City Fresh Water Hookup?

[92landyacht]

Ok, this is going to sound like a stupid question, but since I've owned my 92 LY MH I've never hooked her up to shore water. How do you hook up the RV to shore water?

I've always boondocked and used the fresh water container and holding tanks for water and sewer. Next month we'll be going to Old Federal Campgrounds on Lake Sydney Lanier in GA and they have shore power and water there.

As I see it, I have two options.

1:At the back I have a locking filler door where there is a female hose connection port and a gravity filler port to fill the fresh water holding tank. I think that I would need to run the pump to get pressure in the unit. There is a opening in the locking door to route the hose through so I can lock the door and still have the hose connected. Is this correct?

2:About mid point, in one of the lower compartments on the road side, is a hose reel with about 50' of hose that has a female end that can be attached to a water spigot. I'm assuming that all I need to do is connect the hose on the reel to a water spigot at the camp site and I'll have pressurized water without having to run the pump. Only down side is I can't see a way to route the hose out of the compartment without leaving it unlocked. Is this correct?

I also found another loose hose in a rear compartment that has a 40-60psi regulator attached with a male and female hose end on each side. I'm also assuming that I should put the regulator inline between the spigot and the hose on the reel.

Any idea how the "Auto filler" switch works?

Just needing a sanity check. I can't test it right now since the LY is not near a water source.

[Off Course]

You should be able to hook to the female (next to gravity fill) and get fresh water under pressure from the campsite water hook up. Is the hose reel hose hooked to something or is it just spare hose? Our 05 LY has a built in pressure reducer so we don't need one on the hose. Check your manual or maybe someone with your model can advise here. Good luck!

[TBRich]

And yes, you are correct that when using city water you will have pressure from that and you do not need to use the on-board water pump...the pump is only used when you are using water from your fresh water tank.

[92landyacht]

The hose real in the lower compartment is plumbed into the water system and the hose is connected with the female end facing out. It all looks factory installed. I'll post pics if that would help. I should have the unit near a water source within the next few days so I can test it.

[DaveFL]

I have a female hose connection in the cleanout compartment, that is used for black tank rinse.

[Off Course]

I would buy that it is the black water clean out. All you would have to do is follow the hose if possible. You would then have identified the three components of the system. Tank fill, City Water hook up and Black Water clean out. Its all starting to make sense now.

[92landyacht]

Looks like the hose reel is plumbed into the cold water system by way of gray poly-butyl line like the rest of the water lines. The female connector behind the access door appears to be the freshwater tank filler. I have also identified another female hose connection near the holding tanks that I think is used as the black water cleanout supply. I'll know in a day or so when I get near a water supply source.


I wish AS provided better and more model specific descriptions with pictures in the manual. You would think that, if someone spends $80,000.00+ on a MH, they would at least provide the new owner with a good quality manual.

Any idea as to exactly how the “Auto-Fill” switch inside the MH works? Do I connect the MH to the pressurized filler connection or to the shore fresh water connection? I know that it’s supposed to fill the FW tank to about ¾ full when the switch is on, but I'm not sure which connection I should make in order for this to work.

I've owned her for almost two years and she's still providing me with mysteries. That's the MH, not the DW... She's been with me for over 20 Years and is also providing me with mysteries as well.

[Paul Dobbin]

Just returned from Old Federal Campground and wouldn't recommend you drink their water. Go there with a full tank and use your pump for pressure. Then ask around for the freshest hose bib in the campground if you need to refill. We stayed only 3 nights and didn't use their water at all. Other than that it's a great place, almost 100% waterfront sites and only $16.00 with the National Parks Senior Pass. We stay their each may for an old guy reunion.
Also the first time you use water pressure from an external source, watch closely for leaks. A gusher inder the couch can ruin a trip and your carpet or hardwood floors.

[AWCHIEF]

Paul, curious. Why would you not recommend the water? Taste, dirt, pressure?

[Paul Dobbin]

My opinion was based on advice of people who stay there many weekends a year. They say it's dirty and smelly and full of iron. Since we stay there only 3 or 4 nights a year and listen to the regulars, which is an advantage of RVing. RVer's are mostly friendly and full of advice and recommendations. Then again I'm a guy who makes his coffee from bottled water to get the same taste every morning, no matter where we are. (O yea, it's Walmart distilled water in gallon bottles that we always load in The Roadhouse for every trip)
Just my experience and it works for us.

[TBRich]

We got a similar warning when we camped along the Lower Colorado River near Parker, AZ and above. Everyone said, "Be sure to use a water filter!" That's when we began using filters on a routine basis. The reason on the Lower Colorado is that the local water is high in sediments, presumable because it's very low (around 200 ft I believe), plus the fact that all that sediment from the Colorado River only goes one direction...downstream ... and the water table is saturated.

As an aside, lately we have begun not connecting to city water generally. Instead we use water from the fresh water holding tank and refill it from the water source as needed. Why? Because we typically keep the fresh tank full, and by doing this, we are constantly replacing the water in the holding tank and keeping it "fresh"... We also use the filter when we fill the fresh water tank...and we periodically we add a bit of weak bleach solution to keep it sanitized as we go.

[92landyacht]

Wow... You guys are scaring me. The water at Old Federal is reported as clean and the reviews have been exemplary. Now I'm hearing that you shouldn't trust the water at places and use only what you carry in the fresh water holding tank? So how do you know when it's OK to hook up to the water and when not?

[TBRich]

Don't be scared! I think these are special situations and circumstances. We pretty much USE water from all the places where we have camped from national forests to private campgrounds with no ill effects. If the water is from a city water system it reasonably safe to assume that the water is OK to drink and reasonably "clean" because of chlorination processes in city water systems...

When an RV park uses a well or other water source, that may vary, but even then the water is most likely certified by some local municipal agency. We have only been in one situation where there was a temporary problem with the water system in a state park ... we were alerted upon entry and told not to use the water for cooking or drinking ... and our camping fee was reduced accordingly. We use a filter just as a matter of course just to be sure. When we are filling our tank from a known source we do not bother with a filter.

[jrkeef]

I agree with TBRich, we camp at Lake Lanier at least once per year and have been to Old Federal several times (my inlaws are Corps of Engineer camp hosts on Lake Lanier). We have always used the park water. We do use a regulator and filter but we do that anywhere.

[wvabeer]

I always bring water from home unless I know the water is good. I trust my well.

[jrkeef]

I understand trusting your own water but at 8.35 pounds per gallon even if you only run your potable water tank at 2/3s full you are hauling around a lot of extra weight.

[crabbey1]

Do you guys have any recommendations of a separate water filter and spout at the sink to use specifically for drinking water? Something like this with an under the counter filter?

[92landyacht]

That's what my LY came with from the factory. It has an ADC Everpure filter cartridge under the sink. I'm putting together a filter setup for the city water where I connect a hose to the filter and then the city water inlet hose connects to the filter. I figure a simple whole house sand/sediment filter from Home Depot should suffice. I'm just trying to keep debris from getting into the fresh water holding tank and water lines.