We are lucky to have a washer and dryer onboard. We use it frequently when connected to full hookups. This year, due to poor planning and crowded campgrounds, we moved frequently and seldom had full hookups. Most of the time we had electric hookups, but only sometimes did we have water.
As I watched the laundry basket pile grow taller and taller, I knew we definitely needed to wash at least a few things. We were hooked up to water and I realized that there was enough room in the gray tank to run a load or two of clothes.
Here’s how I knew I had enough room in the gray tank to do laundry:
- Learn how much water each cycle uses in your RV’s washer. Our washer uses between 7 and 15 gallons of water per load, so I chose the setting that used the least amount of water and compared it to what was in the gray water tank.
- Check how much room is left in the gray water tank. Our gray tank holds 66 gallons and our levels were at a third. So I knew there was more than enough room for at least one, if not two, loads of laundry!
- Use the fresh water tank and pump. We could have run the washer without a water hookup using the fresh water tank and water pump, but we prefer to have water hooked up and not run the water pump that much.
- Watch gray levels and dump when needed. We were moving and dumping the tanks in the morning so it was so easy to have fresh, clean clothes. Why didn’t I think of that earlier, like … years ago?
Related:
Tips to clean a gunky gray water tank. Yes, yours is gunky too
##RVDT1650
So, have we gotten to the point that when boondocking, you cannot just drain the washer to the the ground, dirt from earth in your clothes back to the ground with a little soap and salt.
We’ve been doing that now for at least the past 3 years. We’ve been in those situations many times. Hey, we’re also from MN, currently on our home base campground property in the Pine River area. The ground is parched here. Grey water has more uses presently.
Many times, we have done laundry while driving down the road. One less thing to do when we arrive at the campsite.
Couldn’t you just put a garden hose flow meter in line temporarily to actually determine how much water was used? I use them with my fresh water tank and a separate one when adding water to the black tank.