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drew05 · 03-05-2017, 08:46 AM

A few years ago I picked up some 15/20 gallon food grade plastic barrels. They were ~$10 ea used. They came with caps, so all I needed to add was a spigot and hose. From the truck bed I was able to fill my fresh tank by gravity.

Minno · 03-05-2017, 08:59 AM

It would be a very good idea to sanitize any vessel you are using to fill your water tank every spring. We use the jerry cans, and sanitize with a couple of tablespoons of bleach, fill with water, let sit for a couple of hours, empty, and then fill with baking soda water for a little while to take bleach taste away.
We fill at campgrounds all the time, and have never been sick.

Kay

R2DTube · 03-05-2017, 10:54 AM

We use a couple of Reliance Aquatainer 7-gallon water containers, and a shaker siphon. Sometimes the shaker siphon is called a safety siphon. They're on Amazon for around $10. The way we do it is first we set one Aquatainer on it's side on a small folding table next to the water inlet, up high enough to get the whole set-up higher than the level of the water inlet. Then an Aquatainer full of water sits on top of that, and then we use the siphon to feed the water into the tank. It couldn't be easier. The safety siphon is really easy to use. You just stick it into the full container and then give it a few good shakes to start the water flow. One trick I learned from TBRich is to use a small folding luggage cart to wheel around the full water containers, which is much easier than carrying them by hand. They get heavy when they're full!

Mollysdad · 03-05-2017, 11:30 AM

Back in my boat days, I learned there was a code for containers. Water jugs were clear/white translucent. Gas red, diesel was yellow, kerosene was blue. That way you never mixed accidentally.

1973Argosy · 03-05-2017, 12:08 PM

I use 15GAL food grade containers and a hose to siphon it from the back of my suv into my water tank inlet. You can generally find the containers for sale on Craigslist. I have three of them but only carry two since my freshwater tank is 30 gallons. I have gotten freshwater from rest areas, fuel stations, restaurants that I frequent, my favorite was from a friendly local that even offered up a spot for me to stay behind his barn over looking a lake. We don't drink water from the holding tank but if there is any question if the water is potable I'll pass everytime.

dcasr · 03-05-2017, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoscoMN

...We had been lugging a big blue 5 gallon water jug and gently lifting its 30 lbs onto the top of the propane tanks. Used a potable water safe PVC hose to gravity drain it into fresh water tank....]

__________

I think a gallon of water weighs about 8.34 lbs. Your big blue 5 gallon jug would weight nearly 42 lbs filled, not 30.

We have a 30 gallon HD plastic barrel with a top and a spigot at the bottom. I put it in the pickup bed, near (NOT ON) the tailgate of the pickup and use a water thief and hose to fill it in the campground, then drive carefully to the campsite. My pickup bed is higher than the AS water inlet, so I run a hose from the spigot down into the AS water inlet, and soon I have 30 gallons of fresh water, gravity flow. My AS fresh water tank holds 50 gallons, so if I have let it get seriously low, it may take two trips to the water supply to completely fill it. We have a blue boy for catching the grey water. Park Service water nozzles come in several sizes so have several, and clamps are a necessity.

Seemore2006 · 03-05-2017, 04:07 PM

Wal-Mart Ozark Trail 6 Gallin Water Jug SKU 60823 85804 - best to order Walmart.com and pick up at your local store. I think they are about $ 13.00

They don't always have them in stock at store as they are seasonal.

They have nice spout as previously mentioned - check that spout is included i.e not missing from container before you leave store - mine was missing.

Store much nicer and compact than many other jugs and bottles and are boa free.

Silver Hawk · 03-05-2017, 04:49 PM

Filling a 45 gallon fresh water tank with 9, 37 lb. (including container) 5 gallon water bottles just didn't work for me -I go traveling to relax, not work.

First tried a bladder in the back of TV, but by the time I got around to needing it the water had a plastic taste - wife wouldn't use it. And yes, food grade bottles do give water a plastic taste.

So I bought a new, flat Aluminum 45 gallon gas tank and put in the back of the bed of my TV and have fresh, good tasting water that's easy to transfer to trailer by gravity. It only takes about 4" of the bed floor and has a very low center of gravity so I don't even know its there. And it has baffles in it so I can load anything on top of it. And I can easily go get more water if I need it.

i2oadRunnei2 · 03-05-2017, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Hawk

So I bought a new, flat Aluminum 45 gallon gas tank and put in the back of the bed of my TV and have fresh, good tasting water that's easy to transfer to trailer by gravity. It only takes about 4" of the bed floor and has a very low center of gravity so I don't even know its there. And it has baffles in it so I can load anything on top of it. And I can easily go get more water if I need it.

I'm interested, care to provide a link or more info please?

Mattirs · 03-05-2017, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RxGuy

Has anyone used a Water Bandit? Just curious how well they work.

http://www.camco.net/product/water-bandit-10075/

Just used mine for the first time the other day and it worked very well. I would put a clamp on it to hold the the threaded portion to the rubber portion. If you don't have a clamp on it you will need to press the metal threaded portion tightly against the rubber to keep it from spraying everywhere.

Thanks,
Matti

gecko · 03-06-2017, 07:46 AM

Because our TV is used as a windsurfing van and we access equipment and also change in and out if wetsuits inside, we don't like extraneous "stuff" that we're climbing over.

Our solution is a combo of one 2.5 gallon hard sided plastic jug (easiest to use and one fits nicely into the back of our rear bedroom wardrobes in our International 28 when not in use) and six 2 gallon collapsible containers with a "custom" pour spout that consists of a piece of clear flexible tube that has the matching OD to the collapsible bottles' fill openings' ID. We then found a tapered spout that fit snugly in the end of the flexible tube and have screwed/jammed them together into one piece for convenience. Found both at Ace Hardware.

As we fill our fresh tank and empty our gray and black prior to entering dry camping area, we fill the hard tank and the six soft ones and carry them in ion the floor of the van. Together they hold 6 x 2= 12 gal plus the 2.5 from the hard van ='s 14.5. No individual container weighs more than about 20 lbs, so easy enough to handle.

When we site the Airstream, we remove the water vessels and place them under the AS right by the water fill. Once we use 1/2 of the fresh, we spend 1/2 hour emptying the 14.5 gallons into the fresh, or I may do a little bit every other morning, instead.

I believe each of our three tanks is 37-38 gallons, so this gives us about 52 gallons of fresh to spread over the other two tanks. We can comfortably go 10 days this way, even washing dishes inside and showering inside to remove salt water. We could go longer with outside washing, paper plates, and outside showering, and then would bring in more water in more containers, but decided that this is plenty for our lifestyle and we're boondocking "glam." We also have the option when leaving the area (groceries or going to a different site fir sailing that day) of refilling the containers, but typically that's about the right amount if extra water if we're dishwashing and showering inside before the grey tank fills.

When not using the tanks, the collapsible vessels mold nicely into the awkward, narrow section of the back of our one wardrobe with the hard sided can on top of them and/or just in front. This still leaves plenty of clothes storage in front of the deflated vessels. We keep our collapsible clothes hamper and workout roller and resistance bands there, too.

banderabob · 03-06-2017, 03:40 PM

Whatever you put in the freshwater tank ultimately ends up in the grey or black, so what do you do when those fill up? If you have to go somewhere to dump, you can likely refill your freshwater tank at the same time. Start with ways to conserve. I filled my 20 gal fresh tank when I left home 14 days ago. I still have 10 gallons. I buy bottled water for drinking, I dirty no more than one pan or pot and one plate (or use paper and throw it away), and really use on-board water for flushing. Showers? Sponge baths work unless you're really stinky. Of course, you could set up a free standing outdoor shower as well. I have used restrooms/showers in state parks the past two weeks. BTW, we purchased one of those 40 gal water bladders, have never used it, would be too onerous when full!

Gearheart · 03-07-2017, 07:49 AM

Instead of filling a sink to do dishes use a spritz bottle with a bit of soap in the water. Spray on and wipe off with paper towel. 2 cups of water can clean all of your dishes.
Reducing waste is preferable to increasing capacity.

Trailbob · 03-09-2017, 06:41 AM

Scepter military water cans. Used with the water bandit and a short length of white rv water hose to fill the water tank. They are pricey, but very heavy duty and the only ones we found would survive hunting camps year after year.

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/s...8-YaAk6H8P8HAQ

mefly2 · 03-14-2017, 11:30 AM

We prefer the hard sided water "jugs" after the seams failed on several collapsibles. We especially like the Rotapax because of the handles and rectangular shapes which allow for easier storage ... also they have dedicated storage mounts. I had great luck with them not giving up while bouncing around in a truck full of LE gear driven over a variety of speeds and road surfaces.

GettinAway · 03-14-2017, 01:10 PM

We use hard sided 6 gal jugs. I sit them in the bed of the truck. Fill them with the hose. Then tilt them into the fresh water tank to empty. We are getting better at using less and less water. One week is easy. No need to add or empty. Longer than that, I don't know.

powerwiz · 03-15-2017, 01:42 AM

This is a expensive product but I love the Lifesaver water filter products. This is there 5 gallon jerrycan. If you do any reading Lifesaver is a top notch product it filters out every known virus with Polio being the smallest known one and it does that. Good for 20,000 liters.

Whats cool is has a hose with sprayer so you can do outdoor washing. Ive filled this thing up with pond water, river water, lake water and it comes out cleaner then any water you can buy.

They also sell a hand held bottle version that does 4000 litters.

https://www.amazon.com/LIFESAVER-Exp...saver+jerrycan

Mollysdad · 03-15-2017, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powerwiz

Ive filled this thing up with pond water, river water, lake water and it comes out cleaner then any water you can buy.

Doesn't that mean that all the stuff taken out is now stuck in the filter?

The problem with any filter is that they need replacing much more often than most people are willing to do, and they're expensive.

powerwiz · 03-15-2017, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Doesn't that mean that all the stuff taken out is now stuck in the filter?

The problem with any filter is that they need replacing much more often than most people are willing to do, and they're expensive.

Yes you shake it out. Well that is a issue with any filter your right but that filters out 20,000 liters of water before it requires replacement. I bought it because I'm a prepper and you can go at most 3-4 days without water.

gypsydad · 03-17-2017, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powerwiz

Yes you shake it out. Well that is a issue with any filter your right but that filters out 20,000 liters of water before it requires replacement. I bought it because I'm a prepper and you can go at most 3-4 days without water.

Wow! $245 for a 5 gal. water container and the filters run $41.00 for a 4 pack? This is some serious "filtration" for a water container!

I guess for some folks, you can not be too safe and money is no object?

Can you imagine getting 4 of these puppies and use to fill your AS tank? That's almost a down payment on an AS! Think how much bottled water that would buy at Costco!