Is this normal stuff?

First, when dry camping the fridge and water heater controls, furnace, water pump, lights are powered by the battery. Did you check it for water, voltage before andafter charging? A 12v battery should last 2-3 days on lite usage. Furnace is the killer.

Water smell and taste should not be your issue to flush. I assume you have a good sanitary well.
Rental units water should be sanitized every time they come in. In my state a complaint to the dept. of health will send an inspector to the business. Assuming the business is on a city water system, they are not required to test and sample their potable water, but who knows where a previous renter filled it? Or how long it sat unused.

Get your AHJs (auth. having juris. ) involved on health and safety. It could identify more than lax policy in the rental co. but also a bad water problem a previous renter used. You may save many people illness, poor reviews to the rental co., and have them begging to refund your fee.
I manage an EPA transient community water system. Water potability is our highest health concern. Private wells and community wells that serve less than 25 persons, are not regulated or required to test for contamination.
A foul odor after flushing is likely H2S, hydrogen sulfide, caused by total coliform or even fecal the dreaded e- coli, bio film build up which accumulates and is resistant to chlorine sanitation up to 10 mg/ L when left unused during sanitation cycles.

Continuous chlorination is only effective when the source is proven safe, contact time in a holding vessel is sufficient, otherwise the same as in a swimming pool the bacteria can overwhelm the sanitizer, resulting in bacterial growth which can only be sanitized by 'Shocking ' with a high dose of sanitizer for an extended period of time, depending on the dosage. I.E, 50 ppm for 4 hrs, 100 ppm for 2hrs etc.

BFL13 wrote:
1. Don't ever rent from those guys again.

2. Stay on this forum for all kinds of good tips on boondocking requirements for setting up the rig you eventually get (you will need to modify it for boondocking off-grid)

3. Know roughly how many days in a row you will be wanting to go off-grid ( and whether that means no fresh water, and /or no sani-dumping, besides how long to go with no shore power---and does that mean whether there will be any sunshine that time of year.

(It makes a difference if you can get at a fresh water tap somewhere and a sani-dump, so all you have to do is survive with no shore power, or whether you only need to survive off- grid till you run out of water. IE scenario is everything.)

For sure not going back. I need to wait 30 days until my refund gets here before I review this place.
I will definitely be returning here, thanks!

GordonThree wrote:
Not new to camping, so, how many nights have you gotten in the past from a single small trailer battery before recharging?

De-stinking a water system in a hurry is tricky, bummer that they stuck you with that problem. Probably the rentals don't get a lot of TLC. I'm guessing they're typically setup at a full hook up site with chlorinated water

Back in the day I had a popup. I have boondocked it but don't remember how long it lasted. For sure more than 2 hours. In the 5 or so years I owned it I never have a problem with the tank... Cuz I cleaned it.

1. Don't ever rent from those guys again.

2. Stay on this forum for all kinds of good tips on boondocking requirements for setting up the rig you eventually get (you will need to modify it for boondocking off-grid)

3. Know roughly how many days in a row you will be wanting to go off-grid ( and whether that means no fresh water, and /or no sani-dumping, besides how long to go with no shore power---and does that mean whether there will be any sunshine that time of year.

(It makes a difference if you can get at a fresh water tap somewhere and a sani-dump, so all you have to do is survive with no shore power, or whether you only need to survive off- grid till you run out of water. IE scenario is everything.)

I haven't heard of that water heater problem before, it's not normal but maybe in places with 'sulfur water' it might be.

The battery is probably old and weak and since this is a rental it's probably mistreated too. There is a skill involved in electric management for boondocking. One you'll pick up but basically you have to be paranoid about what you run electrically on the battery. Boondockers also generally have at least two big deep cycle batteries if not golf cart batteries. Running something like a microwave will kill the battery quickly.

The boondocking forum may have some advice for you.

None of what you describe is normal. The water should be safe to drink but if not properly sanitized it could well have contained microbes that a sanitize with bleach would resolve. One healthy fully charged battery should last more than one day running only lights and minimal use of the water pump as you describe. Just chalk this up as a an adventure and move on!

Not new to camping, so, how many nights have you gotten in the past from a single small trailer battery before recharging?

De-stinking a water system in a hurry is tricky, bummer that they stuck you with that problem. Probably the rentals don't get a lot of TLC. I'm guessing they're typically setup at a full hook up site with chlorinated water

I wouldn’t depend on anyone but me to sanitize a fresh water system particularly a rental agency.
Sounds like a bad battery. What was the AH storage of the battery? Were the lights incandescent? Fridge takes some power even on gas. LP gas detector on?

1 12V Battery...1 day/night of use provided battery was FULLY charged

Then need to recharge battery----that battery was run low voltage TOOOOOO many times and wasn't holding charge

Well Water.....was it treated (chlorinated)?
Depending on water source it very well will stink due to microbes in the water
Water in fresh water tank should have been 'POTABLE' water.......meaning not only good for washing but for cooking & DRINKING

Doesn't sound like the rental was 'so reputable'----more like shysters

They probably hadn't bleached/sanitized the water tank, and the battery was probably on it's way out. No way to tell for sure now, but that's what it sounds like.
If there were no guarantees of minimum performance of the hardware/equipment in the rental agreement, you probably don't have much to go on to get a refund.

Good luck with it.
Know, and remember, for the next adventure.