Stupid question. Regarding Potable Water tank

[Mountainman]

I have a 2005 Jayco 1206. THhs will be our first time using it. We will be in a state park with no hook ups. Can I fill my 23 gallon potable water tank at home and tow the camper with the water in it? I would like to be able to at least use the sink and even take a shower.

[LkptRvPilot]

Hi Mountainman,

The answer is yes, but is not advisable. Why carry all the extra weight? Furthermore, if you read some other threads, many people complain of loosing half their water through the overflow tube when traveling anyways.

When I travel to State parks, there are always water spigots nearby (usually several per loop) that I use to fill my tanks up after arriving and before getting to my spot. Just remember to bring your white water hose to fill with.

Hope this helps,
Kris

[steveb285rks]

That's an extra 172 pounds. If you have the capacity towing and payload it should not be an issue.

[Jagiven]

All the advice above is true. Call the state park and ask them about water availability. One thing I have found to be helpful is a $5 device called a “Water Bandit”, it makes connecting a hose to a bad water spigot, or one that does not even have threads on it easy to do.

[Mountainman]

Originally Posted by LkptRvPilot

Hi Mountainman,

The answer is yes, but is not advisable. Why carry all the extra weight? Furthermore, if you read some other threads, many people complain of loosing half their water through the overflow tube when traveling anyways.

When I travel to State parks, there are always water spigots nearby (usually several per loop) that I use to fill my tanks up after arriving and before getting to my spot. Just remember to bring your white water hose to fill with.

Hope this helps,
Kris

This is a good point. Only thing I was concerned with is the water from the spigots drinkable? We have never drank the water from the spigots, only used it to wash dishes and our hands..etc. The state park spigots dont have a provision for a hose where I stay. I will call the campground to inquire about it.

[Mountainman]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

All the advice above is true. Call the state park and ask them about water availability. One thing I have found to be helpful is a $5 device called a “Water Bandit”, it makes connecting a hose to a bad water spigot, or one that does not even have threads on it easy to do.

Cool little device. I will have to pick one up

[LkptRvPilot]

Originally Posted by Mountainman

Only thing I was concerned with is the water from the spigots drinkable? We have never drank the water from the spigots, only used it to wash dishes and our hands..etc.

Yeah, me too. I always bring bottled water for drinking.

[mcfarmall]

Originally Posted by Mountainman

This is a good point. Only thing I was concerned with is the water from the spigots drinkable? We have never drank the water from the spigots, only used it to wash dishes and our hands..etc. The state park spigots dont have a provision for a hose where I stay. I will call the campground to inquire about it.

At the dump station you will find a green springy water thingy with a hose on it and a red one just like it. The green one will likely be labeled "drinking water" or some variation thereof. The red one will likely be labeled "unsafe for drinking" or something like that. Both are fed from the same drinkable supply with the only difference being that the hose on the red one was shoved up inside someones sewage hose and was touched by somebody's p00py hands.

The faucets that are spaced periodically throughout the campground are all potable water and are most likely tested more frequently due to their role as a public water supply.

I have a water bandit and it works on just about anything except the new style I've been seeing pop up in Michigan state parks. The spout is an angled, sharp cornered thing that you can't slide the water bandit onto.

[flyinglion]

Originally Posted by Mountainman

I have a 2005 Jayco 1206. THhs will be our first time using it. We will be in a state park with no hook ups. Can I fill my 23 gallon potable water tank at home and tow the camper with the water in it? I would like to be able to at least use the sink and even take a shower.

The weight of the water is like an additional person in your car and is pretty much not noticed...fill at home and take with you. .but if you just bought a 2005, your fresh water tank may already be compromised more so than the water pump from the state park pump as far as drinking water goes...purify it first. You may add your fresh water in from home but you don't know what the previous owners did for 7 years.
But to answer your question, I fill my tank at home and haul it loaded for dry camping weekends; we shower and wash hands, we use bottled water or I purify with a hand pump purifier if we need to drink.... a quality $100 backpacking purifier goes with you anywhere.

My favorite 'pure water' story is, I was backpacking and hiked until early dusk before setting up camp next to a stream in the dark...so my picked site wasn't really researched as it was dark. I pumped my water with my purifier from the stream, made dinner, etc, slept. The next morning when daylight, I discovered a decaying deer laying 20 yards upstream and in the stream from where I just gathered water the night before. The thought and sight made me 'sick to the stomach', however I never did get sick from the water.

[tlhdoc]

The water at the park should be fine to drink. Call the park and double check. Did you sanitize your water system in the trailer? If not you need to do that before using the water system, even if you don't plan to drink the water.