Do you drive with Full Water Tanks?

[gpat]

No matter how safe or dangerous the contents and fittings of your van the most danger you will face is when riding the two-wheel vehicle you carry with you. As for the van a completely full water tank might, in the event of an accident, rupture and extinguish the inevitable fire.

HaHa. You are a glass half full person and that's for sure

 

[busby]

Not sure I would want to travel with 170kg (1.7ish tons) added to my normal payload. Travelled recently with 1/2 tank of a water tank recently and the handling was quite different. Don’t most motorhomes come with a tap on the tank that has a quarter turn leaves 20 litres in the tank.

170 kg isn't 1.7 tonnes is it.BUSBY

 

[Jonno1103]

View attachment 431773

Not so much of an issue with ours as any sloshing to and fro, just trickles down the back of the van

Now you're just showing off!

If you've got it, get it out and flaunt it that's my motto!

 

[Splasher6]

We always travel with empty tanks but we carry 10 L of water in a food grade container for our and dog's drinks. Since we have'nt travelled any great distance yet, its no problem carrying a small volume of water and then filling cold water tank and hot water heater when we get to a site. We only use the main water tank for general washing etc., not that this would be a problem, just avoids a tank sterilisation.

 

[EdwardFT]

The water is millions of years old as is all the water on the planet. I find it very funny that some bottled water has a use by date. There is no less and no more water on this planet than there has ever been.

That's why I always laugh at the claims of the thousands of litres of water that "it takes" to produce meat. The way I see it, if you grow a 900 kg cow, which I think would be quite a big one, and it is 2/3 water like most mammals, then the amount of water that it takes to grow that cow is 600 kg. Which will ultimately be recycled anyway.

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[gpat]

Not really. Advanced driver and motorcyclist, very high levels of mechanical empathy (Engineer by trade) maybe that’s why I can manage to drive my Motorhome comfortably after adding 3% to it’s weight.

HaHa. I'm gonna tell all the TT teams to add 3% to the weight of their bikes cost you say it wont make any difference.

 

[Buzz67]

HaHa. I'm gonna tell all the TT teams to add 3% to the weight of their bikes cost you say it wont make any difference.

But I’m not racing.

 

[M-J]

But I’m not racing.

Or riding a motorbike

 

[RubyOptics]

So far we've been leaving the house with around half a tank and an empty grey. When planning to go wild camping for more than a night or two I will fill to the brim before leaving simply to give us more flexibility and time before needing to top-up again.

 

[joe and sue]

As i said in my earlier post, we all seem to use our vans in different ways and so have different needs.
Just do what works for you

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[gpat]

Or riding a motorbike

Ok. So we'll tell all the hauliers to add 3% to all their wagons cos you can't tell the difference. What line of engineering are you in

 

[M-J]

Ok. So we'll tell all the hauliers to add 3% to all their wagons cos you can't tell the difference. What line of engineering are you in

They carry large amounts of fuel which is accounted for in the payload, my motorhomes factory payload figures include 90l of fresh water.

What sort of driving are you actually doing in your motorhome where you would get a noticeable difference in drivability by travelling with your fresh water full?

Do you only put just enough fuel in for your journey or carry extra? Do you travel with food/drink in your cupboards and fridge or purchase once at your destination? By your method of thinking we should all be travelling as empty/unloaded as possible.

 

[glenn2926]

This thread is really causing some opposing views. If your motorhome is designed and plated to be able to carry what for my motorhome is 150kg then surely it’s safe to do so. If driving with an extra 150kg is more difficult for you then perhaps it’s your ability that is questionable. It would be like a truck driver only being able to drive an empty truck.

 

[DelMar]

With ever decreasing payloads on many MHs, I guess this would determine how much water you carry.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

This thread is really causing some opposing views. If your motorhome is designed and plated to be able to carry what for my motorhome is 150kg then surely it’s safe to do so. If driving with an extra 150kg is more difficult for you then perhaps it’s your ability that is questionable. It would be like a truck driver only being able to drive an empty truck.

Went to Vanbitz with empty tanks as easy to fill at their service point. Filled up 75%, used some and returned with 75%. Difference in handling? zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Sod all

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[Taran_Las]

I carry a full tank of Welsh water

That is the water before we wee in it and then sell it to the English





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[pandas]

If I were wild camping I would and have a spare toilet cassette!

 

[Reallyretired]

We have only had to use our spare cassette once and that was using aires. First one had no services and the second had water and black dump you had to pay for, though the payment thing to unlock the black dump cupboard affair didnt work. We can go 5 days without water but only 2-3 on a cassette.

 

[gpat]

They carry large amounts of fuel which is accounted for in the payload, my motorhomes factory payload figures include 90l of fresh water.

What sort of driving are you actually doing in your motorhome where you would get a noticeable difference in drivability by travelling with your fresh water full?

Do you only put just enough fuel in for your journey or carry extra? Do you travel with food/drink in your cupboards and fridge or purchase once at your destination? By your method of thinking we should all be travelling as empty/unloaded as possible.

Nothing to do with payload or safety. Just common sense. Unnecessary weight is bad and whatever you say it must effect the van, perhaps not noticeably but physics tells us it does and the effect is proportional to the amount of weight.

We travel with 25% in water tanks, sufficient food and drink, gas etc. Etc. Why take coal all the way to Newcastle!

 

[M-J]

Nothing to do with payload or safety. Just common sense. Unnecessary weight is bad and whatever you say it must effect the van, perhaps not noticeably but physics tells us it does and the effect is proportional to the amount of weight.

We travel with 25% in water tanks, sufficient food and drink, gas etc. Etc. Why take coal all the way to Newcastle!

Travelling with a part filled tank will have more effect on stability than a full tank.

I refer to your earlier question... What line of engineering are you in?

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[Tanya_and_Mick]

Unnecessary weight is bad

Mmm, “unnecessary” that differs by person.

1% - 100% what’s “necessary” - we’re full & keep full whenever possible...

 

[gpat]

Travelling with a part filled tank will have more effect on stability than a full tank.

I refer to your earlier question... What line of engineering are you in?

Did I dispute that. I am a scientist not an engineer. My tank is baffled so the water does not slosh around. Like many new vans it can automatically be drained to 25% into a baffled area of tank. Called the traveling volume in the manual.

I don't dispute there are times when we need a full tank. What amused me was the number of people who said they ALWAYS travel with a full tank, regardless. All I was saying was this was not sensible and it makes sense to fill your tank as fits the journey and the circumstances .

 

[Tanya_and_Mick]

I think it is sensible, as per the definition “it’s likely to be of benefit” - but that’s just my humble point of view...with respect to all others regardless of amusement levels

 

[pandas]

Nothing to do with payload or safety. Just common sense. Unnecessary weight is bad and whatever you say it must effect the van, perhaps not noticeably but physics tells us it does and the effect is proportional to the amount of weight.

We travel with 25% in water tanks, sufficient food and drink, gas etc. Etc. Why take coal all the way to Newcastle!

A full tank is noticeable, not dangerous (except if it takes you over the allowed weight), but some are not tuned into the difference. My son cannot differentiate between green and red (colour blind) a friend cannot tell the difference between a Merlot and and Malbec but it matters not (except if you are a fighter pilot) we are all different and in the grand scheme of what happening right now I am personally not sure I care. Actually I don’t.

 

[Jim]

A full tank is noticeable,

In a Fiat Panda maybe

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[pandas]

In a Fiat Panda maybe

Exactly they are a highly developed machine!

 

[jwells]

A full tank is noticeable, not dangerous (except if it takes you over the allowed weight), but some are not tuned into the difference. My son cannot differentiate between green and red (colour blind) a friend cannot tell the difference between a Merlot and and Malbec but it matters not (except if you are a fighter pilot) we are all different and in the grand scheme of what happening right now I am personally not sure I care. Actually I don’t.

I don't know any fighter pilots that can tell one drink from another, but I'm sure they prefer to start out with full fuel tanks!!

 

[Reallyretired]

A full tank is not noticeable by me because its never empty. I would never travel without a full tank because you cannot be sure what will be available when you stop. I have found aires without water, aires with water but turned off, aires requiring a jeton which can only be obtained from a local shop which is closed and even a 'proper' campsite where all the water was frozen. Just as I would never travel without gas.

 

[gpat]

A full tank is noticeable, not dangerous (except if it takes you over the allowed weight), but some are not tuned into the difference. My son cannot differentiate between green and red (colour blind) a friend cannot tell the difference between a Merlot and and Malbec but it matters not (except if you are a fighter pilot) we are all different and in the grand scheme of what happening right now I am personally not sure I care. Actually I don’t.

No one does really. But stuck at home for the foreseeable we have to have something to talk about.

 

[dulvil]

Due to medication I can fill a 17 litre cassette in a day, depends how much fluid my tablets are getting rid of. Most of the time I use the Thetford pink spray rather than push the flush to eke it out a bit more.

With my new prescription I've lost almost a stone, (12lbs), in about three weeks. Just had 5 days at Dunstan Mill C&CC site up by Alnwick and emptied the thing three times... Really clean facilities block & Elsan point.

Seems like we have the same medical problem

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