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Old 11-19-2007, 11:34 PM   #1
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Do You Drink The Water?

What do most people do if they have a reliable water source and fill their water tank. Do you drink the water out of the tank or do you buy seperate bottled water just for drinking? I would think it would be safe to drink the water right out of the tap (on the Van). If I had gotten water out of and unknown source I would make sure I sanitized the tank before I drank out of it again. What about long trips? How can you be sure it is a reliable source? I have been taking along a 5 gal water container just for drinking water but sure would like to ditch it because it sometimes flops around in the cab area.

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Old 11-20-2007, 09:09 AM   #2
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We carry a supply of drinking water under the dinette seat. The holding tank water is used for washing, to boil and prepare food or coffee, but never to drink as is.

Mike
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Old 11-20-2007, 09:12 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350
We carry a supply of drinking water under the dinette seat. The holding tank water is used for washing, to boil and prepare food or coffee, but never to drink as is.

Mike
Ditto. The few times I've used the tank water supply for washing and showering, it did not last long. We carry bottled water for anything we drink.
Rob
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Old 11-20-2007, 09:41 AM   #4
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I installed a water purifier on my sink so I don't have to bring separate bottled water for drinking. I used this one http://doultonusa.com/HTML%20pages/ip100SC.htm although I bought it from somewhere else that was cheaper...can't remember the site though. So far I'm very pleased with it.
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Old 11-20-2007, 11:41 AM   #5
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We always just use the water in our tank for drinking. When we run low on the road there is always a faucet somewhere to refill. I check and make sure the water is potable of course. Campgrounds along your route are a good source as they are always up to Federal standards. Matter of fact, it's pretty hard to find non-potable water anymore. Bad tasting, yes, but otherwise OK.
If you're really nervous, carry bottled water. We just don't like carrying any more stuff then we have too.
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Old 11-21-2007, 11:37 AM   #6
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In addition to the usual water filters, I also have an MSR Miox and a Steripen. They were bought with different uses in mind. The MSR was bought for a natural disaster type situation, where larger amounts of water needs to be treated. The Steripen works very quickly for small (quart or less) amounts of water. This was bought for travelling where local water sources may be suspect.

They both use processes municipal water treatment plants use. UV light for the Steripen, and mixed oxidents for the Miox.

They have them here: http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/water_filters.htm One of my favorite websites for gear. You can probably find them elsewhere a bit cheaper...but this place has a lot of cool stuff! It has been my go to place for flashlights and knives. They have lots of camping gear too.

You can read about both items here in more detail. Either may be something to have in your SMB if you run out of bottled water and have water in the tank...but are nervous about the nasties that may be in it.

Note: Neither of these do anything for contaminates like a filter does...they just kill bacteria and viruses.
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Old 11-21-2007, 07:56 PM   #7
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Thank you all for the replies. I have a filter that connects to the outside of the van when you want to fill up the vans water tank. For drinking water I have a Secpter 5 gallon water container that I have been keeping in the cabin area near the bed. The problem that I have is that the Septer container just takes up room and is always in the way. Thanks again for the replies.
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Old 11-22-2007, 11:45 AM   #8
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I drain the tank and flush with fresh tap water. The residual chlorine will sanitize for a few days. An inline filter helps too.

Hot drinks OK, drinking water from bottle or pop/beer etc.
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Old 11-23-2007, 08:53 PM   #9
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We always fill with potable, and drink it too. If the van's been sitting a bit, I'll hook up the fill hose at home, open the drain, turn on the pump, and wash it through for 5 or so minutes. Haven't gotten sick yet, knock knock knock...

I too have a steripen, although I've never used it in the van. I agree it's fantastic though. Love that thing.
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Old 11-24-2007, 11:16 AM   #10
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We do our camping in the boonies, preferably by a stream or river. We drink our water from the tank. We've been doing this for over 25 years with no problems. We fill up outside of big cities (too much chlorine in the cities) at gas stations in little towns or at campgrounds. Usually the water tastes great! Of course, we rinse out the tank at least once a year. We've had VW campers all this time, but now have a 4x4RB SMB on order, due to be picked up in early Jan! We're getting the 16 gal tank with it and will probably still take an extra 5 gal container.
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