Have you set off on some exciting journey or are you getting ready to go?
Your RV needs to be prepared for great mileage, so you have to take it to the mechanic to fill the tank and go on a trip, right?
You are wrong because you forgot about one important thing and that’s water.
One of the most important things to do is fill up the RV with fresh water.
This water will be needed for everything from drinking and preparing food in the kitchen to bathing, and the toilet.
In this post, you’ll discover how to fill your traveling house with fresh water that you will need for your safe journey.
What you should know…
In general, there are two ways to fill up a van:
- Filling through a city water pipeline that works according to the principle of gravity.
- Fill with a special pump you already have when you buy an RV or buy it later.
The good thing is that most vehicles have installed connectors both for city water and for the pump. Look for connections on your RV.
Connections should be installed on the water tank itself, which is in most cases visible.
If you cannot find it, look under the van, these are the only places where tanks are installed when camping vehicles are produced.
By purpose, they are divided into white, gray, and black tanks. Black tanks are tanks in which water and fecal waste are deposited, best suited for use in camping vehicles.
Gray tanks serve exclusively for the storage of wastewater (shower, washing, etc.).
While the so-called white tanks serve exclusively for the storage of fresh water, the so-called technical water, although many people use that water and drink, of course, with a certain chemical treatment, or they fill it with fresh clean water from a tap at their home.
The types of tanks do not affect the difference in production, i.e. all are made of polypropylene (plastics) and are very light, solid, and weatherproof.
White and gray tanks are the same but still different because those mounted outside have a different mix of polypropylene and even wall thickness to resist weather and other influences.
Also, the basic difference is the difference in dimensions because the white tanks provided for the assembly of the vehicle’s interior have a maximum dimension.
So much about the differences between the tanks themselves, but every major difference is in the application by type of vehicle.
As a rule, all tanks have a circular central lid on the screw for cleaning (18-22 mm in diameter), and on certain tanks, there are sprays for inlet-out connection with the hoses
What is common in all water tanks is assembly equipment, primarily of hoses, bends, connectors, throats, G and T fittings, drainpipes, and the other parts.
For fillers mounted on station cars, hosesf40 diameter is used, while hoses and pipes f25 are used to connect more tanks or the sewage system, the feeding and overflow hoses are in principle f 8-10-12, are already adapted to these measures.
As a rule, this applies to already made a model of factories that manufacture camper vehicles.
Of course, there are variations on the water tanks, so often they are used, water canisters (regularly tied), then various buckets or similar containers. This is possible if they can be safely installed.
Keep it safe
There are some principles that we must adhere to to ensure that water filling is safe and by sanitary rules.
Use a clean hose
Using a clean hose is one of these conditions.
Do not use hoses that you use, for example, for watering the flowers or washing the car, because such hoses are not clean because they always remain some dirt or they contain algae for constant humidity.
If it’s possible to always use a new hose or if you have a hose that you already used, be sure to wash and disinfect it.
Use water filter
In addition to a clean hose, we can do something to ensure freshwater in the tank. We can use a water filter.
The water filter is a good addition because even if the water from the city waterworks is a clean water filter it will certainly remove all the dirt that is accidentally found in the hose as well as chemicals and bacteria.
The filter can be upgraded to the hose itself or the tank.
Clean the tank
Another way to provide clean water is to disinfect the tank. This is mostly done when the water is filled through the pump option but disinfection can be done even before the freshwater is filled.
Before filling you can use some of the disinfectants that you can buy at any pharmacy. Just follow the dosing instructions and your tank will be clean as a whistle.
When is the tank full?
When we start charging with water, we must know when it is enough. The latest RV models have a water level reader on the tank.
If you do not have a newer model with a reader, there is another way.
Below the RV there is a small hose that, when you fill up to the top, tan starts to leak with water.
He wants to point to the tank as well as to help relieve pressure in the tank.
Additional tips
Water is a precious resource. Plus, water comes out of one tank and usually goes into another, which then has to be dumped. So, we learned very quickly to conserve.
Here are some helpful tips collected from the experience of other campers:
- You could carry a jug for extra freshwater- usually, you can filter this water for drinking if the one in the tank is technical.
- You should use bottled water. Though not super environmentally friendly, it’s a great way to supplement tank water. We usually have a case in the trailer, a case in the trunk, and a couple of gallons for an emergency.
- You can collect shower water and use it to flush the toilet. This reuses water and conserves power by not having to run the water pump.
- Heat kitchen water in a pot/tea kettle instead of using the water heater. This conserves water and propane.
- Measure water whenever you can. Half cup for a cup of coffee, ½ cup for a bowl of oatmeal, etc.
- Hand sanitizer is your friend for keeping hands clean.
- Dog wipes are great for freshening up your pup between baths if you have a furry friend companion on your trip.
- When doing dishes, we only let the water drizzle out of the tap. You can get a lot more use than you might think out of just a little bit of water.
- We shower quickly and as infrequently as we can get away with (2-4 days). To conserve as much water as possible during the shower, you should turn off the water any time we’re not directly using it. This means the water stays off during all shampooing and lathering. Takes a little getting used to, but it helps your water last as long as possible.
Have a safe trip
In addition to home water charging, you can, in the event of an emergency, charge water at pumps all over the world with so-called sanitary stations.
So before traveling we appeal to you to check on the map where these stations are located so as not to get in the situation to stay without our most precious source of life.
