooth, you ol peace maker you! GRIN

Richard

[tropical36]

Since so many have done it in so many different ways with success and what's been working for them, the only suggestion left, is for taking a sample now and then to have it analyzed and certified safe for drinking. If that's all good, then I see no real reason why you can't stay with what you've been doing.

[camperdave]

I have kept my tank full 365 for 10 years. Once a year I'll do a bleach flush/cleaning in the spring.

I'm in earthquake country, it's my emergency water supply. No worry about freezing here either.

[10forty2]

I drain it if I'm not going anywhere in a couple of weeks. I usually only have about 15 gallons in it anyway for travel....just to have some to flush toilet and wash hands but not overload with unnecessary weight....unless we're going boondocking. If a storm's coming, then I fill it completely just in case. I also completely drain before storing for winter and add in RV antifreeze instead of water. At the beginning of camping season (Easter for us), I drain the pink stuff, flush the tank/lines completely and sanitize with bleach. Rest of the camping season, I make sure I'm filling from a city water source and all is right with the world!

[Two_Jayhawks]

We use the coach almost year round. However I will drain fresh tank about every two weeks. We do drink from the fresh tank and water seems like it gets a taste if it sits too long.

[sgfrye]

ppine wrote:
I drain my tank each trip and do not drink out of it. Algae forms in your tank =, especially in a warm climate.

This is what we do on our TT here in North Carolina.

Doesn't take much time and effort to keep the water fresh in a fresh water tank

[tropical36]

FloridaRosebud wrote:
A question about how you work your water tank. We drain our before the RV heads to storage (as others have told us to do) however yesterday my wife was chatting with some folks who said they always store their tank full, so if they need to leave quickly (we live in Florida, so think Hurricanes) they have a full tank of water and gas. What do you folks do? BTW - we drink bottled water if that makes any difference.

Al

Fuel and fresh water is always adequate and ready to go. Storm or no storm, we don't want to have an unexpected overnight stay without hookups and be short on water or fuel. After time passes without much use, we run the pump in a campground and fill up fresh before we leave. We usually drink bottled water, but use shore water for coffee and cooking and have also used the tank on occasion. What's the diff anyway, when the lines have both sources in them.

[Johno02]

Birds poop in your pool, not in your tanks....

[rgatijnet1]

dougrainer wrote:
I live in a city that has excellent water. How come my 24k pool gets algae(green and black)????? Unless I keep the water chemistry in balance with Chlorine and acid. I would never leave water in my RV. I have seen problems with water in the tank and especially the Water Heater, from mineral contents. IF you are not using good grade City water and filling from a well, you need to drain at all times you are not using the RV. I would fill if using good City water, but drain and refill once a month for those emergency trips. Doug

The water in my RV tanks is not exposed to the sun and the ultraviolet rays which quickly degrades the chemicals in your pool, which is why you have to add the various chemicals to keep things in balance.

[RLS7201]

I drain my tank once a year for winterizing, but there are 3 or 4 gallons that don't drain out. I have never sanitized the tank in the 16 years of ownership. The water in the tank is not exposed to the elements or the SUN. So far our health has not been jeopardized by the water in our tank. There seems to be a lot of concerns in the RV community that don't exist out side the RV community. Go have fun.

Richard

[dougrainer]

I live in a city that has excellent water. How come my 24k pool gets algae(green and black)????? Unless I keep the water chemistry in balance with Chlorine and acid. I would never leave water in my RV. I have seen problems with water in the tank and especially the Water Heater, from mineral contents. IF you are not using good grade City water and filling from a well, you need to drain at all times you are not using the RV. I would fill if using good City water, but drain and refill once a month for those emergency trips. Doug

[coolmom42]

I would drain it after every trip and sanitize annually. You do use that water for showers, washing dishes, etc. It's not really a closed system... the tank has an air vent. It is quite capable of growing mold and algae, which make it smell like a soured towel, if nothing else. That has been my experience in TN.

If you leave it full, then drain and refill before a trip.

You can fill it quickly and you usually have plenty of notice to fill it before a hurricane.

[Lwiddis]

I drain my fresh water tank after each trip and bleach it before every trip. No concerns with drinking from it. My waste tanks are empty during storage. What debris? Drain, refill, drain...it’s “clean.”

[ppine]

I drain my tank each trip and do not drink out of it. Algae forms in your tank =, especially in a warm climate.