Fresh Water

Fresh water is carried aboard your motorhome in a specific tank and in our case we carry 100 gallons of fresh water and another 10 gallons of hot water when we are full. Because water weighs about nine pounds per gallon, you need to plan ahead and only carry what you expect you might need in an emergency or for dry camping.

Issues that need to be addressed are the quality of your water and keeping it clean.

Your water is only as good as the source at the time of delivery. If your tank is filled from a municipal water supply you will normally have adequate chlorine to keep your water safe. If you fill your tank from well water you do not have any chlorine to purify your water. If you fill your water tank with municipal water the chlorine content will drop over a fairly short period of time - perhaps only three days. You should have a test kit aboard to insure that your water stays protected and you should add chlorine when the safe level drops.

Filters - many motorhomes have filters installed in the motorhome between the storage tank and your drinking source to filter out the chlorine taste and also any minerals and other solid particles that are in the water. Other motorhomes have filters that filter out all the water as it leaves the tank and goes to all your faucets. In most cases it is wise to filter out particles as you fill your tank - but not a filter that removes your chlorine. This filter will attach to your hose between the faucet and the coach.

Sanitizing your water system. It is recommended that every three months you put a mixture of 1/4 cup chlorine to 1 gallon of water for each 15 gallons of water in your tank. For our 100 gallon tank we need 6 2/3 gallons of the mixture. You pour your mixture into the tank and then fill with water. You then run your faucets until they smell of chlorine. Next you go shopping or off for a hike because you want your water system to sit for 4 hours. You now drain your water tank and fill with fresh water. You run your faucets until you no longer smell chlorine and your system has been sanitized!

Care of your water hose is most important and you need to make sure your water hose is one approved for drinking water. Before using your hose run some water through it to rinse out any dust particles then attach to your filter or coach. After using your hose keep the ends out of the dirt and roll up the hose letting any water drain and then attach the open ends together to keep out dirt and creepy crawlers!