Travel with water tanks full???

[HoleInOne]

Originally Posted by Beeper

We haven’t had our MH for very long but we did have TT and 5th wheels. I like to fill them at home with our softened water. Better for showers and dishes IMO.

I have rigged up some valves on the plumbing in my house so I can switch from well water to soft water from my outside spigot. Always fill with soft water prior to departure.

[johnzuki]

If you are concerned with weight effect on mileage, you should travel with empty fuel tanks as well.

[ernest917]

Do the math - liquid = 8 lbs per gallon... 100 gals water = 800 lbs; 100 gals fuel = 800 lbs; plus what ever u might have in gray/black tanks....

That's AT LEAST 1,600+ lbs that go towards your total carrying capacity...

Obviously, you need the fuel sooooo do you actually need the 100 gals of H2O???? I favor carrying less water so I can carry more "stuff" but it all comes down to personal preference doesn't it....,

[StevenNSteph]

Originally Posted by ernest917

Do the math - liquid = 8 lbs per gallon... 100 gals water = 800 lbs; 100 gals fuel = 800 lbs,

Just FYI fuel does not weigh 8lbs per gallon. It's weight will vary with temperature (specific gravity). The average weight of fuels used in RV's are

Diesel 6.75 lbs per gallon
Gasoline 6.00 lbs per gallon

However I do agree with your sentiment. Carrying excess weight (water) doesn't make a lot of sense. With moderate use 2 people should be able to get 2-3 days out of 1/4 tank of water. If you really conserve you probably can go 4-5 days.

[jdoran1973]

Welcome. We are another member of the 1/2 tank club. Gives us plenty of water in case we have a breakdown or unscheduled stop and we don't have too worry too much about weight either. Ours was an old gasser so we didn't have a lot of cargo capacity to spare.

[Nuts]

We generally travel with 1/4 or 1/3 tank of fresh water for use while traveling. We use this for hand washing and flushing, usually don't use facilities at rest stops.

The question I have is with my New to Me 2008 Bounder. On the maiden voyage last week, we hooked up at one RV park. This filled the fresh water tank, even though the valve was in the by pass passion ? Never had that problem with the Allegro we had prior ?

Bill

[vsheetz]

We usually keep water tanks pretty full. The coach is our lifeboat in case of evacuation because of SoCal wildfires, etc. so it kept at the ready and self contained.

[ChasA]

We travel with full fresh water, empty black and gray, and never less than half a tank of diesel. Spend 8 days broke-down in a repair shop without facilities and you'd do the same.

[Chuck 1935]

I am a proponent of keeping a greater percentage of the weight down low. It makes for a much more stable vehicle. The additional weight of the water helps and has little to no affect on fuel mileage . If anyone goes from point A to point B with any empty water tank and were to check their fuel mileage. Then do it again with a full tank. I doubt you would see any change .

[pumper9x9]

We full time and have a 100 gallon tank. We only hook to the water at the parks to fill the tank. I was using the park water for awhile then got to thinking about how often I'd have to sanitize the tank if I let water sit in it too long. We have found that we can stay out and boondock for up to 2 weeks and still have 10-15 gallons of water left. I also don't dump the waste tanks until they hit at least the 1/2 full mark. The minimum amount of water I'll go down the road with is 1/4 tank and waste tanks at 3/4. But only if I'm going a short distance and know that there is a dump and fill station at destination.

[Brockx]

I carry about 1/4 tank for flushing etc.. We don't use the tank water or CG water for consumption, although we do use it for coffee and dish-washing (through a good carbon filter). We carry bottled water for drinking.

[Retired and Happy]

We leave home with a full water tank, just in case. We use park water as much as possible, although my fill valve is leaking internally so it fills the water tank as well as suplying water into the MH. Every few days we shut off the park supply and use the tank water to drain it down. Come to think of it, that might be a good project to look into today.

To the poster who became a restroom for others stranded in traffic. Is this a normal thing for people to do? I have often wondered what I would do in that case. Let them in or not? but I would normally be prepared for such an event with a full fresh tank and nearly empty black and gray.

[Steve N Sal]

We generally travel with 20 gallons on board. Use it basically for the toilet. There is water at every destination when we arrive. No sense in carrying the extra weight. We always use bottled water for drinking. JMHO

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by Rookie RVer

Hey folks, see my name is "Rookie" so here goes. when traveling from site to site do you guys travel with water in the tank or wait until you arrive and use the hook ups? It seems to me that the beauty of a Class A is to be able to stop at a site, set up and spend the night without worrying about hook ups. So, full tanks or not? That is my question today. Thanks!@!

I keep my freshwater tank full all the time. Never know when we would want to camp at Wal-Mart for a night or two and need water for showers, etc.