Is a freshwater tank necessary if not traveling?

[laneybop]

Hello,

I have a 1985 shasta travel trailer which I am renovating to live in during the warmer months. I will not be traveling and am planning to be constantly hooked up to fresh water via a hose. My questions is, do we need a fresh water tank at all if we will not be on the road? How would the system work without the tank? Is a water pump still needed? Confused on how the hose, hot water heater, and sink/shower will all connect without the water tank.

Thanks in advance!

Alaena

[GoPackGo]

All I'm going to say is that the place I'm staying at for the winter has had to shut down their water system twice so far in the last few months.

Last year, the place I was at for the winter lost water pressure in the morning when the main line broke. My neighbor's wife was in the middle of a shower. I heard her yelling all the way over at my place. He didn't have any water in his tank. Not sure if he's still among the living or not.

I now keep 10 gallons in my tank.

Tim

[laneybop]

Thanks so much everyone!

[mgirardo]

In the summer of 2013 I was at a campground that lost water pressure to 1/2 of the campground. I wasn't actually camping, just visiting some friends that were. They had no water for about 8 hours. Ever since then, I always leave the tank at least 1/3 full just in case something like this happens.

-Michael

[NMDriver]

f you plan to use RV antifreeze for winterizing, you will need some kind of pump, either internal or external.

I blow out my lines with a compressor and only use the antifreeze in the P-traps. No need for a pump.

As another poster said get 5 or so gallons of drinking water (1 gal/day for two people) and keep a couple of gallons of tap water for flushing the toilet if you lose your water source. Taking a shower can be a problem using a gallon jug but it is not impossible-a pot and a rag will do the job.

[RoyB]

I have two RV Trailers - One is a 5th wheel which we only use for extra bedrooms, extension of our kitchen, another place to go to watch TV things like NASCAR or Football games... etc.. It is never on the road but fully functional.

I still keep everything going on the 5th wheel. The wife and I camp in it in the back yard alot actually...

I also have a OFF-ROAD POPUP camper which is what we use to go camping in which are for the most part off the power grid camp sites..

This trailer when parked at home becomes my back-up POWER SOURCE for the house. This trailer is beefed up battery wise and we can live in it for weeks on end when camping off the power grid.

I keep everything going in it as well.

When we lose power here at the house I just run a couple of extension cords into the house from the OFF-ROAD Trailer to power up some HDTV, Fridge , Fireplace Blower, a few lights etc to live until the power comes back on.

This has been a real blessing for us. One of the past hurricanes here we was without power over a week. We had our patio open to the neighborhood with HDTV and Grille setup. A regular back yard party every night...

My next door neighbor and I would drag our 2KW Honda Generators around the neighborhood in small red wagon every day keeping a few of the fridges going so folks wouldn't lose their meats and things. With just a few hours of running the fridge will keep the food for another day or so easy...

You might want to rethink removing a few things. If we don't need the fresh water tank we just abandon it... Who knows when it may come in real handy to have working...

These trailers are a complete home living unit.

Roy Ken

[Artum_Snowbird]

There are two ways that water can feed to the water tank. Either it comes from a gravity fed hole in the side of the unit to the tank, or it comes from a pressurized hose that has a valve to direct it.

I have had a unit with a valve, and I had to direct it either to the water tank, or shut off the water tank feed and it went directly to the taps.

In any case, when connected to city water, water did not backfeed through the water pump to the water tank.

The big however is this.. you want to live it in, and having a unit with it's own water tank onboard is always better than being connected to an outside tap when it's freezing outside unless you are really careful about protecting that line.

Do you need the space the water tank takes up? Why not just leave it there?

[SlowBro]

OP, I have a similar question so I just now searched RV plumbing diagram. This may help answer your question.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rv+plumbing+diagram&espv=2&biw=1197&bih=707&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=un...

I gather that there is likely a shutoff valve between the city water and the fresh tank. I intend to look something similar on mine this weekend.

[handye9]

If you plan to use RV antifreeze for winterizing, you will need some kind of pump, either internal or external.

[wa8yxm]

Is freshwater tank needed? You decide...

IF you feel you may need water at a time when it is not handy (Example when pulled off in a rest stop for lunch) then you need a source of fresh water.. I have two of those on my rig

1: The Fresh tank
2: 5 (Well six) gallon plastic "Jerry can"

Neighbor a few sites down has a FEMA trailer,, No fresh tank, No black tank, No Gray tank, Residential type Flush toilet.. If the park looses water pressure for any reason (happened twice since June) he has no water... I do.

[coolmom42]

And.... turn the connection off at the tap when you are not there. You don't want to come back to a flooded trailer.

[NanciL]

If you will be winterizing in the winter, the pump is necessary for pumping the pink stuff, but if you will never be using the on board water tank, there is absolutely no need to keep the tank.

Jack L

[BarneyS]

If you are 100% sure you will never be without the water hookup then you do not need a fresh water tank. The pump will not be needed either other than perhaps to help winterize if you are going to leave the trailer in the cold weather. Winterizing can be done without the pump but it is much easier with it. Again, no FW tank is needed for that. It looks like you are in Maine and you will need to winterize your rig. You can purchase a hand pump to pump the antifreeze into the lines through the regular hose input on the outside.

When you are hookup to a permanent water supply (city water or well) the water heater, all pipes and faucets, toilet etc. are all connected to the city water pressure and no pump is needed. Everything works as normal without it.

You would simply connect your hose to the water supply and turn it on. It would be a good idea to have a filter and a pressure regulator inline on the hose before it gets to the trailer. Most put the pressure regulator right at the water supply outlet and the filter just before the trailer inlet.

You would also need to bring in the hose and/or filter anytime a freeze is indicated. If you are not in an area where it gets below freezing then no worries at all - just hook up, put in a pressure regulator and go! :B
Barney