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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / February 2006Siphoning Fresh Water Tank!
We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ of our 'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound correct to you veteran RV'ers out there? Phil > We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ of our > 'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound correct to you > veteran RV'ers out there? Yes. The [amount] you typed didn't come through making any sense. When I prepare for camping, I top-off the water tank to overflowing. This is while the camper is parked and jacked, solid and level. Then, after I have hitched-up and drive off, I'll occasionally notice some water "sloshing" out of the overflow/vent, especially rounding corners. I believe this is normal. If you lose more than a couple of gallons towing to your destination, something else is leaking, you turn corners too fast or both.  Signature:) JR 2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000 >> We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ of our >> 'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound correct to you >> veteran RV'ers out there? >When I prepare for camping, I top-off the water tank to overflowing. This is >while the camper is parked and jacked, solid and level. > >Then, after I have hitched-up and drive off, I'll occasionally notice some >water "sloshing" out of the overflow/vent, especially rounding corners. I >believe this is normal. (He loses 1/4 of the tankful.) What Jim said. This is exactly my experience with my Class B. I fill it to overflowing and then some sloshes out. But I don't lose anywhere near 1/4 of the tank. Probably no more than a gallon at the most, out of a ~25-gallon tank. GB in NC > (He loses 1/4 of the tankful.) A QUARTER tank of water lost? What's with that? If they can't find it leaking onto the ground (WET spot under the trailer), my next thing to do would be to have someone FOLLOW and observe as I towed the rig down the road. Then, again, these folks may be newbies and using some entry-level, LED "gauge" display and may not be losing as much water as they think. Tank level gauge systems on many RVs are inaccurate, some very much so. If they're leveled when they fill to OVERFLOWING (like I do) and the cheap level gauge shows FULL, but when they get to their destination, it shows 3/4, I would immediately REFILL the tank - using a "jerry" can - to measure just how much water it REALLY lost. Signature:) JR > We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ > of our 'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound > correct to you veteran RV'ers out there? Depends on the way it was put together. Our fill spout is well above the water level of our fresh water tank & is connected almost straight up about midway of the tank. Since we caravan a lot and never know what or when the next water supply will be like, we travel a lot with a full tank. I have never seen it lose water. If your fill connection is mounted in the end of the tank, I don't think there is any way to keep a full tank going down the road. Tom J Tom J > Since we caravan a lot and never know > what or when the next water supply will be like, we travel a lot with > a full tank. I have never seen it lose water. When you find a water source, what things do you consider and DO before taking-on water? Do you use a filter? Several years ago I took the suggestion of an article I read in Trailer Life. I carry a spray bottle containing a dilution of chlorine bleach and water. I mist the surfaces and spout of any spigot from which I draw water. So far we haven't died of dysentery or cholera on the trail. <grin> > If your fill connection is mounted in the end of the tank, I don't > think there is any way to keep a full tank going down the road. One could place a tee-stop in the vent line. Of course, this would cause problems as the pressure in the tank rises. If inadvertently left CLOSED while camping, it would cause vacuum-related drawing problems. Mostly, it would also be Just Another Thing to remember to do when using the camper. No thanks. I'd rather replace the water. Signature:) JR 2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000 > When you find a water source, what things do you consider and DO > before > taking-on water? Do you use a filter? I always clean the faucet and always use a 1/2 micron filter. We cannot use water pressure through the hose because the filter drops the pressure too low. We use the on board pump for water pressure. I know most say that too much filtering, but we travel all over North America, including Mexico, and hook to campground water and don't have to worry about the "runs"! Tom J >> When you find a water source, what things do you consider and DO >> before [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Tom J we've traveled all over this country for 20 seasons now and prior to june of 2000 we never had a water filter of any sort (our '00 suncruiser has one built-in under the sink) and we've never experienced a problem with any CG water. well, there was that one time at white's city rv park outside of carlsbad, new mexico where the water system was shut down due to high amounts of e-coli. that's why we always travel with a full fresh water tank. maybe we're just lucky. 73, rich, n9dko > we always travel with a full fresh water tank. maybe we're just > lucky. And maybe not. Not all public, and above all private water systems are putting out pure water. You can't see or taste many things that are in some water systems. Examples: arsenic, lead, Legionella, Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, Coliforms (including fecal coliform and E. Coli), Viruses (enteric), Asbestos, Cadmium, Cyanide, Mercury, Benzene, 2,4-D, and on and on. All these are filtered out with 1/2 micron filters down to tolerable limits and many of these contaminates are found in many water systems, especially in the farm belt and where mining and oil wells are present. Some are more affected by some of these contaminates that others. I have a very low tolerance to some of the bacteria that is common in many water supplies, so I am more careful than most for my own well being on a day to day basic. The water system we are on at home is one of the most highly rated systems in the country, but I filter this water also after coming down with stomach cramps a couple of years ago, and checking the report on water samples the day before and seeing they had bacteria at levels that were way above limits. Ask for a report on the water system you are hooked to & you may be shocked at what you are drinking! To each his own, but my water gets filtered every time!! Tom J > Ask for a report on the water system you are hooked to There's no need here. The excellent municipal system to which I am connected is now required by law to (quarterly?) spam out hard copies of their official water quality report. Of course, probably most of the things go right in the trash. Could we have simply put it on a web site and provided the URL? Heck, no. Your tax dollars at work. The water I drink is virtually always in compliance with EPA standards. If the government says it is safe, it MUST me, right? Signature:) JR > The water I drink is virtually always in compliance with EPA > standards. If > the government says it is safe, it MUST me, right? Potable water minimum quality regulations leave a lot of contaminates in the water, IF your system is only meeting the minimum requirements. Have you read one of those printouts to see what your system is letting through? Tom J >> The water I drink is virtually always in compliance with EPA >> standards. If the government says it is safe, it MUST me, right? > Potable water minimum quality regulations leave a > lot of contaminates in the water I prefer the term "impurity" due to the negative connotation implied using "contaminate". > IF your system is only meeting the minimum requirements. My water utility is meeting the EPA's MINIMUM standards, at least. > Have you read one of those printouts to see what your system is > letting through? Yes, several times. I am fully informed and not concerned for the quality of the water I get from my tap. It is reasonably priced, too. Driving my car every day presents a greater risk to my health than does drinking my tap water. My BMI is of greater concern to me than the few impurities that remain in what little tap water I drink. The minimum [quality/safety/whatever] standards for virtually everything touched by federal regulation have been continually RAISED since the creation of the bureaucracy that regulates each thing. There have been significant improvements, but we are paying a pretty penny for it. How much MORE would it cost for my water utility to EXCEED the minimum quality levels? I have paid EPA to determine those minimums. I have no desire to pay MORE, probably MUCH more, to exceed those levels, especially given that I am of the opinion that a much greater reduction in the levels of impurities would cost A LOT while delivering an apparently unchanged product and would probably not reduce what little health risk there is from drinking what's flowing now. There is a point of diminishing return. For a water bill that is perhaps ten times higher than we pay now, they could probably shave off more than a few percentage points of some retained impurities and only a few on others. I have a Culligan water cooler in my kitchen. I supply it with 5-gallon jugs of Culligan water (reverse osmosis, UV, yadda yadda). This is my primary DRINKING supply. I understand that it may be no "healthier" than my tap water. It does, however, TASTE a little better - but only a little, now. We originally got the dispenser when we were hooked-up to a neighborhood well. Despite its purported quality, THAT water literally STUNK. We were finally overtaken by Engulf and Devour<tm> - our large, regional, PUBLIC water utility. The quality of our tap water improved greatly after the physical cutover. Water quality? The bulk of the water used in this household comes from the Missouri river - The Mighty Mo. I try not to dwell on the fact that, 90-miles upstream from Omaha, Sioux City, Iowa, releases their treated wastewater into the river!! This is more common you'd think. Ewwwwwwww! Signature:) JR >>> When you find a water source, what things do you consider and DO >>> before [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > 73, > rich, n9dko Bottom Line: If you don't have a water filter, *YOU* are a water filter! Ichabod from New Hampsha >"bigbird" <bigbird@garlic.com> wrote: >We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ of our >'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound correct to you >veteran RV'ers out there? It can happen on some rigs. Like ours. This can happen in two circumstances with our current rig. This rig has no gravity fill, only a pressure fill. If I fill it until it starts overflowing, it will in fact siphon about a quarter of the 100 gallons on to the ground. To stop it, I either flip open the fresh water dump valve for a few seconds or run the water pump for a few seconds. Either is sufficient to break the vacuum and stop the siphoning. The other case is if we take off with the tank filled to the top. It can start siphoning out the overflow while on the road. I have lost as much as 20 gallons that way. Some days, we lose only about five gallons. If I fill it to only about 95% full we seldom lose any water on the road. Our previous rigs did not do this. SignatureDD >This rig has no gravity fill, only a pressure fill. If I fill it until >it starts overflowing, it will in fact siphon about a quarter of the 100 [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Our previous rigs did not do this. Mine does exactly the same thing! The only way I can see this as being possible is if the overflow tube extends down into the tank. Once the tank end of the overflow is out of the water the flow would have to stop. Sloshing while traveling can start it, but if the overflow did not extend into the tank you would only lose a few ounces. In my case if I fill until the overflow starts it will siphon down to about 1/2 tank. Same if the sloshing starts it. If I only fill to about 3/4 of a tank the sloshing will seldom start it. I think this (and others like it) is a case of a sloppy manufacturer or a workman that thought it was funny. My tanks are located were I can see them but can only reach them if I lose 100 pounds or more. Probably more. Jon ==================================================== Jon Griffin SKP 75680 FMCA F257439 Pahrump, NV Sundre, AB apply ROT13 to my address Vnz@eniatvqvbgf.arg ==================================================== >This rig has no gravity fill, only a pressure fill. If I fill it until >it starts overflowing, it will in fact siphon about a quarter of the 100 [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Our previous rigs did not do this. Amazing. No gravity fill? I never heard of that. I can't imagine what they are thinking. Many a campground has water only from a hand pump. And how do you fill up from a water can? I've gone a week or more filling from a water can. You only camp where there is pressurized water? Why would the manufacturer intentionally limit you this way? Bizarre. Bob www.arcatapet.net/bobgiddings >Bob Giddings <bobg@escapees.com> wrote: >>This rig has no gravity fill, only a pressure fill. If I fill it until >>it starts overflowing, it will in fact siphon about a quarter of the 100 [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >Bob Yes, we have no gravity fill. It is not all that unusual in diesel pushers. When dry camping, our 100 gallons of fresh water lasts around seven days. If we are careful to dump our dish water down the toilet, we can just barely make our 58-gallon gray water tank last that long, but it is usually full in five days. In three and a half years of full-timing, we have had to move only once because we ran out of fresh water. In every other case, gray water was the limiting factor, and I have never been in a campground that had a place to dump but no place to fill our tank. That's not to say I wouldn't prefer to have a gravity fill as well... SignatureDD >from a hand pump. And how do you fill up from a water can? I've >gone a week or more filling from a water can. > >You only camp where there is pressurized water? Why would the >manufacturer intentionally limit you this way? Mine has no gravity fill either. I have needed a gravity fill only once in the nearly 5 years I've had this coach. There is a connection where the on board pump will suck water out of a water can and suppy it to the faucets, but not to the tank. I took the "outdoor shower" and connected it to the "tank fill connection". Then the pump sucked the water out of the can, sent it to the "outdoor shower" which in turn sent it into the tank. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is. Jon ==================================================== Jon Griffin SKP 75680 FMCA F257439 Pahrump, NV Sundre, AB apply ROT13 to my address Vnz@eniatvqvbgf.arg ==================================================== I see where "bigbird" <bigbird@garlic.com> contributed: >We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ of our >'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound correct to you >veteran RV'ers out there? You are being scammed. It is true that some rv water tanks are vented in a manner that allows SOME of the water to spill when under way. Losing 1/4 is ridiculous. Check the routing of the vent hose. Will Sill The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill >We are being told by our TT manufacturer that it's normal to lose ¼ of our >'full' fresh water tank while traveling! Does this sound correct to you >veteran RV'ers out there? > >Phil nope. you CAN overfill your fresh tank which results in some spillage but nothing close to 25% of the tank, at least on my '00 itasca suncruiser. 73, rich, n9dko |
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