# drinking water



## Wakeup1 (Mar 9, 2004)

Hi,
Does anyone actually drink water from the faucets? Do you need to treat the fresh water tanks somehow?
Viv


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Generally we take bottles of water with us, however I use a filter when I hook up to water supplies or fill the tank. After a winter storage or if I leave water in the tank you can treat your water tanks. I belive if you search for winterization you'll find the amount of chlorine to add. I also have used an RV water tank treatment product that works fine too.

In a nutshell here it is:

Close pressure relief valve on water heater. Remember to remove mothballs from the vicinity of the gas burner assembly.
Close all drain valves and faucets (including shower head).
Flush out RV antifreeze by running water through entire system.
Reinstall drain plug (removed in the winterization process).
Add a few ounces of baking soda to the tank, drive around to mix solution, then drain and refill.
If your water has a bad taste or strange odor, take these steps to kill bacteria that may be present:
a. Fill fresh water tank half way with clean, fresh water.
b. Mix 1/4 cup of household bleach for every 15 gallons of tank capacity in a container with a gallon or two of clean water and pour this mixture into the water tank.
c. Top off the water tank with fresh water. Go for a drive to mix the solution.
d. Pump water through each faucet so that all the lines are filled with the water/bleach mixture from the tank. Usually, running a quart of water out each faucet is adequate.
e. The hot-water tank holds at least 6 gallons of water. Run the hot water faucets until this much solution has passed to insure that the old water has been purged from the hot-water tank, and it is now filled with the water/bleach solution from the water tank.
f. Let the water stand for several hours.
g. Drain the entire water system, hot water tank included.
h. To remove the bleach odor, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with a gallon of water and pour into the freshwater tank.
i. Fill the tank completely and pump this solution through the water heater and rest of the water lines. This solution can sit in the system for a few days. Driving the rig around the block will slosh water around and thoroughly clean the tank.
j. Drain the entire system and refill with fresh, clean water.


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

I ran some bleach/water solution through the system when we first got hte trailer, but we don't generally drink the tap water. We usually carry a 2.5 gal drinking water bottle and keep it on the counter next to the sink.

Kevin P.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

I drink enough from the tap. But I also add drinking water freshner, which is sodium hypochorite. And I also clean the tank periodically using vinyl pool shock, by adding about 1-1/2 tablespoons dissolved in water then add to tank and let sit overnight, drain and flush.

If you keep the tank from becoming contaminated, there shouldn't be a problem. Lack of maintenance is when problems occur.

Use caution if you use bleach, many of them contain aromatic additives, don't get the "spring fresh" scented stuff. That is why I use pool chemicals, it has a 65% available chlorine count and contains no additives plus doesn't adhere to the tank like domestic bleach tends to. So the flush out time is way less.

Just what I do.

KS


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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

We take bottled water with us to drink. We have a filter at home, so we just refill the bottles when we get back and we are good to go.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

It depends, We taste the local water first if it is good then we drink it if not then we always have bottled water with us. We also chlorinate the tank when not in use. I have not heard about the sanitizer stuff, where do you get it and how much does it cost? kirk


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I have a 5 gallon jug (Rubbermaid) with a spigot. I freeze 1 gallon ice cream pails with water in them. I put 2 of these ice blocks into the jug, and fill with water from home. It lasts several days, and is always ice cold. I also sanitize the water system in the Spring, but usually never drink from the system.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Kirk here are a couple of links for you. I think I bought mine at Wal-Mart, but might have been Camping World. I bought a small bottle of the Spring Fresh stuff.

Spring Fresh
EZ RV Water Freshner


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Bottled water here as well.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

So far we have camped exclusively with hook-ups and drink the water all the time with good results / satisfaction.

I use a good ceramic inline filter which I connect right at the fresh water connection on the Outback. This takes out all that "plasticy" taste that the water hose usually gives you, as well as a large list of bacteria and other nasty's.

Ceramic Inline Filter

We also use one of the Brita cannister water filters again inside the rig for water we will consume for making juice, lemonaide and iced tea from concentrate. So all water that is consumed is filtered twice.

The advantage is that water is heavy and we carry as little as possible when towing. Just a few gallons in the fresh water tank for on the road flushes and barf cleanups in the tub









One last note about filling the fresh water tank. DONT FILTER IT! Those inline filters, especially of the carbon variety, REMOVE most or all of the chlorine. This can cause your water to go bad real fast. You need chlorine in your fresh water tank. If not, you will need to use one of the fresh water "conditioners" on the market.


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## Splash Mountainers (May 3, 2004)

In my infinite wisdom, I made a batch of powered Gatorade with tap water from 
the campground this week. I don't believe the word "nasty" is adequate for that concoction.

We always carry bottled water for the baby's bottle and from now on I'll keep some for me too!! I don't think a filter could have had a chance against that stuff!


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## campingtom170 (Apr 26, 2004)

I have always found that if you add sufficient quanities of Scotch to the water in the tank, the taste seems to be quite pleasant







. Truthfully, we don't drink the water in the tank. We always use bottled water for drinking and the campground water for everything else. The tank has just a few gallons for clean up on the road and we are setting up or breaking down camp. I also put a small amount of clorine in the tank for sanitation.

Tom sunny


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

We always have full hook ups, but I do sanitize the water lines before every trip, using a similar procedure to what Y-Guy has already posted. I also have a filter for the incoming campground water.

I will use the tap water for cooking, coffee, and bug juice. We carry water bottles that we keep ice cold in the cooler for drinking.

Tim


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## missouricamper (Jun 28, 2004)

A few factoids that may interest some of you.

The RV water freshener is Sodium Hypochlorite which is the same as liquid chlorine, also known as bleach.

Household bleach usually has less available chlorine because they put other stuff in there as well, such as perfumes, but the active chemical is the same.

Liquid pool chlorine is pretty well free of additives, since these clog pool filters.

Liquid chlorine has a high Ph. As long as you don't use too much, this wouldn't be a problem, but there are "balanced" chlorines available at pool supplies, usually in powder or tablet form.

Sunlight and high temperatures will break down the available chlorine pretty quickly, so your 5 year old bottle of RV Water Fresh is probably not going to work very well.

And no, I'm not a chemist....... but I did sleep in my Outback last night....


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Actually most of the water I drink while camping has either been distilled or brewed properly before consumption. It even comes in convenient cans and bottles.
















missouricamper, you are correct, you do not want stabilized pool chemicals. They contain other chemicals that help resist chlorines decay by UV rays. I just use the vinyl pool shock and it all works fine.

KS


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## CamperDC (Oct 30, 2003)

missouricamper said:


> And no, I'm not a chemist....... but I did sleep in my Outback last night....


Missouri, you cracked me up with that one. Exactly what I needed to start my day.










We also use bottled water for the most part especially for my coffee. I alos liked JollyMon's jug idea. I had never thought of doing that.


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Hi

Gotta have that morning java!! sunny to start the day. When we purchased our TT the dealer told us to flush our system with bleach and refill. Never keep the water longer than a week in the tank. The dealer also recommended not only fill our tank with city water and stay away from well water. City water has been treated and has small amounts of Chlorine in it.

For drinking water we use bottled including for our coffee. We have purchased a water filter from Walmart as well. This is mainly in case the kids swallow some water while we are bathing them.

Thor


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## RVCarolina (Jul 31, 2004)

We use bottled water too. I buy the short bottles that fit perfectly in the bottom
drawers in fridge. We keep a case under one of the bunks, and refill the fridge
each night. For coffee making etc. we get water from the campground faucet-
we have one of those "Y" splitters with a shut-off on each side - the camper is hooked to one side, and I put a kitchen-type aerator on the other side. Perfect for
washing hands outside, etc. and the coffee does not have that "hose" taste.
Since I sanitize the "city" water system only once a year, and the camper may
sit for a month or so between uses, this seems OK for us. I do like the idea of
the Brita-type filter pitcher that I read from one post.
Best to all, Fred


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