I generally use my "on board tank" (and water pump) as opposed to hooking up a hose. I read in some "full-timing" book written by one of the famous "full-timing" couples (there are a few out there) that this helps keep bacteria down by constantly recirculating the water, or something like that, I'd have to go back to the book to see exactly what they said. It's a pain to fill up the tank every three days, but when I have to "pack up," not having to deal with the hose seems to save me a lot of time. Anyway, another RV'er argued that this wears out the water pump. However, when I went to "Life on Wheels" in Moscow, ID last summer, an RV tech who gave a class on water systems stated that water pumps generally don't wear out. So, on board tank? Or hook up hose? (I ought to do this in a "poll.") For me, it's not really about the "recirculating the water" or whatever, it's more that the time I save in not having to worry about the hose on "pack up day" outweighs the minor 15 minutes of inconvenience to fill up the tank every three days. I keep the water hose in a separate Rubbermaid container. JJ
with many years experience with water pumps on boats ( same pumps used in rvs), they can wear out, especially if you run them dry. but as a rule they are dependable for many years. if they do wear out it is generally the rubber impeller that goes. these can be replaced with rebuild kits available at boaters world, boat u/s or west marine. not a big job. I would use the external hose where it is available, with a pressure control valve in the line to keep from causing leaks in plumbing. the lines that you use for outside source are generally all the same as from the tank, except the fill line and the lines to the punp(very short sections); It is wise to sanitiize your tnk and lines at leat oncew a year in any case.
Very hard to wear out a water pump if not run dry. You can replace the front end in 15 mins or less with new parts. We have all hookup's in same bay. I only pull out four or five feet of hose and used local water if it is OK to drink, if not we use water in tank. Our tank is filled from inside, valve under bathroom sink. So we look at all water levels on small TV tube display in dash, if we need more water, go open the valve 10 mins or less and that is done. Next day un-hook and off we go. I also carry a spare pump if we need it. I remove all water from all tanks at end of each travel trip, months or days. Wash out gray and black tank at home (we have a 3" dump) replace 5 gals of water back in black tank plus tank treatment. Remove all water from main tank and water heater. We can be ready to go again in one days time frame if we wish. Never had any problems with water system. Life is fun on the road.
QUOTE(boater @ Nov 27 2007, 06:00 PM) [snapback]9253[/snapback] with many years experience with water pumps on boats ( same pumps used in rvs), they can wear out, especially if you run them dry. but as a rule they are dependable for many years. if they do wear out it is generally the rubber impeller that goes. these can be replaced with rebuild kits available at boaters world, boat u/s or west marine. not a big job. I would use the external hose where it is available, with a pressure control valve in the line to keep from causing leaks in plumbing. the lines that you use for outside source are generally all the same as from the tank, except the fill line and the lines to the punp(very short sections); It is wise to sanitiize your tnk and lines at leat oncew a year in any case. I do sanitize my tank once a year, usually do it while on a trip. Put the bleach in, then drive to destination (usually a short distance away, where I want to camp anyway), where I finish the job. QUOTE(John Blue @ Nov 27 2007, 06:37 PM) [snapback]9254[/snapback] Very hard to wear out a water pump if not run dry. You can replace the front end in 15 mins or less with new parts. We have all hookup's in same bay. I only pull out four or five feet of hose and used local water if it is OK to drink, if not we use water in tank. Our tank is filled from inside, valve under bathroom sink. So we look at all water levels on small TV tube display in dash, if we need more water, go open the valve 10 mins or less and that is done. Next day un-hook and off we go. I also carry a spare pump if we need it. I remove all water from all tanks at end of each travel trip, months or days. Wash out gray and black tank at home (we have a 3" dump) replace 5 gals of water back in black tank plus tank treatment. Remove all water from main tank and water heater. We can be ready to go again in one days time frame if we wish. Never had any problems with water system. Life is fun on the road. Hmm...... If I have any residual water left in the freshwater tank, I usually haven't drained it. (I SHOULD drain the water heater, but usually don't....) The place I store my RV at has a plug in (I pay extra for that...), and sometimes in the storage area, I use some water to clean the interior of the RV. Besides, the longest I have gone between RV trips is two months. During that two months in storage, I usually use the water for something..... I try not to run the pump dry. JJ
The only objection I have to using the internal water pump 100% of the time is the noise it makes. Don't get that with a hook-up.
Most water pumps are designed to last for years of use. As John stated, the only thing that will shorten some of the pump's life is being run dry. Some pumps have the ability to withstand being run dry. My wife, who has some hearing problems, unknowingly left one of our pumps on, in one of the 5th wheels, and damage did occur from running dry. Was replaced with one that was advertised as being able to run dry. No problems after installation. As we live in an area with city water, our water has a very high chlorine ratio, so after purifying in the spring, after winter storage, we do not have to drain the water system until storage time. In the summer months our motorhome is used three out of four weekends per month. With the fuel prices, this year, that may have to change. Time will tell.
I agree about the pump noise, so we use the hose connection whenever possible--even for short overnight stays. Also we don't like to travel with a full tank of water because of the weight. When we head out we only put enough water in the tank (about 1/4 full) to use on days we are driving. We use it when we make a rest stop. Then we refill at campgrounds as needed. There have been a few times that we had to unhook our hose because of freezing weather, and we used the pump then, but other than that we always hook up.
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Nov 28 2007, 08:58 AM) [snapback]9265[/snapback] I agree about the pump noise, so we use the hose connection whenever possible--even for short overnight stays. Also we don't like to travel with a full tank of water because of the weight. When we head out we only put enough water in the tank (about 1/4 full) to use on days we are driving. We use it when we make a rest stop. Then we refill at campgrounds as needed. There have been a few times that we had to unhook our hose because of freezing weather, and we used the pump then, but other than that we always hook up. I know what you mean about the weight. Like you, I travel with tank about 1/4 full. The "noise" has never bothered me. I had to get used to it, and also you hear it about once every couple of hours while it's idle. JJ
DXSMac> I suspect that if you did make this a poll that you'd find that the overwhelming majority hook up to whatever campground water source that is available. However, some of us are more health conscious than others. As far as taking the "full timers" printed word as gospel, I'd repectfully suggest to you that they put those words to print in order to make money on their books. I've been a full timer for 7 years and disagree with most of the things that they print. They write to the two digit IQ level. Be that as it may, if you have a quality water filter inline between the water source and your RV you will have decent water. It would also be appropriate to pour a small amount of bleach on the ends of every water connection that you make when hooking up in a campground. I've seen fellow RVers handle a sewer hose and then immediately hook up their water hose. That is disgusting!!! If you haven't purged your fresh water holding tank by adding bleach on occassion, then you probably get more bacteria ladened water from the tank than you would get from a campground water faucet.
QUOTE(RLM @ Nov 28 2007, 05:47 PM) [snapback]9271[/snapback] DXSMac> I suspect that if you did make this a poll that you'd find that the overwhelming majority hook up to whatever campground water source that is available. However, some of us are more health conscious than others. As far as taking the "full timers" printed word as gospel, I'd repectfully suggest to you that they put those words to print in order to make money on their books. I've been a full timer for 7 years and disagree with most of the things that they print. They write to the two digit IQ level. Be that as it may, if you have a quality water filter inline between the water source and your RV you will have decent water. It would also be appropriate to pour a small amount of bleach on the ends of every water connection that you make when hooking up in a campground. I've seen fellow RVers handle a sewer hose and then immediately hook up their water hose. That is disgusting!!! If you haven't purged your fresh water holding tank by adding bleach on occassion, then you probably get more bacteria ladened water from the tank than you would get from a campground water faucet. So far, that is what the poll I created is showing. Well, so far, it's running half the votes are "either depending on circumstances" with "hook up to campground" in second. There is only ONE vote for "use the tank" (and it's my vote). About touching the water hose after touching the sewer hose...... well, if I unhook the water hose the night before I'm "packing up," it seems to save me 20 minutes of "packing up" time. I think this 20 minutes is merely "phantom" time, because...... if I have both the water and sewer hooked up, I start freaking out about the "order" I should disconnect stuff in.... If I don't have the water hose hooked up, I don't have this "freak out" time. I just do it and get it over with. Once a year I do the bleach thing, usually on a short distance camping trip. But, if I do use the hose, I bought some short 5 foot hoses. I like them much better than 25 foot hoses. I don't have all that hose laying on the ground. JJ
JJ, Once again, one of your queries has me scratching my head. I have no problem with just using the on board water for convenience (quick overnighter) or necessity (bad or no local water, subfreezing weather). Your posts indicate that it takes you 20 minutes to use the hose, that you only travel with 1/4 tank of water, and your use 5' hoses. First, 20 minutes????? Second, how do you last 3 days on 1/4 (maybe 10-15 gallons in a classC) tank of water? Finally, how often can you park your RV so that a 5' (or 2 or 3 of them) can reach the water spigot?
JJ, If your water pump cycles on, while the system is at idle, would suggest the very good possibility of a leak somewhere in the water system. I would start looking at the complete system. We have used the clorox/chlorine spray on the spigot and hose ends for years. We have seen the very same "sewer hose washout" by a small number of campers who either are ignorant to the possible unhealthy conditions they have allowed to occur, or just don't give a damm about their actions. Have posted a thread about this very subject in the past, which some agreed with and there were those who disagreed; for whatever their reason. Maybe a fault sense of security, on our part, but we say better safe than sorry.
QUOTE(Jerry S. @ Nov 28 2007, 08:10 PM) [snapback]9275[/snapback] JJ, Once again, one of your queries has me scratching my head. I have no problem with just using the on board water for convenience (quick overnighter) or necessity (bad or no local water, subfreezing weather). Your posts indicate that it takes you 20 minutes to use the hose, that you only travel with 1/4 tank of water, and your use 5' hoses. First, 20 minutes????? Second, how do you last 3 days on 1/4 (maybe 10-15 gallons in a classC) tank of water? Finally, how often can you park your RV so that a 5' (or 2 or 3 of them) can reach the water spigot? I explained the 20 minutes as "phantom time." If I don't use the hose (and use the on board tank, instead....), it saves me 20 minutes of pack up time when I get ready to leave. The 20 minutes is basically "freak out" time, because if I have both the water hose and sewer connected, I'm "freaking out" about what "order" to unhook stuff in (to make sure I touch the sewer LAST!!!). Regarding the 1/4 tank..... I carry 1/4 when travelling, then I fill it up when I get there. I last 3 days on a full tank of water. And regarding the 5 foot hose....... All of the RV parks I have been at so far, I have been able to reach the water spigot with only a 5 foot hose........ I haven't found one yet where I needed more than a 5' hose........ Why have the water travel all that way???? JJ
Okay, I do like the idea of the 5' hose - now that I think about it, most water hookups are perfect for my trailer. But if there is a water hookup, I'm going to use it. Doesn't matter if the water is drinkable - I always bring my own drinking water (grew up where neither well nor city water was fit for drinking). I only need the water for the toilet and washing dishes. Unless I have a sewer hookup, I'm not using the showers. Since most of my trips are to gov't CG's, I haven't had a sewer connections in years (probably not since 2003). The water pump is noisy in my opinion - when having to use it, I leave it turned off and just turn it on every time it needs to recharge (saves my battery also - the most strain on my battery is when the pump is reaching pressure). That way I also don't wake up the kids when I have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. I don't understand the phantom time of 20 minutes - it seems you're having to pull a hose out every few days to refill and then stash the hose again. Not saying it doesn't work for you, just seems like more trouble for me to do that. I am on my second pump. The first one decided one day that it was not going to shut off. I'm sure I could have fixed the pressure switch on the pump somewhere, but it only took about 5 minutes to put in a new one. I have also learned something else from this topic - I'm going to keep some clorox wipes handy to wipe off spigots.
Something occurred to me when I was reading these last posts. DXSMac, you have mentioned many times that you are a solo traveler, and suddenly I realized that if I had to set up everything by myself I would probably choose to do certain things and not others. For instance hooking up the hose. That might be something I would not hook up and just use the water pump because it would take less time and be more convenient. I also realized that if you are alone you are always up and awake when you use the pump. It is a bit different with two of you in the RV. That pump "growl" is not a pleasant sound if your spouse gets up very early (4 or 5 am) and you are trying to sleep. So I can now see why you might prefer using the water pump rather than hook up the hose and why we prefer the the hose hook up. Different strokes!
Some other thoughts. You can’t be too careful when it comes to using and storing the fresh water hose and the sewer hose. We have a box of throw away plastic gloves that we always wear when dealing with the sewer, and we make sure we remove those gloves before touching anything else, especially the water hose. We never use the fresh water hose for anything except just that. We carry another hose for general use and actually we have a short hose that we use just to rinse out or clean the sewer hose. We keep the sewer hoses and associated items in a bag and then in a storage bin that is for just those items. You can also work out a routine so that you are not handling the sewer hose and the fresh water hose at the same time. We try to deal with the water hose first and then the sewer. That way we don’t touch the water hose after handling the sewer hose. Many people may think this is overkill, but with all the staff infections and other stuff that’s floating around out there we’d rather take a few more precautions and be safe rather than sorry. By the way we absolutely agree about disinfecting both ends of your water hose and the camp water faucet, too. You never know what big dog might have been “sniffing” around it. We carry a can of Lysol or Lysol wipes for just that purpose. The wipes are great for cleaning our hands after handling the sewer hose. We, too, have seen other people not being very careful, but we think the extra precautions should be taken.
QUOTE(HappiestCamper @ Nov 29 2007, 09:15 AM) [snapback]9279[/snapback] I don't understand the phantom time of 20 minutes - it seems you're having to pull a hose out every few days to refill and then stash the hose again. Not saying it doesn't work for you, just seems like more trouble for me to do that. Yes, it is a hassle to have to step out every three days to fill the darn tank. But the "phantom" time of 20 minutes is basically "freak out" time when I'm "packing up to go." If I have the sewer and water connected, I stand there for 20 minutes freaking out over what "order" to unhook them in. If I don't have the hose connected, no "freak out" time. I also carry extra water in a 5 gallon jug, plus some bottled water. QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Nov 29 2007, 09:22 AM) [snapback]9280[/snapback] Something occurred to me when I was reading these last posts. DXSMac, you have mentioned many times that you are a solo traveler, and suddenly I realized that if I had to set up everything by myself I would probably choose to do certain things and not others. For instance hooking up the hose. That might be something I would not hook up and just use the water pump because it would take less time and be more convenient. I also realized that if you are alone you are always up and awake when you use the pump. It is a bit different with two of you in the RV. That pump "growl" is not a pleasant sound if your spouse gets up very early (4 or 5 am) and you are trying to sleep. So I can now see why you might prefer using the water pump rather than hook up the hose and why we prefer the the hose hook up. You have a point. If someone were to be with me, the water pump noise would be an issue. I guess I just got used to it. Problem is..... I usually unhook sewer LAST (electricity before that). So, I turn on the water pump to get some water in the toilet after black tank is empty. I do this to have some water "swishing" while I drive. Well, sometimes I forget to turn off the water pump. If I remember to turn off the battery, not a problem. But sometimes I forget to turn off the battery and the water pump before I drive. I tried leaving electricity to last, but I get "distracted" (what's on TV while I'm doing all this????) if I don't turn it off first. If I turn electricity off first, the rest just gets done quickly! JJ
You definitely need a list! (if you don't already have one). We have one for outside tasks and one for inside tasks. Each list is in the order that we need to do things. Actually the inside list is sort of arranged from back to front. We start at the back of the coach in the bedroom and move forward toward the front. To be absolutely sure everything gets done we go over the list just before we leave and visually check to see that everything has been completed. This takes a little more time, but it beats having to stop a few miles down the road to fix something that has come undone. As for the outside tasks I know we store the fresh water hose first so that it is completely out of the way before we deal with the sewer. If we need water during this time we use the pump. If it is really hot weather we disconnect the electrical last. Not because of our comfort but because we (like you) have a furry friend with us, and we don't want him to get too hot. One other thing about us is that we plan very leisurely trips. We only drive about 300 mi a day so we do not have to hurry to get on the road in the morning. We can take our time getting things ready which means we are less likely to forget something. I know not everyone can or wants to travel this way, but it works for us.
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Nov 30 2007, 10:07 AM) [snapback]9289[/snapback] You definitely need a list! (if you don't already have one). We have one for outside tasks and one for inside tasks. Each list is in the order that we need to do things. Actually the inside list is sort of arranged from back to front. We start at the back of the coach in the bedroom and move forward toward the front. To be absolutely sure everything gets done we go over the list just before we leave and visually check to see that everything has been completed. This takes a little more time, but it beats having to stop a few miles down the road to fix something that has come undone. As for the outside tasks I know we store the fresh water hose first so that it is completely out of the way before we deal with the sewer. If we need water during this time we use the pump. If it is really hot weather we disconnect the electrical last. Not because of our comfort but because we (like you) have a furry friend with us, and we don't want him to get too hot. One other thing about us is that we plan very leisurely trips. We only drive about 300 mi a day so we do not have to hurry to get on the road in the morning. We can take our time getting things ready which means we are less likely to forget something. I know not everyone can or wants to travel this way, but it works for us. I think I have it down to where..... if I have both sewer and water connected, I do water FIRST, (electricity next) and then have gloves for the sewer. Whoa, I guess I'm going to start bleaching the water spigot, didn't think about that! I store the sewer hose in a rubbermaid container, and have the water hose in another rubbermaid container. Unfortunately, both containers are next to each other in the storage area. Don't know if that's ok or not. I usually wash off the lid and outside of the sewer container. At least they are separated...... JJ
All that sounds really good. You are taking the necessary precatuions. Just be sure not to get the two containers mixed up. That would not be good. So now that you have made your first looooong trip, where are you going next?
