By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Having your RV sitting in the driveway, “ready to roll” on a spur-of-the-moment trip, is one of the gifts of our lifestyle. One thing you need to consider is how long does the “fresh” water in the RV’s tank stay fresh?
Got propane and gas in the tanks? Holding tanks empty? If you keep a few clothes in the rig, some non-perishable food items, and grab whatever else from your house fridge, your RV is up to an “instant getaway.” Ah, but what about the fresh water tank? How long can you safely keep water in it before worrying about “bugs”?
Our “germ free” society seems to be bent on scaring us to death. If you believe the TV commercials, if you don’t wash with “antibacterial soap” you’re sure enough going to drop over dead. It’s no wonder that many RVers (not just new ones) worry about how long it’s safe to keep water on board. Some even think they should drain their water heater between outings.
We checked with Uncle Sam’s water storage safety experts on the subject of storing “home prepared” drinking water, and here’s the thinking of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Quality of the water source
Much depends on the quality of your water source. If you’re filling up your RV tanks with water from a “known” good source (a municipal water supply, as an example), then stop worrying about the water. Before you fill, make sure your tanks are properly sanitized. Not sure how? Check out our post on this subject.
Using a drinking-water-safe hose, fill your tank from your safe water supply. Make sure the tank is securely capped to keep out unwelcome pests and road dust. Now settle back and relax. According to FEMA, “Replace the water every six months” is all that’s required. What about water in your water heater tank? Remember, when you fire up the heater, a lot of bugs are likely to be cooked to death. And if the water supply you originally filled up with is good, then the same “six month” recommendation applies.
If you’re really worried about water quality, FEMA suggests you purchase commercially produced drinking water, and keep it closed until you need it. It should be good until the “use by” expiration date printed on the bottle. Or you could use a water filter or purifier system (see below).
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##RVT1177
The only problem I have run into with water is when I leave it too long in the HWH I get a sulfur smell I assume is coming from the anode in the tank. Water is still good just smells bad. I have never had a problem after leaving water in the FW tank for long periods between using the rig.
Hurricane supplies include 4 cases of bottles water plus 2 gallons jugs used for flushing.
There may be some water in the fresh water, but not considered part of emergency supplies.
Good article.
Thank you R&T.
Thank you for the guidance, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Seems the article is missing a key element, like HOW do you test that water in your fresh water tank to see if its safe to drink? A TDS meter only measures dissolved solids like minerals, salts, heavy metals, etc. but they cannot tell if the water is safe to drink! It would be good to see a article on that matter!
Snoopy
“Remember, when you fire up the heater, a lot of bugs are likely to be cooked to death.” That is the reason they sell bug screens for water heaters, refrigerators and furnaces.
One other thing would be to totally sanitize the system before exchanging the water. It’s not a problem just with the water in the tank, but all the pipes and fixtures holding water for any period of time.
As far as the water heater, it does not get hot enough to kill all the bacteria.
One thing not mentioned is whether you filter the water going into the tank. Most public water systems maintain a chlorine residual in the system to prevent bacteria or virus regrowth in the distribution system. A carbon (or activated carbon) filter may remove the chlorine residual, allowing bacteria to grow in the tank and RV water system.
Years ago I prefiltered the water before my refrigerator. 6 months later I had to chlorinate the lines. Water got so bad and stunk.
Lesson learned.
Thank you RnT. 6 months seems like a good rule of thumb.
We only use the water tank water for the toilet, shower and sink. We use bottled water for all cooking and drinking purposes. I do sanitize the tank every once in a while (not as often as I should). So far no bad odors, discoloration, sickness, etc. Been RVing since 1988. On our 3rd Class C.
You should sanitize your fresh water tank periodically, at least once per year. When algae grows in your tank, the water starts smelling of sulfur, particularly when using the hot water heater. I’ve taken to dumping the tank when not using the RV. It only takes about 15 minutes to fill up, depending of course on the size of your tank.
Personally I would not go by anything FEMA says.
Fill before a trip and dump the remainder once you get home.
Six months is OK, but may I make a suggestion?
If the timeframe of six months occurs during months with freezing temperatures, I strongly suggest that you empty the freshwater tank before the freezing temperatures arrive and expand the water, thereby cracking your freshwater tank.