Community Forums

harryn · 09-16-2016, 10:45 AM

Hi, 10 years ago my daughter got sick from drinking water at a CA state park. As you can imagine, this increased our sensitivity to the subject of drinking water quite a bit.

A couple of questions:
1) Do people routinely drink the water in their fresh water tanks, or mostly drink bottled water and use the fresh water tank water for bathing?

2) How do you keep it from going bad? The city treatments with chlorine, etc don't last forever, maybe 1 week, especially in hot weather.

3) Do you add anything to the fresh water tank to keep bacteria from growing?

4) Does it make sense to use swimming pool type chlorine tablets in the fresh water tank if it will only be used for bathing?

Thanks

Harry

twogypsies · 09-16-2016, 11:13 AM

In 16 years of full-timing we've always drank our water from the fresh water tank. However, we do filter it going into the tank and we had a filter at the kitchen faucet for taste. We never added chlorine to the tank but being full-timers, we used the water constantly so it was always fresh.

Just wondering....did others get sick from the CA park water or just your daughter? Public facilities have their water tested constantly.

Here's an excellent resource for RV water filters of all kinds and if you have questions on what to buy for your needs give them a call. They are extremely helpful.

http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/

BillJinOR · 09-16-2016, 11:21 AM

Always have drank from the water tank. Never been sick from it. In many cases the tank has sat for months, between uses I do sanitize the tank every couple years with bleach then drain and flush with clear water. Water is filtered before brought onboard.not sure what I'll do now that we are fulltime.

sdennislee · 09-16-2016, 11:24 AM

Drink from our FW tank all the time.

I sanitize it once a year with chlorine. I'm not 100% convinced it's necessary but makes DW feel better.

We have a whole house water filter that I change out annually.

Never had water go bad.

I do you use bottled water for making coffee, only because I'm down to one cup a day and I don't want to risk my only cup tasting bad, superstition mostly.

1bigmess · 09-16-2016, 11:26 AM

Good clean water in, good clean water out.

CJ7365 · 09-16-2016, 11:30 AM

Wow, think I have heard it all, swimming pool tablets in your fresh water tank.

Come on a swimming pool is thousands of gallons v.s. Your 100 gallon tank.

No dont add swimming pool tablets

okcnewbie · 09-16-2016, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harryn

4) Does it make sense to use swimming pool type chlorine tablets in the fresh water tank if it will only be used for bathing?

No. Swimming pool chlorine is just overpriced chlorine with stabilizer. Just use regular/unscented bleach. ( This is also what I use in my inground swimming pool )

Healeyman · 09-16-2016, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harryn

Harry, We are in our 3rd Class C in 14 years. We have been in all the lower 48 and most of Canada.

A couple of questions:
1) Do people routinely drink the water in their fresh water tanks, or mostly drink bottled water and use the fresh water tank water for bathing?

We drink Bottled water and use the tank water for bathing.

2) How do you keep it from going bad? The city treatments with chlorine, etc don't last forever, maybe 1 week, especially in hot weather.

We rarely hook up to park water and use mostly tank water, filling when near empty, usually every 3 days. On both of our last Class Cs, I relocated the fresh water drain from under the bed to the outside rear skirt (below the power cubby). I drain the fresh tank after every trip.

3) Do you add anything to the fresh water tank to keep bacteria from growing?

I sanitize the fresh tank a couple of times each year using 1/2 cup of bleach to 50 gallons of water (800:1 ratio).

4) Does it make sense to use swimming pool type chlorine tablets in the fresh water tank if it will only be used for bathing?

I would not while under way. Just keep the tank water fresh and drain when back home.

By the way, we almost never hook up to park sewer, emptying when near full, usually every week or so.

Tim

OLYLEN · 09-16-2016, 02:19 PM

Using water from a winterized system we drink from the tank. Once we hook to any other source we go to bottled or gallon jug water. Never been sick and hope not to, but do rinse tooth brush, OH well blame it on the GIN.

LEN

Mr_D · 09-16-2016, 02:39 PM

Never do anything else that drinking the water from the tank! Have done that since I started RV'ing in 1957 and have never noticed being sick from doing that.

Ray,IN · 09-16-2016, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLYLEN

Using water from a winterized system we drink from the tank. Once we hook to any other source we go to bottled or gallon jug water. Never been sick and hope not to, but do rinse tooth brush, OH well blame it on the GIN.

LEN

You drink from a winterized tank?

vsheetz · 09-16-2016, 02:56 PM

We use bottled water for cooking and drinking. We sanitize the fresh water tank a couple times a year - and add no chemical on a ongoing basis. We have a whole house water filter.

TonyMac · 09-16-2016, 02:58 PM

I always drink from the tank, and make my tank drinkable. I have one filter after the inlet hose, and another under the sink for the drinking dispenser. Bottled water is an economical and environmental waste of the highest degree.

MtCamper · 09-16-2016, 04:23 PM

We find water quality varies greatly from place to place so we use only bottled water for drinking and cooking. A gallon lasts us about a day and we don't think $30/month is too much for good coffee and tea. Sanitize the on board tank a couple times a year just in case we have to fall back on it. We arrived in Death Valley short of bottled last year. The C-store there charged more for water than for gas and gas was $6.00/gallon.