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ROBERTSUNRUS · 09-02-2009, 12:06 AM

Hi, to me water is tasteless, if my memory serves me right. I don't drink water, NEVER. Fish go potty in water.

Fish have sex in water.

YUK. I sanitize my fresh water tank about twice a year. The only water that I get in my mouth, for a very short time, is when brushing my teeth. We bring bottled water for cooking and coffee. We use everything in our trailer for it's intended use; My trailer did not come with a drinking fountain. My wife will drink water, straight/bottled, but I won't touch the stuff. I was a cola-holic many years ago. [Coke, Pepsi, Royal Crown] Now I drink coffee, iced tea, orange juice, apple juice, and Hansen's fruit smoothies. I bleach my tank, have the nice white hoses, and even a water filter that I have not used yet. [the filter] At home or camp ground I hook up my white hose, turn on the water, and let it flow before connecting it to my trailer; Just to flush it out and not get dirt into my system. When done with my hoses, I hold them up to drain all the water out of them, roll them up and connect the ends so nothing can get in them.

**Stefrobrts** · 09-02-2009, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

I admit it may be overcautious, but man, it's no fun being afraid to be more than five feet from the throne.

Paula

In a Caravel, you're never more than 5 feet from the throne

JK3500 · 09-02-2009, 05:13 AM

I drink the tank water. No problems. Sanitize the tank twice a year or so. Don't use any filters. that might be a good preventative measure but if I'm filling from potable water source its the same as drinking from the tap, which I always do.

Used to use a 5 gal jug for drinking water but that took up too much counter space. Try to never buy bottled water unless I have no choice.

crispyboy · 09-02-2009, 06:25 AM

I have no trouble drinking the water out of the trailer tank, just follow the rules for sanitizing it.
It's better than what I typically get out of my cistern at my house. With my cistern we just wait for the water to taste a little iffy or after we have had a good rain and throw a cup of bleach into it. A day or two later everything is good. It good to expose your body to a few bugs once in awhile.

frlcad5 · 09-02-2009, 06:28 AM

I sanitize my fresh water tank as much or more than most folks. I use an inline water filter for city water and have a filter for drinking water under the sink. I still use only water from home or water from a reverse osmosis source. It is not the bugs in the water that you are used to that make you sick it is the microbes from a new area that your body has not become immune that make you sick. A small reverse osmosis system would be nice to have. Does anyone make one that is sized for an Airstream?

Bonitafarms · 09-02-2009, 06:44 AM

We are on our 5th vintage Airstream in the last 15 years, cleaned all the tanks and drank the water. Use an inline filter at campsites , change every christmas, and the hose at home, no problems or issues. We also worked in Mexico and bought food from street venders in Kenya and Egypt, so maybe we are immune.

Mikethefixit · 09-02-2009, 08:15 AM

We normally don't drink the water from the fresh tank. We can,its the same water we carry on board. We sanitize the fresh tank twice a yr. Our water is from our own well, 80 ft deep well. I add bleach at the prescribed rate.Smells but its safe to drink. We usually travel with a full tank,plus a 2 gallon tote in the fridge and 5 gallon in OJ 1gallon plastic jugs for the dogs.
We have never been sick from drinking our water. Normally we don't hook to any outside sources. Usually what we carry lasts us a week or more.

**jcanavera** · 09-02-2009, 10:19 AM

At the most we only may use the fresh water tank twice a year. On those occasions we sanitize the tank prior to use. With a couple of flushes afterwards we can get the water good enough to drink. I fill up with city water prior to departure and with it's normal chlorine load that the water company provides, the tank is quite safe and good to use by the time we get to our destination.

I follow the sanitizing instructions that are in the Airstream manual which puts me at one cup of bleach to the 60 gallons that our fresh water tank holds. You can increase the amount of bleach to reduce the amount of time that the mixture has to sit in the tank. The problem I have is that doing that increases the amount of flushing I need to do to remove the taste out of the water. If I remember correctly the sit time for the bleach water mixture is about 4 hours.

Jack

Lily&Me · 09-02-2009, 10:23 AM

We were leery of drinking from ours at first, then took the plunge

and have had no problems these last 2 years. We do the sanitize with bleach thing, also faithfully use our WalMart filter whenever we hook up, which really does neutralize the various tastes from various areas.

jimmini · 09-02-2009, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayner61

I sanitize twice a year or anytime I get a load of water that doesn't taste good to me. I try to keep the tank pretty full between camping trips. I always use an in-line filter to fill the tank.

All that said, I don't have any problems at all drinking the water. The only time I don't is when we are in a situation where we need to fill the tank with water that doesn't taste good to me. Many areas of the country have water with high mineral or iron content and it just doesn't taste like "water" to me.

Who am I to judge though... I routinely drink tap water at home and have even been known to take a drink from the hose if I am out working in the yard ;-)

This us also.

NEVER have had a problem or got sick from drinking from our tank and have been doing it for years. That is what it is for and why it is called fresh water tank.If you take good care of it ,it will take good care of you and not make you sick.

somefun · 09-02-2009, 12:30 PM

Yes!

Nuvite-F · 09-02-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmini

This us also.

NEVER have had a problem or got sick from drinking from our tank and have been doing it for years. That is what it is for and why it is called fresh water tank.If you take good care of it ,it will take good care of you and not make you sick.

Just don't get the fresh water and sewage tanks in the back of your tow vehicle mixed up!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...i-49173-7.html

Cracker · 09-02-2009, 07:18 PM

Interesting! 72 replies to this thread so far and not one person has reported getting sick from drinking the water from their trailer tank! Although I'm also guilty of using bottled water (---from my home,) for coffee and cooking, this thread is making me question whether or not it's really necessary. I know that one of the campgrounds we were in a month or so ago in Nova Scotia had a warning about the water supply. I didn't find out about it until I had already been hooked up for a day. All you can do at that point is keep your fingers crossed and flush the lines the next chance you get. After disconnecting I flushed using my on-board supply from home and left the next day.

Gene · 09-02-2009, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cracker

Interesting! 72 replies to this thread so far and not one person has reported getting sick from drinking the water from their trailer tank!

Maybe they're dead, but I digress.

I didn't count the do and don't drink posts, but my impression is slightly more don't drink from the potable water tank.

We got in the habit of bringing gallons of drinking water from the supermarket years ago when traveling and staying at motels. I recall a cabin near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, where the water was slightly salty—the well was obviously getting some sea water in it. Sea water at a port may include sewage and fuel and oil from boats. Then in Newfoundland at a few places the water was kind of yellow—that's not what you think (I hoped)—it's the color of silt during run off season in the spring. Even wells can get a lot of dirt in them in the spring (I used to have a well that did that every year). Friends who traveled to Alaska earlier this year in a conversion van got sick and later discovered the campground got their water from a hose in a creek. One of them is a doctor too.

There was a video on the internet a year or two ago about a TV station that did an expose about how maids in motels and hotels clean those glasses and coffee makers they have in the rooms. This included using a little rinse water only, 409, Windex, and other cleaning things you don't want to drink, then wiping with a used towel. Yummy. Seems best to take care of yourself without going OCD.

Gene

Alwhisman · 09-02-2009, 09:04 PM

I mainly use it for cooking and making coffee. Never really thought otherwise about it. I clean the tank/lines twice a year, and only fill it at home.

Diesel1 · 09-02-2009, 09:22 PM

I can't wait to get a water heater so i can use my fresh water to take a hot shower. Adios, John

JK3500 · 09-03-2009, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Maybe they're dead, but I digress.

I didn't count the do and don't drink posts, but my impression is slightly more don't drink from the potable water tank.

We got in the habit of bringing gallons of drinking water from the supermarket years ago when traveling and staying at motels. I recall a cabin near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, where the water was slightly salty—the well was obviously getting some sea water in it. Sea water at a port may include sewage and fuel and oil from boats. Then in Newfoundland at a few places the water was kind of yellow—that's not what you think (I hoped)—it's the color of silt during run off season in the spring. Even wells can get a lot of dirt in them in the spring (I used to have a well that did that every year). Friends who traveled to Alaska earlier this year in a conversion van got sick and later discovered the campground got their water from a hose in a creek. One of them is a doctor too.

There was a video on the internet a year or two ago about a TV station that did an expose about how maids in motels and hotels clean those glasses and coffee makers they have in the rooms. This included using a little rinse water only, 409, Windex, and other cleaning things you don't want to drink, then wiping with a used towel. Yummy. Seems best to take care of yourself without going OCD.

Gene

Good points. The first demonstrates it is more important where you get the water from than where you put it (in the tank or a 5 gal jug). If you fill your tank before you leave home you are probably good. When it's time to refill, check the source. If the source is questionable, then it may be worth breaking down and buying a jug from the store.

Saw that same video. Never drink from hotel room glasses. Use the disposable travel cups. And always wash the coffeemaker before you use it!

cclarkego · 09-03-2009, 07:30 PM

OK, now I have a new question in this department..
I have the trailer back at home for awhile, I am hooked up to the city water for probably the next several months.
What do you think is best? Leave my fresh water tank filled as it is with fresh water? I did my bleach clean about a month ago.
Or should I drain it all out and leave it dry while I am not using it?
Would it truly dry out since it is capped?
Or would it start a lovely green mold in there with the slightly damp atmosphere?

Carol

Gene · 09-03-2009, 07:39 PM

I'm guessing you don't have winter where you are, so you don't have to worry about freezing. I'd leave it full—keeps seals lubricated and feels like there's less chance of growing something (what did they tell you in nursing school about things like that?—not Airstreams, but potable water), then drain it every month or so, fill it again, maybe flush it once, then after several months, do the bleach thing of you have any doubts. Or, you could use it for showers, etc., while you camp in your driveway. then refill it when it gets low, so you have circulation in the tank. If I'm way out of reality, I'm sure a health care professional will let me know very quickly.

Gene

cclarkego · 09-03-2009, 09:12 PM

Winter, what is winter? It's been 103 degrees every single day for the last two and a half weeks and no word of any change coming soon. The air is hot. I am hot. The dogs and cats are hot. The AS has turned into the Silver Sauna. I spend the day trying to water vegetable gardens that are hot. Half the time I hold the sprinkler up over my head until I am drenched, then sit in the shade with my little battery powered spray bottle with a fan on it. Today I put on the big sprinklers in the back yard so my dogs and I could run through them....I no longer care what the neighbors think. Hot, hot, hot....

However, now that I got that off my chest, your ideas are good. Nursing school never addressed anything like this because we use little expensive bottles of sterilized water on everything. That is why all your doctor bills are so high.
This may make me get off my tush and clean out all the junk I have been piling up in the shower that I haven't figured out where to put since my move off the ranch.
Also with this hot weather, I think it would be a good idea to do the bleach clean a little more often. Germs love moist warm heated environments...

Oh Gene, what would I do without you? Always a friendly head to look over my shoulder and keep me out of trouble.........

Carol