Fresh water tank - do you drink water from it?

[deltabravo]

This thread How do you get rid of smell from water in fresh-water tank led to me wonder how many people drink water from the fresh water tank in their RV.

I used to, but I stopped drinking out of the tank in about 2007 or so.

I had a Desert Fox Toy Hauler from 2003-2009. I dumped the fresh tank after every trip. I sanitized it periodically.

I have an Arctic Fox 811 truck camper now, which I bought in late 2009. I dump the tank after each trip in it too, except this past July when I forgot. (water stunk bad when I used the camper this past weekend)

I drank water out of the fresh water tank of the DF. I had a PUR water filter on the kitchen sink faucet as another level of protection.

On one trip with the DF, I woke up in the morning, and within an hour or so I felt horrible. I had no energy at all, and I felt better if I stayed horizontal. When I walked around, I was light headed and my equilibrium was out of kilter.

I spent most of the morning and part of the early afternoon chilling out in a friends zero gravity reclining lounge chair.

I suspected the water was what caused me to get sick. Maybe it wasn't, but that was my first suspicion, and I haven't drank water out of the fresh water tank since that trip, which I think was 2007

Now I carry bottled water. I wash and refill some of the bottles at home.

Do you drink water out of your fresh water tank?

[msiminoff]

Do you drink water out of your fresh water tank?

Yes, we do drink water from the fresh tank, but always after passing it through an under-sink filter.
I sanitize the entire water system with bleach at the beginning of each season and I have only ever filled the tank from known-good potable water systems (e.g. chlorinated municipal water or filtered residential well water). I am not at all concerned about mold or pathogens, but I do often wonder about particulates.
I'll add that I can't imagine any scenario where I would intentionally put questionable water in the TC's tank! Furthermore I would never choose to drink water from any unknown source without first doing some combination of boiling/filtering/purifying. I own a SteriPEN that I have occasionally used on hiking trips when I wasn't 100% certain about water quality.
-Mark

[John___Angela]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Forum members are discussing why 'they' do it the way they do. And when questioned regarding their practice they reply again as to why 'they' do it that way.


IMHO I don't think forum members are adamantly pointing fingers saying which way is right or wrong.

I was dead set on a lot of things I did with my RV. Over the years I have read some posts here about why others do it a different way, and learned some new things that made good sense and I changed how I did it.

So I do believe a good discussion with different opinions is well worth the read. There is always room for improvement! Just saying.

Excellent post.

[rockhillmanor]

Forum members are discussing why 'they' do it the way they do. And when questioned regarding their practice they reply again as to why 'they' do it that way.


IMHO I don't think forum members are adamantly pointing fingers saying which way is right or wrong.

I was dead set on a lot of things I did with my RV. Over the years I have read some posts here about why others do it a different way, and learned some new things that made good sense and I changed how I did it.

So I do believe a good discussion with different opinions is well worth the read. There is always room for improvement! Just saying.

[rickeoni]

NO

[obgraham]

Well this topic is like a lot of others -- people are adamant that their solution is right and the others' are wrong.

But the bottom line: It's whatever keeps folks happy, isn't it? Whatever we are all doing, RV'ers don't seem to be falling over sick all the time, and I suspect the users of bottled water don't find this to be a major part of their RV expenses. Do what suits us, and keep on RV'ing!!

[Reddog1]

bighatnohorse wrote:

Reddog1 wrote:
I do supplement my water intake with lots of beer. Maybe I supplement my beer with water. I do not think coffee made with beer would be very good.

So. . .you fill the water tank with beer?

I considered it once, but could not figure how to keep it cold in the summer. :B

[mkirsch]

A couple miles up the hill from my parents' place at a crossroads is some sort of water tap sticking out the side of the ditch. It's been there as long as I can remember.

The tap is fed by some sort of open well further up the hill in the woods. Directly above that are dozens of acres of farmers' fields covered in manure, fertilizer, and pesticides.

People come from long distances to fill their jugs with this water. Supposedly it is the best-tasting water ever... Gee, I wonder why. All the animal barf and cow poop and dead stuff floating in the water, chemicals... Mmm-mmm!

I would drink water out of my fresh tank long before I'd drink water from that well. Of course mine STILL smells like fabric softener after 4 years of use and flushing and sanitizing and bleaching....

[billyray50]

kerry4951 wrote:
We drink bottled water only. Tank water is used for cleaning, showers, etc.

X2

[Bumpyroad]

this thread reminds me of when my friend in Italy took me to the storage facility to show me his Class C. several innovations I hadn't seen in the USA at that time. the windows that were plastic double surface that hinged out so you could open them in the rain, screen pulled up from the bottom and the shade pulled down from the top.
he showed me how the dinette converted into a bed in a unique manner, but that large storage area under the seat was packed full of bottled water. At least they used frizzante (sp?_) water and not repackaged city water.
bumpy

[joeshmoe]

jfkmk wrote:


Saaayyyy! Now there's an idea! Could use the low point drain on the outside to refill my mug!

When you say refill your mug, I assume you mean lying on your back, under the drain, with your mouth open. Just trying to consider all the options.:B

[Nutinelse2do]

I drank holding tank water in Cholla Bay in the 70's. Not too worried about my coach's water tank in comparison. Plus, there is nothing in there a shot of Crown Royal won't kill. :B

[brholt]

Yes. fill up with chlorinated city water. We do use a Brita pitcher in the refrigerator for cold water.

[Camper_Jeff___K]

We drink, cook, wash, coffee, cat water from the TC's fresh water tank all the time. I sanitize the fresh tank 1 or 2 times a year. Our city water is already chlorinated. I flush out the white hose before connecting to the TC and filling the tank to get rid of the disgusting white hose smell and taste. If we have full hook ups, I have to run the cold water about 30 seconds to get rid of the white hose smell and taste every time I use the water. I've had the TC sit with a half tank for up to 2 months before with no perceptible smell in the water. Have not tasted 2 month water. After these longer periods of sitting, I will sanitize. If the TC is just sitting for more than a couple weeks, I'll usually run about 15 gallons or about 5 minutes of water into the tank with the drain valve open and also water squirting out the over fill vent line. I also run 2 pitchers water through the cold line all faucets and same thing for the hot but 4 pitchers due to the water heater tank.

[mike-uswest]

rockhillmanor wrote:

obgraham wrote:
....I'm waiting for a valid report from someone getting a real illness from drinking water out of a properly maintained RV tank. ...)

That is because most people write off a case of diarrhea to something they ate or that they partied too much around a campfire cookout.

A "properly maintained" fresh water tank? Cleaning a tank periodically has nothing to do with the safety of the water you put IN the tank.

You put spunky well water in it or leave the water in it for long periods and bacteria can and will grow in it. The tank takes on the ambient temperature of the outside air allowing any bacteria that is in it to bloom. That's were the diarrhea will come into the picture if you drink it. And BTW harmful bacteria is odorless and tasteless It doesn't have to smell to be harmful. And small children are at a greater risk of getting sick.

Me, I don't drink the water from the tank or CG hookup. I don't want to be laid up for one minute while I am RV'ing! :C

That is why I get small children to try it before I drink it.

Mike

[dadwolf2]

Yes, we drink from the holding tank. Didn't use to but we bought an inexpensive Brita water pitcher and it really works well. We use to bring cases of water and 5 gallon jugs from home and I thought, there has got to be a better way.

The jug surfrat uses is nice, but it might last us a day.