Hi Androb and welcome to the Forum. My water tank stays as it is when I return home and I top them up when I do the vehicle check for the next trip. Others might do something different, so be interesting to see what other responses you get.
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Retired Airline Pilot and Electrician..
I'm not old, I've just been young a long time....Ken
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
As I am on the road full time I have two 95lt tanks full at all times. I tend to put 20lts every few days. I also have 95lt grey water tank that could be full at times as well but rarely.
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DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
If you do a search for say e.g "Water Tanks" you will find previous threads covering this topic.
I used to be in the food production industry, Maintenance. Plant that had empty tanks and pipework always had to have C.I.P. (Clean In Place) treatment run through at the end of the production run and before start up, if the tanks and pipework was empty.
This is because all those dark, moist, warm, spaces are ideal for bacteria and other lurgies to grow.
Most systems that remained full and never drained (like the chilled or tempering process water supply) were OK as no contaminants would be in the system. This was all Town Supply Water from the mains.
Town Supply water is nearly always chlorinated, that by itself assists in keeping your tank free of contaminants. I keep my 60 litre tank topped up (tight) when stored with about 4 MILTON TABLETS chucked in. Drain and refill twice before heading out on the road.
I had my tank out last year for maintenance purposes. I happened to have an industrial inspection camera at home and decided to have a look inside. Clean as a whistle after 10 years use. We drink this water as well.
Nothing to do with 'water' more 'the tank'
All this talk of water tanks reminds me of ours in the early days of the MH
3 months into the life of the MH and the tank broke away from the chassis and crashed to the ground
I discovered that it was held to the chassis via 4x 1/2" mild steel threaded rods, welded as appropriate
I was in outback Qld at the time, had been going over a bumpy dirt road with a full 100Lt [ie- 100kg] tank
I had the local engineering works replace the MS rod with 'proper' steel bolts, still 1/2" dia but now hardened steel etc etc
Never had a problem since then and we do a hellovalot of bumpy-dirt roads each year x 11 years now & 350k kms
I am with Hendo but often wondered was I doing the right thing. Will watch this Forum with interest. We also never free camp but have similar concerns re use of gas as in two years never used the in-van facilities. Do use a gas bottle for outside cooking. Back to the water tanks, have wondered at any adverse results because we do not fill or part-fill them. I am all eyes.
I always fill my tanks when returning from a trip, 2 reasons. It is healthier for the water in the tank, as said, no air no lurgies grow and also I don't forget to fill next trip. Which could be 6 months or so.
Why would you drain perfectly good water & replace it with more perfectly good water.
Who has seen people with home tanks because they are 'off grid', replacing their tank water regularly?
Some folk seem to think that when they turn on their tap they get NEW water, nope! It is the same stuff that has been here for millions of years. Nobody is making more. It has been drunk, peed, peed in flowing in rivers & shat in by fish. All good. Recycling at it's best.
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Neil & Lynne
Pinjarra
Western Australia
MY23.5 Ford Wildtrak V6 Dual Cab / 21' Silverline 21-65.3
I too have been watching with interest and offer the following
We live in a rural area and have to collect/pump/filter our own water. We rely on our bore when there is no rain to fill our water tanks and we are very lucky that the bore water is excellent quality.
Our caravan is also an emergency house. We get very long blackouts and with no pump there is no shower or toilet flush so the bathroom in the van has been used often.
We always keep our tanks full at home, water is filtered into the tanks and in more than 15 years caravanning we have never had an issue with bad water. We do try to keep the tanks for rainwater only and use a 100 litre bladder in the navara for shower water that we collect wherever we can get water and again it is always filtered into the bladder.
hope that helps
frank
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Avagreatday.
Kathy and Frank currently at Home near Quirindi NSW
In my twenties I was at sea. The Domestic and Boiler make up water tanks in the Double Bottoms and other tanks were always just topped up with Town Supply in most ports in the World. The supply for ships was treated by the Port Authority and mixed in with what was still in the tanks. Some ports we would not necessarily take on water if it was very suspect. Remember there being Cholera in Greece in the 60's where we did not top up. We could if necessary add chlorine to the water. But I cant remember ever having to do so. The water tanks were just Mild Steel coated in a paint called "Snowcem" inside. After repainting the inside of the tanks (done by the tank scalers) we would have white cloudy water for weeks. Taste was slightly chalky, but still OK if thirsty. We used to mix the "Board of Trade Lime Juice" into it to make a tastier thirst quencher.
When backpacking through third world countries years ago we used to dose our water bottles with two "Eye Dropper Drips" of Iodine per litre. Left for twelve hours / overnight, it was OK to drink. But boiling the water is preferred for taste. Never suffered Alexandria Gut or Delhi Belly while back packing travelling either.
I cant recall ever having a stomach upset when I was at sea never suffered any ill affects from food or water.
The Grog ! well that's a different story. Rum, Absinthe, Whisky, Beer, I've had me days of being very unwell from over imbibing. Stick to water it's good for you.
