My camper has a 55 gal. fresh water tank (I think). I purchased it used in May and took it out for the first time on July 23rd. We ran out of water in 3-4 days and refilling with a water jug was a pain. I have an extra 45 gal. tank laying around and I'd like to install it beside the original (under the bed. Yes, there's room). Anyone see a problem with simply teeing into the fill, vent and pump supply hoses or is there a better way I'm not thinking of?

There are myriad ways to carry water:Carry extra water boondocking 2008

Are you camping in a NF CG? I use an A-dapter. Connect the plastic adapter to the facet, hose clamp it and connect a hose to the threaded adapter to it and fill the take up. Works great. Other option is use less water, shorter showers, washing less dishes, use paper plates. I think 3-4 days is quite long. We use up 45 gallons in 2 days.

I have a 15-gallon plastic barrel laying on an inverted pallet in the truck bed. I fill it at the cg faucet, drive to the TT, and drain it into the FW tank. The old HTT was low enough to get a siphon feed going, but the new TT is higher and I'll need to come up with a pump of some sort. Emptying it into a 6-gallon jug and lifting it to fill the TT got old in a hurry last weekend.

I keep a 12 volt battery charged for trips, and what I would do is see about using a food-safe 50 gallon bladder tank, using house water pressure to fill it, and to empty it into the RV, using a 12 volt water pump.As a single person, the 51 gallon FW tank on my TT is enough to not be a bottleneck. My grey/black tanks end up full before I have an empty FW tank.

If you just use a Tee at the supply line, the pump is going to suck air from what ever tank empty's first. I would install a selector valve so you can chose between tanks.

Increasing potable water tank | Good Sam Community

2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 10, 2013
There are myriad ways to carry water:

Carry extra water boondocking 2008
dennis1
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
Are you camping in a NF CG? I use an A-dapter. Connect the plastic adapter to the facet, hose clamp it and connect a hose to the threaded adapter to it and fill the take up. Works great. Other option is use less water, shorter showers, washing less dishes, use paper plates. I think 3-4 days is quite long. We use up 45 gallons in 2 days.
mbopp
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
I have a 15-gallon plastic barrel laying on an inverted pallet in the truck bed. I fill it at the cg faucet, drive to the TT, and drain it into the FW tank. The old HTT was low enough to get a siphon feed going, but the new TT is higher and I'll need to come up with a pump of some sort. Emptying it into a 6-gallon jug and lifting it to fill the TT got old in a hurry last weekend.
mlts22
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
I keep a 12 volt battery charged for trips, and what I would do is see about using a food-safe 50 gallon bladder tank, using house water pressure to fill it, and to empty it into the RV, using a 12 volt water pump.

As a single person, the 51 gallon FW tank on my TT is enough to not be a bottleneck. My grey/black tanks end up full before I have an empty FW tank.
ScottG
Nomad
Jul 10, 2013
If you just use a Tee at the supply line, the pump is going to suck air from what ever tank empty's first. I would install a selector valve so you can chose between tanks.
atomicglock
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
2oldman - Lots of great ideas there. I also happen to have an old water pump that I'm pretty sure still works. I could wire the pump to a 4 way flat trailer plug, fill the tank in the back of the truck and pump it off into the trailer.

dennis1 - Not sure what your talking about here. NF CG? We already use paper plates and bowls and use the campgrounds showers and, as often as possible, their toilets. We try to conserve as much as possible.
atomicglock
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
ScottG - If using the tee, wouldn't both tanks equalize and empty at the same rate?
dennis1
Explorer
Jul 11, 2013
NF CG. National Forest Campground. Their water fawcet does not have threaded end. So you cannot connect a water hose to it. I made an adaptor with a theaded end and connect it to the fawcet.
john_b1
Explorer
Jul 11, 2013
atomicglock wrote:
My camper has a 55 gal. fresh water tank (I think). I purchased it used in May and took it out for the first time on July 23rd. We ran out of water in 3-4 days and refilling with a water jug was a pain. I have an extra 45 gal. tank laying around and I'd like to install it beside the original (under the bed. Yes, there's room).

Anyone see a problem with simply teeing into the fill, vent and pump supply hoses or is there a better way I'm not thinking of?

Just be aware of the additional weight on everything!jmho jb
hmknightnc
Explorer
Jul 11, 2013
If you have the extra carrying capacity for the 300# of water in that location then it should work fine. Just put something like a 1" PVC pipe connecting the two tanks at the bottom and some sort of piping or tubing connecting them at the top so the second tank is vented. Don't screw with pump plumbing, the tanks will stay equilized this way and behave as one great big tank.