drinking water

[David and Susan Bratt]

Being new to this whole adventure ...Do motorhome users carry drinking water separate from the water in fresh water tanks? Is that water not generally potable? I read references to adding bleach and such to clean out the tanks and of people being extremely careful with their water hoses. I would appreciate knowing what is the generally accepted practice.

[Bill Ruh]

Hi David and Susan,

Our drinking water comes from the fresh tank. I taste water before I fill, and have rejected a few sources, but most campground water has been fine. We do use food-grade water hoses (typically white), which are recommended when you're hooked up (they won't leach chemicals in the hot sun). I drain our fresh tank after every trip and can't remember the last time I needed to bleach.

I'd guess you'll see a variety of opinions (bottled water, filter users, regular bleachers, etc).

[Brent]

I get my drinking water from the tank. I'm careful about sources, use a designated hose, sterilize once or twice a year. Never have had a problem.

[Jim Hofmann]

Bill is right, you will get a lot of opinions. In our case we use a microlite filter that I installed under the sink and put in its own tap on the counter near the sink. We installed this same filter on oout 24'RB that we drove from the States to the tip of South America and back. We filled our water tank with water from dirty hoses at filling stations, and water from roadside springs. We have NEVER had any problem. I always carry a little water in the tank, and if I remember, I drain the tank once a year and give it a bleach treatment. The filter removes any trace of the bleach.

Jim

[Barbara & Ken]

We carry separate drinking water for a couple of reasons.

First of all, we do NOT trust the quality of water from the fresh water tank, even though we also do an annual bleaching treatment. We've had former trips ruined by unpleasant health problems, probably caused by different water sources.

Second, carrying separate drinking water augments our overall water supply and helps us go longer between water tank fill-ups.

We do not make a special purchase of drinking water. Instead, we simply fill gallon jugs with filtered water from home. Then we fill a countertop water dispenser from those jugs, and we have access to the drinking water from the dispenser tap. In our 24RB, we store the jugs (filled or empty) on the floor of the lower galley cabinet under the cooktop. To prevent problems from possible leaks, the jugs are placed in sets of two inside plastic shoe boxes.

This may not work for everyone, but it works very well for us.

[Trisha]

I do use and even cook with the water from my fresh water tank. However, I, too, buy cheap gallon jugs of water for things like making coffee, and especially for the bird. Pets might be even more susceptible to water changes than we are! I run anything in my potable tank through a filter (PUR) before I'd use it, if I don't use the jugs. Either way seems to work quite well.

My body does not adjust well to different waters. So to use the same water all the time (and unfortunately, the water from home tends to make me miserable on an ongoin g basis so I *NEVER* drink water from home! I usually drink either distilled or filtered (cheap) and the pricey small bottled waters when driving because they fit in the cupholder without spilling.

now if I could just figure out how NOT to catch colds....

trish

[knitheaven]

hi David & Susan,

We handle water similar to how Trisha stated. Use fresh water tank for cooking, etc. but we like to have bottled water on hand for the dog and for myself! Also if for some reason we are not comfortable with the fresh water, we have back up.

Good luck with your RVing adventures!

Dianne

[w5vthdonb]

David and Susan
We have never purchased bottled water. In all our RV we installed an Everpure Water Treatment system. This is attached to the cold water side of the kitchen sink only. You can purchase these in any RV store or camping world. Item #4140. On the input side when filling the fresh water tank or hooked up to water at a camp ground we conect our hoses to a charcold filter and sediment filter in series and you can purchase these in any harward store or Home Depot or Lowe's.
We have camped all over Canada, Mexico and most of the US. In the southern part of the US, places like Midland, Odessa, and the Valley of Texas is a lot of jip water like here in Childress Texas. These filter removed all taste, smell and sediment that may be in the water system.
Not to long ago on TV there was a program on bottled water. After all the test they asked the doctor doing the test where does he get his water and he replied from the water tap.
We have instlled a Evepure System in the house and use it for Ice and drinking water.
In all our RV's we never had a problem with the ice makers being filtered this way.
We dry camped a lot and always travelled with full fresh water tanks. Now we don't dry camp as much and only travel with half tanks. We flush our system when travelling at least once a month to keep the water fresh.
Yes we do use Bleach to clean out any bacteria before it forms.
Don USN ret
2002 RSB 26'
1987 Cabriolet Convertable Toad

[BornFree_n_Now]

We do it exactly the way Don stated, and although we actually do always carry some bottled water, we find ourselves filling up the first empty bottles on each trip with our tank water, since it tastes better :>) No accounting for individual taste though ~~

[Brent]

I guess I'm the odd person. I drink the water from the tank, cook with it, make ice, etc. I've done this across the county from this unit for years and no one has ever had a problem.

I am extremely careful about the source of water. I always use safe hoses and have a reasonable understanding of contamination and how it occurs. I treat (clean and sterilize) the tank about 2-4 times a year and have the water tested once a year. Based on conversations with testing lab techs, I'm not really taking much risk.
Brent