Do you drive with Full Water Tanks?

[Brains]

We always start with:
A full tank of diesel (70 Liters/kilos)
An empty gray water tank
An empty black water cassette

Amount of water depends on where we are going:
We usually start empty, as our storage place has very hard water and I don't like carting water around without a reason.

If it's a long drive, then just enough for the loo and a kettle or two (20 Liters/kilos)
(We have a valve on our Hymer which will dump all but 20 liters of water)

If it's a camp where we can't guarantee water then half a tank (50 liters/kilos)

I very rarely (if ever) travel with a full tank of water (in fact, I don't think I ever have)

 

[joe and sue]

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.

Hate to correct your maths, but 170 kg is 0.17 tonne,, don't see the problem

 

[Bernie P]

Normally I'd travel with 20L in the tank (Capacity 120L) and fill up as we arrive on site. Don't bother dumping if we're hopping between sites that aren't that far apart. Our payload is marginal even having up-plated the MH to 3700kg we've only got about 100kg spare in "normal going away condition" (fully loaded with Moi, SWMBO and Dog, food, clothes etc). 100L water = 100kg.

If we're intending to camp "off-grid" (festival, show or similar) then I'd probably fill right up before I left home, but leave a few of the "nice to have" items behind.

 

[tony_g]

Standard order of the day...leave the overnight stop with empty cassette, empty grey and full fresh...caught out too many times in the past by closed Aires, unforeseen changes of plan. Have never experienced adverse handling from a full water tank or reduced mpg (to be frank, I have never noticed Aircon harming mpg either). Life's too short for obsessive micro management imo

 

[TheBig1]

Having towed site bowsers, with and without baffles, I know which is safer

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[Kannon Fodda]

Only have 60 litres so not enough to worry about. Usually travel with whatever is left in the tank from last trip somewhere between 25% to 50%. Most of time I've stayed on sites so easy enough to fill on arrival, and I tend now to do that by collapsible watering can and bucket as that only take 2 or three trips to the tap, a lot of faff to deploy the hose. Winter, potentially freezing tank will be empty from having drained down at end of last trip, so again fill on arrival easier than doing so at home where I don't have a tap at the front of the house. I would hope the water tank has baffles in it, but who knows. On the couple of occasions I've driven full, tank does self empty to 75%-50% as water seems to get out of the overflow.

 

[The general]

Having towed site bowsers, with and without baffles, I know which is safer

Driving the green goddess during fireman strike , the lack of baffles meant all tanks had to be filled after every shout. Otherwise the vehicle was slightly unstable

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I sailed with a Chief Engineer, newly qualified, who had a "passion" for wanting "his" fuel tanks "pressed up". Until the fateful day when having exited the Suez into the Red Sea, within a day he had oil on the deck. The sea temp was 10deg above that of the Med, and the oil had expanded up the vent pipe and into the scuppers!. "Chippy" saved the day, blocking the scupper overside with Gunny Bags of Sand!. giving us time to lower the tank levels and the deck crew time to clean the deck before we got "nicked" for pollution.

.... which is why all ship tank calibration tables are “full” at 98%.

 

[Ingwe]

I would travel only half full as we've never not been able to get water. But my better half thinks it's best to always be full. We also carry a spare 10 litre bottle full in the shower.

 

[Armytwowheels]

All of this subjective. This all depends on your payload, what van you have, what chassis you have and where/How far you are going, and on and on we go.

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[Armytwowheels]

So good I said it twice!

 

[bobnick]

Up to now we have only booked sites/pitches that have water (5). So we run with maybe 10/15 lts in.

 

[Dorset Diver]

Since EU regulations allowed makers to quote payloads without water, it is rare to find one that recommends travelling with water.

So why is it not recommended. Are water tanks causing accidents, are they failing and dumping water? How many water tanks have failed on you? Has water you are carrying ever caused you problems?

We had a tank virtually drop off an AutoTrail when I kissed a speed ramp just a bit too hard. With the Carthago we travel with tank one at 90% (about 100 litres), afterall one never knows where or when you may wish to stop / camp.

 

[bellabee]

If we're travelling in the UK, where we generally stop at campsites, we usually leave home with about half a tank of water.
If we're going abroad, we leave home with a full tank (I think 180 litres.) Particularly if we're travelling to Spain, we like to be sure that we've got enough water to last at least 5 nights.
When in France, we are also very cautious about where we fill with water, having on numerous occasions, witnessed people using the fresh water tap to rinse their cassettes. Although we generally use aires, we sometimes seek out a campsite where we can stay for one night, use the washing machines, and replenish our fresh water from a tap situated well away from the motorhome point.
When we come across a fresh water source that we trust, we make the most of it by filling tank right up.

 

[pandas]

Hate to correct your maths, but 170 kg is 0.17 tonne,, don't see the problem

Yes you are perfectly correct.

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[pandas]

think id be getting a look at the suspension / steering defects....
So a Hymner is 120kgs max of water.

No mine is 170 l

 

[pandas]

Decimal point issue.... 0.17 of a tonne. My (continental) van has a drain tap - nothing else. I think you are referring to what some manufacturers do when they are considerably payload restricted (3500 kg, mostly).

As Jim says, if that amount affected the handling in what is basically a builders van, I would either sell it or get the suspension looked at PDQ

Quite right with your maths totally correct and my apologies. You are incorrect in that it’s not a builders van a Hymer and ours has 4500 with a fresh water tank of 170 l. I am just suggesting I am sensitive to the additional weight due to my sport. I can never understand why people are surprised when they discover at the customs there is an immigrant on board, I believe I would have know about the additional circa 50 kg straight away.

 

[Coolcats]

The Hymer hand book recommends for safety only filling 20% full. I am sure I read that regarding weight (load) figures that it included the standard fixtures and fittings a 75 kilo driver weight and 80 litres of water.

I suspect that the recommendation for only a 20% fill is that it could affect handeling dynamics but also the mass of the water in a tank in an accident would be a hazard.

 

[bigwood]

Having a 60 litre tank on our Rienza we try and keep it full whilst traveling. As a back up we carry 20litres in a container as well.
This year we started using less sites and trying off grid until the crisis hit. We found we could manage about three or four days giving us more choice of were we could visit.
I don’t think we are near our weight limit. I certainly can’t see any difference with way the van the van handles or any change in fuel consumption.

 

[pandas]

The Hymer hand book recommends for safety only filling 20% full. I am sure I read that regarding weight (load) figures that it included the standard fixtures and fittings a 75 kilo driver weight and 80 litres of water.

I suspect that the recommendation for only a 20% fill is that it could affect handeling dynamics but also the mass of the water in a tank in an accident would be a hazard.

I believe it is based on 20% of fresh water or 20 litres (?).

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[DuxDeluxe]

Quite right with your maths totally correct and my apologies. You are incorrect in that it’s not a builders van a Hymer and ours has 4500 with a fresh water tank of 170 l. I am just suggesting I am sensitive to the additional weight due to my sport. I can never understand why people are surprised when they discover at the customs there is an immigrant on board, I believe I would have know about the additional circa 50 kg straight away.

Sorry, I forgot that Hymer motorhomes aren't builders vans. My Le Voyageur on the other hand, is a builders van

 

[Coolcats]

I believe it is based on 20% of fresh water or 20 litres (?).

Both it’s a 100 litre tank and yea I should have typed 20 litres

 

[Coolcats]

Sorry, I forgot that Hymer motorhomes aren't builders vans. My Le Voyageur on the other hand, is a builders van

I may carry a few tools I our Hymer PVC but certainly no builders van

 

[pandas]

Both it’s a 100 litre tank and yea I should have typed 20 litres

No sorry but it’s a 170 l tank

 

[Armytwowheels]

Sorry, I forgot that Hymer motorhomes aren't builders vans. My Le Voyageur on the other hand, is a builders van

Of course it is, as is our Carthago - a good old honest Iveco Daily cv50, maybe a big arse builders van, but never the less a workhorse of the 1st order.

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[Jev88]

Sounds awfully big!

I agree. Have managed 4 days with both having quick showers every day.... Might actually try and calculate it one day..... I will dig out my old volume tables from school..... I am guessing 180 litres? Buy no idea for sure it how that compares with a typical Coachbuilt.

 

[Brains]

No sorry but it’s a 170 l tank

170 Liters is a big tank

In old money that is 37 gallons, 6 cubic feet, or a 3x2x1 foot cube, same as a large coffee table
It would weigh as much as two 6' rugby players when full.
I would presume your gray water tank is the same size as well ?

My Hymer has a 100 liter blue water tank and a 100 litre grey water tank.
Although in reality they are 90 liters and 80 liters respectively before water starts appearing where it should not, unless you are completely level and it's chilly outside.

(Warm water expands, hence you are unlikely to get 100 liters of water in a 100 litre gray water tank as the source is warm washing up water and warm shower water, both with added bubbles.)

 

[Jonno1103]

The second was the Herald of Free Enterprise, where the water which gained access to the car deck created a wedge of water on the low side during the turn and was sufficient to capsize the Ferry.

The Herald wasn't making a turn and didn't begin to take on water until the RPM's were increased. All of the Vikings had a nose down attitude once the speed picked up. The water on the car deck didn't have to slosh around anywhere, a depth of 8 inches and the free surface effect changing her centre of buoyancy which effected her metacentre was enough to capsize her.

 

[Minxy]

I can't believe anyone would be daft enough to carry a full water tank when travelling. Think about it

Well call me daft then ... we do nearly 100% of the time as we don't use sites so when away getting water isn't something we want to worry about unduly - having had a 60L and then a 100L freshwater tank the luxury of having a 150L one is wonderful so we make full use of it!

I never fill the fuel tank either. There's lots of fuel station so why carry 80litres around...just saying!

Well I'm daft again then as we like to keep the tank full when we set off then top it up whenever we feel the need or the fuel is cheap, last thing we want is to have a long journey and find that some of the fuel stops are no longer there or have been closed due to a problem.

and uses less fuel too.
You can fill up with water practically anywhere where there is a fuel station at the same time

Not necessarily, some don't let you fill a freshwater tank except for a small amount.

So if I have an empty water tank I can go faster?

Only if you also put on some 'go faster' stripes!

 

[pandas]

No if its a Hymer it will be around 120L.

If I owned a van where 60kg affected the handling I'd be selling it ASAP

No 170 l in the book.

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