Travel Trailer Does Fresh Water Tank Fill Up With City Connection

Your RV Water Arrangement Explained

(Army camp Addict does NOT accept payment from any company to review or endorse their products.)

So you take an RV. Yous know there's some fashion that water runs to your sink, toilet and shower.

But how, exactly?

An RV h2o system can be disruptive at first.

There'south a deviation between using a city h2o connexion (hose continued to your camper) and using your RV h2o pump to circulate H2O stored in your fresh water tank.

If yous aren't familiar with how an RV fresh water system works, you've come to the right place.

Here yous will learn how water gets into your RV, where to find water if you are not at a campsite with a fresh water supply, and maybe fifty-fifty detect out a thing or ii about your fresh water pump.

Need to replace your water pump ? Use the button below to open up upwardly the reviews and detect the right type for your rig.

How To Get Running Water In Your RV

Most RVs have two options to get water coming through your RV plumbing organization:

• Attaching a hose to your RV from the outside ('urban center water connection')
• Using the RV's pump to apply h2o stored in your fresh water tank

Metropolis H2o vs. Fresh Water Tank

Using Urban center Water

One mode to go water flowing through your faucets is to adhere an RV water hose (different from a regular garden hose) from a spigot to the water inlet on the outside of your rig.

This is what is called using 'city water'.

With the urban center water method, you don't have to fill your belongings tank or 'fresh water tank'.

You also don't need to use your water pump.

With the 'city water' method, the water goes from the hose directly into and through the pipes that lead to your RV toilet, faucet(s) and RV shower head.

City water bypasses the fresh water holding tank completely.

When using metropolis water, you can continue the outside h2o spigot on all the time.

Here's An Example Of An Outside Water Hose Attachment On An RV.

This mode, the water pressure from the spigot pushes the water through your RV water system.

So, no need to use your built-in water pump.

Turning the water off at the spigot (exterior) when you aren't home is a good option to eliminate disaster if your RV plumbing system pipes spring a leak.

Of form, using city water only works if in that location's a nearby spigot you can utilise.

If you get to an RV park and pay for 'full hook-ups', you volition have a dedicated spigot to employ.

When using city water, it's a VERY skillful idea to get a water pressure regulator to attach to your RV water hose.

Some RV parks have force per unit area that is besides loftier for RV plumbing systems.

In such cases, it tin can bust the h2o pipes within your rig, or crusade leaks at plumbing fittings.

Having an RV h2o pressure regulator will assistance prevent this disaster.

Obviously, you lot can't utilise metropolis water if you are out in the wood (boondocking) or if yous are camping without water hookups.

If that's where you are going, you lot need to fill up your freshwater tank before y'all get there.

Water Pressure Regulator

A h2o pressure level regulator is essential to use when you are continued to any outside water supply.

Water pressures from town to urban center to town will vary.

Some have very loftier water pressure which tin damage your existing water lines, causing a leak.

A leak will cause water damage, which is the #1 worst matter that tin can happen to your RV.

ALWAYS accept 1 of these in place when connected to an external water supply.

Using Your RV Fresh Water Holding Tank

Pretty much whatever RV with a sink, faucet or shower in it likewise has a freshwater holding tank.

This is how y'all become h2o when you are boondocking.

You may either fill your fresh water tank at habitation before you lot hit the route, or you tin fill information technology just before you arrive at your army camp.

Also, some campgrounds will have a designated area where you can fill up your fresh h2o tank before settling into your campsite.

If your rig is already close to its GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating), it'southward all-time to not bulldoze with your fresh water tank full the entire mode, depending on how far you have to become.

Driving with your tank full likewise affects your gas mileage to a certain degree, depending on the chapters of your fresh water tank.

Keep in mind that each gallon of h2o weighs approximately viii.iii lbs.

Yous exercise the math for your water tank (chapters in gallons x 8.3).

Of grade, driving with a full fresh water tank also depends on where y'all tin or cannot get water.

Sometimes the nearest water source is nowhere close to where you are camping.

In this case you lot have no choice but to fill your fresh water tank before arriving at your final destination.

To fill your tank, locate the exterior potable water fill port.

Most of the time, it'south pretty conspicuously marked.

Below is an example of what yours may expect like.

Sometimes it's inside a locked compartment, sometimes it'due south not.

If you have an older RV, simply proceed looking around the outside compartments until you find a hole that looks like it can fit a hose.

It'due south NOT the aforementioned pigsty that y'all employ to stay hooked up to h2o as nosotros talked about above.

The opening for the fresh h2o tank fill has a totally dissever entry indicate.

NOTE: Some RVs (mainly motorhomes) exercise not have a potable water fill port. Instead, they have a valve that redirects water coming in from the city water inlet to the fresh water tank.

I other fashion you tin can fill water holding tanks is with portable water containers or bladders.

You can also fill these to help your water supply go fifty-fifty farther.

You then empty them into your portable water fill point (assuming your RV has ane).

Doing then means yous don't have to move your rig again to top-off your fresh h2o organisation.

Please annotation- these numberless are notorious for leaking around the threaded expanse over time, or otherwise developing a leak, and may demand to exist replaced periodically.

Here's What Campsite Addict Kelly Uses As Portable Water Containers. These Are Collapsible.

Other methods are to purchase a large bladder that you tin fill at the drinking water station.

Y'all then use a gratuitous-standing water pump OR the water pump that came with your RV, to fill up your fresh water tank.

Filling Your Water Tank Using Collapsible Water Containers

Your RV Water Arrangement Pump

You lot volition need to turn your RV h2o pump on to use tank-stored  water when you are not connected to city h2o.

Locate the on/off switch and flip it to the 'on' position.

Bingo!

You have a pressurized fresh water system.

A Typical Tank Monitor Panel With Water Pump Switch On Left.

The pump may exist in the 'on' position, just information technology won't necessarily exist actively running.

It's designed not to activate until the pressure in your water lines drops.

The pump is set up to proceed the pressure in your RV plumbing lines at a sure pressure, usually about xl PSI (pounds per foursquare inch).

When the pump senses that the RV water arrangement pressure level drops below that (when you open a faucet, use the toilet, or take a shower) information technology turns on to maintain water system pressure.

Need to replace your water pump ? Use the button below to open upwards the reviews and observe the right type for your rig.

Almost RV plumbing system pumps will pulsate when water is used.

That'southward normal.

Then if you have h2o flowing for whatsoever duration, the pump will pulse on and off.

To lessen the pulsing, you lot can install an accumulator.

The video below is an example of a normal pump performance.

You tin see that the RV plumbing system water pressure fluctuates when the faucet is existence used.

If yous heed closely, yous can hear the pump turning on and off in the groundwork.

Normal Water Faucet Pulsing

In that location are newer RV water pump models that as well claim to lessen the in a higher place water organisation pulsation and noise.

Also, it's a good thought to keep your pump off until you need to use water.

This is just in case a leak in the h2o system happens.

You tin can avert a big mess.

Exist enlightened that when you first turn your pump on subsequently filling your tank with water, the plumbing lines probably aren't filled with h2o yet (assuming the tank was previously run dry or had been sitting a while).

Therefore, you might hear your pump come on for a couple of seconds to prime the water arrangement lines.

Don't be alarmed, it's perfectly normal stuff.

Afterward a short menstruation of fourth dimension it should turn off until you lot utilize on a water fixture (faucet, shower, or toilet).

Pump Pulsing When You Aren't Using It?

When turned on, if your pump runs constantly, or pulses every few minutes and yous aren't using your RV plumbing system, this is not adept.

You lot are losing pressure which indicates yous have a leak somewhere in the plumbing.

Turn off your water system pump and beginning trying to locate the leak earlier you take water damage.

Also, your water faucet or shower might sputter and spit the beginning time you go to use it later filling your tank.

This is normal.

It will happen until the RV plumbing lines are completely void of air.

The water might look weird, sort of whitish.

This is once more normal and is caused by the air in the plumbing arrangement mixing with the water.

Once the air has been purged from the water system lines, y'all will no longer hear sputtering or come across the air filled water.

You lot should have your ain defended h2o hose for filling your rig with fresh, potable water from a reputable h2o supply.

Fill up your rig's freshwater tank until water starts to back out of the overflow hole.

Don't forget to put the cap dorsum on later on filling the fresh water tank.

Never fill your tank using the not-potable water hose at a dump station.

People use that hose to stick downward their contaminated RV black tank hose to rinse it.

Groooooooooss.

How To Find Water To Fill Your Fresh H2o Tank

Unless you lot are filling your RV h2o organization at a campground or from home, it tin can be a challenge to observe water for filling your fresh h2o tank.

There are a few online places that can help.

There'southward a website called SaniDumps that is a dump and water locator.

Too, where there's a dump station, there'southward USUALLY potable h2o likewise.

There are likewise many dump station reviews on the website Campendium.

Kelly Filling Up Her Water Containers For Free At A Campground In Teton National Park.

Be Smart - Call Ahead

If y'all are looking at getting water from a campground but you aren't staying there, e'er telephone call ahead.

Enquire them if they will permit information technology and how much they charge.

Be aware that a lot of campgrounds in more northern regions, or at higher elevations turn off their water supply for winter.

This is some other good reason to telephone call.

Sucks to arrive in an area only to find out that you don't have any place to fill up upwardly your fresh h2o tank.

Might ruin your camping ground trip.

Some gas stations, and the occasional camping ground store, have fresh or 'potable' water that you tin utilise for gratuitous.

Here's A Fantastic H2o Station In Gearheads In Moab. Obviously, Yous Tin't Fill Your Camper Directly. This Is Where Portable Containers Come In Handy.

Other times you can find a campground or RV park that volition let y'all make full.

Usually they volition charge somewhere from $5 to $20, depending on how greedy they are, how large your fresh h2o tank is, or what role of the state you are in.

Fairgrounds are some other place that oftentimes has drink water for a price.

Apply the old-school 'phone' part of your smartphone to telephone call around.

How Does Your H2o System Pump Go Power?

Your fresh water pump needs ability to run.

Where does it get power from?

Information technology's a 12-volt device, so information technology uses your RV'due south batteries, which provide your motorhome or trailer with 12-volt (DC) ability.

Even if you are connected to shore power (an exterior electric source) your pump will still only use 12-volt power.

Y'all tin learn more about the mysteries of camper power systems by reading our guide on how RV electrical systems work.

Filtering Your Fresh H2o

Should y'all use a water filter when filling your fresh water tank?

Yous might call up 'I don't drink the water from my faucets, and then I don't demand a filter'.

Well, that'south simply a partially correct statement.

Filtering the water that comes into your fresh water tank also filters the H2O that goes through your pump.

Filtering water before it goes into your h2o holding tank keeps tiny particles out of the pump.

Those unfiltered particles might otherwise damage the pump'south diaphragm and eventually cause it to stop working.

Yous never know how good or bad the h2o quality is going to exist during your camping ground trip.

It's all-time to use a filter whenever filling into your fresh h2o tank.

If your RV doesn't already come up with a water filter installed (most don't), you will need to buy one that yous attach to the end of your fresh water hose.

Simply attach it in between your fresh h2o hose and your camper and y'all're skilful to get to keep sediment from your RV water organization.

Disinfecting Your Fresh H2o Tank

Before you lot use your RV plumbing arrangement for the first time, it'south a practiced idea to disinfect the fresh water tank.

Exercise this ESPECIALLY if you lot plan to use it for drinking water.

Information technology's also good exercise to do this once or twice a year to continue information technology nice and clean.

How To Sanitize Your Fresh Water Tank

To eliminate the bleach smell and taste afterwards sanitizing your fresh water tank, y'all can add a small amount of white vinegar to the tank when you fill it to drain it a second time.

You don't accept to completely fill up the tank, just enough to run sufficient water through the plumbing system and so you get the vinegar solution through every fixture.

Run all your faucets, hot and cold, until you odor vinegar coming out.

Permit it sit for a few hours.

Then empty your fresh water tank and lines completely and refill with fresh beverage water.

What About Waste Holding Tanks?

So far we've only discussed the fresh water tank, just what about waste water?

Your RV plumbing system likewise has a black h2o tank and one (or more) gray water tank.

You can learn all about these RV waste matter holding tanks by reading our Ultimate Guide To RV Holding Tanks.

Conclusion

Your RV'due south fresh water organization isn't that complicated.

It consists of a fresh water tank and RV plumbing to distribute water to any faucet, shower, or toilet inside camper.

In that location are ii options to get fresh h2o flowing thru the system - using the pump or being hooked up to a city water supply via a hose.

Now that y'all understand how to safely use your RV water organization you lot are ready for your next camping trip!

Kelly Beasley

He-llllo. I'chiliad the co-founder of Camp Addict, which my biz partner and I launched in 2017. I frigging love the RVing lifestyle but in December of 2020, I converted to part-time RV life. Heck, I lived in my travel trailer for over 5.5 years, STRICTLY boondocking for pretty much all of it. Boondocking is a GREAT way to live, only it'southward not easy. Anyway, I'm passionate nigh animals, can't stand campgrounds, I hardly ever cook, and I love a good dance party. Currently, I can be found plotting and scheming whether or non to start collecting farm animals (or plotting my side by side RV trip!) at my beautiful new 'ranch' named 'Hotel Kellyfornia', in Southern Arizona.

Marshall Wendler

Camp Addict co-founder Marshall Wendler brings his technical expertise to assistance explain RV products in an easy to understand mode. Full-time RVing from April 2014 - December 2020 (at present RVing virtually 50% of the time), Marshall loves sharing his knowledge of the RV lifestyle. Marshall spends the bulk of his RVing life boondocking. He is the function of Army camp Addict that knows 'all the things'. He'southward adept at sharing his technical knowledge so you can benefit.

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