Water tanks?

[Admin]

Hi,

At this time of year we get a lot of new members so I want to try and cover some motorhome basics.

I thought we could start with water tanks...

How do I clean my water tank?
How safe is the water?
How long is the water drinkable for after filling?
Should I drain the tank on each refill or just topup?

If you can think of other questions and answer please add them, I would like us to have a good "water tank" how to.

 

[Deleted member 2636]

How do I clean my water tank?
It is used all through the year so I never bother too much. There are proprietry cleaners available. I have used Milton

How safe is the water?
My bottom is still in one piece...

How long is the water drinkable for after filling?
I try not to drink but only use it for washing, cooking and flushing. It would be difficult to quantify a "safe" period of time for usage as it does depend on the source used.

Should I drain the tank on each refill or just topup?
I tend to just top-up unless I'm leaving the van during the winter and then I would drain down. I do have tank heaters but would not trust them unless I was on a hook up

 

[Deleted member 967]

How do I clean my water tank?
No matter how well I drain my on-board tank I always have some water lodged in the tank. To get around this I remove the bung that seals the tank drain and take the vehicle for a run. The movement dislodges the remaining water. You sometimes get grit in the water, no matter how carefully you are, so it pays to drain the tank down completely every now and again even if using it 365 days of the year as I do. Try removing the filters in your taps and see how much grit actually gets past the pump!

How safe is the water?
We use the water in the tank for everything. I have lived in touring caravans since 1975 for long periods (once it was 8 years) and have never suffered any problems drinking water from tank or containers. Water in taps in the UK and Europe is all drinkable unless marked "not potable".

How long is the water drinkable for after filling?
We can only carry enough water for 3 to 4 days so I don't have to worry about it going stale in the tank. Before going full-time I would only drain the tank down when it was going into long storage (a month or more) and this was very infrequent even in winter, although I would always drain it if there was a chance of frost while not in use. When on sites for more than a couple of days, I top up using 15 litre fold flat water containers and a watering can, if I am not close enough to get my flat hose (drinking water quality) to reach the tap.
During the 8 years I was living in a caravan full-time I had a system that caught the rain water off the roof and it went into a 300 gallon galvanised tank. I would drain, up-end and clean it once a year to get rid of sediment that had accumulated in the bottom.

 

[vwalan]

how do i clean my tanks . well in 11yrs i my have drained them occasionally and refilled with good clorinated tap water. thats enough.

how safe is the water..
well i fill up with taps ,wells ,fonts . anywhere there is drinkable water.

how safe is the water to drink for after filling.
i use a black cak tank. black is good as it stops algie forming. i,m also told that black plastic can help clean the water with chemicals in the plastic leeching out.


in the army they use black plastic jerry cans for water .i,ve drank it after 18 months of it being stored.
i do have a safari filter on board but have hardly ever used it . if i thought the water was not too smart i would then.