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?

[trail-explorer]

I don't drink the water out of my fresh tank.

[trail-explorer]

brn2romethewest wrote:
Breta

= Brita

[ab257]

We use the fresh tank water for drinking. Sanitize it and the tubing lines before every big trip. Usually (but not always) bypass the water heater during sanitization - takes too long to get the chlorine smell out of the heater tank.

Periodically sanitize our house well and piping also.

[brn2romethewest]

Im like others who drink the water in my tank. Refill my Breta pitcher with it for fresh tasting water. I sanitize it at the begining of the season and just refill and use daily. If i park the fiver for a few weeks between trips, i just fill tank with city water. Keeps it clean. Just drain and refill. Haven't been sick yet and cuts down on plastic water bottles laying around.

[rockhillmanor]

GoinThisAway wrote:
Not at this time. Our TC trips are sporadic, oftentimes with several months in between, and relatively short. I don't want to spend the time and water to sanitize the tank every time we travel. And I believe that bacteria and mold can grow in a tank whether it has water in it or not as it will always be a moist (and in our area often warm) environment. So for now we carry these for drinking water.



Two of the 2.5 gallon jugs fit perfectly in one of the kitchen sinks for travel then sit on the counter with the spigot over the sink while in camp. We start out with water from faucet at home then refill as needed along the way.

However, should we get where we can travel for extended trips I would take the time to thoroughly flush and sanitize the tank and would feel comfortable drinking water from it.

Did you see that Brita just came out with these fridge water bottles with a filter in them? I don't know what they charge for them though.

[GoinThisAway]

Not at this time. Our TC trips are sporadic, oftentimes with several months in between, and relatively short. I don't want to spend the time and water to sanitize the tank every time we travel. And I believe that bacteria and mold can grow in a tank whether it has water in it or not as it will always be a moist (and in our area often warm) environment. So for now we carry these for drinking water.



Two of the 2.5 gallon jugs fit perfectly in one of the kitchen sinks for travel then sit on the counter with the spigot over the sink while in camp. We start out with water from faucet at home then refill as needed along the way.

However, should we get where we can travel for extended trips I would take the time to thoroughly flush and sanitize the tank and would feel comfortable drinking water from it.

[John___Angela]

ejfranz wrote:
We use ours all the time. I clean it with bleach once a year and keep it filled year round. Every 3-4 months I change the water if we have not been using it. Have had no issues in 9 years.
I guess BC water is a good as they say it is.:D

Similar for us but as full timers we sit for a couple months at a time without moving. Sometime longer in the summer. Would be curious how much if any bleach you add while static. I put about 4 ounces in for a 100 gallon tank and always keep it full. What are others doing.

[ejfranz]

We use ours all the time. I clean it with bleach once a year and keep it filled year round. Every 3-4 months I change the water if we have not been using it. Have had no issues in 9 years.
I guess BC water is a good as they say it is.:D

[silversand]

....we don't, because sterilizing the fresh water tank every trip out is a real PIA. If our tank was sterilized every time out, along with the replacement water, I would drink from the tank. We buy a known brand of safe bottled drinking water locally before heading out (10 or 15 gallons in dispensing bottle), and use it exclusively for drinking or washing salad/fruit or making cold juices. If we have to buy an unknown brand of drinking water on the road, we stick to well-known national brands that have a lot to lose if it ever got out that their water was contaminated...

Also, remember if you have an air pocket in your fresh water tank (probably the case with every RV fresh water tank), that air in said pocket is full of bacteria, mold spores, and what not; so you'd need to make that stored water kill these things on its own during storage.

...end//

[AidenJ]

Always Isn't that why they put the tank in.

[Escargot]

rockhillmanor wrote:

Escargot wrote:
I carry a one gallon jug of commercially purchased water for coffee.

Pick up a bottle of distilled water. You'll be surprised how much better your coffee will taste! :W

Seriously?

[Tizi]

My wife works for Starbucks, so she requires filtered or bottled water for coffee. We use the tank water to shower, wash dishes, etc.

[rockhillmanor]

Escargot wrote:
I carry a one gallon jug of commercially purchased water for coffee.

I'm not averse to drinking from my small 24 (?) gallon FW tank but I do prefer to reserve it for dishes, washing, and flushing. I'm also not always in the mood to refill the tank after a weekend trip, so I tend to conserve in that department.

I also sanitize my FW tank in April and October. On occasion I will sanitize one more time in mid-summer just because...

Pick up a bottle of distilled water. You'll be surprised how much better your coffee will taste! :W

[Escargot]

I carry a one gallon jug of commercially purchased water for coffee.

I'm not averse to drinking from my small 24 (?) gallon FW tank but I do prefer to reserve it for dishes, washing, and flushing. I'm also not always in the mood to refill the tank after a weekend trip, so I tend to conserve in that department.

I also sanitize my FW tank in April and October. On occasion I will sanitize one more time in mid-summer just because...