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bendstream · 07-12-2013, 05:50 PM

I'm going to a RV site for 5 days with water hook up? 2 1/2 hours from home (130 miles). Thanks

RUMSHIP · 07-12-2013, 05:54 PM

I always think its good to have water on board. Its does add weight but its marginal while towing.

bendstream · 07-12-2013, 05:55 PM

^ Will do.

daymonjones · 07-12-2013, 06:10 PM

A gallon of water weighs 8 1/3 pounds. If you use city water, it will by pass the water tank anyway. Carrying the water will add 191 pounds to your weight., for a 23 gallon tank for example. I still have GYMs, so the weight issue is important.

Lily&Me · 07-12-2013, 06:12 PM

The nice thing bout carrying your own water is that it is your own water.

Tastes like that at home, doesn't affect your coffee or tea.

I'd carry it that short distance.

Maggie

Foiled Again · 07-12-2013, 06:24 PM

Water sloshes in your tanks, so carry very little (enough to flush the toilet a couple of times and make an emergency pot of coffee) or carry a full tank, especially if you're going to be traveling on unpaved surfaces, etc.

My home campground's water is bad tasting so I do carry bottles of water for food prep and drinking. Either buy bottled water - or just collect a few jugs, then refill when needed.

Most campground water is SAFE to drink, but if it has a high iron content I avoid doing laundry with it, because of the yellowing as well as not drinking it because of the taste.

Weight affects your gas mileage, so unless you plan to be without hookups why carry a lot of water?

**jcanavera** · 07-12-2013, 06:32 PM

Weight is a big thing for me and with a 60 gallon tank we only carry significant water when we are camping at a site with no water hookups. The other thing is dependent upon how often you use your trailer, you have to be cognitive of things that can grow in a tank. If you are a frequent user and your community has chlorination, you probably are pretty safe. In my case it could be a month or more before I use my trailer and quite honestly that damp tank probably can grow a lot of stuff. We always sanitize the tank prior to carrying water for drinking. I also carry a good external filter that I connect to the campground water supply to make things taste better and keep sediment and other dissolved stuff out of the system.

I do carry probably 3-5 gallons of water for flushing purposes if we use the toilet on the road. In this instance I don't sanitize the tank since we will not drink from it. Upon arrival at home, I drain any water out of the tank.

Jack

aftermath · 07-12-2013, 07:56 PM

Here is the easy answer to your question. If you are worried about the weight, carry just enough for emergency purposes. That would apply to any distance you are planning on driving. If weight is not an issue with you, fill the tank and don't worry.

There are a lot of issues with water and everyone has a different take. Is the water safe where you are going? Is there a bad taste? Will the extra weight damage the trailer? What about all the sloshing going on? And so on, and so on until you can work yourself into a real tizzy.

I usually have "some" water on board. We like to stop for lunch along the way and use the facilities in the trailer. If we are going to a known hookup spot we might carry less that a half a tank. When we are heading out to the hinterlands, we fill the tank and not worry. I have not noticed any diminished mileage when doing so. Yeah, I know, 8 pounds per gallon and all that stuff.

Have fun, regardless.

wahoonc · 07-12-2013, 08:06 PM

How good is the water at the campground?

We usually travel with some water in the tank so we can use OUR facilities along the road if necessary. On more than one occasion we have had problems with the campground water supply after we got there, low pressure, poor quality, broken pipes, etc. Having some water in the tank was a good thing.

I don't normally travel with the tank completely full.

We don't use the tank water for making coffee, I usually bring a couple of gallons of filtered water from home for that. Drinking water is usually carried in a 5 gallon igloo cooler.

We do routinely clean our AS water system but I am still wary of using for drinking and cooking. Showers, washing dishes and toilet use are fine.

Aaron

A W Warn · 07-12-2013, 08:14 PM

If you have not sanitized your tank you should before you fill. Nasty bugs can grow in the tank while the trailer is in storage.

idroba · 07-12-2013, 08:18 PM

I carry a full tank, always. And I drink it and use it just like my home water. Why have a self contained trailer if you are dependent on hookups?

kscherzi · 07-12-2013, 08:18 PM

I've camped at lots of state and federal campgrounds in the western Us and BC. Never had bad water. Maybe an off taste, but that's it. Showering uses the most of the supply.

TG Twinkie · 07-12-2013, 08:45 PM

Water will not slosh in a full tank. A 30 gallon tank full of water weighs about 250 pounds. If your trailer weighs 5,000 pounds when ready to travel. The water is only 5% of the weight of the trailer.
The water will not make a significant difference in the TV mpg.

Winetripper · 07-12-2013, 08:51 PM

Bendstream - you're probably going somewhere in the Cascades where the campground water should be OK.
However, unlike kscherzi, I haven't found all my water hookups to be acceptable, and the worst was in your state of Oregon. At Goose Lake on the California border, I hooked up to the campground water, placing a filter between the hose and the tap. In a day, the water coming into the trailer had slowed to a trickle. I checked the filter and found it totally clogged with green gunk. I'm glad I wasn't washing with, much less drinking, that unfiltered slurry.
Keep a reasonable supply of "good" water in your tank, and use a filter on incoming outside water. To use your tank water, unhook the hose from the outside, turn on your pump and run a little water through your system to rinse it out.
It's probably easier to keep a couple gallons of spring water on hand, though, for coffee and teethbrushing.
Cheers, Winetripper

TBRich · 07-12-2013, 09:09 PM

We usually travel with a full tank (not that much in a Bambi) because we do a lot of dry camping and sometimes we don't know where we are going to end up or whether there will be water. When we do have hookups we have begun using the on-board water with the water pump, then refilling the fresh water tank when needed (using a filter)...this keeps it fresh...we don't empty our fresh water between trips because we go out frequently. I'd rather seals, etc, not dry out...especially in our climate.

AirsDream · 07-12-2013, 10:04 PM

I always start out with completely full fresh water tank. The tank is low and this does a bit to lower the trailer's center of gravity. And since it's full, it doesn't slosh. And I usually am boondocking, so I expect to need the water. Finally, I've had some bad experiences at commercial places. Once I stayed in one for two nights which had city water hookups (so I hooked up) and when leaving, saw a tiny little sign near the exit drive (sign was maybe eight inches square) that said, "Water not safe to drink." Not a happy camper.

PharmGeek · 07-12-2013, 10:07 PM

where on most trailers is the fresh water tank? That would affect tongue weight dramatically different correct?

Aage · 07-12-2013, 10:11 PM

It will lower your COG (centre of gravity). That`s a Good Thing, I believe.

bendstream · 07-12-2013, 10:31 PM

Go with a full tank of fresh water. I just sanitized the tank today and will again before I leave. Also getting a filter for the provided water can't be a bad idea? Thanks for all the helpful comments. BTW campground is Water Wheel , 130 miles South of Bend towards Klamath Falls, if anyone has experience there let me know?

TBRich · 07-12-2013, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

where on most trailers is the fresh water tank? That would affect tongue weight dramatically different correct?

It's in different locations in different models and floor plans. In our Bambi, for instance, it's under the street side dinette seat. I 'm not sure where it is located on a 30' like you're expecting.