Any tricks regarding using fresh-water tank?
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Topic: Any tricks regarding using fresh-water tank?
Posted By: Pod_Geek
Subject: Any tricks regarding using fresh-water tank?
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2023 at 11:19am
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So we may need to use the fresh-water tank system for the first time. Any gotchas to watch out for (like overfilling the tank and causing an explosion)? Should the pump be left on (assuming it works)? Thanks... ------------- 2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
Replies:
Posted By: hank*pod
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2023 at 2:25pm
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The tank is vented; the vent is in the same fixture you use to pour water into the tank (assuming the techs at FR connected all of the pipes properly - be cautious the first couple of times...) so it's extremely unlikely that you'll explode anything. I tend to turn the pump off if I'm going away for more than an hour. I'd hate for a leak to suddenly develop and the pump dutifully empty the tank wherever (I'd also turn off the hydrant if I was connected to a water supply). But no harm in leaving it turned on while you're there. The pump might run a second or two in the night (but more pumping suggests a leak...). Not a bad idea to sanitize with bleach ahead of first use, and whenever the water system hasn't been used in a few weeks. Bypass the water heater first. Dilute 1/2 to 3/4 cup household bleach in a gallon of water, pour into the fresh water fill, then fill the tank completely with water and run hot and cold taps for a couple of minutes to circulate the water thru the lines. Let sit for 12-24 hours then drain the water system and refill the lines with fresh water and the tank with however much you travel with - I generally add 10 gallons for the road. A little more if I'm boondocking. Become familiar with the location of the water pump and the associated inlet strainer. It needs to be cleaned out periodically (once a year, maybe). If you run the pump don't forget it when winterizing. I use antifreeze so it's less critical to get all of the water out of the pump. |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2023 at 4:47pm
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I agree with all but bypassing the water heater tank. Sanitizing it is important also. There are bacteria that don't mind hot water and the chlorine won't hurt the anode rod. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2023 at 6:24pm
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We went 5 years w/o sanitizing our FW tank. I would not recommend that but it basically only had our well water in it (never had city or muni water, and hasn't to this day). So after sanitizing for the first time in 2016 we had a new problem. I couldn't stand the taste or smell of the bleach in the FW tank. After a few different concoctions we came up with one that included white vinegar and concentrated lemon juice that got rid of the nasty smell and funny taste and have done that ever since, now that we sanitize once per year. Yes, we do use our FW tank for drinking! Our pump is left on unless we are traveling, then it is turned off. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: mikeyg2347
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 8:29am
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I completely agree with not using bleach. We used a small amount of bleach in our FW tank a few years ago and that nasty taste was with us all year. I haven't cleaned out the tank since then and our water tastes fine and as far as I can tell there is no mold in the system. ABSOLUTELY turn your pump off when traveling. I accidently left mine on while driving on a rough road. One of the faucet handles vibrated open, water started flowing, splashed off the cutting board sink cover, flowed onto the floor and saturated everything. While driving I happened to look at my passenger side mirror and saw water leaking out the door. Total disaster. Water had splashed and run everywhere and the entire kitchen/dining area was soaked. We never used the cutting board anyway so I threw it away after that fiasco. Now if I were to space out turning the pump off and a faucet handle vibrated open the water would run down the sink drain.
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 8:41am
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Having experienced algae growth in the fresh water tank more than once, I am strongly in favor of sanitizing the tank at the beginning of the season and, if needed, repeating. Chlorine may not taste good, but a pitcher filter for drinking water will fix that while ensuring that you have safe water. I do agree about turning the pump off while traveling, even though I have not turned it of and have not experienced problems with the RPod. We have not traveled yet with the Grey Wolf, so I can't say the same for it yet. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: john in idaho
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 9:15am
| I still think the best water tank story is one where the owner put Dawn detergent in one of the waste tanks. .... when they were stopped by a foam covered CHP patrol vehicle on I-5. |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 10:00am
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Our well water has relatively high levels of dissolved solids, so we treat it with a bit of vinegar and run it through the pipes to dissolve that. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: gpokluda
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 10:54am
+1 on the sanitization advice. You can also you vinegar if you don't want to use chlorine. We only use the pump when we are using water. Same goes for city water which remains off when not in use. RV fixtures aren't the best so we limit the risk. ------------- Gpokluda 2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 2:30pm
 ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Pod_Geek
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 2:45pm
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Thanks all. Not sure we need to sanitize since we only drink adult beverages while camping and already use jug water for cooking. I'll have to figure out how to get all the water out of the pump when winterizing since I always just use compressed air. ------------- 2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 4:22pm
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Just run the pump after emptying the tank. The pump will not be damaged by running dry briefly. In addition, remove the strainer bowl and empty it. It serves two purposes. One is to drain water that could freeze. The other is to empty out all the trash that might be in there. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2023 at 4:55pm
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If you have a compressor with high volume you may be surprised to find no water in the strainer bowl, but check it regardless after doing the air method. For 11 years I have used 80-90 psi to blow out our 177. One line is always kept open while blowing out, takes about 2 minutes to go through everything twice. Did a check on both strainer bowl and low point drains after doing this method for the first 2 years, result was that the bowl was totally dry and each low point drain had about 2-3 drops of water in it so since then bowl and lpd's havent' been checked after blowing out. Happy to report - no freeze damage ever and this is in the cold northern Michigan area where winters can get pretty 'nippy.' ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: Pod_Geek
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2023 at 10:47am
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So I'm trying to fill the tank and water just pours out the drain at the bottom.The black cap on the drain just spins. This ain't working. Grrrr. ------------- 2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2023 at 12:38pm
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Do you have a hexagon shaped place above the cap on the pipe? If so, you may need to hold that with a wrench while trying to remove/tighten the cap. Also, there should be a little gasket inside the cap that helps seal it. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Pod_Geek
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2023 at 4:29pm
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I probably need a picture of what the assembly on the bottom of the tank drain is supposed to look like. I suspect mine is not complete. ------------- 2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2023 at 4:52pm
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Post a picture of what you have please. Our Grey Wolf has valves so I can't post one. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Pod_Geek
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2023 at 9:12am
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There was no plug in the fresh water tank drain. I bought a 3/8" and 1/2" plug; the 1/2" screwed in to the fitting. Pretty sure that was the issue. Before adding plug:  ------------- 2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
Posted By: Pod_Geek
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2023 at 4:08pm
One last story: So we filled the FW tank, and with the pump on all we got was a lot of air and a trickle of water. Pump stayed running too. Well, FR had winterized with antifreeze before delivery and didn't bother closing the valve to the short intake hose that one uses to suck antifreeze into the system  Closed that valve and the fresh-water system worked great. Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. ------------- 2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2023 at 4:10pm
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That happened to me also when we first got the RP-179. Frustrated me to no end until I got that figured out. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |