How many folks drive with full fresh water tanks enroute to Alaska?

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This question has piqued my interest. Is it necessary? If so, the whole way?

  • Yes, always

    Votes: 18 75.0%
  • Sometimes, if it is later in the year and places to fill are starting to close.

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Sometimes, depending on what the "Milepost" says is up ahead.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, there are plenty of places enroute.

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Half full tank is sufficient. (Approx 50 gallons)

    Votes: 4 16.7%

  • Total voters
    24
We always keep the fresh tank full because you never know what is up ahead, no matter how well prepared you think you are.  We've never been caught short and, in fact, have given water to people who got caught without any.  Guess I was a Girl Scout for too many years.  Always want to be prepared for emergencies and the unexpected.

ArdraF
 
Full water, spare tire, gas up often, just me and my way.
J
 
A full tank of water will not affect your gas mileage at all so I always travel with mine full.
 
We always traveled with our water tank full, particularly on our Alaska trip.  (Tom was an Eagle Scout.)  I don't believe it affected our gas mileage all that much and didn't notice any significant power loss on our trip.

Margi
 
There are many opportunities to boondock once you get onto the Alaskan Hwy.  We like to keep our tank full so we can keep all our options open.  We only fueled up once in Canada on the way up (Dawson Creek, BC) and once on the way back(Vanderhoof, BC).  The fuel was always cheaper in the US, even Skagway.  I don't remember Hyder, AK.  It's so isolated and so small, I'd be surprised if it would be much cheaper.
 
I would consider a half tank to be minimum and we mostly traveled BC & AK with full tanks. But then, we often stayed at undeveloped boondock locations, roadside lay-bys or state/provincial parks with no services.

There is no fuel available in Hyder - all services are across the border in Stewart, BC.
 
seilerbird said:
A full tank of water will not affect your gas mileage at all so I always travel with mine full.

Seriously or are you meaning only a neglibile amout. A gallon of water weighs 10 lbs, so my personal tank would weigh an extra 400 lbs if full.

400 lbs over 6,500 lbs is only 6% but it HAS to drag down your mileage somewhat?

Mike
 
Sarge, we always travel with a full tank of water; or if we have been boondocking plan to fill it asap.  On our trip towards the Maritimes in Canada a couple of years ago, we ran into a problem with the campground water supply.  It was contaminated and we didn't want to drink it or fill our tank with it.  When we pulled it we were at 1/2 tank and were planning on staying for a week.  A couple of days after we pulled in, the campground water was cleared and ready for use.  Had we had a full tank when arriving, I would not have used their water at all, even after it had been cleared; but we were stuck.

Our rig weights 27,000 lbs and 100 gallons of water at 8lbs/gallon weighting 800 lbs is miniscule in the weight of the rig.  I'm almost positive it doesn't effect our mileage....my lead foot however does effect it.  ::)

Marsha~
 
How long does water stay good anyway?

Scott - A lot longer than many people think.  Months for sure.  And you can always add some bleach to the tank if you think it's been sitting too long.  On a trip to Alaska you'd be using it up much faster than it could go bad.  We use ours enough while on the road that we refill on a regular basis.  People who don't use their fresh water are more likely to have problems than those of us who use them.

ArdraF
 
What Tom probably meant was that the extra weight matters so little that it is not a factor and cannot be measured.  Around here we have a saying that we would use to answer the question.  We live near Lake Erie and we tell people that if you went down to the shore and spit in the lake, that technically, the water level would go up but not enough to notice.
 
A gallon of water weighs 10 lbs, so my personal tank would weigh an extra 400 lbs if full.

Canadian gallons may weigh 10 lbs, but we use the more energy-efficient 8.5 lb gallon here.  So be sure to fill your water tank before you leave the U.S.  ;D
 
COMer said:
What Tom probably meant was that the extra weight matters so little that it is not a factor and cannot be measured.  Around here we have a saying that we would use to answer the question.  We live near Lake Erie and we tell people that if you went down to the shore and spit in the lake, that technically, the water level would go up but not enough to notice.
That is what I meant. If you had to lift up that much water it would take a large amount of energy. To put that much weight into a vehicle rolling on bearings doesn't use much energy at all. People on this forum that have a toad generally report their gas mileage decreases about a half a mile per gallon when towing. A toad generally weighs 2000 to 3000 pounds. I  have a 40 gallon water tank which would weight 350 pounds. My RV weighs 12,000 pounds. The extra weight will not have any affect on my gas mileage.
 
Never thought of traveling with a partial tank.  Always start thinking hard about topping tank off when it gets down to half a tank.  For us in a 'B' with a small tank that means getting serious about refilling every 3-4 days.  Normally not a big deal.
 
There's no shortage of water in AK... they probably have more water than the lower 48...I don't really know though.  There is a real shortage of hose bibs and plumbing hooked to water under pressure.  So unless you have a pump that will fill your tank from a "river", I'd fill the tank every chance you get.  Ranger stations usually have water, under pressure.  Sometimes the gas stations don't.  Marinas usually have water under pressure.  Be sure to have your regulator handy, the pressure could be over  100 psi though.
 
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