Poll: Do you drink from your fresh water tank?

[Ray364]

Hi,

Just bought my first travel trailer -- a Jay Feather Sport. During the inspection/walkaround, the guy sort of discouraged me from drinking from the fresh water tank, due to possible bacteria build-up etc. He recommended bottled water for consumption and to use the FW tank for dish-washing, etc.,

So, my questions is: Do you use your FW tank for drinking? If so, how often do you sanitize it (using the bleach mixture) during a camping season?

Thanks.

[Texas Sam]

We sanitize our fresh water tank at the beginning of each camping season using diluted bleach as recommended by Jayco. After that we use the water from the tank as if we were connected to a water faucet. And yes, we drink the water from the tank. We do, however, use a Brita water filter pitcher to remove impurities just as we do when using water from a faucet. We have followed this practice for several years and have never gotten sick or had any other ill effects. We boondocked for a month in national forest campgrounds a couple of years ago and added water to our fresh water tanks from hand pumps at the campgrounds, again with no ill effects. That is not to say we won't have problems at some point in the future but so far so good. Heck, some city water supplies test positive for low levels of bacteria and contaminants. That being said, we NEVER drink water from mountain streams even though they look crystal clear because we know thay are likely to be contaminated with little critters that cause intestinal chaos!

[wiscampsin]

While travelling with our previous 2 campers we always drank from our fresh water tank. Like Texas Sam we would sanatize the tank at the beginning of the season. Depending on use we would also sanatize it half way thru the season. We would fill it using an inline blue torpedo filter (WalMart). Even at a site with water we used the inline filter. We also used a counter top water filter dispensor from PUR for our drinking water. http://www.purwaterfilter.com/puruldisds.html Kind of a double filtering method but we never got sick. We're on a seasonal site now and still use the same method, blue inline filter and counter top water filter dispersor.

[kcconawa]

Yes, we have drunk from the tank for years through several RV's.

And yes, prior to first trip out each year I pour in 3-4 cups of bleach, fill up the tank, turn on the pump and run water until I can smell the bleach coming out of each faucet. I let it sit for 24 hours or so and then drain and flush the excess bleach away.

[Denise]

We also use a blue inline water filter while hooked up to faucet or when filling tank for boondocking (which lately we only do when traveling between campgrounds). We sanitize the same as the others at the beginning of the season.

[tnchuck100]

Yes. If you maintain your system properly there should be no reason not to.

[dmax_83]

Sanitize at the beginning of the season and drink from it no problem. Been doing it since it was new in 1998.

[tlhdoc]

Yes we drink from the fresh water holding tank. No reason not to. I use the blue inline filter, mostly to keep gunk out of the water heater. My trailer is on a lot that we own and I am not piping water from a spring (700 foot of water line) to the trailer. Using the blue inline filter and a canister filter the water tested bacteria free. Now I am drinking that water too. There is one campground that I don't drink the water, but they have sulpher water.