Fresh Water - No Gravity Fill? - Try This!

laplatarosa · 09-02-2009, 03:01 PM

Here is the situation. We often camp in Forest Service Campgrounds. Often the campground has electric but no water hook-ups. Potable water is available from community faucets, but a sign says not to hook MH to water. So after a week or so we need to get water.

First I considered a "Water Thief", but some times it would take lots of hoses to reach the MH.

Now my MH does have a gravity fill port. But lifting and holding a 5 gal jug on my shoulder is more than I like to tackle. I know a lot of the newer rigs do not have gravity fill ports. So if you don't have pressurized water available what do you do?

Try this! Using the siphon hose (for winterizing the MH) and you water pump, you can fill the tank from a jug. Set the valve to the siphon hose (in the jug) as its source, set the fill valve to "tank fill", and turn on the pump. It may take several trips to the community faucet, but you will have water without moving your rig.

I did not figure this out, and it may be common knowledge among the old timers, but it sure make filling the FW tank easier.

Thanks,

Laplatarosa
35N Sightseer - 2006 on Workhorse Chassis

skigramp · 09-02-2009, 03:39 PM

I hope I can remember this trick the next time I need it ...

Thanks for the posting

tderonne · 09-02-2009, 07:58 PM

Been there, done that. I was pretty proud of myself when I figured it out.

I've been meaning to find a 5 gallon collapsible water jug like we used to use for tent camping. Takes up about zero space, and I can go grab 5 gallons of water if I need to.

Like this one, but hopefully a little cheaper:

5 Gallon Collapsible Water Storage Container,Collapsible Water Carrier

KIX · 09-02-2009, 08:08 PM

I saw a guy do this using a ice cooler that had wheels. He made several trips and on the last couple of trips he taped the lid with duct tape to keep the water from sloshing out so much. Makes the cooler dual purpose

Biggie · 09-02-2009, 10:08 PM

I did the same thing with our trailer. We like to dry camp a lot so here what I did....I put a male repair kit on the end of the winterizing hose. Put that hose in the container, throw the winterizing lever and the pump draws of out the container. Then I remover the outdoor shower head and stick that end into the gravity fill port. I use a 27 gal plastic storage tote like you get at Wallyword or HD. Fill that up at the spicket and leave in the back of the truck with the lid snapped down, drive over and fill up the rig.

KC1BUD · 09-02-2009, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggie

I did the same thing with our trailer. We like to dry camp a lot so here what I did....I put a male repair kit on the end of the winterizing hose. Put that hose in the container, throw the winterizing lever and the pump draws of out the container. Then I remover the outdoor shower head and stick that end into the gravity fill port. I use a 27 gal plastic storage tote like you get at Wallyword or HD. Fill that up at the spicket and leave in the back of the truck with the lid snapped down, drive over and fill up the rig.

How about this, although most wouldn't be able to carry a 55 gallon drum around, I used to fill one and take it to the hores shows to carry water for the horse to drink. The horse used to get "loose" when ever it drank water it was unacustomed to.

I found a 55 gallon plastic drum, that was used for carrying apple juice concentrate, of all things. I drilled a hole through the large bung and mounted a faucet there with a pipe running within inches of the bottom. I would fill it the cool of the night before we went to the horse show, and it didn't take me long to realize that it would have enough pressure the next day from the warming from the sun to push the water out of the tap. once the water started to flow I could turn off the hose leaving the hose filled so that when I opened it again the water would siphon from the barrel.

On those cool days where the warmth wasn't there I threaded a schrader air valve near the top of the barrel to build pressure with an air compressor.
I still have the barrel, but not the horse.

Jackm · 09-03-2009, 04:49 AM

Could someone be a little more specific about the solution? I'm not entirely clear what you're actually doing to get the water into your tank. Thanks.

Jack

laplatarosa · 09-03-2009, 05:42 AM

Jack,

Just give this a try.

Put your siphon hose that you use to winterize your MH into a 5 gal jug.

Now turn the selector valve to have the pump use the 5 gal jug as its source.

Turn your pressure fill valve to Tank Fill.

Turn on the pump.

The water from your jug will end up in you fresh water tank.

Good luck,

LaPlatarosa

John Mo · 09-03-2009, 07:29 AM

Also a good trick for getting bleach into the tank to sanitize it.

Jackm · 09-10-2009, 02:33 AM

Thanks for the explanation. As a full-time RVer, I've never winterized our rig.

Jack

Easyrider · 09-11-2009, 05:19 PM

I'd still just hook my water hose up to the faucet long enough to fill my fresh water tank and then disconnect instead of carrying water. I've never had anyone tell me I couldn't do that as long as I don't leave it hooked up.

Wayne M · 09-12-2009, 08:02 AM

I'm thinking that the sign is for those who want to permanently hook up their hose while camping. I'm with Steve on this one. The worse that you can get for hooking up and filling the holding tank is someone in authority telling you not to do it. Now that's an idea, ask the park ranger if it is permissible to hook up to just fill the holding tank. Of course, if he says no - you are back to the bucket method. What is it that people say, "It's easier to ask for forgivness than it is for permission."

hamguy · 09-13-2009, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M

I'm thinking that the sign is for those who want to permanently hook up their hose while camping. I'm with Steve on this one. The worse that you can get for hooking up and filling the holding tank is someone in authority telling you not to do it. Now that's an idea, ask the park ranger if it is permissible to hook up to just fill the holding tank. Of course, if he says no - you are back to the bucket method. What is it that people say, "It's easier to ask for forgivness than it is for permission."

I agree. I would just hook up the hose and fill, then disconnect. Besides, who would want to stay connected to a community hose bib?

Jeeperrmartin · 09-15-2009, 07:48 PM

When I had to do the gravity fill in the last MH, I carried gallon milk jugs to fill the motorhome. I could carry 4 or six jugs. I used my atv when in forested dispersed camping. I took some times 12 jugs on the atv. I would dump them in one at a time. We usually used around 6-8 gallons of water a day. So this was almost a daily deal. When I used the atv, I always waited until I needed to use the pit toilet.

With the new motorhome, it has to be pumped in. I had thought about using the waterpump as you would with the winterizing. I decided to go with a 25 gallon sprayer tank which had its own pump. I still have to fill it with gallon jugs, as where we camp, you have to hand pump the water.

Then when I get to the motorhome, I pull the hose reel out and park the atv by the batteries and pump it in. This worked better than I had planned. I put 6 jugs on the running boards on the atv as well as the 25 gallon tank. So we got 31 gallons in one trip to get water.

We camped for 3 1/2 weeks, and only got around 100 gallons. We had 100 in the MH when we started.

We dry camp from 4-6 months a year.

Tcloud7 · 09-16-2009, 09:56 AM

So how do you dump the gray water??

Thanks

Jeeperrmartin · 09-16-2009, 04:08 PM

I dig a whole in the ground. Try to get 18" and run it in there. I have though of getting a large drill bit, so I could go deeper, and then put a hose into it, and let the water trickle out real slow. I haven't found what I want yet.

Tcloud7 · 09-16-2009, 07:21 PM

Yes I have tried to do this and in Q with the rocks I find its hard to drill or dig in the rocks

Jeeperrmartin · 09-17-2009, 05:56 AM

We go to Q the past 3 years. Plan on going again this year. We stay most of the time at Scadden Wash. Last year they forced us to move to LTVA, as they had patrols checking that you were only there 2 weeks. I had heard the LTVA's were down close to 50% in the post office one day. We can usually go 2 weeks, as this motorhome holds right at 171 gal on gray and black combines.

The first to years we were out there, we had the 34v pusher like you. We had it almost 10 years before we traded.

This year we will be able to get an extra 25 gal of water when we go in, which will give us 125 of fresh water.

Jeeperrmartin · 09-17-2009, 05:57 AM

If you have a gps we can exchange cordinates and look each other up.

When are you planning on going out there?

Tcloud7 · 09-17-2009, 05:03 PM

We will be down sometime In Jan. Iam just not sure when. This last Jan I thought I saw you on the datastorm map at dome rock.

Don and Barb