How to fill a fresh water tank while boondocking

[wayne-43]

I heard from one posts about a 12v pump. I'm not familiar with any and I was of the opinion that the maker of this 5rv should provide a method to do this. Am I wrong?? Wayne-43

[jimcumminsw]

Most 5er have an outside connection that is gravity feed to fill the fresh water tank. This can be done ahead of time at your house or at a dump station that has a potable water filling station.
The camper usually has a 12V DC water pump. This can be engaged to provide water to the spigots in the camper. These are usually on demand pumps, that when the spigot is activated this will than pump the water from the fresh water tank to the spigot.
Jim W.

[alvinc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayne-43 I heard from one posts about a 12v pump. I'm not familiar with any and I was of the opinion that the maker of this 5rv should provide a method to do this. Am I wrong?? Wayne-43

When city water is available, two methods of filling the fresh water tank are used.

1. Hook the hose to the fresh water inlet and use a bypass valve to fill the fresh water tank. NOTE: not all units provide this.
2. Put the head of the hose into the fresh water fill receptacle.

The issue morphs when you want to do this while dry camping. First you need someplace to store the water as you move it from the water source to your RV. This can be via water bottles (5 gallon or larger), a 55 gallon plastic or metal drum, or a flexible water bag. The choice is driven by the type of vehicle you have and the distance to travel to get to the water source.

Since you have a 5th wheel, you would use the pickup and a large rigid or flexible tank (bladder), which would be filled from a pressurized hose at the water source. Then becomes the challenge of transferring the water from the transportation tank to the 5th wheel. Sometimes you can do it with gravity, but this is often slow and depends on the height of the source tank and your 5th wheel water tank. The efficient way to do it is to use a 12v water transfer pump (one rated for fresh water) to move the water into the fresh water fill receptacle. If you get one capable of 200-300 gph (gallons per hour) to can usually fill your fresh water tank in under 30 minutes. Make sure to get a potable water pump.

This link shows a bladder (New World Mfg - Portable RV Fresh Water Tank: 45 Gallon - Pumps & Tanks - Camping World) positioned on the top of the vehicle in order to use gravity transfer. Water Storage Tanks | Plastic Water Tanks | - Go-To-Tanks is also a resource. Note they also carry Gray water tanks as well.

Keep in mind that whatever you bring in as fresh water, has to go into the gray and black holding tanks, and you need a plan to handle them as well.

[Alleyman]

To refill our Motothome with fresh water I use a 45 gal. "water bladder" (from Camper World). I have an extra 12Volt shurflo pump that I connect to my Explorer batteries and pump the bladder into the MH. The bladder fits in the rear of the Explorer or in the bed of a pickup. It will weigh about 350 lbs when full, so be careful wher you haul it. Works for us for the past 3 yrs. Good luck.

[bluck]

I mounted a 12v outlet by my water inlet Plug in a regular 12v rv water pump. I use 6 15 gal. drums for spare water carried in the back of the truck. I have on/off valves on each drum that has a regular garden hose female end. I have used it to fill my tank from 60 ft. away. On a long run it takes longer to gravity fill the garden hose to the pump than pump the water into the trailer once it gets to the pump.

[Ray,IN]

A 12V water pump from Harbor Freight works well for me. It is half the cost of an RV water pump, SST head, and pumps 200 GPH if needed. The water bladder is best for space-saving, but I use a plastic 35G drum for those seldom times we boondock for longer than a week.

[Mike_B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray,IN A 12V water pump from Harbor Freight works well for me. It is half the cost of an RV water pump, SST head, and pumps 200 GPH if needed. The water bladder is best for space-saving, but I use a plastic 35G drum for those seldom times we boondock for longer than a week.

Used just this setup during my antelope hunt. Camped next to the creek and used the pump and garden hoses to suck water from the creek and pump it 70 feet to the water fill on my 5er. Powered the pump with my trucks batteries.

Mike B

[ralper]

My fresh water tank had a drain pipe. I installed a hose faucet on the drain pipe and fill by gravity from my 45 gallon bladder that sits on top of the tool box behind the truck cab. It takes a while to drain the bladder but I am not in a hurry.