Where to fill the fresh water tank?

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kforrest

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Hello, gang.  Haven't been on here in a while, so hello again!  I have a question.  When travelling and boondocking along the way, where does one find a dump station, and a place to fill the fresh water?  I guess it would make sense to stop at a KOA or other campground that has hookups, and pay a small fee to use the dumper and fill the tank, right?  But are there other options?  :) :-\ :))

 
Don't know where you are traveling, but you might look up the state interstate system rest areas.  They will tell you if they have dump stations and fresh water.  Unfortunately, some states have closed their dump stations and rest areas completely.  Get the Allstays ap for campgrounds and dumping stations.  Other places are Flying J and Pilot.
 
www.sandidumps.com has listings for dumps, as the name implies, but also indicates dumps with water available.  As you have noted some campgrounds, but not all, will for a fee make water available to travelers, but tend to be the exception as they usually restrict water to their guests, some casinos that have RV space available sometimes have dump and water facilities available, some RV dealers have water available for travelers & some fairgrounds.
 
A lot depends on how big your tanks are, when traveling I can go 4-5 days between tank dumps and refills without active water conservation with 2 people on board.  Though my motorhome does have 80 gallon fresh water capacity (40 gray / 40 black)
 
I don't know where you live or are travelling through but most towns have dump stations in or near their locally run campgrounds. Most have potable water available too but as end of season approaches many will be shutting off the taps for the winter. A google search for sani dumps in your area would likely be helpful.
 
Most Ranger Stations will allow you to fill up your fresh tank.  Go inside and ask.

I am seeing an increasing number of dump stations at or near government owned campgrounds.  A really nice one in Old Station, CA run by the FS will handle 4 RVs at one time, large concrete pads with plenty of maneuvering room.  The area has several campgrounds in proximity, and the FS got tired of people dumping their tanks in the woods.
 
We mostly boondock, and I have an app called "RV Dump" from Allstays, that maps out any dump stations that are near us when we're traveling. If we're going to be on the road awhile, I've gotten into the habbit of staying one night at a campground with hookups every 10 days (or so.)  That allows me to not only dump, but top off our fresh water tanks too.

Kev
 
that's sortof where I was leaning when we were on our 19 day Grand Canyon trip over the summer.... except it was more like every 3-4 days.  Guess my tanks aren't as big as yours Kevin!  :eek:

Actually we could likely have stretched a bit longer..... but a lot of the boondocking we were doing while en route was just parking lot stuff, and I find that I really don't relax all that well in a parking lot...so after all that driving I need a break in a place where I feel a bit more secure and relaxed once in a while.  Plugging into a CG every 3rd or 4th night worked out well.

If I were able to take advantage of that wonderful public land you folks out West have I'd be much happier!
 
I actually find it easy to find a place to dump. I have used the rvsanidump website, and there are a number of convenience stores in the West with dumps. Water has been more of a problem. We found a number of dump stations didn't have potable water, just a hose to wash out the tube. Many campgrounds let you dump and fill for a small amount, and we have begun just using those. The public sites at rest areas etc have been out of commission too often. However there is a dump near our house at a car wash that we use after dry camping our way home.
 
I too have noticed many of the "public ones" such as at rest areas are often closed.  I've never used one yet!

Also, I've never felt all that great about using potable water fill that's right next to the dump stations.... with people not washing hands and all....
I've only done that once, and that was at the Grand Canyon village

I would think the advice of stopping at a CG, even if not staying there, and paying a small fee just for dump and fill might be worth it....
 
Kevin Means said:
We mostly boondock, and I have an app called "RV Dump" from Allstays, that maps out any dump stations that are near us when we're traveling. If we're going to be on the road awhile, I've gotten into the habbit of staying one night at a campground with hookups every 10 days (or so.)  That allows me to not only dump, but top off our fresh water tanks too.

Kev

This is another approach we have used as well and works nicely, especially if doing laundry is needed for those of us without an onboard washing/dryer machine, in which case we make sure to get a CG with laundry facilities.

blw2 said:
Also, I've never felt all that great about using potable water fill that's right next to the dump stations.... with people not washing hands and all....
I've only done that once, and that was at the Grand Canyon village

I would think the advice of stopping at a CG, even if not staying there, and paying a small fee just for dump and fill might be worth it....

Likely a good call, in fact once when looking for water on the Sandidumps site, one location mentioned having potable water, but had a warning included, indicating it is next to the dump station and while considered potable they expressed concern, essentially they were saying do so at your own risk. We passed and found another source at a RV dealership near by.


 

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