Terry, Wow, thanks so much for the great comment. We are so happy that we were able to help. That is why we make these videos! Hope you have a great time in your new rig.
Glad you found it helpful Ron. Best of luck to you and have a great time out there in your travels. I would have responded earlier but was away on vacation ;-)
So glad it helped Angela. Thanks for the nice comment, it always makes me feel good to know I helped someone. Best of luck out there on the open road and at those amazing destinations!
Absolute rookie here. Just got my first RV, a used 2008 BTCruiser, 31'. Pretty excited, but the manual is somewhat lacking in how-to. This was my first video. Explained a lot. Thank you!
@@TheAdventureTravelers i filled up the water in the heater tank. No water coming from sink or shower ? I checked all fuses and breaker. Checker underneath no leaks. Not sure what's wrong
@@RobPhiangdae Do you hear the water pump working? Is the water pump switch turned on? Are your batteries charged or are you hooked up to power? It may be a clog in the water pump or your inline filter may be clogged. Try those.
Looking at building my own water system for a conversion, this was super helpful to see how your system is put together. Also, I didn't know about the filters at Walmart, thanks.
Awesome! Glad we could help some. Yes, I always shop at Walmart before anywhere else, since it's usually the least expensive place. Amazon is great too. We'd love to see your system when you're done. Michael & Melissa
@@TheAdventureTravelersYeah, unfortunately I got mine for free and can't find the manual I think the guy gave me. 😂 I also cant find the water tank itself, but I know something is leaking in the front when I try to fill. Did get the water to come through the taps for the first time though.
Just came across this video explaining how the water works. Definitely great information for someone just looking to get into travel trailers. Most certainly we are going to subscribe to look at your other videos, if their anything like this it’ll be an easy transition to camping. This is the most information inside just shorts span we have seen to date. Thank you for the help in saving us from a lot of trouble in the future
Robert, so glad it helped. I recall when I first got into RVing and how many systems there were. It's always great to have some extra knowledge. Thanks for the kind comment. Wishing you the best on the road.
I have a quick safety question .... It's not too detailed or anything. I'm just wanting to know if I should replace my propane tanks in our fifth wheel. It has been sitting in our driveway for about 6 years and I have never used the tanks because we unexpectedly had to move for my husband's job, about 3 months after week purchased the fifth wheel. We rented out our home and left the RV in the driveway. We have now moved back to our home and that's probably the one thing I'm the most concerned about because it is propane. They have never been turned on since we purchased it used. In the move, I lost all of the pamphlets and information on the rig. Most of it I've been able to find online but propane is just something that scares me. My son is actually going to be staying in the RV for a couple of months and if there's any chance of danger, I would rather replace them than take any chances. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so helpful. Thank you!
Good video bud! Thanks for the info. I will say my rv has two options for filling the tank, we could also fill it with the city hook up we just need to open the fill tank valve.
Thanks, Rudy! Yeah, of course, I can only show what my RV has. I'm sure there are a lot of different setups out there. Sounds like you're one of the lucky ones that have an option on how to fill.
Thanks, John! We really do love the system. Works perfectly for our rig. We've had it for about three years now and not problems with the exception of losing the big rubber seal on the end of it. Still works great without though. :-)
You explain everything quite well sir. But I have found in my experience with my camper it is always better to put the filter on the RV side of the hose instead of this spicket that way your not getting funny tasting water from the hose so as if you have the filter at the end by the RV it's filtering out the taste from the hose as well as the sediment from the spicket. Sorry for the typos I'm at work and don't have time to fix it.
I understand what you are saying. The filter is a little heavy for my input port. I can get an elbow joint to fix that but I haven't done so yet. Good info.
Newb here.... Really a great video -got to the point (no long winded annoying intro with crap music) and was made for those of us who really do not have the experience yet and seeking advice. Sooo, is the interior water pump ‘On’ when filling the Fresh Water tank? I believe from your video is it mentioned that it is off. When do you turn the water pump switch on? When you are on the road (not connected to a water source)?
Maximus, We typically leave the water pump off until we need it but you can turn it on at pretty much any time (with the exception of when you are hooked up to a City Water Connection). The pump should only pump when it's needed, like flushing a toilet, taking a shower, or using water somewhere within the RV using the freshwater tank water. If you have an ice maker, you would also need the pump to pump water to the ice maker. Typically, when we are driving from one destination to the other, we leave the pump on, so we can just wash our hands or use the toilet without having to turn the pump on/off each time we need water. If you have any other questions... just let me know. Thanks for the nice comments on the video.
@@TheAdventureTravelers I found and watched that one as well. Sorry I don't find it addressed my questions. All good tho I have a buddy headed over to give me a lesson. Happy Friday to you!!
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I am sure that different RVs have different solutions. This just happened to be my make and model. It’s for an overview. Thank you for your comment.
Thank you. I hope it goes as smoolthly as your video portrays. So the city water when connected will give your toilet its flush water??? And when the water pump is on the water will be pumpted from the stored water?? These may sound stupid but we have not done this before. Thanks for your great video and hopefully you see my questions. Be safe!
Jacqulyne, If you are hooked up to city water, that water will flush the toilets, give you water and pressure to take a shower and do the dishes and wash your hands in the sink. If you are not hooked up to city water, then you use the water pump, and that acts just like the city water by providing pressure for all the same systems. The only difference is, you will run out of water when using the pump since the water will be coming from your fresh water tank. You do not need the pump on when hooked up to city water. Does that help?
Only one hose. We have two hoses that we can attach together if somehow we are too far away from a spigot. Both of these hoses are clean water hoses. Typically you only need one hose to fill either the tank or if you have full-hookups, we just hook it up to the city water. I hope that explains things. We definitely have two hoses to separate the black water from the clean water.
So glad that the video helped. Don’t forget to watch the other video that goes more in depth. Really happy that I can help people out there. Have a great life out on the road.
I agree! :-) I know through my metrics that there are way more views than is shown. I don't understand it too. Maybe I'll contact UA-cam. Thanks for writing!
So glad you liked it. I love it when we get comments! Safe travels and enjoy the open road. Lots of other videos on our channel to check out. Michael & Melissa
Hey There Brother great video now I have the city water connected my dad set it up here at the shop but for some reason I can't get enough pressure to stay constant to take a shower what might that be I don't know where all the valves I'm new to this RV stuff
I’m sure that you already tested the water main without it hooked to the RV, correct? Have you put on a pressure regulator? It’s a small attachment that goes onto the hose before it goes into the RV. Also, ensure that your water pump is off. You really need to check all your valves to make sure they’re fully open. That’s all I can suggest from here.
Thanks our first experience living in a RV.I was wondering about the water system in our trailer I seen your water tank is under the same as ours Is that where our charcoal filter would be Same spo
Sorry, Francis, I just got around to reading this. You have probably found your charcoal filter by now. If you haven’t and you’ve looked all over, perhaps somebody did not install one on your rig. You can always install it after market and do it in line with the water system. It does take out a lot of the contaminants. Wishing you the best and thank you for watching. Michael and Melissa
When you hook up to city water I understand that you do not need the water pump on and I understand why. However, my question to you or anyone reading is. When you are hooked up to city water does some what go in to a Tank to be heated as hot water. This may be a dumb question but Im gonna guess yes. I hooked my trailer up to the faucet on side my house just like what you did in this video and then I turned my propane on and went inside and turned on the water heater.
Great question. Your regular water heater will heat the water regardless if it comes from your tank or an outside source (city water). It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the water heater to heat enough water sufficiently, so you can take a shower or wash dishes, etc. The water may not heat as much water depending upon the system you have. Our hot water heater usually heats about 8 gallons of water at a time and will keep heating as that water is depleted. Of course, we usually, turn on the shower, get wet, turn it off, soap up, turn it back on to get off the soap, etc. Hope this helps. Michael & Melissa
What stops the city water from overfilling? Is there a some sort of built in switch drawing the water only when needed? Can I have the city water spigot on for days without using water or just have it on when I want to run something using water? Also good tip on connecting the hose to itself when in storage. Would not of thought of that.
The city water will not overfill, since it is not filling anything. It is simply just like the plumbing at your house. There is constant water pressure incoming in the only thing that lets the water flow is when you turn the knob to your shower, bathroom, faucet, or kitchen faucet. Does that make sense to you? It’s basically just like your house. The water pressure doesn’t fill anything, it just allows water to come out when you twist a knob. Yes, you could leave it on for days. As long as there are no leaks. If there was a leak, the water would fill up your gray tank, and then that may overflow once it is full.
Great video. I'd like to see the other parts such as the actual plumbing and what valves are active and what are not. Also include the hot water tank heater etc. BTW, was that a Countach kit car in the background?
I will be making a new video, Water System Explained In Depth, which will cover EVERYTHING that has to do with a RV's water system. I am going to put diagrams, as well and show exactly how the water flows through the RV in every hose. Stay tuned. And as for the car in the background, it's a Pantera, which is my next door neighbors. Sweet ride!
Mint! Will be a great video. Helps the nubes like me. What I've found is sometimes the presenters don't differentiate between boondocking or city water setups. And winterized vs non. Looking forward to your tutorial. Show the nitty gritty :) 😃
*Question: Do you still need to use the pressure regulator when flushing the black water tank? and why the difference in hoses because you aren't pulling black water back out through the flush hose? that's for inlet only correct? or is my thinking all wrong on this too? I'm learning don't laugh at me here*
Great questions... Let me start with the first one. I use a pressure regulator for each fitting that goes into my RV. The reason why is, some RV sites have "enormous" water pressure and the plastic plumbing inside my RV is just not rated for high pressure. I would rather be safe than sorry (having a plumbing fitting inside my RV rupture) and use a pressure regulator on everything. The difference in hoses is strictly sanitary. Some people may not be as clean as me, but when it comes to poop, I want to keep my freshwater hose as far away as possible (from an inlet or the black water cleanout spigot itself). Just my personal choice. Hoses are cheap... your health is priceless.
Thanks for the tips on the regulators and filters. Hadn't done that yet. I'm looking for a definitive answer about how the city water gets to the faucets. When the city water is connected does that water actually flow through the pump? I know the pump should be off. But is the schematic such that the city water enters the house plumbing before the pump or after the pump? The other way to ask it is: Where are the check valves?
Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve responded, for some reason I didn’t see your comment. Please check out my other video that goes in depth and actually has schematics on an RV system. It will give you a lot more information on how the city water gets through the plumbing. You do not need to use the pump ever if you are using city water. The check valves are in different places on different RVs. My check valve on my RV is right at the place where I insert the water into the side of my RV. There may be other check valves throughout the system. It just depends.
Thank you for sharing. I do have a question: So would I need to always pressurize my sink/shower after I fill my freshwater tank? I'm in the planning/researching/viewing stage of my conversion (box truck). Also, would it be feasible to just permanently install the PRV to the initial water system when doing the build? I hope you see this.
Hello Brenda, you would need to have pressure one way or the other. Having the city water connected, provides pressure or, you use the water pump from your tank to provide the pressure. Does that make sense? if you have two systems interconnected like I do, you would need to have a pressure release valve on your city water inlet. That way when you pressurize the water from your tank using your pump, the pressure will not go out through the city water inlet.
@@TheAdventureTravelers Thanks for you answering my question. I will have a water pump in the install and thought that would provide the pressure, but was unsure. Therefore, I wasn't sure if I needed to just add the PRV valve when I set up my plumbing install or not since my water pump would provide the pressure. I "think" I understand.
I’m kind of confused tho...what was your reasoning for filling the fresh water tank up with the hose just before you ended up hooking your line up to the city water anyways just like you did here in the video? I never filled mine up I just hooked us up straight to the city and called it a day. Should I be using my water pump when draining my tanks too cause that’s what I truly need to figure out cause we are being blasted with a horrible sewer smell and all tanks and flushed and closed at all times unless I’m draining them.
The video was just for demonstration purposes. Usually when we travel, we only fill the tank about 1/3 full to save on gas if we are going to a full-hookup site. If we are boondocking/drycamping, we fill the tank all the way. On your second question, should you use the water pump to drain the tanks, not really. We have a drain that we can just open to drain the water tank if we need too. We have never used it, we typically just use the water up at the end of the trip and time it so we know that we will be left with 1/3 tank to wash hands/flush toilet on our way home. We dump the grey/black like normal before departing on our last day. It sounds like you should be sanitizing your system to get rid of the sewer smell. Simply mix some septic safe bleach (or vinegar) with water and flush it down the toilet, down your sink drains and your shower drain and then flush that with fresh water after a few minutes (at a dump site). Some gunk may be trapped in your plumbing. Hope this helps some.
Juan, your answer makes sense. I just put the pressure regulator on at the end of the hose so I can fit it into my water tank hole. I'm sure most hoses could stand the regular water pressure, with the exception of the expandable hoses maybe. Good point though. Thanks for commenting. Your comment may help others and that's the point. :-)
What PSI do you regulate water pressure for city water? I maintain about 40PSI for city water. Do you have any recommendations for correct water PSI from city water?
If you have a connection from the city for water, do you need to fill the fresh water tank at all? I am not going to be traveling with my 5th wheel so it will stay parked
You never really have to fill your water tank if you are connected to city water. You will actually save quite a bit of gas by not lugging around a full tank of water. Since we are in a motorhome and can pull over and use the restroom inside the RV at any time, we usually keep some water in our tank for those purposes. Check out my other video that explains the interior plumbing (at least on my rig) which may give you some more insight. ua-cam.com/video/WCkVSM_xOSA/v-deo.html
You can always use a garden hose, it's just how clean do you want the water going into your system? Garden hoses aren't made for drinking out of, so they have more chemicals than the other RV/Sailing hoses on the market. I opt for the Camco hose or something similar but that's just me.
I have A Surveyor 2017 I hook city water to camper and don’t get hardly no pressure. If I use my pump I have a very good pressure so my lines ok where would I look for my problem? Thank you
Mike, I apologize for not getting back to you sooner than this. I have been super busy. Anyway, did you find the answer to your question by working out the problem? I don’t really know how to answer this without actually seeing the issue myself. It sounds weird that you wouldn’t get pressure from your city water. Are you turning the pump off when you are hooked up to city water? You should. Also, the only thing I can think of is to check all of your connections and or valves and ensure they are turned the correct way to allow the water to flow freely from city water to your faucets.
@The Adventure Travelers Thank yes we determined we getting City Pressure But it only had a 30# Pressure I was to get a 4o To 50 valve with a valve meter that you can see what pressure you need. Thank for your response enjoy your videos
Do you normally fill the water tank and then hook up to city water or would you not have to fill the water tank because you are hooked up to city water?
If you know you were going to hook up to city water, you do not have to fill up the tank. Filling up the tank reduces your gas mileage. We typically have about 1/3 of a tank if we are traveling interstate, just so we can wash your hands and flush the toilet.
In all the videos I've watched I've never heard anyone show where water goes into tank inside and talk about vent that spews water out if it gets full. My tank is empty and not hooked up to city water and fresh water inlet is weeping water outside. Cant figure it out.
Renee, Okay, remember that when they make RV's, they don't always make them with the best design. Are you using a hose with pressure to fill your tank up? If so, it should fill. Sometimes, water comes out of the fill hole, even when the tank is not full. This is usually a design flaw and the installation has the hose running uphill (against gravity) to the tank. Water will come back out once you stop putting water in. It should only be as much water as the hose (inside the RV) should have inside it. When I fill my tank to the top and drive, water comes sloshing out the side of my RV all the time (usually from the vent line but it can also come out from the hose). Water is always looking for the path of least resistance. Does that make sense? Let me know. Here is my more in-depth video on the water system: ua-cam.com/video/WCkVSM_xOSA/v-deo.html
@@TheAdventureTravelers thanks for your response. Yes there is pressure in the hose coming out of the faucet. Hose screws onto fresh water fill. I have a pressure regulator on it. It fills up fine, it just seems to not stop weeping when I'm done filling. Glad to hear your explanation. I thought maybe it had something to do with the pump cycling on every 10 minutes, which doesn't that indicate either a leak or failed check valve? I will watch your other linked video.
Thanks for the video. I am turning a new trailer into my hair salon. I was wondering how I would insulate my water lines or will I have to if I leave the heat on during the night. It doesn’t get under 30 degrees in Washington state but a couple times a year. Any additional information you can give is appreciated.
Lisa, I wish I could help more with an answer to your question, however I haven't had to insulate our lines. We have an Arctic Package on our RV, which are heated blankets that keep our tanks warm when it drops below 45 degrees. That may be too extreme for your needs since it rarely goes below freezing in your area. If I were you, I would go to the trailer/RV forums and you may be able to find an answer there. Sorry, wish I could help more.
Great idea. I have been thinking about changing to one of those. Don't know if I would want one for the black water tank though. The cloth covering may hold in the bacteria. ??
I just bought my first camper trailer and I'm trying to understand how the water heater fills up. Does the water heater fill up automatically when using the onboard pump and fresh water tank? I'm not hooked up to a city water connection and wish to use just my fresh water tank and be able to take a warm shower.
Tony, without seeing your actual water heater, I can just give you some general info. Yes, typically you need your water pump on if you're not hooked up. The pump will fill the water heater and you should either have battery operated heat or propane heat to your tank. Either (or both in some instances) will heat the water in the tank. We think ours heats about 8 gallons of water at a time, but we usually get about 10-12 gallons, because we stop the water several times when taking showers (to soap up, etc.). We usually heat up our water about 15-20 minutes prior to needing it (shower or dish washing). Hope this helps! Happy travels!!
@@guidosarducci8850 Yes, you should be able to just leave it on. We typically just turn it on prior to using it because we boondock quite a bit and it saves battery power. Also, if you leave it on, it has a very small percentage to heat too much and create a fire (depending on the wiring of your RV). As you may know, a lot of RV manufacturers rush the installation of the RV and the wiring may be sub-par. We edge on the safe side. Hope that all helps some.
No. The tank does not have to have water in it. A good way to find out if you were getting water from your tank is to turn on the water pump. If you are not hooked up to city water and you have water, it’s coming from your tank. If you turn off your pump and you turn on the city water, you should have water that way as well.
You almost have to have a grey water tank. It’s where your shower, sink and any other water goes when it goes down the drain. Look for a pull handle ( near your black water handle) that is usually grey and that pipe will lead you to the tank. Hope that helps.
Question for anyone who can answer it ... When I hook my RV up to the "city water", I hear something filling, but I cannot figure out what it is -- I for one thought it was filling (or topping off) some sort of tank or something. So, what I gather from this is when you are using your Water Tank you HAVE to have the pump on -- am I correct in that thinking??
The only thing I can think of is the water is filling up the plumbing inside the RV (if the water tank is empty), or possibly filling the charcoal filter or hot water tank. Just my guesses. Ensure there is not a leak too? Hope that helps some.
If you want more information about the RV Water System. We have made an additional video here: ua-cam.com/video/WCkVSM_xOSA/v-deo.html
Yes watched this one as well
Excellent visuals!!
Just purchased a used 2004 Coachman Concord 225 RK , this is the channel that helped the most. Thanks
Terry, Wow, thanks so much for the great comment. We are so happy that we were able to help. That is why we make these videos! Hope you have a great time in your new rig.
Awesome. I'm a first time RV owner. Couldn't do it without these informative videos from experts like you. Thanks
Thanks, Hector! We really appreciate the feedback. We love to help. Wishing you the best on your journeys!
Same here 1st time trailer owner me & my bf learned a lot ! Keep the videos coming bro !
THANK YOU this helped me so much. I just got my old camper to make livable and had no clue what any of these holes really were lol.
That is so awesome. Thank you so much for the comment. It’s comments like these that make it all worthwhile. 😁😁
Great job I’ve been over flowing my tank for today on the wrong setting thank you again
Awesome Alex. I am glad the video helped you. Best of luck to you and happy travels.
Yeah till I saw this I thought the city water fills the tank. Thanks for the video!
No problem Kevin! That's really why I made the video. You are not alone. I saw lots of people on vacation, thinking the same thing.
This videw helped me alot
Thank you
Abdulaziz
Saudi arabia
So happy the video helped you. I’m glad you found it.
Adding all those labels is a great idea, thanks for the tip!
is that a De Tomaso Pantera in the back???? !!!!!! WOW … nice video thanks
Yes, that's a Pantera. It's our neighbors. Fun ride. Thanks for watching.
@@TheAdventureTravelers funny i was thinking the same thing, Talk about the car in the back ground!!!
Great job of explaining while showing hands-on. These types of videos are the ones that I learn the most from. Thank you sir!
It's our pleasure. Thanks for the comments. We always love to help in any way we can. Best of travels to you!
Thanks very much. I've haven't filled my fresh water tank yet and so I've been searching for a good video. This works.
Glad you found it helpful Ron. Best of luck to you and have a great time out there in your travels. I would have responded earlier but was away on vacation ;-)
Thank you! It seems simple yet being new I tend to over think lol. Thanks for assuring me I was doing it right.
So glad it helped Angela. Thanks for the nice comment, it always makes me feel good to know I helped someone. Best of luck out there on the open road and at those amazing destinations!
Super helpful, thanks!
So glad we could help! Thanks for letting us know. Safe travels!
Absolute rookie here. Just got my first RV, a used 2008 BTCruiser, 31'. Pretty excited, but the manual is somewhat lacking in how-to. This was my first video. Explained a lot. Thank you!
Thanks! I really appreciate the great comment. Glad I could help. Have a blast out there!!
best video about RV water system, tks a lot!
Wow! That's a great compliment. I appreciate it. Glad I could help.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm picking up my RV soon and this helped. Putting labels was a great idea.
I’m so glad you liked it Belinda. Thank you for your comment. I hope it helps others as well. 😀
Good video !! I'm still learning about my camper. Just bought it
Thanks for the comment. We are always looking to help. Check out our other videos. Lot's of info. Thanks again for watching it. Michel & Melissa
@@TheAdventureTravelers i filled up the water in the heater tank. No water coming from sink or shower ? I checked all fuses and breaker. Checker underneath no leaks. Not sure what's wrong
@@RobPhiangdae Do you hear the water pump working? Is the water pump switch turned on? Are your batteries charged or are you hooked up to power? It may be a clog in the water pump or your inline filter may be clogged. Try those.
Looking at building my own water system for a conversion, this was super helpful to see how your system is put together. Also, I didn't know about the filters at Walmart, thanks.
Awesome! Glad we could help some. Yes, I always shop at Walmart before anywhere else, since it's usually the least expensive place. Amazon is great too. We'd love to see your system when you're done. Michael & Melissa
Thanks so much- I watched multiple videos and this was the most informative and clear
Thanks Katy. I'll be making a new one that will cover ALL water systems including hoses, water heater, tank, etc.
Great video. Very helpful. Thank you.
Our pleasure. Thanks for watching it. Glad it helped.
Great info on city water not filling tank and how to fill. Thanks!
You bet Dave! Thanks for taking the time to watch.
Great video. Informative without overly explaining.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. Safe travels!
Thanks for sharing this information...was helpful
No problem. I really appreciate you commenting. Best of luck to you and have fun out on the road.
Very informative. We are just starting to learn how to do this. Thank you so much.
Our pleasure. Glad we could help. We have a LOT of addition info on our website: www.theadventuretravelers.com/
Now I gotta double check my trailee...😊
Always good to go through it regularly 😁
@@TheAdventureTravelersYeah, unfortunately I got mine for free and can't find the manual I think the guy gave me. 😂 I also cant find the water tank itself, but I know something is leaking in the front when I try to fill. Did get the water to come through the taps for the first time though.
Great explainer video. Thumbs up.
Thanks. I appreciate that. Glad I can help.
Just came across this video explaining how the water works. Definitely great information for someone just looking to get into travel trailers. Most certainly we are going to subscribe to look at your other videos, if their anything like this it’ll be an easy transition to camping. This is the most information inside just shorts span we have seen to date. Thank you for the help in saving us from a lot of trouble in the future
Robert, so glad it helped. I recall when I first got into RVing and how many systems there were. It's always great to have some extra knowledge. Thanks for the kind comment. Wishing you the best on the road.
Great explanation and demonstration! 🙂
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the comment.
I have a quick safety question .... It's not too detailed or anything. I'm just wanting to know if I should replace my propane tanks in our fifth wheel. It has been sitting in our driveway for about 6 years and I have never used the tanks because we unexpectedly had to move for my husband's job, about 3 months after week purchased the fifth wheel. We rented out our home and left the RV in the driveway. We have now moved back to our home and that's probably the one thing I'm the most concerned about because it is propane. They have never been turned on since we purchased it used. In the move, I lost all of the pamphlets and information on the rig. Most of it I've been able to find online but propane is just something that scares me. My son is actually going to be staying in the RV for a couple of months and if there's any chance of danger, I would rather replace them than take any chances. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so helpful. Thank you!
Very informative, thank you!
My pleasure. I hope it helped you some.
Thanks for this very easy breakdown. I also liked your labeling and photos! Very helpful!
Thanks, Natallia, I appreciate that. Glad I could help. :-)
Good video bud! Thanks for the info. I will say my rv has two options for filling the tank, we could also fill it with the city hook up we just need to open the fill tank valve.
Thanks, Rudy! Yeah, of course, I can only show what my RV has. I'm sure there are a lot of different setups out there. Sounds like you're one of the lucky ones that have an option on how to fill.
very well explained. Thanks so much. New with a Vintage camper.
Our pleasure! Thanks for the comment!
Nice to see you are using the Drain Master dump system. I have it to and think it is great
Thanks, John! We really do love the system. Works perfectly for our rig. We've had it for about three years now and not problems with the exception of losing the big rubber seal on the end of it. Still works great without though. :-)
You explain everything quite well sir. But I have found in my experience with my camper it is always better to put the filter on the RV side of the hose instead of this spicket that way your not getting funny tasting water from the hose so as if you have the filter at the end by the RV it's filtering out the taste from the hose as well as the sediment from the spicket. Sorry for the typos I'm at work and don't have time to fix it.
I understand what you are saying. The filter is a little heavy for my input port. I can get an elbow joint to fix that but I haven't done so yet. Good info.
Oh, I like the tank being under the bed.
Yeah, pretty sweet and centered for weight distribution 🤙🏼
Great information, thanks so much, simple and easy to learn.
Thanks Emma. Glad you watched the other video too. 😊
Newb here....
Really a great video -got to the point (no long winded annoying intro with crap music) and was made for those of us who really do not have the experience yet and seeking advice.
Sooo, is the interior water pump ‘On’ when filling the Fresh Water tank? I believe from your video is it mentioned that it is off.
When do you turn the water pump switch on? When you are on the road (not connected to a water source)?
Maximus, We typically leave the water pump off until we need it but you can turn it on at pretty much any time (with the exception of when you are hooked up to a City Water Connection). The pump should only pump when it's needed, like flushing a toilet, taking a shower, or using water somewhere within the RV using the freshwater tank water. If you have an ice maker, you would also need the pump to pump water to the ice maker. Typically, when we are driving from one destination to the other, we leave the pump on, so we can just wash our hands or use the toilet without having to turn the pump on/off each time we need water. If you have any other questions... just let me know. Thanks for the nice comments on the video.
Thanx, you video was helpful, good job.
Glad I could help Larry.
I'm renovating the family trailer in hopes of moving in this Autumn. Thank you for this video, it's helped a lot :)
So glad we could help some. Let us know how your trailer turn out. Sounds like you will have a blast in it.
Great job
Thank you. I really appreciate that.
Nice video with great explanations... easily understood. Thank you.
very helpfull , thanks
Our pleasure. Glad it helped!
very helpful - thank you
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching Keith!
Thanks! Helped us a lot.
I’m so glad that it helped you. Wishing you the best. Safe travels.
Thank you was very helpful
I’m very glad you liked it Mauricio. Thank you for watching.
Being a newbie, I also had no idea that the city water connection didn't fill the tank. Thanks.
Our pleasure. Glad we helped! :-)
thank you for the info. this newbie learned a lot !!!
So glad!
Basic great video for filling but would be nice if you explained how the pump works if you need to purge it or how the hot water tank figures in......
Please watch my other video. Takes you through the entire system.
@@TheAdventureTravelers I found and watched that one as well. Sorry I don't find it addressed my questions. All good tho I have a buddy headed over to give me a lesson. Happy Friday to you!!
5:45 [It does fill the tank on some models at least that's what my Fleetwood Bounder manual says)
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I am sure that different RVs have different solutions. This just happened to be my make and model. It’s for an overview. Thank you for your comment.
Great video
Thanks Steve!
Thank you. I hope it goes as smoolthly as your video portrays. So the city water when connected will give your toilet its flush water??? And when the water pump is on the water will be pumpted from the stored water?? These may sound stupid but we have not done this before. Thanks for your great video and hopefully you see my questions. Be safe!
Jacqulyne, If you are hooked up to city water, that water will flush the toilets, give you water and pressure to take a shower and do the dishes and wash your hands in the sink. If you are not hooked up to city water, then you use the water pump, and that acts just like the city water by providing pressure for all the same systems. The only difference is, you will run out of water when using the pump since the water will be coming from your fresh water tank. You do not need the pump on when hooked up to city water. Does that help?
Thanks we just had a hole come in our water pump supply hose
I’m so sorry to hear about the hole in your hose. Hopefully you have it all worked out and you are back on the road having fun.
Great Video really helped this new be ty.
Thank you.
Great and very clear information. Thank you!
hi2hai Thanks, we really appreciate it
I enjoyed the video but I feel like we didn't talk much about the PANTERA! in the back ground. are there videos on that?
So funny! The Pantera is my friends. We do some work on it here and there. It's an oldy but goodie. Good eye! :-)
Thank you! Very well detailed!
Thanks Barry! We appreciate it. Happy travels!
I know each RV is different but I’m wondering now after watching her video if I actually need two hoses One for the city fill and one for the tank ?
Only one hose. We have two hoses that we can attach together if somehow we are too far away from a spigot. Both of these hoses are clean water hoses. Typically you only need one hose to fill either the tank or if you have full-hookups, we just hook it up to the city water. I hope that explains things.
We definitely have two hoses to separate the black water from the clean water.
good video, thanks. Is that a Pantera in the background? Had one in the 80's fun car
Robert, Thanks for the comment. Yeah, that's my neighbor's Pantera. We've done some fun rides in it. Good eyes :-)
informative thank you
Thanks for watching Brandon! Glad it helped.
Thanks, Huge Help 👍
Newbee
So glad that the video helped. Don’t forget to watch the other video that goes more in depth. Really happy that I can help people out there. Have a great life out on the road.
Thanks! I learned from this.
So happy it helped Brandy! Thanks for the comment.
Good video should have more views
I agree! :-) I know through my metrics that there are way more views than is shown. I don't understand it too. Maybe I'll contact UA-cam. Thanks for writing!
Heck yeah! Thanks for the walk through 😸 subscribed; you'll most certainly be helpful for this n00b
Glad you liked it. Many more to come!!
Great video, great tips. Thank you sir.
So glad you liked it. I love it when we get comments! Safe travels and enjoy the open road. Lots of other videos on our channel to check out. Michael & Melissa
Thank you very much🙏🏼
You’re welcome 😊
Great tips. Thank you
Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
Hey There Brother great video now I have the city water connected my dad set it up here at the shop but for some reason I can't get enough pressure to stay constant to take a shower what might that be I don't know where all the valves I'm new to this RV stuff
I have a jay feather 2007
I’m sure that you already tested the water main without it hooked to the RV, correct? Have you put on a pressure regulator? It’s a small attachment that goes onto the hose before it goes into the RV. Also, ensure that your water pump is off. You really need to check all your valves to make sure they’re fully open. That’s all I can suggest from here.
Thanks our first experience living in a RV.I was wondering about the water system in our trailer
I seen your water tank is under the same as ours
Is that where our charcoal filter would be
Same spo
Sorry, Francis, I just got around to reading this. You have probably found your charcoal filter by now. If you haven’t and you’ve looked all over, perhaps somebody did not install one on your rig. You can always install it after market and do it in line with the water system. It does take out a lot of the contaminants. Wishing you the best and thank you for watching. Michael and Melissa
Great great video for a newbie like me. ;-))
Good information. Thank you
Right on. Thanks so much.
Great presentation: would be very useful if I had a diagram of the water system to see how the city water by passes the pump.
We added a new video based on your request>>>> ua-cam.com/video/WCkVSM_xOSA/v-deo.html
Thanks!
It is our pleasure. We love to help.
You should have explained both the grey and black water as they are part of the water system.
I made a separate video for that. Here you go: ua-cam.com/video/wDGTZ0QaBv0/v-deo.html
When you hook up to city water I understand that you do not need the water pump on and I understand why. However, my question to you or anyone reading is. When you are hooked up to city water does some what go in to a Tank to be heated as hot water. This may be a dumb question but Im gonna guess yes. I hooked my trailer up to the faucet on side my house just like what you did in this video and then I turned my propane on and went inside and turned on the water heater.
Great question. Your regular water heater will heat the water regardless if it comes from your tank or an outside source (city water). It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the water heater to heat enough water sufficiently, so you can take a shower or wash dishes, etc. The water may not heat as much water depending upon the system you have. Our hot water heater usually heats about 8 gallons of water at a time and will keep heating as that water is depleted. Of course, we usually, turn on the shower, get wet, turn it off, soap up, turn it back on to get off the soap, etc. Hope this helps. Michael & Melissa
What stops the city water from overfilling? Is there a some sort of built in switch drawing the water only when needed? Can I have the city water spigot on for days without using water or just have it on when I want to run something using water?
Also good tip on connecting the hose to itself when in storage. Would not of thought of that.
The city water will not overfill, since it is not filling anything. It is simply just like the plumbing at your house. There is constant water pressure incoming in the only thing that lets the water flow is when you turn the knob to your shower, bathroom, faucet, or kitchen faucet. Does that make sense to you? It’s basically just like your house. The water pressure doesn’t fill anything, it just allows water to come out when you twist a knob. Yes, you could leave it on for days. As long as there are no leaks. If there was a leak, the water would fill up your gray tank, and then that may overflow once it is full.
@@TheAdventureTravelers got it. Thanks
Great video. I'd like to see the other parts such as the actual plumbing and what valves are active and what are not. Also include the hot water tank heater etc. BTW, was that a Countach kit car in the background?
I will be making a new video, Water System Explained In Depth, which will cover EVERYTHING that has to do with a RV's water system. I am going to put diagrams, as well and show exactly how the water flows through the RV in every hose. Stay tuned. And as for the car in the background, it's a Pantera, which is my next door neighbors. Sweet ride!
Mint! Will be a great video. Helps the nubes like me. What I've found is sometimes the presenters don't differentiate between boondocking or city water setups. And winterized vs non. Looking forward to your tutorial. Show the nitty gritty :) 😃
*Question: Do you still need to use the pressure regulator when flushing the black water tank? and why the difference in hoses because you aren't pulling black water back out through the flush hose? that's for inlet only correct? or is my thinking all wrong on this too? I'm learning don't laugh at me here*
Great questions... Let me start with the first one. I use a pressure regulator for each fitting that goes into my RV. The reason why is, some RV sites have "enormous" water pressure and the plastic plumbing inside my RV is just not rated for high pressure. I would rather be safe than sorry (having a plumbing fitting inside my RV rupture) and use a pressure regulator on everything.
The difference in hoses is strictly sanitary. Some people may not be as clean as me, but when it comes to poop, I want to keep my freshwater hose as far away as possible (from an inlet or the black water cleanout spigot itself). Just my personal choice. Hoses are cheap... your health is priceless.
Thanks for the tips on the regulators and filters. Hadn't done that yet. I'm looking for a definitive answer about how the city water gets to the faucets. When the city water is connected does that water actually flow through the pump? I know the pump should be off. But is the schematic such that the city water enters the house plumbing before the pump or after the pump? The other way to ask it is: Where are the check valves?
Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve responded, for some reason I didn’t see your comment. Please check out my other video that goes in depth and actually has schematics on an RV system. It will give you a lot more information on how the city water gets through the plumbing. You do not need to use the pump ever if you are using city water. The check valves are in different places on different RVs. My check valve on my RV is right at the place where I insert the water into the side of my RV. There may be other check valves throughout the system. It just depends.
Thank you for sharing. I do have a question: So would I need to always pressurize my sink/shower after I fill my freshwater tank? I'm in the planning/researching/viewing stage of my conversion (box truck). Also, would it be feasible to just permanently install the PRV to the initial water system when doing the build? I hope you see this.
Hello Brenda, you would need to have pressure one way or the other. Having the city water connected, provides pressure or, you use the water pump from your tank to provide the pressure. Does that make sense? if you have two systems interconnected like I do, you would need to have a pressure release valve on your city water inlet. That way when you pressurize the water from your tank using your pump, the pressure will not go out through the city water inlet.
@@TheAdventureTravelers Thanks for you answering my question. I will have a water pump in the install and thought that would provide the pressure, but was unsure. Therefore, I wasn't sure if I needed to just add the PRV valve when I set up my plumbing install or not since my water pump would provide the pressure. I "think" I understand.
Nice video
Thanks Don!
I’m kind of confused tho...what was your reasoning for filling the fresh water tank up with the hose just before you ended up hooking your line up to the city water anyways just like you did here in the video? I never filled mine up I just hooked us up straight to the city and called it a day. Should I be using my water pump when draining my tanks too cause that’s what I truly need to figure out cause we are being blasted with a horrible sewer smell and all tanks and flushed and closed at all times unless I’m draining them.
The video was just for demonstration purposes. Usually when we travel, we only fill the tank about 1/3 full to save on gas if we are going to a full-hookup site. If we are boondocking/drycamping, we fill the tank all the way.
On your second question, should you use the water pump to drain the tanks, not really. We have a drain that we can just open to drain the water tank if we need too. We have never used it, we typically just use the water up at the end of the trip and time it so we know that we will be left with 1/3 tank to wash hands/flush toilet on our way home. We dump the grey/black like normal before departing on our last day.
It sounds like you should be sanitizing your system to get rid of the sewer smell. Simply mix some septic safe bleach (or vinegar) with water and flush it down the toilet, down your sink drains and your shower drain and then flush that with fresh water after a few minutes (at a dump site). Some gunk may be trapped in your plumbing.
Hope this helps some.
I thought it was recommended to install the pressure regulator right after the filter, so you can protect your hose from excessive pressure as well.
Juan, your answer makes sense. I just put the pressure regulator on at the end of the hose so I can fit it into my water tank hole. I'm sure most hoses could stand the regular water pressure, with the exception of the expandable hoses maybe. Good point though. Thanks for commenting. Your comment may help others and that's the point. :-)
What PSI do you regulate water pressure for city water? I maintain about 40PSI for city water. Do you have any recommendations for correct water PSI from city water?
You are right on the money Richard. 40 psi is just about perfect. Sorry it took me so long to reply. I’ve been traveling.
Perfect
Thanks Mario!
If you have a connection from the city for water, do you need to fill the fresh water tank at all? I am not going to be traveling with my 5th wheel so it will stay parked
You never really have to fill your water tank if you are connected to city water. You will actually save quite a bit of gas by not lugging around a full tank of water. Since we are in a motorhome and can pull over and use the restroom inside the RV at any time, we usually keep some water in our tank for those purposes. Check out my other video that explains the interior plumbing (at least on my rig) which may give you some more insight. ua-cam.com/video/WCkVSM_xOSA/v-deo.html
Excellent 🇮🇪🍀👍
Glad we could help. Thanks for the comment!
Hi, is there a special hose I need for my 1998 fifth wheel ? or will a regular garden hose do ? Thanks
You can always use a garden hose, it's just how clean do you want the water going into your system? Garden hoses aren't made for drinking out of, so they have more chemicals than the other RV/Sailing hoses on the market. I opt for the Camco hose or something similar but that's just me.
Sorry I just tuned out when I saw the Pantera.
😂. It’s my neighbors. Not mine.
I have A Surveyor 2017 I hook city water to camper and don’t get hardly no pressure. If I use my pump I have a very good pressure so my lines ok where would I look for my problem? Thank you
Mike, I apologize for not getting back to you sooner than this. I have been super busy. Anyway, did you find the answer to your question by working out the problem? I don’t really know how to answer this without actually seeing the issue myself. It sounds weird that you wouldn’t get pressure from your city water. Are you turning the pump off when you are hooked up to city water? You should. Also, the only thing I can think of is to check all of your connections and or valves and ensure they are turned the correct way to allow the water to flow freely from city water to your faucets.
@The Adventure Travelers Thank yes we determined we getting City Pressure But it only had a 30# Pressure I was to get a 4o To 50 valve with a valve meter that you can see what pressure you need. Thank for your response enjoy your videos
ty4this
My pleasure. Hope it was useful :-)
what are the two connections under the RV that are the pressurized hot and cold water? what are those for? simply for some external use?
Can you give me a minute marker in the video of what you’re talking about? I don’t understand exactly, sorry.
@@TheAdventureTravelers they were not in your video. i was asking about what was hanging under my RV
Do you normally fill the water tank and then hook up to city water or would you not have to fill the water tank because you are hooked up to city water?
If you know you were going to hook up to city water, you do not have to fill up the tank. Filling up the tank reduces your gas mileage. We typically have about 1/3 of a tank if we are traveling interstate, just so we can wash your hands and flush the toilet.
Thank you for the reply. Great information and great video.
In all the videos I've watched I've never heard anyone show where water goes into tank inside and talk about vent that spews water out if it gets full. My tank is empty and not hooked up to city water and fresh water inlet is weeping water outside. Cant figure it out.
Renee, Okay, remember that when they make RV's, they don't always make them with the best design. Are you using a hose with pressure to fill your tank up? If so, it should fill. Sometimes, water comes out of the fill hole, even when the tank is not full. This is usually a design flaw and the installation has the hose running uphill (against gravity) to the tank. Water will come back out once you stop putting water in. It should only be as much water as the hose (inside the RV) should have inside it. When I fill my tank to the top and drive, water comes sloshing out the side of my RV all the time (usually from the vent line but it can also come out from the hose). Water is always looking for the path of least resistance. Does that make sense? Let me know. Here is my more in-depth video on the water system: ua-cam.com/video/WCkVSM_xOSA/v-deo.html
@@TheAdventureTravelers thanks for your response. Yes there is pressure in the hose coming out of the faucet. Hose screws onto fresh water fill. I have a pressure regulator on it. It fills up fine, it just seems to not stop weeping when I'm done filling. Glad to hear your explanation. I thought maybe it had something to do with the pump cycling on every 10 minutes, which doesn't that indicate either a leak or failed check valve? I will watch your other linked video.
Thanks for the video. I am turning a new trailer into my hair salon. I was wondering how I would insulate my water lines or will I have to if I leave the heat on during the night. It doesn’t get under 30 degrees in Washington state but a couple times a year. Any additional information you can give is appreciated.
Lisa, I wish I could help more with an answer to your question, however I haven't had to insulate our lines. We have an Arctic Package on our RV, which are heated blankets that keep our tanks warm when it drops below 45 degrees. That may be too extreme for your needs since it rarely goes below freezing in your area. If I were you, I would go to the trailer/RV forums and you may be able to find an answer there. Sorry, wish I could help more.
@@TheAdventureTravelers Hello, how do you get to the " go to the trailer/RV forums"?
Sorry, found it...
alot of people use the expanding hose for less storage space.....
Great idea. I have been thinking about changing to one of those. Don't know if I would want one for the black water tank though. The cloth covering may hold in the bacteria. ??
I just bought my first camper trailer and I'm trying to understand how the water heater fills up. Does the water heater fill up automatically when using the onboard pump and fresh water tank? I'm not hooked up to a city water connection and wish to use just my fresh water tank and be able to take a warm shower.
Tony, without seeing your actual water heater, I can just give you some general info. Yes, typically you need your water pump on if you're not hooked up. The pump will fill the water heater and you should either have battery operated heat or propane heat to your tank. Either (or both in some instances) will heat the water in the tank. We think ours heats about 8 gallons of water at a time, but we usually get about 10-12 gallons, because we stop the water several times when taking showers (to soap up, etc.). We usually heat up our water about 15-20 minutes prior to needing it (shower or dish washing). Hope this helps! Happy travels!!
@@TheAdventureTravelers Thank you very much for your feedback! I'm hooked up to shore power, so is it ok to just leave the water heater turned on?
@@guidosarducci8850 Yes, you should be able to just leave it on. We typically just turn it on prior to using it because we boondock quite a bit and it saves battery power. Also, if you leave it on, it has a very small percentage to heat too much and create a fire (depending on the wiring of your RV). As you may know, a lot of RV manufacturers rush the installation of the RV and the wiring may be sub-par. We edge on the safe side. Hope that all helps some.
@@TheAdventureTravelers Thank you very much for your feedback! I really appreciate it.
Thank you dow much!!
Glad it helped!
Does the tank have to have water in it, or can I just use city water when stoping
No. The tank does not have to have water in it. A good way to find out if you were getting water from your tank is to turn on the water pump. If you are not hooked up to city water and you have water, it’s coming from your tank. If you turn off your pump and you turn on the city water, you should have water that way as well.
@@TheAdventureTravelers thank you
I have been reading about the grey water tank. Could you yell me about that one? Or are they obsolete??
You almost have to have a grey water tank. It’s where your shower, sink and any other water goes when it goes down the drain. Look for a pull handle ( near your black water handle) that is usually grey and that pipe will lead you to the tank. Hope that helps.
I meant the hot water aluminum tank. I guess that is grey too.
Question for anyone who can answer it ... When I hook my RV up to the "city water", I hear something filling, but I cannot figure out what it is -- I for one thought it was filling (or topping off) some sort of tank or something.
So, what I gather from this is when you are using your Water Tank you HAVE to have the pump on -- am I correct in that thinking??
The only thing I can think of is the water is filling up the plumbing inside the RV (if the water tank is empty), or possibly filling the charcoal filter or hot water tank. Just my guesses. Ensure there is not a leak too? Hope that helps some.