hobby2011 Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Hi to you all. We are newbies to this motorhoming lark!! Just arrived back from our first fabulous week away and learned an awful lot in that time about our new acquisition. However, would like some advice on whether it is OK to keep some water in the tank in between trips, so that if we decide to go out just for the day we have water available, or is it better to completely empty the tank. This of course means re-priming the system when we do go away. Obviously, it would be easier to just leave some in but I realise that the water would have to be boiled before using and it would add more weight to the MH if using it for in between day trips. Although we wouldn't completely fill the tank. Would be grateful to hear what you all do. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 We always travel with some water in our tank, less than quarter full just to save having to prime the system every time we move. Naturally we drain the system completely at the end of the season. The tank you do need to empty every time is the waste tank as on some motorhomes the water can back up into the shower. If we do have to travel in very strong side winds we carry more water to add to stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Don't forget to empty the loo cassette as well............Unlike me who for the first time ever forgot to do when we got back from France:$ I got a bit of a shock 4 weeks later on a site near Woodbridge(lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 When we got our first van,I was quite obsessional about draining down and rinsing through etc.. ..and I was finding that after a weekend away,I'd be draining everything down,fresh tank,boiler and rinsing everything through on the Sunday..only to be filling and priming everything again on the Thursday night,ready to be off again after work on the friday! *-) So now,I tend not to drain the water heater everytime(..although obviously I will as the weather "cools"),nor do I empty the system by "running it dry" everytime..although I do still tend to dump what's left in the tank... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 A lot depends on the following.......a) how often you use your van. If, like us you barely get back from one trip before planning, or just leaving for, the next one then I wouldn't bother to drain the tank. Similarly, don't bother to top up if you know you are visiting a site with water available. I know have a small sticker on the dash telling me to fill up prior to setting up.b) the time of year. As posted above, if the weather is turning (very) cold with a chance of frost while the van is sat on your drive (or in storage) then you should take a little time to drain down. Obviously, if you are in the van and it gets cold put the heating on, lol!!Additionally, I wash out the waste tank periodically to clear an build up of gunk which doesn't just drain normally. Nice Hobby (the pastime and your van!!). Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I never waste Adam's Ale as it is to a precious commodity. When I get home I top up and empty waste, however as it's coming to winter and the MH will be left standing everything will be drained dpown after the last outing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 We open the drain tap and empty the water tank after every trip and as long as you don't open any internal taps when you refill it should simply splutter a couple of times when you first open each tap but not need repriming. If the water will only stand for a few days we don't bother as topping it up with fresh chlorinated tap water seems to work OK for us. If any frosts are expected between uses it most definitely does pay to properly drain down all the tanks, taps, hoses etc as a little inconvenience is much better than a lot of expense and hassle rectifying frost damage. If only going for a day out we tend to just take a 2 litre bottle or two of tap water for brew ups and washing up as it is easier than faffing about with hoses and taps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Mains water is chlorinated. The chlorine keeps it sterile in normal use. When the water is stored in a tank or cistern that is vented to atmosphere, the chlorine slowly gases off, leaving behind untreated water. As you use water, you draw into the tank air to replace the volume of water used. That air is not treated, and will contain micro-organisms, most commonly algal spores. These will mix with the water and, if the chlorine content is sufficiently depleted, will grow to produce an algal slime coating the inside of the tank, the pipes, and the probes or similar on the water level indicator sender unit. Whether this, or any other possible form of airborne contamination, matters, depends on whether you use the water for drinking, cleaning teeth, and/or washing fruit or salad etc, and what the contaminant is. If the only contact you have with the water in your tank is after it has been boiled (not always easy to achieve), it should be safe. Topping up a half empty tank after it has become contaminated in this way will not re-sterilise it, because the chlorine content will a) be insufficient, it is intended only to maintain the water sterile and b) have then been diluted by 50%, leaving it even weaker. So, depending on how you use the water in your fresh water tank, you can leave it to become coated over the season, then drain the whole system, sterilising the system before first use the next season, or drain it as soon as you finish using it each time, topping up with fresh sterile chlorinated water before each use. An alternative is to use a product such as Elsil (motorhome and caravan accessory stores), made by Elsan, that contains silver iodes and is intended to maintain the water sterile while stored. It is claimed to maintain stored water safely drinkable for up to six months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Very interesting Brian. How long does it take this algea to grow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I've no idea, but I have experienced it several times in the tank after 8 - 11 week trips. So, definitely within that timescale - but as I don't know when it got in, I've no idea how long it took to develop! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trooper Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 As an ex plumbing/ heating engineer, I would always drain the tank after each trip,pipes heater etc should be o/k as long as you run a little water through before use, should be no need to prime anything as all should work o/k after a little spluttering, as has been said. Happy motorhomeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobby2011 Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Thanks to you all once again for all your advice. Think perhaps we might be a little fussy just at the moment as we are new to all of this but good to hear all opinions. Interesting about the algae though, not very nice. We used to have a boat and always kept the water tank topped up in between trips but maybe that is different because the tank is under the water line and keeps cool. Dont think I would want to drink water from the tank anyway and would definitely boil it well before making tea/coffee etc. Maybe we will just keep it under half full in between trips and see how we go and then drain down fully at the end of the season or whenever we know we wont be using MH for some time. Again thanks for all your comments. This forum is so..... good. Peace and love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 hobby2011 - 2011-09-07 9:38 AM Dont think I would want to drink water from the tank anyway and would definitely boil it well before making tea/coffee etc. Yes, cold tea/coffee is such a drag.............lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 We always empty the water tank after each trip and if we're away for any length of time, say 2-3 weeks, we'll empty it, or pretty close to that, at around the half way point through the holiday and fill it up again with fresh water. This is in addition to our keeping it topped up through the rest of the holiday and is what we did for our recent holiday. As we drink the water from the tank (usually boiled with a teabag in!), but also use it for cooking and washing both us and our food (not the same bit of water silly!!! :D ) we find that this keeps the water nice and 'sweet' and have never had any problems or upset tummies in all our years of motorhoming. I would only consider leaving the water in the van between trips if we didn't drink it or use it on food that isn't going to be cooked (salads etc), or for brushing teeth, as I think it's just asking for trouble - try putting out a glass of water at home and then drink from it a few days later ... horrible!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 My Hymer manual says water should not be drunk if it has been in the tank over four days. It recommends refreshing the water every 4 days when away. Not a problem for me because we rarely put more than 25 litres in the tank unless we are staying put for several days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overdrive Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 We always keep a 10 litre container in the van for drinking, much easier to empty/clean. The built in van tank we only use for washing and washing up - it never gets drained, each time we top up with fresh water I use a Milton sterilising tablet. We travel with about 1/4 tank at most times and often don't use the van for months at a time, not had a any probelms over last 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smifee Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I mostly 'wild camp' & travel with a full tank. Top up whenever I can from mountain streams, public taps in villages & aires de service. Had to use a site for 2 weeks recently as we had 2 8yr olds to keep entertained. I carry 2 Gardena roll flat hoses & a multitude of connectors. The 2 hoses connected together reached the site tap with about 1 metre to spare :-) Bought the hoses in France (not sold in UK) after chucking out the blue roll flat hose commonly sold here. It should be sold as a sprinkler not a filling hose >:-) Have had the Gardenas for over 5 years. The fresh water tank has only been emptied twice in 6 years. The water from it is used for everything but drinking & cooking water is put through a filter jug. Never suffered from tummy bugs. Have I been lucky or do I just have cast iron guts (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudruns Dad Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Have a care using Milton - it made my stainless steel bits go 'flakey'. I do what you have suggested. Keep a half tank when travelling and only use it for anything not going near our mouths. I keep a 5 litre water bottle near to the kettle. I know it's a steep learning curve, but it's also challenging and fun, and you will find friendly advice everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 We allways travel with a full tank, only drain it between trips in winter so as not too freeze. We dont drink water other than for a brew (but I do use it for my ice so spose that counts) and have done the same thing in the past when we had the boat. We have never suffered from any ill effects and were still here to tell the story. Not saying its a good idea its just what we do. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesFrance Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Back in the 70s we had a charter boat for 6 years with a stainless steel tank in the bilges, which we rarely emptied completely. In the spring the water ran brown with rust for a week or so, but we filled her at quayside taps around Spain France and Italy with never an upset that I can remember. In those days the ports in places like Ibiza stank of sewage, but you just had to hope for the best with the water supply. Mind you we didn't drink a lot of water then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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