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Old 07-23-2016, 07:45 AM   #1
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Should I drain water in summer?

The last time we went camping was in June. We were supposed to go to Colorado in July and Wisconsin in August but do to unforeseen problems it will probably be September or even later before we can go out again. What is the general rule of thumb, time wise, for draining out all of your water in the summer to prevent it from souring? It has been over a month since we last went and I was thinking that I should go open up all of my low point drains, open the faucets, and drain the hot water heater to prevent those nasty little bacteria from causing problems in my water lines.

Also, is draining them sufficient or should I also blow them out with air?

Thanks,
Dale
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Old 07-23-2016, 08:07 AM   #2
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If we're camping every few weeks I don't drain but over a month I would.
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Old 07-23-2016, 08:33 AM   #3
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I drain after every trip. Before leaving the campground, I open all the faucets first including the outside shower. Just before I pull out, I open the low point drains. By the time I get back to the storage facility everything's drained including the water heater. After I get parked, I go in and close all the faucets and prop open the fridge doors. I also let the fresh tank drain as well.
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Old 07-23-2016, 08:41 AM   #4
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If the last CG had city water (chlorinated) I don't.

Just had it in storage since April, got it out Thurs and all is fine. The system is sealed, just.like home and all should be good. We leave the house for 4-5 months and all I do is turn the water off.
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Old 07-23-2016, 10:17 AM   #5
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We live in Florida, so it gets HOT. Not a great idea to leave water in a tank. I drain all the water from the tanks (Fresh, Gray, Black water). The fresh water tank has a vent opening next to the fill tube, so mine is not a completely closed system. We flush out the tanks prior to leaving home with a bleach solution to disinfect it to some extent. At lease no mold should form. Also bleach out the white drinking water hose, and buy a new filter in Spring, and mid summer.

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Old 07-23-2016, 12:34 PM   #6
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I never keep water in the system, regardless of season. Just habit I guess. Besides, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't take time to drain it and start with fresh anyway.
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Old 07-23-2016, 01:24 PM   #7
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We leave water in the system during the season. It will be ok, if you are using city/tap water.
If the water were pumped out of a stream or other natural source without any processing or additives, then I would limit the time of storage to a month or less.
The concern over bacteria growth is really a non player when it comes to processed/city water. Even water that is bottled in plants ships all over the world and through multiple environmental changes and can be stored for months (Here in Alaska one of our glacier water companies ships bottled water to China).
If it weren't safe to store water for what would seem an inordinate period of time then how can municipalities all over the world recommend storing and bottling water in case of natural disaster or emergency? Like in earthquake prone areas, many municipalities recommend having at least a week or more water supply stored.

There are several houses here in Alaska (one of them being my a close friend of mine) who have large tanks in a shed or garage which is a the water supply for the household. They have to utilize a portable tank to go to a fill station and then pump the contents of the portable tank into the household tank. Depending on usage, it can sometimes be three or more months before the need arises to fill the household tank again.

I always like the natural disaster preparation recommendation that tells people to "fill the bathtub with water in case water mains get ruptured during an earthquake". Sounds like a good idea, until you realize that would require knowing when an earthquake is going to hit. Then if the earthquake hits and ruptures water mains, how can you fill a bathtub with no flowing water? lol.
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Old 07-23-2016, 01:43 PM   #8
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I drain water every single time. Couple years ago my wife got sick during a pregnancy and it abruptly cut our camping season short. We had left water in the lines, we got the dreaded sulphur smell in our lines and water heater. Had to use bleach and baking soda and a LOT of water flushed through the water heater to get rid of the smell.

It is so much easier to simply open my low points when we leave the campground and close them when we get home. No issues with water smell after that.
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Old 07-23-2016, 01:49 PM   #9
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Seeing as to how it's brutally hot in a lot of areas of the U.S., I would drain it just to play it safe. There's a difference between a TT exposed to the elements and a home where there is temperature control like A/C.
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Old 07-23-2016, 01:58 PM   #10
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I drain after every trip. Habit. Only water in it now is about 5 gallons in the black with the treatment. I like to have some in there to slosh around in transit to assist in dissolving paper and other "stuff" that might be hanging around.
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Old 07-23-2016, 02:23 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spoon059 View Post
I drain water every single time. Couple years ago my wife got sick during a pregnancy and it abruptly cut our camping season short. We had left water in the lines, we got the dreaded sulphur smell in our lines and water heater. Had to use bleach and baking soda and a LOT of water flushed through the water heater to get rid of the smell.

It is so much easier to simply open my low points when we leave the campground and close them when we get home. No issues with water smell after that.
Bet the last CG you were at had a well.
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Old 07-23-2016, 04:28 PM   #12
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I drain the hot water heater after every trip... not sure now much of the lines get drained that way, but judging from how long it takes to get the air out on the next trip, I would guess most of it.
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Old 07-23-2016, 04:53 PM   #13
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Thanks for all of the replies. I like the idea of just opening the faucets and low point drains when leaving the campground then closing them when you get home. Very simple and a great way to prevent any problems.
Thanks again to all of the great responses,
Dale
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Old 07-23-2016, 05:06 PM   #14
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I once forgot to drain the hot water heater and the trailer sat for two months. When we used it again the hot water smelled awful and the DW was not happy. Had to drain and sanitize at a later date. This was with well water which of course has no chlorine.
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:21 AM   #15
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I always keep my fresh water tank full to allow for water line breaks at the park. It happened 11 times last summer where I volunteer. So far this summer only 1 time, but I always have water. Since it is so hot right now I switch to my fresh water tank once a month and use it for a few loads of laundry and a shower or 3. When close to empty I fill it back up for the next time. Others around me are always upset with the water is off, but I'm good to go. I got burned once with an empty tank and never again unless it should go off when I'm cycling the tank.
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Old 07-24-2016, 06:12 AM   #16
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I only travel with 9 gallons of water, and I have that water chlorinated almost like I'm sanitizing the tank. Since I only use that water for flushing the toilet or washing my hands, it works for me. I leave it in there until its time to winterize.
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Old 04-08-2017, 09:09 AM   #17
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I think it may also be worth mentioning that water weighs just over 8lbs a gallon so depending on your tank size this could add a fair bit of weight to your trailer. Unfortunately we have not used our new trailer yet but it has a 45 gal tank so that's an extra 375 lbs of fuel burning weight. I think when we finally get out on some long trips we will keep a small amount of water 5-10gal for stops along the way and fill up on site.then the water stays fresh and you keep the weight down.sorry 65 Gallon tank just over 500lbs
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Old 04-08-2017, 02:29 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TCNashville View Post
I drain after every trip. Before leaving the campground, I open all the faucets first including the outside shower. Just before I pull out, I open the low point drains. By the time I get back to the storage facility everything's drained including the water heater. After I get parked, I go in and close all the faucets and prop open the fridge doors. I also let the fresh tank drain as well.
Exactly what we do. Works very well.
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