Refilling water?

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Might want to check LAWS about dumping grey water.
Illegal in many states to do so....


No black tank so no toilet?
Hummmmmmmmmm

Dumping grey water on the ground has been illegal since around 1970 in Oregon.

[Reed Cundiff]

Bye the way

We spent six weeks in Labrador/Newfoundland and primarily boondocked using overlander.com. Our Roadtrek has limited water storage and we carried an additional five gallon jerrycan. As noted above, we use our spare water pump to fill freshwater. We filled water at museums and tourist bureaus, which allowed us to overnight, use their Wi-Fi, and electricity had we wished. Filled up at fire station on Fogo Island. Not to many RVs on Fogo or Change Island.
Most municipalities had dump stations. Most had rec centers where one could shower for free

People using questionable hoses is why many government water points do not have threaded faucets.
Reed and Elaine

[Offfishn]

Originally Posted by dix39

When filling from a potable water hose connector that is anywhere near the dump station I am always directed by DW to wash the connection with dish soap before using it. This is also true for most potable fresh water connectors, but especially near a dump station.

We use a lot of plastic eating utensils, paper plates, bowls, etc. which saves the water (and time) that would be used washing dishes. Occasionally there is a cooking utensil that has to be washed, but that's about it.

Steve

Yep, Plastic and Paper and I use spray bleach (I think it's Clorox Cleaner w/bleach I buy) to clean the handle and area where I connect the hose and toss the paper towel in the trash.

[Offfishn]

I stopped at a Michigan State Park today and I asked the Park Officer about "gray water" dumping.
His reply was "Yea if you want a 150$ ticket", he said that "gray water is more than just water with food particles, grease and who knows what cleaners."
He did say that outdoor showers are "acceptable, as most people don't clean themselves with Lye anymore" and that they recommend "Ivory" soap.
He also said they hand out tickets to people dumping "black or gray tanks" into the privies or flush toilets.
He said tent campers (Not RVers) gray water and dumping porta-potties was OK in both of those and that even with a "free" dumping station at that park, they still get people who do the above and they are ticketed.

[okmunky]

Water that goes thru your drains and into a holding tank quickly becomes black water due to bacterial contamination in the tank. Outdoor showers and dishpan water are true "gray" water because they haven’t been stored and allowed to ferment.

Tent campers and backpackers are allowed to dig 6” deep holes for fecal waste on federal lands, but it's a matter of volume and necessity.

[UTTransplant]

Originally Posted by okmunky

Tent campers and backpackers are allowed to dig 6” deep holes for fecal waste on federal lands, but it's a matter of volume and necessity.

Depends on the federal area. Some places are strictly carry in/carry out for ALL waste. That means a porta potty or Wag bags mostly. Does that mean that everybody does it? No, but that doesn’t mean you should plan on violating the guidelines. Of course, most of the places I have encountered this rule are unsuitable for the vast majority of RVs though regular vans can get in them. Note we were tent campers for many years, and we just gave up on wilderness camping in the last couple of years. The sites with complete pack in/pack out rules were generally at the beginning of trails.

[Smitty77]

OP - Other's have mentioned water sources for you. Not clear if you travel with a toad or not, if so, having a few 'Collapsible Water' jugs is a great way of finding water as you're out and about. Many have a extension that you can screw onto them, to do a gravity empty into your main tank.

My policy at rest areas and others that provide dumping, is if the water spigot is next to the dump, I don't use it. If it's one that's up a bit forward from the dump areas, I use it, unless it is marked 'non potable'. And when in doubt I asked for confirmation, and if no one knows for sure, I move on. (And we an arsenal of filtration depending upon usage of the water, and even with these, I will not chance water that is not confirmed to be potable. Just how I roll!).

I also carry a small spray bottle with a mix of bleach in it, and spray all hose bib attachments before attaching my own hose for filling. (Removing one if needed, to do so.) YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT SOME CLOWN DID WITH THAT HOSE...

Have some good trips, and a blast,
Smitty

[dix39]

Originally Posted by Smitty77

OP - Other's have mentioned water sources for you. Not clear if you travel with a toad or not, if so, having a few 'Collapsible Water' jugs is a great way of finding water as you're out and about. Many have a extension that you can screw onto them, to do a gravity empty into your main tank.

My policy at rest areas and others that provide dumping, is if the water spigot is next to the dump, I don't use it. If it's one that's up a bit forward from the dump areas, I use it, unless it is marked 'non potable'. And when in doubt I asked for confirmation, and if no one knows for sure, I move on. (And we an arsenal of filtration depending upon usage of the water, and even with these, I will not chance water that is not confirmed to be potable. Just how I roll!).

I also carry a small spray bottle with a mix of bleach in it, and spray all hose bib attachments before attaching my own hose for filling. (Removing one if needed, to do so.) YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT SOME CLOWN DID WITH THAT HOSE...

Have some good trips, and a blast,
Smitty

Great post!!

I had forgotten about the folding water containers. We used those in our boat for years with the mentioned extension. It was a "minimal camper" with ice box and alcohol stove, and limited space. They worked great.

Steve

[okmunky]

Speaking of potable and non potable water. I was chatting with a BLM maintenance guy last winter about the water. He said the only thing that made the water at the dump station "non potable" was it's proximity to the dump. It and the water 500’ away at the water station came out of the same pipe.

That made me feel a lot better about splashing it on myself while rinsing.

[ByeTheWay]

Originally Posted by Reed Cundiff

Bye the way


People using questionable hoses is why many government water points do not have threaded faucets.
Reed and Elaine

I don't understand this comment? Please explain.

[ByeTheWay]

Originally Posted by okmunky

Speaking of potable and non potable water. I was chatting with a BLM maintenance guy last winter about the water. He said the only thing that made the water at the dump station "non potable" was it's proximity to the dump. It and the water 500’ away at the water station came out of the same pipe.

So a full hook up campsite in an RV park should be avoided too? As the dump is right beside the fresh water source.

[Offfishn]

Originally Posted by ByeTheWay

So a full hook up campsite in an RV park should be avoided too? As the dump is right beside the fresh water source.

.
Good place to use the Clorox spray with bleach AND the Clorox wipes to clean inside the water source outlet, the threads, then the handle.
Some people do stupid things and use their wrong hose (if they have different hoses), make a mistake at night hooking up, don't realize the issues, you just don't know.
Clean water hookup 1st, then black(gray in my case), then clean YOU!
Also a box of vinyl gloves at Harbor Freight is 5$ for 100, I prefer the vinyl over the fragile latex gloves.
I'm not real fond of hospitals/doctors offices or their bills, or cutting traveling short due to illness.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by okmunky

Speaking of potable and non potable water. I was chatting with a BLM maintenance guy last winter about the water. He said the only thing that made the water at the dump station "non potable" was it's proximity to the dump. It and the water 500’ away at the water station came out of the same pipe.

That made me feel a lot better about splashing it on myself while rinsing.

Don't rely on this statement all over because many places have recycled water at the dump area and safe water beyond the station.

Full-hookup areas can be real nasty. When folks leave some don't care about the next person using the site. As volunteers we've seen black water spills not cleaned up; folks putting their sewer hose around the fresh water spigot to rinse the hose and hoses laying on the picnic table to drain & dry.

Another thing we hate to see are dogs or other pets laying on the picnic table and especially using it as a place to scoot!

By the way, there's no need to rinse a sewer hose if you drain the grey water after the black. That would be suitable rinsing of any toilet paper or particles. You'll never disinfect the sewer hose.

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by ByeTheWay

So a full hook up campsite in an RV park should be avoided too? As the dump is right beside the fresh water source.

In the case I was referring to it was a matter of many people using the multi hole dump station and the fact that there is no way to put your clean drinking water hose onto that water faucet that is up in the air on a springy spigot thing. At individual campsites you have control over where you connect.

I'm very careful with my potable water hoses. The garden hose that I use for the gray tank is a totally different type of hose and is stored in the sewer bay. Drinking water hoses are in another bay and always connected end to end so they stay cleaner.