"Just Filled Up My Freshwater Tank With Diesel"

[DavidG58]

Thinking about this some more, newbies I think could easily get it wrong, most cars refuel right at the back where most MH water fill points are

Not close to the front as most commercial chassis will have, yet to do it myself and now 5 years into the same MH doubt I will now, but I reckon it’s easier that it sounds at first

 

[Clarky]

The dealer we bought our Carthago from had a brand new one in their workshop having the complete fresh water system replaced.
The story I heard was that a driver was taking it to a show and had filled with fuel.
Cost them I tidy sum I believe.

Richard.

 

[Minxy]

These attended services places are perhaps a greater risk and are the norm in Spain.
An idea may be to keep a fuel filler key separate to give them as this usually won't fit anything else.

Except my Peugeot Boxer ignition and my driver’s door and my rear door !

... I assume he meant it won't fit anything resembling a fuel filler point ...

 

[Reallyretired]

Yes indeed. My fuel filler key doesn't fit anything else. As it's Mercedes the ignition key is a wierd optical thingy. The water is the red key that fits the lockers etc.

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

These attended services places are perhaps a greater risk and are the norm in Spain.
An idea may be to keep a fuel filler key separate to give them as this usually won't fit anything else.

My ignition key fits the diesel cap, and the door key fits the water cap. Both, however live on the same key ring so it may pay to separate the ones in the spare set. Or get a second spare ( one ignition to give to Spanish fuel servers and one door key to keep hidden outside in case of locked-out scenario ( subject of another thread)

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[Duck Truck]

I would have thought the way round it was each day add a thimble full of diesel to your
G & T or beer until you accustom yourself to the taste.

Problem solved.

I am here to help

 

[JockandRita]

Self service, or not, no one gets access to our keys. I unlock and open the fuel filler or water filler caps (different keys), so if I get it wrong, there is no one else to blame.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Riverbankannie]

I think I’m glad the fuel filler is on a different side of the van to the water filler after reading this thread.
I never put my water cap key on the ignition key ring. In fact we always only keep the ignition key on its own as I have read so much about heavy key rings dangling from ignition locks causing the ignition key to snap in half in situ with a broken half left in the ignition switch.

 

[jezport]

Many years back in our first van the fillers were close together. One day I undid the water cap ant just touched the nozzle of the diesel pump in the filler. Didnt dispense one drop luckily, but the water still smelt of diesel for a couple of fills.

 

[busby]

I

Wow what a hot shower he’ll have.

I have heard of it before..Busby.

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[pappajohn]

Deleted

 

[cliffanger]

I don’t know how easy it would be to mistake it on our van (I KNOW I SHOULD KNOW.... but there you are - I don’t) but I wouldn’t be laughing if someone else had made the mistake. I put diesel into my petrol car year’s ago - it smoked a lot ..... but after siphoning it out (Clifton siphoned - I stood by with tissues for spitting into) it ran really well for weeks after!

 

[Kingham]

... I assume he meant it won't fit anything resembling a fuel filler point ...

There you go, I assumed he meant what he said .... which could explain why I’m travelling solo, the women in my life assuming things that were never actually said

 

[Blue Knight]

I don’t know how easy it would be to mistake it on our van (I KNOW I SHOULD KNOW.... but there you are - I don’t) but I wouldn’t be laughing if someone else had made the mistake. I put diesel into my petrol car year’s ago - it smoked a lot ..... but after siphoning it out (Clifton siphoned - I stood by with tissues for spitting into) it ran really well for weeks after!

I can understand why so many cross fuel incidents occur at pumps these days because families have diesel and petrol engines but I've still not seen any motorhomes that have their water inlet point close to the fuel filler point.

There have been some intereting observations about self service garages and young mechanics doing there thing but I still find it hard to belive that someone would stick fuel in a water tank.

It has opened my eyes.

 

[JockandRita]

but I've still not seen any motorhomes that have their water inlet point close to the fuel filler point.

Our water filler point is only six inches away from the generator pertol tank filler point. They are however marked with the words "Wasser" and Benzene" respectively.

Cheers,

Jock.

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[Feltwell]

I do struggle a bit to understand just how someone could do this, but hey, we're all fallible......

On most vans the water cap is keyed alike with all the other habitation locks. If you're really worried that you or someone else will be a bit dopey one day, buy a new cap with a different key - they're not that expensive generally - and keep that key separate to your main bunch of keys. Store it in the van, attached to a bit of wood or other uncomfortably large keyring that says "Water".

That way, when you're going to fill up with diesel and you have your van keys in your hand, you (or the attendant) won't be able to take the water cap off........

 

[Minxy]

I do struggle a bit to understand just how someone could do this, but hey, we're all fallible......

On most vans the water cap is keyed alike with all the other habitation locks. If you're really worried that you or someone else will be a bit dopey one day, buy a new cap with a different key - they're not that expensive generally - and keep that key separate to your main bunch of keys. Store it in the van, attached to a bit of wood or other uncomfortably large keyring that says "Water".

That way, when you're going to fill up with diesel and you have your van keys in your hand, you (or the attendant) won't be able to take the water cap off........

You could just swap your cap with a trusted MHing friend which saves you both having to buy new ones with different keys.

 

[Northernraider]

Poor sod thats an expensive lesson.


On my van I think anyone not knowing could very easily fill the diesel tank with water as the filler cap for the diesel tank is the same as the water inlet on most camper vans

This is my diesel cap and it uses the same habitation key as the rest of the van. There is no water inlet cap on this van as it has a service hatch with a hose prefitted to fill the water tank and an additional top up hose fitted inside an access door.

So whilst I couldn't fill the water tank with diesel you could easily fill the diesel tank with water if you were used to that style of filler