Replacing water tank with cooler bottles?

We never use the fresh water tank except once or twice a year. We are weekenders and for the most part, everywhere we go has a bathroom and shower. This leads to a bit of hassle with the tank because it doesn't completely drain when I pull the drain plug. It leaves about 2 inches of water inside, including the hoses up to my bypass for the RV antifreeze.

Then I had an idea...what if I just replaced the tank with some of those refillable water cooler bottles?

It would always be good clean water and I can refill them at any grocery store when we do go to a campsite without drinkable water. Essentially, it would be the same as the regular tank by using the pump, but I wouldn't have to worry about my tank holding water causing my hoses to freeze or having to intentionally contaminate my tank with RV antifreeze. I can just dump the tanks outside and I'm done. My tank is under my dinette right now, so I wouldn't really have to worry about concealing it or mounting it under the cab.

cerd said:

We never use the fresh water tank except once or twice a year. We are weekenders and for the most part, everywhere we go has a bathroom and shower. This leads to a bit of hassle with the tank because it doesn't completely drain when I pull the drain plug. It leaves about 2 inches of water inside, including the hoses up to my bypass for the RV antifreeze.
Then I had an idea...what if I just replaced the tank with some of those refillable water cooler bottles?
It would always be good clean water and I can refill them at any grocery store when we do go to a campsite without drinkable water. Essentially, it would be the same as the regular tank by using the pump, but I wouldn't have to worry about my tank holding water causing my hoses to freeze or having to intentionally contaminate my tank with RV antifreeze. I can just dump the tanks outside and I'm done. My tank is under my dinette right now, so I wouldn't really have to worry about concealing it or mounting it under the cab.

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cerd
I suggest you 1.) add a drain to the existing water tank so all the water will drain out and 2.) gravity drain the water lines to and from the tank before freezing weather comes.

I agree, update your current system.  Add an additional drain if need be.  Bleach the system and it is good.  We don't drink our water, but we brush teeth, cook, etc.  We use some refillable jugs for drinking water, and buy cases of water.  5 gal water bottles are a hassle and heavy.

We've always used our tank water and we're on our fifth motorhome since 1972.  By all means, get it clean and use it.  That's why it was installed by the manufacturer.

I have to add, if you ever want to sell your rig, it will be a problem with no water tank.  Buyers will expect to have one and you could have a real problem selling it.  Also, as a practical matter, don't you ever use the toilet?  How will you flush it without water???  We like having our own facilities instead of going elsewhere.

ArdraF

Hi ArdraF and all,

We're the same way and like using our facilities. Don't want to go to public showers and bathrooms. We don't drink from our motorhome water tank but use it for everything else. dishes, flushing, showers, and cleaning up in the mornings. I realize that everyone has different ideas and preferances but this is ours as well. We do sanitize our tank once a year.

We're the same way and like using our facilities. Don't want to go to public showers and bathrooms. We don't drink from our motorhome water tank but use it for everything else. dishes, flushing, showers, and cleaning up in the mornings. I realize that everyone has different ideas and preferances but this is ours as well. We do sanitize our tank once a year.

X2

  X 3    It's easier for me to fill with a hose at home than tote heavy water bottles. 

We clean our fresh water tank in the spring and it is good to go until we put the van in storage for the winter.  I see absolutely no problem drinking the water we fill the tank with from home.  Think about the water coming in to your home from 50 year old water pipes.  When the city repairs a water line we have to flush the line for awhile to get the stirred up sediment flushed out.  Cities run many tests to make sure your water is clean and safe.  Clear water in a jug doesn't mean a thing.  Could still have heavy metals, pesticides, bacteria in it and be crystal clear.

mel s said:

cerd
I suggest you 1.) add a drain to the existing water tank so all the water will drain out and 2.) gravity drain the water lines to and from the tank before freezing weather comes.

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I do but the design has the fittings on the side of the tank instead of underneath, so it always leaves an inch or two at the bottom. The only way I can get it any lower is to lift the tank somehow or cut a hole in the floor so I can mount a drain at the bottom.

ArdraF said:

I have to add, if you ever want to sell your rig, it will be a problem with no water tank.  Buyers will expect to have one and you could have a real problem selling it.  Also, as a practical matter, don't you ever use the toilet?  How will you flush it without water???  We like having our own facilities instead of going elsewhere.

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We usually just just use the provided facilities, but we had issues with the toilet leaking last year. Manufacturer had a dry shower with the black tank and shower pan as one module in a 3x2 foot space which was too small for us. We are removing the vanity to make a larger shower and we replaced the toilet with a 5 gallon commode. It will sit in the shower, but if we need some extra space, we can move it out of the way.

And its not like we won't have a water source, it would just be with bottles instead of tanks. I don't have an issue with lifting the tanks, they aren't that heavy IMO, but our rig is small and when we bought it, it was neglected. I have put a lot of work into it, but I doubt there will be much interest in it. IMO, remodels in a camper are a red flag because it shows that there was previous water damage, so we wouldn't be able to sell it for much anyways. Instead of selling it when we can afford to upgrade, my wife has been tossing around the idea of gutting it and turning it into a vendor truck. She likes the idea of using it to sell fresh baked goods since she likes baking or homemade crafts.

Sounds like you are putting a lot of thought to this  ).  I love it, make your RV work for you !.  It's not like it's some mortgaged 250k Class A.

SpencerPJ said:

Sounds like you are putting a lot of thought to this  ).  I love it, make your RV work for you !.  It's not like it's some mortgaged 250k Class A.

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Probably more than I should admit. I have a 1 hour commute each direction to work every day, which gives me a lot of time to think.

As my father said when I got my first car; its a cheap education.