I have stated many times that we like to travel with our water tanks full.
Reasons are. 1. We like to bush camp so water is a requirement.
2. Came across a van that had a tyre almost on fire and it was our water that extinguished the potential fire and cooled the wheel for changing.
3. Used our water to extinguish a fire that had been left unattended at a rest area in a fire prone area.
4. We have been held up more than once due to a highway blockage (accident) and was able to make us and some others a cuppa while we waited. Road blocked for 4hrs.
As for stability perhaps it helps some but rarely when bush camping are the tanks completely full so some water movement would occur however it has never been a problem. Our tanks are baffled as most are.
Also as we often travel to remote areas we make sure that we have at least a weeks food or more aboard.
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I was tired yesterday and I'm tired today betcha I'm retired tomorrow. he he.
I travel with a full tank, even if I don't use it or never intended using it. I always buy supermarket water as an extra. Tank is full, for longer than intended trips out of towns or for emergencies as onedodger indicated.
Our tank doesn't have baffles but one post above said they did. I'd think baffles would hold stale water - like waterbeds do. But maybe caravan water tank baffles are different GD. Someone will tell us.
Hi all, most baffles should have slots or holes in them where they meet the bottom of the tank, if not then you would end up with stale water being trapped behind the baffle. The other interesting thing I have noticed is that most baffles run across the tank which stops the water rushing forward under braking or backwards under acceleration, but rarely do you see any that have baffles to stop side ways movements. We drain ours on arrival at home and then flush it before filling again for the next trip, we do mostly free camping so always travel with a full tank. Very good question though, travel full, half full / empty or empty if caravan parking.
When traveling up & down the East coast I travel with tanks empty but a few 4L bottles full for emergency drinking & on board toilet flushing. Also have several frozen bottles in the fridge that can be drunk in a pinch.
When touring anywhere west of the Great Divide, I always fill both tanks after I climb the range just in case I have to bush camp (never happened) or for emergency or if we don't like that tase of the local water (never happened either).
Stability is not aproblem with the tandem axle Westport.
We've just arrived home after a weekend round trip of 440 km and I'm thinking this is mad, 'Why am I lugging 140 litres of water across the country when I don't need it.
So I went on a scientific website to find out what happens to water quality if held in a black tank. The answer - absolutely nothing. Providing there is no light source there should be no contamination through algae or other nasties. So the next question was, what happens if the tank is empty.
If the tank is emptied there is chance the salts and suspended minerals from the water will solidify around joints, taps, etc. The advice is to keep just enough water in the tank to keep the minerals suspended in the water.
So, as several of you have mentioned. Travel with just enough for your needs and make sure there is enough for emergencies.
This is what I'm going to adopt in future as whether I have water aboard, or not, the stability of the van does not seem to alter.
The main piece of advice that you'll hear on the subject of water tanks while storing the caravan is that you should keep them full. The theory being that by eliminating AIR and SUNLIGHT from the tank, nasties such as mould, mildew and algae aren't able to grow.
The main piece of advice that you'll hear on the subject of water tanks while storing the caravan is that you should keep them full. The theory being that by eliminating AIR and SUNLIGHT from the tank, nasties such as mould, mildew and algae aren't able to grow.
Hi Adam.Welcome to the forum.This thread is over 8 years old,and it's over 8 years since the OP posted anything! Cheers
8 years old!
Well just for fun, I run about half full. Just enough to help stability and a couple of nights but I'm not over weight. Then fill up shortly before I free camp.
