Water and your water tank

I live in a city that has excellent water. How come my 24k pool gets algae(green and black)????? Unless I keep the water chemistry in balance with Chlorine and acid. I would never leave water in my RV. I have seen problems with water in the tank and especially the Water Heater, from mineral contents. IF you are not using good grade City water and filling from a well, you need to drain at all times you are not using the RV. I would fill if using good City water, but drain and refill once a month for those emergency trips. Doug

I would drain it after every trip and sanitize annually. You do use that water for showers, washing dishes, etc. It's not really a closed system... the tank has an air vent. It is quite capable of growing mold and algae, which make it smell like a soured towel, if nothing else. That has been my experience in TN.

If you leave it full, then drain and refill before a trip.

You can fill it quickly and you usually have plenty of notice to fill it before a hurricane.

I drain my fresh water tank after each trip and bleach it before every trip. No concerns with drinking from it. My waste tanks are empty during storage. What debris? Drain, refill, drain...it’s “clean.”

I drain my tank each trip and do not drink out of it. Algae forms in your tank =, especially in a warm climate.

We are on municipal water, with all of the chemicals needed to keep the water safe. We always leave the tank full since we don't have to worry about freezing and the tank being full should prevent growth of anything on the tank surfaces exposed to any air left in the tank.
We also leave the black and grey tanks full to soften any debris the accumulated in the tanks. Since we can dump them right here at home, it is not a big deal if a hurricane approaches and we decide to leave. The extra weight in the coach might also help stabilize the coach during some of our Summer storms.

The RV water tanks are food grade. And as long as you don't have leaks, it's a closed system. Water doesn't go bad very quickly if ever though it might go stale so makes no difference if you fill the tank and leave it that way or not. Weeks or years later it'll still be fine.

What ever is the most convenient for you and your situation is what you should do. I'd leave it full just so it's not something else I'd need worry about if I were in a hurry.

Have only drained it three times in six years - when we winterized it. And we use it for our drinking water.

Bill

For hurricanes you have ample warning to fill your water tank. I would store full fuel so the tank doesn't accumulate moisture in storage.

Dick_B wrote:
We drain ours in the Midwest.

Ditto! Plus you generally have severe weather warnings giving you enough time to fill them if needed..

We drain ours in the Midwest.