Well water and motorhomes

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Alpena Jeff

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Dec 7, 2014
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Up North - Michigan
I need to add water to my fresh water tank so I have enough to partially fill gray and black tanks prior to dumping so I can eventually winterize. We are on a well. Any known issues using my well water supply for this purpose?
Thanks as always!
 
Just thinking sediment I guess. I have drank from the tap but it does have a "taste". Being overly cautious maybe? New and first motorhome jitters!
Thanks, Jeff
 
It is better to ask the question than to not have asked it and have a disaster strike you. I think you are perfectly safe. Most of us have been putting water into our RVs without any thought for a long time. I got my water from many different sources. The worst thing that might happen is you might need to clean the intake screen on your water pump.
 
We have put a sediment filter on our fresh water hose due to getting a lot of sediment a few times when filling the tanks. If you have a lot, then that is something you might want to consider. As long as the water meets public health standards (and since you drink it at home I assume it does), you should have no problems with the tank and health.
 
Been on well water for over 40 years here at home.  Use it to fill coach tank before a trip.  However, since I have a water softener at home, by pass the softener so not to get salt into the coach water.  Think I got the idea from previous messages on the RV Forum.
 
We are on a well, have been for over 40 years. I installed a whole-house filter in the water line just before the water softener and drinking water. It is to catch the sediment coming from the well. I change it every month and have very little sediment in it.
When I fill the MH water tank I have another filter that I also use. The water is "double-filtered". It takes some of the worry out of having sediment in the water.
I also use that filter when I hook-up to any other water system. The charcoal unfused filter element takes out some of the chemical taste that you get from some of the "city" water.
Good Luck,
Indiana Journey
 
I'm on my own well also. I run it through a whole house filter and on of the blue Camco filters then on to my RV. The biggest reason I use the two filters is because where I park, I need the extra 5' or so of hose to reach the RV. I have 70' of potable water hose now, and am too cheap to go buy more.
 
I have a well here at home. Truthfully I never gave it a second thought about filling my RV tank with it.
I  have noticed when I  use my father's water (also a well but different state) sometimes I catch a little silt in the inlet screen, nothing a quick rinse won't  cure.
 
I?m on a well also. My last place also had a well. Depending on what part of the country you are from, some areas are susceptible to iron bacteria. While not harmful, it is a pain because it will leave reds stains in your toilet bowls, etc., even though out of the tap it was crystal clear. It becomes a lot more active when exposed to oxygen (air) and grows rapidly inside the toilet tank (where the float is). You can control it with chlorine, but never get rid of it, and you can?t get a small enough micron filter to filter it out. Most campground taps and others are chlorinated, most residential wells are not. There are also other bacteria?s that are dormant until exposed to air. For that reason, I would have no problem using my well water, but I wouldn?t leave it in my fresh water tank for any length of time. But that?s just me, and based on my experience with well water quality....not safety-wise, but off white colored tee shirts and stuff like that. But again, you may not have that issue, and my current well does not. The water is just very hard. 
 
Hard water can cause problems.  If that's your case then get some decent filters that take care of sediment (which can be calcium), taste, and microorganisms.  We have extremely hard water and it corrodes anything using water, from valves to water heaters, to pool pumps to yard irrigation parts.  Oh yes, it also leaves bad water spots that are difficult to remove.

As to well water, we tend to avoid filling our water tank at campgrounds with well water.  And we always use filters regardless of the water source.  One time down in Mexico we saw leaves floating in the water storage tank where the water came up from a well.  It was potable but kind of disgusting so we didn't fill there!

ArdraF
 
If it is the well thar supplies your house... no In fact I'm on well water all summer. City water in winter.. Well is better in my case (This is not always true).
 
Over 14 years we've hit 48 states and used water from all over the place. I don't use any filters and have not had a problem yet.

I think you will be just fine.
 
Boonieman said:
I?m on a well also. My last place also had a well. Depending on what part of the country you are from, some areas are susceptible to iron bacteria. While not harmful, it is a pain because it will leave reds stains in your toilet bowls, etc., even though out of the tap it was crystal clear. It becomes a lot more active when exposed to oxygen (air) and grows rapidly inside the toilet tank (where the float is). You can control it with chlorine, but never get rid of it, and you can?t get a small enough micron filter to filter it out. Most campground taps and others are chlorinated, most residential wells are not. There are also other bacteria?s that are dormant until exposed to air. For that reason, I would have no problem using my well water, but I wouldn?t leave it in my fresh water tank for any length of time. But that?s just me, and based on my experience with well water quality....not safety-wise, but off white colored tee shirts and stuff like that. But again, you may not have that issue, and my current well does not. The water is just very hard.

If my rig will be sitting more than a couple weeks I put an ounce or 2 of bleach in the 1/2 full fresh water tank and then open the faucets for a couple minutes.  Don't know if it helps but it makes me feel better.  Then  a couple days before next trip I empty the tank and refill, then open faucets again for a few minutes to clear the lines of the bleach. 
 
Jeff,
I think you got some great answers but I can add to this by saying we go to Alpena every summer for 3 to 4 months, own property on lake Huron. I haven't put in a well yet so we've been drawing water directly from the lake with a particle filter after the pump. When we leave Alpena, I put a "couple glugs" (never really measure) into the fresh water tank and go through the process of checking each faucet much like SkyDiveMark describes then rinse.  I've never had a problem with sediment and I have to believe the lake water would be worse then any well water.
Obviously we don't drink the water when in Alpena and in reality we never really trust campground water except when using the Everpure water filter.
 
sgkane said:
Jeff,
I think you got some great answers but I can add to this by saying we go to Alpena every summer for 3 to 4 months, own property on lake Huron. I haven't put in a well yet so we've been drawing water directly from the lake with a particle filter after the pump. When we leave Alpena, I put a "couple glugs" (never really measure) into the fresh water tank and go through the process of checking each faucet much like SkyDiveMark describes then rinse.  I've never had a problem with sediment and I have to believe the lake water would be worse then any well water.
Obviously we don't drink the water when in Alpena and in reality we never really trust campground water except when using the Everpure water filter.
Well howdy neighbor!
We are north of town on Long Lake. You know it?
 
Somewhere west of Surprise, Arizona we stayed a week, water was safe but taste was terrible. We had a sediment filter, then a charcoal filter, then the big onboard everpure  filter, then a BRITA pitcher, what came out was drinkable but not at all "good". :p

One of the reasons we drink bottled water.
 
I'm on a well for nearly 30 years, have used the water in my RV the entire time (no water softener) with no ill effects
 
The 2 filters before going into M.H. one is for the larger things, and the second could be charcoal if you prefer.
From your own well you should be fine, but when hooked up at some C.G. you never know whats coming out.
I have a 2 filter setup with a regulator at the other end. Always use it at C.G.

Our daughter learned the hard way. they changed water sources while she was at C.G., suddenly her water was coming out black.
They then came around and told everyone to let the water run freely on the ground, till it cleared up. Yuck.
 

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