# Motorhome on-board watertank



## neil684 (Dec 28, 2010)

We spend a lot of time in our Rollerteam m/h (600+ nights since 2010). One thing that puzzles us is the sight of other motorhome users walking backwards and forwards to site water supplies with kettles or small water containers.

Are they doing this just for drinking water and, if so, why? The sites involved have all had perfectly good potable water.

Signed,

Puzzled. :?:


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

It's not the site water supply that is in question,some people don't like drinking directly from the onboard freshwater tank in case of any potential nasties.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

or they forgot to fill up their tank before going to their pitch :roll:


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Some people find there is a strong tang to the water from the tank and it ruins their tea/coffee.
If you have bought secondhand, one does not know the condition of the tank even after a complete clean out.

cabby


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## Kaytutt (Feb 5, 2013)

We use our onboard for everything except straight drinking water and I keep a couple of small bottles in the fridge which I top up from a tap whenever I can 

The kettle gets filled from the onboard tank


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## blondel (Jun 12, 2005)

If we are on a site for a few days (or forget to fill up before we pitch) it makes the on board water last longer by using some other container (a 5 litre plastic bottle on our case) for such things as filling the kettle/pans/ice trays etc.

Also I am in the camp which does not entirely trust the on board tanks and pipes for drinking water so use water containers which are disposed of at the end of the trip.


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## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

Kaytutt said:


> We use our onboard for everything except straight drinking water and I keep a couple of small bottles in the fridge which I top up from a tap whenever I can
> 
> The kettle gets filled from the onboard tank


+1
misty


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Ill drink anything me.

Mrs D's hobby is collecting water. She will fill anything with it. Its almost an obsession. You will be out on the bike and there will suddenly be a scream and a demand to stop. A Wasp sting? Lost a flip flop? Nope. Seen a free water tap. Out of the tardis top box will come a plethara of vessels and collapsible containers which must be filled.

On the aire my job is to keep the 25 litre sink side container full up. The water in the actual tank is now 5 years old and never been used. 8O


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## JohnandChristine (Mar 19, 2012)

mistycat said:


> Kaytutt said:
> 
> 
> > We use our onboard for everything except straight drinking water and I keep a couple of small bottles in the fridge which I top up from a tap whenever I can
> ...


+ another 1.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I would never ever drink form the onboard tank.

Think about how it's filled, a hose pipe usually, where has it been, what's got inside it between fills, is it food safe, then there's the inlet port, can anything get in there, or through the drain tap, did anything get in during the build process, is it actually made from a safe plastic, what about the filler pipe, is it covered in bacteria caused by sunlight on the pipe.

We carry a few of the supermarket 5l bottles with us, and only fill them from taps where we've tasted the water.

Never had a bad cuppa, or nasty taste, and it makes the onboard last longerer innit.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

I always use the tank. I have never been ill from it.
I did have tank taste a couple of years ago and I detect it if the water has been in there fro several days in hot weather, then I swill it out and fill up again.

Zappy's treatments really help, but I only do it once a year....if I remember. Hmmm, must buy some more of his magic potion.


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## HurricaneSmith (Jul 13, 2007)

I guess if the van is used infrequently, then anything could be happening to the stale water inside the tank.

I use our onboard freshwater tank for everything.

My wife has always carried a small bottle of fresh drinking water for herself. With her it's more habit than taste.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

> *Kev_n_Liz wrote: *I would never ever drink form the onboard tank.
> 
> Think about how it's filled, a hose pipe usually, where has it been, what's got inside it between fills, is it food safe, then there's the inlet port, can anything get in there, or through the drain tap, did anything get in during the build process, is it actually made from a safe plastic, what about the filler pipe, is it covered in bacteria caused by sunlight on the pipe.
> 
> ...


Cor you big Wuss Kev! You built your own van an all! At least you know where all the pipes and tank came from. God knows whats been in mine. 8O

And I thought you were a big butch ruffty tuffty northerner from Leeds. Just goes to show. You can build up a fantasy about how butch someone is and you end up dissapointed.


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## Tony0851 (Apr 4, 2013)

JohnandChristine said:


> mistycat said:
> 
> 
> > Kaytutt said:
> ...


+another 1.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

I have good news for everyone.

There is no recorded evidence of anyone been found dead in a motorhome due to drinking water from the fresh water tank.

We drink from the tank and drain down after every trip. Of course if you leave water in the tank for long periods there is a slight chance of an upset tummy. This will only affect the people who take strong measures to avoid bumping into germs or microbes ( a bit pointless as they are sneaky little gits who are millions of years old).


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

When we are away we very rarely, if ever, empty the tank completely. This means that water has been in there for anything up to 3 months, old and new supply mixed and in sometimes quite high temperatures.

Being a dyed in the wool Yorkshirewoman I would not dream of making tea with anything other than fresh water if possible and, having some knowledge of bacteriology, I prefer to drink water that has not been sitting around for months in a tank with various probes, taps and inlets providing handy places to trap microbes and for them to breed.

We use 2 litre plastic milk bottles which can be recycled at the end of each trip for drinking.

G

Edit to add: We have a Whale water re-filling system and, on the advice of another AS owner, bought a small. inline Karcher pressure washer filter to avoid getting gunge in the pump. We're always amazed by what it traps, including, in the UK, a dead earwig. That, in the tank, would provide a good focus for bacterial action.


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## cronkle (May 1, 2005)

We only drink bottled water. The tank water is used for washing up, flushing the bog and for showers etc. This is mainly because there is a taste to the tank water that we don't like. (It could be that some of the fills have been with soft water which I detest - I know, the next tank of hard water would put everything right but........). 

Our way round this is to carry a dozen or so litre bottles of cheaply purchased water in a narrow cupboard that could have been designed for the job. This not only means that the taste buds are satisfied but our water reserve lasts 10% longer and no, this isn't really an issue with our payload.

Topping up the main tank is done with a watering can. I can regularly be seen trotting to and from a tap clutching it - the watering can that is.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Use our on board water tank for everything including direct drinking and making ice cubes. Never been ill and only had a taint once, traced back to an old garden hose.
I've drunk water running off a welsh mountain and water from a Yorkshire moor puddle and never had any reaction, ever.
After having only Bahrain desalinated water for several years everything else is just nectar!


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

We went the Aquaroll route with the trailer and will prpbably do the same with the Mercedes.

We also pick up a couple of 5L water bottles which do get used but not that quickly. Kettle gets filled from the kitchen sink tap which is fed through an activated charcoal filter. That is changed every season.

The shower and hot water isn't filtered.

We could fit a tank quite easily, we have the space and weight capacity, just prefer the Aquarolls.

Peter


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

barryd said:


> > *Kev_n_Liz wrote: *I would never ever drink form the onboard tank.
> >
> > Think about how it's filled, a hose pipe usually, where has it been, what's got inside it between fills, is it food safe, then there's the inlet port, can anything get in there, or through the drain tap, did anything get in during the build process, is it actually made from a safe plastic, what about the filler pipe, is it covered in bacteria caused by sunlight on the pipe.
> >
> ...


[hr:6ee24d31f2]
[hr:6ee24d31f2]

I've no issues with the tank actually, the water did taste like tom cats **** at first, but I've tasted it recently and it seems fine, but tasting doesn't reveal all nasties, only the unpleasant tasting ones, I made a serious error during the build and the main filler pipe isn't light proof, so anything could be growing in there and getting washed into the main tank, and I have no way of changing it, I use Grahams pills in it, (need to get some more) to keep it as fresh as possible, but nothing is foolproof.

And I am a ruffty tuuty northerner so watch your lip lad  but you can't do pink and be butch, unless you have a top set instead of a bottom set.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

If you fit a woolly sock to the Kitchen tap, it acts as a filter and makes the water much safer.

Remember to wring the sock out before putting it back on.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

747 said:


> If you fit a woolly sock to the Kitchen tap, it acts as a filter and makes the water much safer.
> 
> Remember to wring the sock out before putting it back on.


Me grundies works better, get most of the lumps out but still tastes like ****


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Back on topic (borf!)

I have a blue 5 metre food grade hose which is my weapon of choice when filling the van or the 25 litre carrier.

I have noticed recently that it had dark blotches of something on the inside of it like mould or something. What's that then? We also once had similar in the carrier but manage to clean that.

Guess its time for a new hose as its 6 years old at least.


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## daffodil (Aug 7, 2014)

barryd said:


> Back on topic (borf!)
> 
> I have a blue 5 metre food grade hose which is my weapon of choice when filling the van or the 25 litre carrier.
> 
> ...


you dident lend it to keviebaby by any chance :lol:

Big mistake if you did :wink:


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## Matchlock (Jun 26, 2010)

I always fill up the tank before leaving home although for the first five minutes with the drain tap open, this allows the fresh water to flush through. I use the on-board water for everything apart from drinking neat but then I never drink neat water especially in my whiskey.
Now I have had my last outing of the year I will fully drain down and blow out all of the water from the system, come march I flush through with Zappys tablets and away I go.
I carry my own food safe filling tube which I clean out every couple of months other wise black fungi spots appear.

Barry


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

barryd said:


> Back on topic (borf!)
> 
> I have a blue 5 metre food grade hose which is my weapon of choice when filling the van or the 25 litre carrier.
> 
> ...


[hr:a6136b14ce]

It's baba Barry, more likely Algae, not good for sensitive little tums at all.


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

We never drink water from the onboard tank, and we wouldn't drink water from a domestic cold water tank either, only from the mains. We sterilise the tank before each trip, and drain down after, but stored water, especially in hot weather, must always be suspect. 

We do carry a food-quality hose, but many camp sites have their own hose attached to the filler tap, and it's always ordinary garden hose. No way of knowing how many people have touched the end of the hose with dirty hands, or dropped the hose onto the ground.

We carry 2 or 3 litre and a half bottles of water for drinking, one in the fridge, one for the dog en route, one for coffee etc. We refill these at camp sites, they all have good drinking water.


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## MrWez (Sep 25, 2011)

We use bottled water for drinking but use the on-board water for everything else including the kettle - never had a problem, those systems are designed and built for just that thing!

We do drain down totally during the winter months so we know the water is always fresh during the winter.

At some time during the spring I'll fill up completely, sterilise the tank and then drain down. 

In the summer we always leave some water in the tank.

Like I said, we'd use bottled water for drinking, making ice for the Pimms or G&T and tooth brushing. Boiling the tank water in the kettle kills off the nasty nadgers - if it doesn't taste nice we'll drain down, sterilise the tank and then carry on as if we were normal!

We use a 25m food grade hose to fill the tank or a whale pump sucking the water from an 11litre watering can if we're not close enough to the tap. The watering can also gets periodically sterilised too.

Like I said, never had a problem and don't see what the fuss is about.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

MrWez said:


> ..... and don't see what the fuss is about.


What "fuss" ? I see no "fuss", only people saying what they do for drinking water.

If doing that was making a fuss then no-one would ever write to the forum at all !

You're too sensitive Mr Wez.

G


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## MrWez (Sep 25, 2011)

Grizzly said:


> You're too sensitive Mr Wez.
> 
> G


Aaaw thanks!

Maybe fuss is the wrong word, I just don't understand why people wouldn't want to use the on-board water system which is designed especially for that use, that's all.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

When I taste a cup of tea made with water that has been sitting in a hot tank
for 3 months and it still tastes as good as one made with freshly drawn water then, perhaps, I ' d agree with you. Hasn' t happened yet though !

G


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

MrWez said:


> Grizzly said:
> 
> 
> > You're too sensitive Mr Wez.
> ...


Fuss is the right word i think, I'm very fussy about what I ingest, some do have very strong stomachs and it isn't a problem for them, but why take a chance with your health, the only people who should (even if boiled) water from a tank they have never seen inside or even if they have would be the likes of Graham who is qualified to give a professional opinion on water quality.

Till he's been and inspected each and every time we go away I'll take no chances and used water I have seen to be clean and pure.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Yes Kev, we Fruitcake members have noticed that you are careful what you ingest. :lol: 

Is that why you don't come on these days? :wink:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We've been over that, I refuse to drawn, unless it's in pastels


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## HurricaneSmith (Jul 13, 2007)

I was walking our pooch the other morning, to find some workmen had uncovered a neighbour's garden well, and it reminded me of one not too dissimilar at my grandfather's farmhouse.

Those folk drank and bathed in whatever they could bucket out, regardless of how long it had been gurgling down there, and whatever might have fallen in. :lol: 

I wonder if we're all becoming to refined these days? :wink:


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

What always worries me (not too much) is the Aires you pull up to that have free water but just one tap. 

Yes! We have to discuss it. Dont pretend it doesnt exist.

Its free water, but how do we know what those Frenchies have been doing with it before you arrived huh?









A wipe with a wet wipe might make you feel better but is it really going to get rid of a whole summers worth of Thetford Germs?









Well I reckon there must be enough stuff in the water to keep it safe and kill off all the bugs as Ive never been ill once from drinking water from aires, the tank or even the odd stream yet that Bottled Leffe from Belgium always makes me ill the next day. :roll:


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I drink the water from the tank regardless of how old it is and only drain down and clean the system once or twice a year. I will also drink from streams if thirsty and take the view that if it tastes and smells OK, then I'll drink it.


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## 4maddogs (May 4, 2010)

I didn't say in my earlier post, but I usually empty the cold water tank when I fill up to avoid tamk taste.
I have to say that I do not worry about drinking from streams. I usually use my own hose.....unless I am in a hurry. I have never had a bad tummy so I will continue. I tend to think if you are over careful you will get ill (either through anxiety or no immunity!!)


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## ob1 (Sep 25, 2007)

If tank water is so pure I wonder why there are so many inline strainers fitted to Surflow pumps, to name but one. Isn't it to protect from debris??


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## Matchlock (Jun 26, 2010)

(Quote)If tank water is so pure I wonder why there are so many inline strainers fitted to Surflow pumps, to name but one. Isn't it to protect from debris?? (Quote)

That just takes the lumps out, I just hate it when the bits
get stuck between you teeth.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Everyone to their own .....


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

ob1 said:


> If tank water is so pure I wonder why there are so many inline strainers fitted to Surflow pumps, to name but one. Isn't it to protect from debris??


Debris doesn't have to be toxic.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Some points to ponder.

Have the purists (_pun intended_ :roll: ) seen the inside of a water main when the workmen have opened it up for repair?? If they had, they wouldn't be quite so confident (_smug_? :wink: ) about drinking only water from the mains.

Do they feel comfortable drinking someone else's pee? All the water on the earth has been drunk before by someone or something, and/or been piddled in by who knows what!!!

Why does (_theoretically_) sterile spring water, which has taken "_4 million years to percolate through the rocks beneath Evian_" have a use-by date of only a few months?

Dave

P.S. That should keep it going! :lol:

P.P.S. I don't need a physics lesson thanks. I know all about the water cycle. :wink:

P.P.P.S. We're getting a Nature Pure soon!!!!!!


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Dave, you little tinkler you


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Spacerunner said:


> Debris doesn't have to be toxic.


As usual on MHF there are at least 4 discussions going on here and people arguing at cross purposes :

1. The people who argue that, for various reasons, the water in their tank is contaminated by pathogens, and they don't wish to drink it as they fear and upset stomach.

2. Those who argue that it is contaminated by toxins and they don't wish to drink it in case they die.

3. Those who argue that it is stale and so makes unsatifactory drinks.

4. Those who argue that it smells or tastes unpleasant because of the reaction between the chlorine in the water and the plastics in the tank and fittings ( ie it has a TCP taste) and so makes undrinkable drinks.

By and large it is up to each individual to do what they want with their water supply and, each individual will find something to suit within a short time of buying a motorhome.

It's not up to any of us to say that our method is better, or that we watch with wonder ( ie contempt ?) when others follow a different route. Advice is good; judgement is not.

Chacun a son gout springs to mind !

G


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> If they had, they wouldn't be quite so confident (_smug_? :wink: ) about drinking only water from the mains.


Mains water has chlorine added. If you drink the water from your kitchen tap ( rather than, in most cases, water from the roof tank via a bathroom tap) then the water should be chlorinated and so repulsive to pathogens.

Chlorine is very volatile and evaporates quite quickly so any water in a motorhome or domestic tank is unlikely, after quite a short time, to have sufficient to deal with pathogens that get into the water storage system.

Chemistry Dave !

This may or may not make a difference and circumstantial evidence is that it does not: most of us brush our teeth with tank water even if we don't drink it neat and most of us survive unscathed. There are individuals who have a lowered resistance for whatever reason, and they might wish to use other sources.

G


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

No arguments there Grizz - and I didn't need a biochemistry lesson either. :lol: :wink:

You said, _"Chlorine is very volatile and evaporates quite quickly so any water in a motorhome or domestic tank is unlikely, after quite a short time, to have sufficient to deal with pathogens that get into the water storage system."_ Which is why I prefer to drain down after every trip and refill with fresh water immediately before the next. That way the fresh water is well chlorinated for a while at least, and will have (to some extent) re-sterilised the tank and pipework.

*But *have you ever _seen _the inside of a big mains water pipe?

I'm sure it's all completely sterile, but it appears quite terrifying. A thick and very obvious layer of slime adhering to the sides of the one I saw recently.

Dave

P.S. I forgot to mention earleir the "closed" domestic water system in many large cities, where everything (!) goes to the sewage works, and after purification it's back in the taps!

If I was young again (I wish!!!!) I would fervently hope that the sewage treatment was able to remove all the contraceptive pill residue from the drinking water.

(_Just stirring the pot . . . and we really are getting a Nature Pure!_ :lol: )


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> P.S. I forgot to mention earleir the "closed" domestic water system in many large cities, where everything (!) goes to the sewage works, and after purification it's back in the taps!


No lesson intended Dave !

Have you ever taken a class to visit the sewage works ? The last thing that always happened was the group being invited to have a glass of the purified water. I guess you don't have to imagine the choruses of " Urrgh ! Miss ! " that went on and it was inevitably me who drank the glass of water.

I'm still here....

Why are you getting a Nature Pure ? Not a loaded question honest; I'm just interested in an opinion from someone who has clearly thought it through.

G


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

> Grizzly said:- Why are you getting a Nature Pure ? Not a loaded question honest; I'm just interested in an opinion from someone who has clearly thought it through.


Mostly to enhance what's left of the ancient taste buds Grizz. :wink:

We are both tea drinkers _(Yorkshire Tea of course!)_ and in recent years there seems to be more chlorine in the water, whether at home, away in this country or abroad. I don't know whether this is true, or perhaps we have become a bit more picky and notice it more?? It's not a problem in cofee, but it doesn't do much to enhance the taste of a nice cuppa, specially if it's Earl Grey!

We are told by people who have them that a Nature Pure will completely remove the taste of chlorine, and ensure a really good cup of tea, so it will be our Christmas present to each other.

If it traps the occasional "nasty" en route that will be a bonus, but we are not concerned about drinking straight from the tap. As you say, the "*pure*ists" cheerfully brush their teeth, or wash the lettuce, and it never occurs to them that by doing so they could easily ingest enough pathogens to do themselves a serious mischief - if there were any present in the tank!

Just my opinion of course

Dave


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Just looked at the price of the Nature Pure system, you can get a small loch full of bottled water for that price.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Yeah, but it costs twice that in diesel to get to a loch from here! :lol: :lol:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Worth the trip though   they have proper water up there which has never seen a willy, might have a few dead deer in it though.


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## BERTHA (May 21, 2005)

We always put 6 sterilisation tablets in the 125L water tank but would never us it for drinking

Not because we thought there was a risk just it does not taste the same.
We used to buy those 4litre bottles of water for tea and drinking.


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

I used to be a director in a tropical fish breeding company, I had personally 300 tanks in my workshop and garage containing up to a couple of thousand fish and fry, the water stayed in the tanks for months with just part of the tank water regularly changed..

The water for this was mains water plumbed in to change automatically as well as drain off automatically, every so often if we had a problem in a tank the breeding fish would have to be removed to the sick tank and the particular tank with the problem cleaned out and equipment steralised..

So what you might ask?, when the water was removed and the air mat under the gravel was removed, the number of leaches and ebee geebees creatures that lived under there would shock you, all delivered via the town water 8O .

So, don't be too complacent :wink: ..

ray.


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

We use fresh water tank water for everything. I clean the tanks twice yearly Puriclean for the Fresh and Biological Powder for the Grey tanks.
The most Fresh water I carry is perhaps 2 > 4 lt just to cover en route requirements then empty and refill at every site. Always use my own Hose.
This has been the procedure for three vans over 15 yrs no funny taste or problems so far.


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## alexblack13 (Feb 10, 2013)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> I would never ever drink form the onboard tank.
> 
> Think about how it's filled, a hose pipe usually, where has it been, what's got inside it between fills, is it food safe, then there's the inlet port, can anything get in there, or through the drain tap, did anything get in during the build process, is it actually made from a safe plastic, what about the filler pipe, is it covered in bacteria caused by sunlight on the pipe.
> 
> ...


Same here! +2 .. :wink:


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

Mrs. TeeMyob is very fussy about her tea. Has to be Tetley and decent water. Even when I fitted NaturePure, she complained.

So now, we take up-to 40 litres of home water with us. Just for teas!.

I drink coffee mainly so I cant tell.

I must say, most of my Eastern European Clients, Never drink tap water. Always preferring any bottled.

TM


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Perhaps the price of bottled water, or to be more specific, the profits involved in selling it, has something to do with the modern paranoia about drinking tap water. 

Of course, the fact that most bottled water IS tap water should not be allowed to cloud the fiscal argument! :roll: 

How did the human race manage to exist for so many millennia before bottled water was invented?

Dave


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> How did the human race manage to exist for so many millennia before bottled water was invented?
> 
> Dave


I think part of the answer lies in the fact that, before there was an awareness of the need for clean water, be it bottled or boiled, many members of the human race ceased to exist not very long after birth.

I'm not a user of bottled water but it does represent a quantum leap for people whose water supply is either pathologically or chemically contaminated. Bottled water in Morocco is very cheap and, while we suffered no ill effects from the tap water, it did taste foul and, long term drinking of it would possibly fill you full of all sorts of pesticide and fertilizer residues.

G


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Grizz

Can't argue with your points (_nothing new there then! _:wink: ) but I was being rather more cynical than that, and thinking specifically of a whole generation of young people (in the highly developed world) who have been conned into believing that the only water fit to drink comes out of a bottle. You see them in supermarkets with two dozen large bottles in their trollies.

Frankly I think they are off their trollies - but the poor sods have been very thoroughly conditioned by the advertising media.

We'll be right off topic in a minute if I mention "use-by" dates, or the antiseptic wipes for use to clean surfaces - after they have just been sprayed with a germicide!!

You know, the ones that kill 99% of all known germs. It's all the unknown germs that worry me, plus the 1% of known ones that can survive the wonder jollop!!

Better get back onto motorhome water tanks I suppose.

Dave


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> , .....and thinking specifically of a whole generation of young people (in the highly developed world) who have been conned into believing that the only water fit to drink comes out of a bottle.
> 
> Dave


I'm more angered by the restauranteurs who sell pretty blue bottles of Alaskan meltwater, bottled by Viking Maidens at dead of night and costing up to £16 a bottle ! It's getting easier in UK but you have to be old and cynical like me to get a jug of tap water in a posh restaurant these days.

A few weeks ago we had lunch in Ypres with a nice Canadian couple. They asked for "water please" and the waiter asked if they wanted it with or without gas. The man replied that he simply wanted a jug of tap water. The expression on the young waiter's face and the very theatrical " tut" that he gave had us all in hysterics for the rest of the meal.

Back to motorhome tanks...we're currently wondering if we can be bothered to disinfect it before we go away. We have boxes and tubs of tablets and potions that we have never used on any van as, after reading the instructions, it always seems such a faff. The only water source we have at the farm is a huge tanker of water that has been there since time began and is fine for mixing fertilizers etc but probably no good for drinking. Any water to clean the tank would have to be brought from home in rather old jerry cans.

My only hesitation is that the drain tap has been open and I suppose it is possible that something in the farmyard has crawled in with a view to overwintering there.

G


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Grizzly said:


> My only hesitation is that the drain tap has been open and I suppose it is possible that something in the farmyard has crawled in with a view to overwintering there.
> 
> G


Now that is definitely a 'No-No'!

I'd rather have my own tame bugs than the wild ones, especially from a farmyard. 8O

My usual routine when the tank has been unused for a few weeks is to let the first gallon or so just swill round the tank and then straight out of the drain. Then just carry on filling.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

> Grizzly said:- I'm more angered by the restauranteurs who sell pretty blue bottles of Alaskan meltwater, bottled by Viking Maidens at dead of night and costing up to £16 a bottle ! It's getting easier in UK but you have to be old and cynical like me to get a jug of tap water in a posh restaurant these days.


Yes indeed. It's hard to credit that some people are so gormless and gullible, *or* such nauseating poseurs as they sneer derision upon we mediaeval peasants who still think tap water is fit to drink!

It's not usually too difficult in French restaurants if you simply ask for _"une carafe de Chateau la Pompe"_ at which the waiter smiles benignly and brings it without a fuss.

As for sterilising the tank, at the start of the season I usually dissolve a couple of tablets in the watering can (water carrier in your case) and pour the highly concentrated solution into an empty tank. That should give the fill pipe something to think about, after which I top up with the hosepipe and leave it for about an hour, running off a drop through the taps a couple of times at intervals.

Then I drain down and refill twice, leaving it for another hour each time, running some through the taps again, and that usually clears most of the lingering chlorine flavour.

I'm fortunate in storing the van at home, so although it is a faff it's not too bad as it needs no more attention than a few quick visits to the van. It gets this treatment only once per year, so it's not such a chore and offers peace of mind, even to the totally non-paranoid!!

Dave


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Ok I will make us all feel ashamed whether we drink out of or don't drink out of our on board tank, what do you think these guys would do?.









ray.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

rayrecrok said:


> Ok I will make us all feel ashamed whether we drink out of or don't drink out of our on board tank, what do you think these guys would do?.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Crap in the ditch behind the house.

Rock on Ebola!


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

What happened to all those water engineers who were going to drill and give them wells with water, that one of the charities posted about some time back. By now there should be wells all over the place.Solar powered pumps to transfer it to where it is needed.
Which water company is profiteering over selling bottled water instead.
Who decides who does what through all those charities.

cabby


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

The charity Wateraid does a lot to help those who don't have access to clean water. But, as they point out, it isn't just about providing wells etc, it's about where all the cr*p goes. Providing composting toilets well away from water sources is at least as important, if not more so.


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## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

> The charity Wateraid does a lot to help those who don't have access to clean water. But, as they point out, it isn't just about providing wells etc, it's about where all the cr*p goes. Providing composting toilets well away from water sources is at least as important, if not more so.


I have a charity covenant with WaterAid and have raised a few £000's over the years for them. as you and they say, providing clean water is one thing, changing generations of cultural habits is another thing altogether. sadly WaterAid is a needle in a huge haystack but they do a lot of very good practical and education work.

I'm staggered that people don't trust UK tap water (or many other Euro countries who operate the same standards). fill the tank, drink from it, when it's empty, refill. I have never sterilized mine in 3 different m/h's - if it's been standing for a while, I'll drain, refill and flush.

I'm still alive and never had any gut problems as the result of drinking the tank water


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Yes but let's face it Buddha you are a Fruitcake so its difficult to tell if its had any adverse effect on you.


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## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

> Yes but let's face it Buddha you are a Fruitcake so its difficult to tell if its had any adverse effect on you.


there could be some truth in that I guess.... :wink:


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## BERTHA (May 21, 2005)

*back to the point*

anyway, getting back to the point

Using your fresh tank water is safe providing you have followed some hygiene rules.

We don't because I just don't like the chemical taste of water whether from tank or tap.

I was brought up on tap water it was wonderful, fresh, always cold, helped by the fact I lived 6 miles below the reservoir
Sadly these last 10 years I don't know what they have been adding but I cant drink straight from the tap anymore.

As for the MH, we use a dedicated hose to fill up (one of those soft yellow ones from B&Q) we flush through first.

We flush out the fresh tank twice a year or if in Spain and some other countries in the summer we completely flush and fill with UK water when we get back home.

it is our preference to make tea from bottle spring water for taste not for hygiene, coffee is ok from tank!


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

*Re: back to the point*



BERTHA said:


> I was brought up on tap water it was wonderful, fresh, always cold, helped by the fact I lived 6 miles below the reservoir
> !


I bet its pretty dark down there.

But, that's water under the bridge now!


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