Should you leave your water tanks full?

[Dreama]

Hi all,
This is more than likely a can of worms.

The CT is new to me, so experience and advice is gold.
I have 2 Camel 65lt tanks on my CT. Should they be left full or empty after the trip?
During summer over here there is a chance that the CT wont be used for 2 - 3 months, due to the heat.
On shorter trips, 1 or 2 overnighters, I would like to only have to fill 1 tank, cuts down on weight.
Is there any need to use these water tablets that you see around at different shops?
I have not drained the tanks since I bought it (too busy doing other mods and work keeps interfering)
The previous owners left them full. When I asked them why they just shrugged their shoulders, they didn't have any reason. The water is clean and tastes ok, I will still drain to be sure as it sat idle for 7 months before I bought it.

[JCOJ]

I try and leave mine as empty as I can when in storage and then put fresh water in it before leaving on the next trip.

 I guess some answers may have something to do with the type of tank you have too eg: a food grade one or just a plastic moulded one.

[BigJules]

I'd say keep them full and drain them regularly through use, but understand all too well that is not always possible. I recall reading about this previously, consensus was keep them full.

[drrnadms]

I think it's personal choice as i leave mine empty, if people don't agree it wont change that fact.

Cheers 

[TOY80ST]

I leave mine full. Why waste good water. I have stainless tanks so I don't get any taste from plastic. Water does not go off unless it is exposed to both UV and oxygen. Even then is is not the water that goes off it is the tiny little bugs growing in it that make the water bad.


For a weight saving though leave them empty.

I think it's personal choice as i leave mine empty, if people don't agree it wont change that fact.

Cheers 

Agree with that totally it is personal choice.
I dont understand those that buy expensive bottled water though. I buy it in bulk to chuck behind the seat of my work car and I buy it to the cheapest by the litre from coles or woolies. The only reason I buy it is because I have been known to get stuck somewhere with an empty tap filled water bottle.

[Mace]

I usually fill mine when we return home as its usually empty and I like to make sure there isnt any leaks.

 

[Manjimike]

I dont understand those that buy expensive bottled water though. I buy it in bulk to chuck behind the seat of my work car and I buy it to the cheapest by the litre from coles or woolies.

I do the same, leave in the back of the wagon and drink it at ambient temp even 3 months later and I know it has had the sun on it.
no change in taste and I am still here 

[Black Diamond]

Have 3 kids and a dishwasher(Wife) our tanks are usually close to empty when we pack up, or if we only go away for a night or so i fill them accordingly or close to what i think we use, that way there is bugger all wastage.
I generally fill them the night before we go away 

BD

[GU Rich]

We have used our camper around 160 nights all up. I only fill my water tank when I need to. We never flush the tank for the sake of it, I never drain it when we get home. I just fill it before we leave home and top it up enroute if need be. We use it for drinking and washing and we have never been crook or havd a bad taste from the water.

Cheers
Rich

[Bennlexx]

We don't do anything with water when we arrive home from camping - just unpack the dirty clothes etc and put the camper in the shed.  We then fill the tank before we 'hit the road' on the new trip.  Never had a problem.

[Kit_e_kat9]

I fill it when it needs filling as we have a good quality tank and the water is fine at all times.  Luckily though, last trip out, I did fill the tank.  Our neighbours decided to leave their fire roaring when they left the premises.  As we were in a remote forested area right next to a barely managed state foreset, there was no way I could leave it like that.  Used 60L to put it out.  I'm glad we had the water there to do so. 

I'll also mention a second neighbour left broken bottles and garbage in their fireplace, but it was too hot to actually remove it safely. 

So now I'm leaning towards keeping it full for the yobbo's that live out our way - kinda like an insurance policy in a way.

Kit_e

[whitey]

don't know the answer or really which way is the right way but just an agreement to make with TOY80ST with the bottled water.... the bull they make with the different sparkling fresh water brands on the shelf is just that ... we have a local water bottling industry in town that gets its water from a site at Kancoona (vic) and while they sell & distribute their own brand they are/ have also know to be bottling for a few other companies from different states to boost their stock levels as well...water is water but my missus buys the ones with the prettiest label    .....  went shopping with her once and nearly tipped the trolley over when i saw the price ... another shopper ( suffering male) agreed and said it would be cheaper buying beer.

However not to put a scare or jinx to the topic i did read an article about washing the plastic water bottles in too hot a temperature or leaving them in the heat for long periods upsets the molecular structure of the plastic and it is known to be a cancer attributor... so keep healthy guys (drink out of a stubby)   

[Crimso]

Never worried about emptying the tank till I read a few comments here, better to be safe than sorry I thought.
Then I found the tank doesn't have a bung for drainage, so, after removing a couple of pipes I managed to drain it, mind you, it had already sat for 5 / 6 weeks after the last trip. Nothing wrong with the water, but left it empty with the cap loose so it could air dry. Next trip, all packed up and doing the final check before departing, remembered I hadn't filled the water tank, so in with the garden hose (ours doesn't flavour the water) and proceeded to fill the tank. Several air locks later (over an hour) it was full! Turned a late afternoon arrival at camp into an overnight beside a main (think trucks all night) road! I have never drained the tank again!

[Bill]

We always fill ours when we arrive home from a trip.
One less job to do when it is time to get away...
Bill and Morag

[HEM19X]

As it has already been said "it's a personal choice", I like to drain the tanks when I get home as some water sources are less than perfect & I don't want a build up of sediment.

 

[Desert lover]

We drain ours when we arrive home or within a couple of days  particularly if we have filled up/topped up somewhere else (station bore etc), we do use it to water the garden though!   Filling up before we leave home ensures that  we are carrying water from a treated source. 

In regard to the treatment tablets...we carry some in the camper just in case but never had to use them.

Once I year I clean the tanks with "Tank clean" - again just to minimise any chance of bugs slugs or other nasties....

Oh, we also taste the water before we top up the tanks if we are away...any doubt and it's bottled water for drinking.  Nothing worse than "tummy bugs" in the bush.

Cheers.

[Hewy54]

I fill mine with rainwater at home so cant see any reason to have to drain. The water may as well stay in the KK tank rather than the rainwater tank.

[Bennlexx]

I'd add to my earlier post that if I had filled the tank with 'sus' water on a trip then I would empty and flush the tank when I got home.  Otherwise I just top up when we hit the road.

[cewilson]

We always fill ours when we arrive home from a trip.
One less job to do when it is time to get away...
Bill and Morag

I do the same thing - makes it so much easier to 'just pack up and go'

[Teabag]

I empty mine after every trip though it does get filled up during Cyclone season for several reasons......

[Manjimike]

I empty mine after every trip though it does get filled up during Cyclone season for several reasons......

I imagine it would be a good backup in emergency times IF it is filled

 
Mike

[Teabag]

I imagine it would be a good backup in emergency times IF it is filled

 
Mike

Yes and extra 180ltrs is another 180kgs heavy down low to assist in not blowing away, hopefully. Otherwise I leave mine empty.

[Manjimike]

Forgot about them blowing away 
I should have remembered having spent >20yrs in the Tropics - Cocos, Wickham, Darwin and Mackay 

 

[Forest]

Glad to see that most of us try and consider our drinking water we carry around and this is a very good start as there are many ways

Well done those that

Consider original water source
Drain, clean and top up when required
Consider treatment tablets
Taking care with bottled water
Boil water if needed

Worried for you Hewy54 though as you fill yours with rainwater at home and you cant see any reason to have to draining. "The water may as well stay in the KK tank rather than the rainwater tank".

Although I can appreciate the personal 'taste' people get from their rainwater, I have had various rainwater issues such as wrigglers, frogs and even dead cats that look like big old jellyfish blamed for illness from a 'treated' water supply as well as cross contamination issue from other sources.

Bear in my I do agree we need to carry a few bugs in our guts so the at first sip of rough water we do not turn turtle, but please we do not need any more preventable water incidents such as the 'Walkerton Incident' and others.

Personal hygiene preventable maintenance go a long way

Thanks swaggers
 

[WannaBe]

Our CT manufacturer recommends that they are kept full when CT not in use.