Where to find water whilst travelling?

[Tonks]

All water coming through pipes is potable in the uk, the question is if its a very rarely used tap how long has that water been in that particular bit of pipework, your choice if you use it.
We have found morrisons petrol stations good for an outside tap and im led to believe all motorway service stations have too supply water somewhere on the forecourt.

No it isn't. A stop I am regularly at has several taps on their site which are marked as not being potable. They do have other taps which are fine to use for drinking water.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

Cemeteries pay for their water. If you're going to take from their supply it is only right and courteous to ask first. Lots would probably be happy for you to take a 10l container's worth but might be less keen on your filling a 100l tank. Also, bear in mind that lots of church/cemeteries pipes are decades old so may contain lead...

I’ve never know of a metered water supply in any of our cemeteries, and few supplies other than some commercial users, another difference difference in Scotland

 

[Tonks]

My van has a 60l underslung water tank, but I also carry a 10l inboard tank which has been much easier to fill when travelling than the underslung tank. On some trips I've also taken a smaller 5l container, and I've never been refused when I've asked if I can fill it, because it's not a huge volume but it's enough for me to tide me over until I can get more. The 5l container is discrete enough in size that I've taken it into cafes and farm shops to ask if I can fill it. I always offer to pay, but I've always been a paying customer and so far I've never been asked to pay any extra for 5 or 10 litres of water.

 

[Whippet93]

The search4sites app lists overnight stops with services - sometimes a tap. You might find one local to your storage.

 

[quentinsf]

For those of us who don't have a lot of spare space on board, this looks rather good. (Well, except for the price!)

Anyone tried one?

Collapsible 9L Watering Can & Bucket - Durable & Recyclable Food Grade

This collapsible product can be used as a watering can or a bucket and twists down to be flat so it can take up less storage space. To ensure none of the components get misplaced they an all be stored in the base.

colapz.co.uk

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[The Old Man]

Look on SFS.

Our old storage had water plus black and grey waste.

+1

 

[The Old Man]

I fill up with water at a particular branch of Morrisons, well at their filling station that also supplies gas and diesel, oh and the occasional pint of milk.

 

[PlacidoD]

I note the comments about non-potable water/non-food grade water carriers. Personally I travel with a 5 litre box or similar of supermarket drinking water and my 90 litre tank is used only for washing and loo flushing. I acquired my van when over 16 years old and, although well cared for, have no knowledge of what has been in the tanks courtesy of previous owners!
Also different water sources have different mineral contents. That can unsettle a stomach. Drinking water from one source only reduces that minor risk.

Reading this thread I feel very lucky with my Hobby T500 parked on the drive (I spent most of yesterday "pottering" on various small tasks - impossible to imagine if stored 1 hour away!). It does limit the length of van I can lust after - 6.5 meters is about my limit but I am in clover compared to Jabstatt .

 

[Nanniemate]

I fill up with water at a particular branch of Morrisons, well at their filling station that also supplies gas and diesel, oh and the occasional pint of milk.

I called there the other day no gass typical.

Got it at locks hereford 83p ltr stayed up there for the weekend found a new hide hole

 

[Puddleduck]

I’ve never know of a metered water supply in any of our cemeteries, and few supplies other than some commercial users, another difference difference in Scotland

Water is still publically owned in Scotland.

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[MichaelT]

The search4sites app lists overnight stops with services - sometimes a tap. You might find one local to your storage.

They also do service point only.

 

[Shrimp]

We always carried a big can of water, it sat in the shower, we could use it ad-lib then.

 

[CAB96]

For those of us who don't have a lot of spare space on board, this looks rather good. (Well, except for the price!)

Anyone tried one?

Collapsible 9L Watering Can & Bucket - Durable & Recyclable Food Grade

This collapsible product can be used as a watering can or a bucket and twists down to be flat so it can take up less storage space. To ensure none of the components get misplaced they an all be stored in the base.

colapz.co.uk

Got one, reasonably easy to use but of course collapses down so good for us.

 

[Orion]

I too think water at a cemetery may not be potable; not only that, the tap will likely be one of the push type that time out, so only of use to fill a watering can for transfer.

A plastic or Velcro cable tie will allow any of those push type taps to run continuously to fill an onboard tank.

 

[Puddleduck]

You can always buy water at a supermarket.

Taking water without asking first is stealing. I have asked to part fill a tank at a community centre and made a donation as a sign of gratitude and that not all motorhome owners are freeloaders / thieves.

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[El Veterano]

I too think water at a cemetery may not be potable; not only that, the tap will likely be one of the push type that time out, so only of use to fill a watering can for transfer.

With pubs, I think it would be taking the p!ss if you take more than a few litres. I discovered the other day that our pump plays up merry hell unless the tank shows at 25% full, so just a few litres for us would not do it.

Would a couple of ten litre bottles not do until you reach your first campsite? You can use them for cooking, washing, and swilling the toilet, and use bottled water for brews.

I took some water in a 5ltr plastic bottle from a cemetery in Scotland once, and put it in the campers garage as spare. Within 3 days it had turned green. Lucky I didn't put it in the tank.

 

[Brains]

For those of us who don't have a lot of spare space on board, this looks rather good. (Well, except for the price!)

Anyone tried one?

Collapsible 9L Watering Can & Bucket - Durable & Recyclable Food Grade

This collapsible product can be used as a watering can or a bucket and twists down to be flat so it can take up less storage space. To ensure none of the components get misplaced they an all be stored in the base.

colapz.co.uk

This type of foldable watering can

Are far better in a motorhome.
They fold flat, they have a screw top and can be used as a jerry can.
They hold 6 litres of water,
and as we found the clear sides means you can see the quality of the water before you consider putting it in your tank!

Price is typically £14-18 and available on line from a number of sources.
(Which is half the price of the collapsible watering cans, designed for garden or balcony use)

 

[Brains]

We have partially filled up at:

Fuel stations.
A public loo
Motorway Service stations
Cemeteries
Peoples houses (with permission)
A pub
Church halls
A Scout hut
Garage's around the back of blocks of flats

If you look around, taps are in surprising places, and as long as they are plumbed into the mains and are in regular use, the water will be fine.

I will not get water from farms, as it's often well water or worse still, pond water.

Only had two bad experiences:

One where we got water from a garage, using their hose, it was very obvious that someone had used the hose to syphon fuel at some point in the past. We had to flush the tank several times to get rid of the smell.
Note to self: Only use your own hose!

The other one was water from a disused camp site:
I think if we had let the tap run for half an hour it would have been fine, luckily we only loaded it onto our clear sided watering can, realised it was cloudy, so dumped it. No harm done (but no water either)