Fresh drinking water

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Savannah

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We do not drink the water from our fresh water tank for obvious reasons, and like most draw off our drinking and kettle water from a 10ltr plastic Jerry can container which we fill from a tap. This works to a point but the container is always in the way on the floor, is heavy and awkward to pour when full, and is a little messy.

We also carry spare fresh water in another 25 ltr stored in an external locker. This locker is conveniently positioned under the kitchen sink and the thought occurred to me that it would be quite easy for me to install a pump to pump water from this container, to a separate fresh water tap fitted close to the edge of the kitchen sink and in doing so would solve the original problem.

My question is this, my wife worries that a separate tap in this position alongside the main tap would perhaps spoil the look of her kitchen and affect the resale value of the van (Autotrail Savannah). What does the collective think please???
 

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As long as you consider the position carefully I don't see a problem but have you considered installing a filter in place of the fresh water tank?

I'm considering it instead of carrying a water container.
 
Lee said:
As long as you consider the position carefully I don't see a problem but have you considered installing a filter in place of the fresh water tank?

I'm considering it instead of carrying a water container.
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Thanks. We already have a filter fitted but would still not drink the water as its got a smell and a taste !!
 
I'm struggling to see the difference between the main water tank and a separate 25 litre tank. Don't they both attract the same problems? I'm quite happy to use the main tank for drinking on the basis that it is turned over quite regularly when we are out and about
 
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This is exactly what we did on our old Autotrail Cheyenne, and when we sold it the new owners thought this was a great idea.
 
Surely,you are safe in boiling water from the main tank?
We always have done.
We just keep a couple of 5 litre bottles of tap water, for drinking.
I play safe and add a few drops of that water to my evening dram.
 
antiquesam said:
I'm struggling to see the difference between the main water tank and a separate 25 litre tank. Don't they both attract the same problems? I'm quite happy to use the main tank for drinking on the basis that it is turned over quite regularly when we are out and about
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The drinking water bottle is always emptied complete after a trip unlike the tank and when you watch people on Aires, they are not as fastidious as us about cross contamination, there is no way I will drink from the same tap as what someone has slap happily flushed their toilet cassette out with. There is a reason why the Europeans buy bottled water.
 
Herman said:
The drinking water bottle is always emptied complete after a trip unlike the tank and when you watch people on Aires, they are not as fastidious as us about cross contamination, there is no way I will drink from the same tap as what someone has slap happily flushed their toilet cassette out with. There is a reason why the Europeans buy bottled water.
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So where do you fill the 25 litre tank?
 
Cheerful Charlie said:
You don’t drink the water from your tank for obvious reasons ?
Can you enlighten me as not seeing it ?
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The water from my tank has a smell and a taste and quite frankly I would not even attempt to drink it. I always add purifying tablets but they make no difference. I have the same problem on my yacht and having cut open the old tank in the yacht before I installed a new one I found it full of grey slime which has put me off
 
Pauljenny said:
Surely,you are safe in boiling water from the main tank?
We always have done.
We just keep a couple of 5 litre bottles of tap water, for drinking.
I play safe and add a few drops of that water to my evening dram.
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We also use the water from the main tank and are still here to prove it.Nothing wrong with this but if worried as you say Paul then boil it first.Dont see the point in another seperate tap fitted unless its a filter tap but everyone has their own choice

Michael
 
I work on the premise that as long as the water is turned over regularly and that no daylight can get to the holding tank then the risk of contamination is minimal, so we drink water directly from the tap and have been doing so for three years without problem.
 
saxonborg said:
I work on the premise that as long as the water is turned over regularly and that no daylight can get to the holding tank then the risk of contamination is minimal, so we drink water directly from the tap and have been doing so for three years without problem.
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Exactly keep the water moving drain out any left on return dont let it sit and stagnate and one should have no problems...;)
 
Thanks for all your comments and advice. I think you are inferring that I should drink the water from my tank. But I am not going to because it tastes bad. However, my original post asked a question about whether a second tap, dedicated to fresh water would be a plus or a minus when it comes to selling the van on. Any helpful comments on that would be appreciated.
 
I drink the water out of the tank always have and have never noticed any particular smell or taste but then the water never stays in the tank very long.

My question would be if you wont drink the water from your main tank why would you drink the water from a smaller auxillary tank - especially is you are filling it from the same tap?


If the water from your tank is so bad (and it shouldnt be) then fit a filter, a decent model will remove bacteria along with any odours or taste and will only require a little very basic plumbing (assuming that you only want filtered water from the kitchen tap)
 
Savannah said:
Thanks for all your comments and advice. I think you are inferring that I should drink the water from my tank. But I am not going to because it tastes bad. However, my original post asked a question about whether a second tap, dedicated to fresh water would be a plus or a minus when it comes to selling the van on. Any helpful comments on that would be appreciated.
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To answer the actual question asked ....If I saw a dedicated tap for drinking water, I would see it as a plus. However ... I would also expect a dedicated tap to also incorporate a water filter as it would not seem logical otherwise (IMO).

Plenty of domestic houses include a dedicated drinking water tap nowadays so seeing one in a Motorhome would be good - but those domestic taps always have a filter, so I reckon the same expectations would apply in the MH application.
 
We do not drink the water from our fresh water tank for obvious reasons
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Not obvious to us
For the last 12 years we have drunk the water from our RVs tanks which are filled up from all sorts of sources in over 30 countries including roadside springs and troughs in Turkey and Morocco and various sources in South America and very very rarely do we see a need to treat the water with bleach of silver compounds. NEVER EVER have we had any health problems even remotely attributable to the water.

Two of our rigs have separate water systems for drinking and general use, but that is only because we travel in outback Australia where often the water is so mineralised that it can't be used for making tea or coffee. In those rigs there is a separate tap and spout at the sink.
 
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Savannah said:
The water from my tank has a smell and a taste and quite frankly I would not even attempt to drink it. I always add purifying tablets but they make no difference. I have the same problem on my yacht and having cut open the old tank in the yacht before I installed a new one I found it full of grey slime which has put me off
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Then do a water system sanitize and solve the problem instead of avoiding it.Sanidumps: How to Sanitize Your RV Water System
 
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