Dry camping

PSW wrote:

We (two of us) get six good showers, shower daily and our 38 gallon tank plus 6 in the hot water tank lasts 3 days, 4 if we take 8 really quick light showers.

That 6 gallons in your water heater tank can't be counted.
You can NEVER get that water out if you've used up the 38 gallons in your FW tank. It is only the pressure of water coming into the water heater that pushes the hot water out of the tank.

Well, you CAN get the water out, but you have to go outside the trailer and open up the low point drain and put a bucket under the low point drains.

On the other hand, I think your idea of using a kitchen sprayer as a showerhead is brilliant!

X2 for looking at your tank. I never trust the sensors. If it says 1 light I go out and open the compartment to look at it. Usually at 1 light I have about a 1/2 tank left. The sensors are weird. Don't trust them...take a look for yourself and use as little as you can. We also take a 7 gallon jug with us and sit it on a table outside for washing hands and faces as necessary. This saves a lot of water.

Here is a trick I learned when I had a Class B. Don't use a shower head or handheld shower head. Use a kitchen sprayer hose and head which will cost you from ten bucks on up. They put out good pressure and when you finger is off the hold down lever that baby is OFF and you don't drip or waste a drop of water. Also, you will find the pressure seems to be higher than a shower head. Like some one else suggested, fill a gallon jug like a milk carton with water and see how long it takes.

We (two of us) get six good showers, shower daily and our 38 gallon tank plus 6 in the hot water tank lasts 3 days, 4 if we take 8 really quick light showers. We wash our dishes over that time period and NEVER use campground showers or toilets. We very seldom stay where there are hookups. You can wash and rinse your hands well with less than a pint of water easily.

There's obviously a problem somewhere. We have 90 gal of fresh water and can go 14-15 days boondocking. Yes, navy "spit" showers are a requirement. In addition, we heat water on the stove for whatever we need hot water for. Running the tap until you get rid of the cold before the hot shows up costs a lot of water. In addition, we wash dishes in a pot, large bowl or small pan. Putting enough water in the sink for dishes uses too much. Rinsing dishes also uses a lot of water, so use care there. We use the "If it's yellow, let it mellow, and if it's brown, flush it down" technique or until we start getting odors. Saves a lot there too. Finally, use cold water from the refrig if you need a cold drink, so you don't have to run the water waiting for a tap to get cool.

When we're boondocking for 2 weeks we're usually in the desert or on a wild river in Alaska, so we do come in dirty. You can do it, but it takes attention to detail.

Howdy roadrat57, I doubt there is an average as everyone is different (to include one's equipment). In conservation mode, I can get by four weeks on 115 gallons. Normal-ish use and it lasts about 3 weeks. However; it is only me and I have learned how to conserve.

An adult male is supposed to drink almost a gallon of water per day. I make about 1/2 gallon of coffee/day, more in the colder months. I've never made an effort to measure the water used in a toilet flush but suspect it is something around a cup for a small job to much more for the bigger jobs.

Washing and rinsing long hair takes a lot of water. Wash and rinse long hair in cold water supply outside if possible. Use public restrooms if possible. Yeah I know!

I turned on my shower and using a funnel filled a one gallon pail. it took 60 seconds.
I fill a plastic tub with the water coming out of the shower head while waiting for the warm water then dip my cloth in that to get a soapy wash, after

rinsing I use whatever is left in that tub, usually a half gallon or so, for the next toilet flush. I can get 5 showers and dishes,not many, plus hand

washes on 38gallons. I estimate that my showers use 2.5 gallons per event. I turn on the water pump to charge the lines then turn it off before

washing my hands, every drop counts.

An eye-opening test is to plug the shower drain or put a 5 gallon bucket under the head to see how much water a "really quick shower" uses.

Also, you may be able to monitor your actual usage if you can see the fresh water tank. On our MH we can see it under the jack knife couch. On our old TT, there was an access panel.

Norm

And perhaps you will have lots left with only one light on the sensor. It's a bit of a pain, but filling the tank, then having someone watch the sensor lights while you fill a bucket from the outside shower will really tell you how much is left. Get a couple of measured buckets, and empty the tank until it runs dry.