Drinking water onboard options

[Two on Tour]

Hi All, I wisely see that most people use their inboard water tanks for washing-up, showering etc BUT not really for drinking.

What do you all use to carry your drinking water in & what size containers for 2 people ideally?

Keen to see your favourite container types, storage permitting.

Thks

Mark

I fitted a cartridge type water filter with a separate tap for drinking water, saves all the faffing of buying, carrying and storing bottled water.

 

[jumar]

Just a peak inside our tank will change your minds.
Sediment is evident..lurking in the bottom...caused by ourselves filling up at so many locations...naughty us..
But we don't drink from the tank...we take filtered water from the apartment at the start of the trip...and when possible, I use an outdoor activities filter to replenish our 3 litre drinking water supply...
Remember the days in Spain... don't drink the water or refuse ice in the G&T.. well that's long gone...water quality is safe...but it's taste that's a deciding factor...putting stuff in to help maintain Oral hygiene...is a definite NO..for tea and coffee..

 

[VXman]

We just carry a 1.5.litre bottle for drinking water which we top up when we top up the main tank.

Generally we don't drink much water - plenty of tea (water from the tank) and wine! The only time we really have water is at night by the bed. Maybe we drink more in hotter climes

 

[peterc10]

RULE 1. NEVER trust a campsite/aire/camperstop hose.

Remove the hose, disinfect the tap using spray and/or hand wipe, screw your own adaptor on it and attach your own hose or use your own watering cans.

As for where to attach the microbial filter, we put it on the line to the basin tap. We always draw our cooking and drinking water from it. Also use it to clean our teeth.

 

[L' Hobo]

Water?
Who drinks water?
Tea, beer...

It's okay as long as you remember to disinfect your inner pipework with alcohol spirit after!

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[EuroTrotters]

I have, it was just water and citric acid.

I never leave the water to go stagnant though. It’s always flushed through with fresh or emptied.

Mine was horrible stringy black bacteria

 

[Shrimp]

Have you not seen our friends over the channel use the same faucet for fresh water and cleaning their black tank?

That’s why we always clean the tap with disinfectant wipes before use and never allow the tap to touch the opening of the can.
We use a 5ltr can for fresh drinking water and it sits at the side of the Hab door inside, bu things are gonna have to change with the new-to us-van!

 

[denisejoe]

All ways use tank don’t have a filter but we don’t drink a lot of water most is boiled for tea and coffee use tank for teeth cleaning as well, use our own hose and carry wet wipes if the tap looks dodgy.

 

[Armytwowheels]

We drink the water from the the built in tank. We have an in line 3M microbial water filter.

What he said

 

[Go_buddy_go_]

Refillable container for drinking water always use own hose for tank filling

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[Lenny HB]

I never leave the water to go stagnant though. It’s always flushed through with fresh or emptied.

Ditto, and after every return to home, (summer or winter), the system is completely drained down ready for the next fresh fill.

Cheers,

Jock.

Snap.

 

[JJ]

I use a Berkey water filter.

Google Image Result for https://theberkey.com/cdn/shop/products/Travel-Berkey-Water-Filte.jpg?v=1687236926

JJ

 

[Just smiffy]

If everyone saw the pipes and holding tanks that goes to your kitchen tap at home you’d never drink that either….

 

[Jev88]

Purisol tank and we drink from it.

 

[Happy Jack]

Sorry, but we might be the exception to the rule, (however we are not unique in that category), having a Nature Pure filter system installed, ie, all our drinking water comes from the fresh water tank.
Others have similar filter systems installed, some of which are simple installations of an inline filter from the likes of B&Q or Wickes, etc, which are changed annually. Others are more sophisticated.
Some just use the water filter jug with a charcoal filter installed, giving 30 x days use per filter. Easy peasy and cheap as chips.

It depends on whether you will be travelling to exotic locations, where the water quality may be considered questionable, or in our case, an occupant of the MH has a medical condition whereupon the meds adminstered, leaves them in a position of being immune deficient, requiring a bit more care and attention to the potential of infection from possible contamination.

Twice annually after filter removal, I sterilise our fresh water system with citric acid anyway, (hot & cold lines), just for general hygiene, despite a filter system installed.

Cheers,

Jock.

Hi JockandRita.
I dose my tank with Milton after every trip and run some through the lines ( OR just before a trip) then empty out and refill and run fresh through the lines.
Havn't got a filter.
BUT, my wife can still smell Milton and she has cll (on watch and wait). So we also take bottled water for her.
And we have 2 x 10L containers which We fill up with fresh water from home, again they are sterilized after every trip.
We often use white vinegar around the house for cleaning/disinfecting.
Would that be a good alternative ?

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[pandas]

We only use filtered water at home and haven’t the appetite or knowledge to add a filter in the motorhome. Also not sure I can be arsed to sterilise/flish the pipes and tank at the start/beginning of each trip so 5ltr bottled water works well for us UK and Europe. Don’t drink that much of it anyhow.

 

[JockandRita]

Hi JockandRita.
I dose my tank with Milton after every trip and run some through the lines ( OR just before a trip) then empty out and refill and run fresh through the lines.
Havn't got a filter.
BUT, my wife can still smell Milton and she has cll (on watch and wait). So we also take bottled water for her.
And we have 2 x 10L containers which We fill up with fresh water from home, again they are sterilized after every trip.
We often use white vinegar around the house for cleaning/disinfecting.
Would that be a good alternative ?

I detest the smell and after taste of Milton, bleach, chlorine, and vinegar, hence using food grade Citric Acid. You can buy it online from Amazon/Ebay, etc.
Properly dosed in the correct ratio, it sterilises and descales both the hot and cold systems.
This is what I did twice yearly, before learning of the Boss's immune deficiency, hence installing a filtration system thereafter.

HTH,

Jock.

 

[Happy Jack]

I detest the smell and after taste of Milton, bleach, chlorine, and vinegar, hence using food grade Citric Acid. You can buy it online from Amazon/Ebay, etc.
Properly dosed in the correct ratio, it sterilises and descales both the hot and cold systems.
This is what I did twice yearly, before learning of the Boss's immune deficiency, hence installing a filtration system thereafter.

HTH,

Jock.

Thanks, so white vinegar not up to it.
Will check out food grade citric.

 

[JockandRita]

Thanks, so white vinegar not up to it.
Will check out food grade citric.

After leaving it a few hours to do it's job, it only needs one flush through, with no aftertaste Jack.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[cyberyacht]

All ways use tank don’t have a filter but we don’t drink a lot of water most is boiled for tea and coffee use tank for teeth cleaning as well, use our own hose and carry wet wipes if the tap looks dodgy.

ME TOO. Once a year I flush the water system with Puriclean but that's it. Once I refill the system after three months winter hibernation, I just top up before each trip without draining down in between. On my yacht I never drained the system.

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[Happy Jack]

After leaving it a few hours to do it's job, it only needs one flush through, with no aftertaste Jack.

Cheers,

Jock.

We only do the UK at the mo and typically 5 to 21 days at a time, March to October. Anything from 7 to 30 days between trips.
Have a new onboard tank now, went from 75 to 50L.
Thinking about using it for drinking water.
Do I need to sterilise between trips every time?
Can you suggest dosing quantity for a 50L tank?

 

[JockandRita]

Do I need to sterilise between trips every time?

No Jack, just at the beginning of your travel season.

Can you suggest dosing quantity for a 50L tank?

Roughly 40grams per litre, or a tablespoonful per 5 x gallons. Add a bit extra to cater for the hot water tank too.
Doses are similar to those for sterilising home brew kit.

To descale the hot water tank, after pulling the mixture through all taps, close them, then heat the water for 20 x minutes, and leave for a good few hours until cool. Pull the mixture through all hot and cold taps again and drain down completely.
Fill up, flush through, and drain down again. That will set you up for months unless you allow water to stagnate.

Draining down after each trip and filling with fresh before each trip, helps the system to stay fresh, due to the chlorine in our UK water.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Happy Jack]

No Jack, just at the beginning of your travel season.


Roughly 40grams per litre, or a tablespoonful per 5 x gallons. Add a bit extra to cater for the hot water tank too.
Doses are similar to those for sterilising home brew kit.

To descale the hot water tank, after pulling the mixture through all taps, close them, then heat the water for 20 x minutes, and leave for a good few hours until cool. Pull the mixture through all hot and cold taps again and drain down completely.
Fill up, flush through, and drain down again. That will set you up for months unless you allow water to stagnate.

Draining down after each trip and filling with fresh before each trip, helps the system to stay fresh, due to the chlorine in our UK water.

Cheers,

Jock.

Thanks JockandRita.

 

[Verteuil Man]

Over 30 years, we have drunk the on board water from systems on both caravans and motorhomes. I cannot see what the issue is. Perhaps some people have an overactive sense of doom.

 

[Orion]

We buy the 5 or 6l water containers from the supermarket when abroad for a € and a bit,which are stored in the garage and decanted into 500ml bottles in the fridge. Use one of the pumps that mount to the container to make life easier - a couple of € from the same supermarkets or a Chinese shop.

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[JockandRita]

Over 30 years, we have drunk the on board water from systems on both caravans and motorhomes. I cannot see what the issue is. Perhaps some people have an overactive sense of doom.

Or maybe you didn't read all the posts on the matter, whereupon some folks due to having to adminster specialist meds, find themselves immune deficient as a result, where protection from potential infection is paramount.

Regards,

Jock.

 

[pandas]

Over 30 years, we have drunk the on board water from systems on both caravans and motorhomes. I cannot see what the issue is. Perhaps some people have an overactive sense of doom.

Cannot see maybe

 

[meanders]

I cannot see what the issue is. Perhaps some people have an overactive sense of doom.

Anyone who has ever suffered e-coli or similar water-borne infections, or from others people poor hygiene standards would not be so glib. You ride your luck as much as you like, but I shall continue to play safe as no doubt will most Funsters.

 

[treblid]

We do have a simple carbon filter inline with the kitchen tap that is just to prevent nasty tasting tea you sometimes get when minerals in the water react with the plastics.

Apologies if you have covered this elsewhere, but which carbon filter have you used?

Thanks.

 

[TheAleMan]

That’s why we always clean the tap with disinfectant wipes before use and never allow the tap to touch the opening of the can.
We use a 5ltr can for fresh drinking water and it sits at the side of the Hab door inside, bu things are gonna have to change with the new-to us-van!

A practice that we carry out often Mandy, including where we are staying at now at a CL in Cambridgeshire. So many vaners take their toilet cassette and water containers together to the facilities. You just know what one they are going to do first don’t you..yeah, you guessed it it, the toilet cassette. It’s then after doing that that they decide to fill up the aquaroll, or water bottle/watering can. Can’t believe how many do this with no consideration for others. we are forever disinfecting the water faucet after our observations. If they had half a brain cell they’d be really dangerous.

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