water tanks

No Fixed Address · Veteran Member

water tanks

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

I am sure there others who have more 'hands-on' experience than me regarding using the shower and a washing machine when mainly 'free' camping.

However, the little experience I have is that a shower, even a very quick shower, can use a fair bit of water. A washing machine certainly does use a large number of litres to do the wash and rinse.

I do neither when camping ... that is use the shower (but I do sponge bath ) or the washing machine (I hand wash my clobber every few days) ... so I am a little 'un-informed' in specifics.

Given the little I know, using the shower (albeit for short showers) every couple of days and using the washing machine once a week, is something I would not do unless I had ready access to water to replenish my on-board tanks after using the shower/washing machine.

I do know that without using the shower or washing machine, my two 80litre on-board tanks will last me about a week - longer if I can get access to even non-potable water (even creek water) for cooking and washing. If I can't access non-potable water to extend my 'tanks' then I need find potable water to refill about each week.

Hope that gives some indication .. although I guess not very scientific. hmm

Cheers - John

[edit: hmm rocky can't spell ]

-- Edited by rockylizard on Sunday 8th of November 2015 07:14:59 PM

The Doo crew · Senior Member

We have 80lts of washing water ( sink & shower ) & 95 of drinking water. With two of us having a wash- shower each night & the wife's fascination with filling the sink to wash dishes we get three to four days out of our wash tank. Our drinking water is used for water bottles, cooking & the kettle & lasts about 14 days.
Can't help you on the washing machine usage as we don't have one but would think you are going to run out fast unless you have access to water when using it

dragonfly1 · Senior Member

We have a washing machine shower and carry 250 litres of water which lasts about five days with two showering once a day and using the washing machine once plus cooking washing up etc

Dragonfly1

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

If we have an 'unrestricted' water supply, we use about 30 litres per day.
Showers, but no washing machine.

Cheers,
Peter

rockylizard · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
If we have an 'unrestricted' water supply, we use about 30 litres per day.
Showers, but no washing machine.

Cheers,
Peter

sounds good Peter

Watcha got ... access to the Victorian De-Sal Plant in the motorhome ??

Cheers - John

No Fixed Address · Veteran Member

From what I'm hearing I think we will look to increasing what we plan to carry,

Many 'tanks again, (sorry a little joke there)

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Just before you race off to get more water tanks or containers etc. Make sure you have the weight spare in the Den or Tug. Allow 1kg per ltr of water.

If I fill both my tanks I am 90kg over weight. No, not me, the Den. So I don't travel with full tanks but carry 3x10lt containers of fresh water for washing me or dishes etc and for drinking. I then just fill thise as needed. If I am fixed in one spot for a length of time, like at present I fill both tanks and top up as needed. I am Solo so would be different for more than one. Works for me anyway.

Keep Safe on the roads.

villatranquilla · Guru

there are times when you will need the extra water so I'd get the extra tank plumbed in but make sure the tanks can all be isolated so that you are not carrying it un-necessarily. We also have a bladder that we can use for getting extra water to take to the van as well as at least one 20 lt container. Showering daily for us is a luxury we avoid when free camping - 2nd daily gets us by by using nappy wipes on non-shower days. Showers are short - wet down - water off - lather up - rinse off. Washing gets saved till we have access to water. Wash dishes in a bowl = sink uses too much water. Longest period of bush camping was 10 weeks without moving the van and got by by using the 20lt container to supplement the water tanks.

Hey Jim · Guru

Hi Ron,

Our new van has 2 x 82lt tanks with shower / loo. I intend to carry an extra 80 Lts in 4 x 20Lt drums to enable Lambie to have a shower each day. To do this the rear seats in our GX 200 cruiser will be removed to counter the extra weight, using the tie down points with rachet straps to scure them to the floor. depending on short showers we hope to free camp for one week at a time. I can shower in a tea cup. cry toping up the vans tanks as they empty.

PS: Our washing machine consists of a black home brew keg 20kg with screw on lid. We put our undies, socks, t shirts in in the morning with liquid washing detergent straped onto the A frame. the agitation traveling along washers all. At lunch break we wring out and rinse with fresh on the afternoon run. at our stop overnight we wring out and hang on our fold up air dryer. all good the next morning. Our towels sit over a rail between the rear grab handles in the second row. Air con dried, and adds extra privacy to rear.

Jim

-- Edited by Hey Jim on Sunday 8th of November 2015 09:50:17 PM

KFT · Guru

G'day Ron

Our van has 2 x 95 litre tanks and a very fine filter on the drinking water tap. The loo also uses tank water to flush. If we fitted any more tanks we would definitely be overloaded.

The only time we have used the washing machine when bush camping was a couple of days before we knew we were moving on and would have access to water to top up.

I also carry a 100 litre bladder behind the front seats in our Navara and can hook this into our van pump. It is handy because we can cart water to the van and it is only the weight of a big passenger anyway.

hope that helps

Frank

Baz421 · Guru

Yes don't rush to add more water tanks until you know what you want.

We have 120l for shower, sink and hand basin and when free camping we can stretch this out and still go to bed clean. How?

We have a tap on the shower OUTLET (after the hot/cold taps). We turn this on and get wet, soap up and rinse off. With a 6l per minute shower head (you know the water saver one) you can plan your usage.

The sink can be a big drain so a small sink just big enough to wash dinner plates is ideal IMHO. We clean teeth from a cup of water.

ALSO we carry water in the truck to pump into the van when out bush.

So daily use could be:

shower X 2 --- 2 mins each = 4 mins X 6 l daily = 24 litres.

washing up --- say twice a day @ 5l = 10 litres.

wash hands (in bowls) and rinse if required say 5 litres per day.

ALL UP 39 LITRES PER DAY.

Now carry some in the tug say 80l if possible for bush trips.

You can use all water in tanks for general use when out bush and buy 10l water for drinking etc to get longer use.

Just my thoughts Ron.

No Fixed Address · Veteran Member

Again I appreciate everyone's input, I realise I have to watch the weight factor, but I think I'm now leaning towards 2 x 95ltr tanks plus if needed jerrycans in the vehicle as well. Also thanks for the tips on how to save water, as this adventure we are starting next year is very different to our current lifestyle, learning about all these things is gold!

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Just as an aside. Reading this thread through reminded me of those days of old.

Remember when we used to go camping for a week with the kids with only a tent and a few 'jerry cans' of water.

No big van with huge water tanks ... and of course no showers, toilets or mod cons then either ... and if we were camped next to a creek/river/lake we used to think it was Christmas with all the 'extra' water available.

I was brought up on tank water in outback QLD as a kid ... water has always been a precious commodity that I was taught to never waste.

Cheers - AHHH ... so good gettin' old - John

Bill B · Guru

No Fixed Address wrote:

Again I appreciate everyone's input, I realise I have to watch the weight factor, but I think I'm now leaning towards 2 x 95ltr tanks plus if needed jerrycans in the vehicle as well.

Ask your van manufacturer for an increased ATM so you can have a higher payload, then the larger water tanks won't impact what you can legally carry.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

We do what Baz does for showering. Get wet, turn the shower off, soap and and clean, then turn the shower on again to rinse off the soap and shampoo.

We have a top loader washing machine - the standard type small one in new vans. It can do either full or half load, but uses a lot of water - maybe 100 lt in all the rinse cycles.

We carry 4 x square 25 lt water containers that Bunnings sells for $20 and fill these if we think we will need them. They take up more space in the ute than standard jerry cans, but have a much wider opening in them. Rather than lifting 20kg jerry cans to fill your van tanks, we use a 12v bilge pump. Drop the pump end (which wont fit in a jerry can opening) to the bottom of each container -poke the end of the 4m hose into a van tank opening, hook up the power to the ute or van batts and it empties into the van at the rate of about 5 litres a minute. Great if you suffer sore backs and shoulders