How I Handle Our RV Boondocking Fresh Water and Waste to Extend Our Campsite Stay
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- We have been full-time RVing for 11 years now and love it! Early on, we embraced dry camping, aka "boondocking." Off-grid camping allows us to stay in the most picturesque locations with plenty of space around us. We also save a ton of money versus RV Park hookup sites. Many of the places we stay at are even free.
Luckily our Keystone Cougar fifth-wheel trailer came with a 60-gallon water tank and three 38-gallon waste tanks. Large tanks allowed us to easily camp for over a week or more before getting fresh water. And even longer before needing to dump the waste. But now, with the recent addition of a few handy items, I'm able to keep the trailer camped in one spot for an extended time and use our pickup truck to haul fresh water in and waste out.
This video shows you how that is done using a 60-gallon collapsible freshwater bladder, sewer macerator pump, and 36-gallon waste tote tank. Furthermore, I detail how I filter and purify our drinking water, plus a few other water-related odds and ends.
Related Posts and Video Links:
AquaTank Water Bladder - www.loveyourrv.com/aquatank-i...
Clearsource Water Filter System - www.loveyourrv.com/deluxe-rv-...
Water Pump and Accumulator Tank Installation - www.loveyourrv.com/installing...
Aquva LED-UV Water Purifier System - www.loveyourrv.com/installing...
TDS Water Meter Demos - www.loveyourrv.com/testing-rv...
Water Flow Meter Demo - www.loveyourrv.com/rv-tank-fl...
Shaker FloTool Siphon Demo - www.loveyourrv.com/shaker-sip...
Portable Pressure Washer Review - www.loveyourrv.com/power-pro-...
Flojet Macerator Pump Review - www.loveyourrv.com/flowjet-rv...
Camco Rhino Waste Tote Tank - www.loveyourrv.com/camco-rhin...
Waste Master Sewer Hose Storage Mod - www.loveyourrv.com/ultimate-r...
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#LoveYourRV - Jak na to + styl
Thanks for keeping it real unlike some so called other full timers.
I have an all new appreciation for full hook ups.
Ray…. The man who has everything! Great video as usual.
I am beginning to think he has gadgets for his gadgets!👌
Appreciate the info and demos. We got a kick out of the tank emptying music!
Hi Ray! You told me about the bladder at Miracle Beach but we're still using the green water cans like you showed me. Thanks for the tip about the buddy heater. We use the furnace less and kept with only two agm batteries charged daily with the generator.
Eight months full-time now for us. Camping at Rathtrevor for 2 weeks. Regards, Charles Fuzzy.
Cool! great to hear. :)
Definitely got it figured out. 👍👊😎
VERY CLEVER!! You have mad skills
Very nice setup Ray…Thanks.
Great setup! Thanks for the video!
I'm a little envious of your setup! While we love our Winnebago Trend, the weight limits just don't let us carry that much water. The fresh tank is only 26 gallons, though I have a couple of 5 gallon collapsible water 'bags' that can give us another day or so. Those gals like their showers!
I have a very similar setup for getting fresh water into my tank only I have my pump wired to connect to my 7-way trailer connection on the truck.
keep up the good work
Hi Ray you have a great setup of filling fresh water from bladder and dunping waste clean and easy..😎👌
Thanks 👍
Good info Ray.,thx.
Very helpful and organized video, thank you!
You're welcome. :)
Hi Ray.
When you're havin' a bad day, it's nice to see LYRV post up.
Lets me escape for a few minutes, where the outside world with all it's worries, can just...wait a few.
Not a 'helpful' comment, I know but that's what ya get on CZcams sometimes ;)
Ray I've watched your videos for years. You are the very best. I was hoping to meet up this year. See all your upgrades in person. We are in Indigo California now headed to Bend Oregon by the end of june. Travel safe. Robert Woods.
Thanks. :) We are currently enjoying southwestern Utah, heading back north soon. All the best, Ray
Ray, I noted you have a separate grey tank for shower water. Have you considered using it for "grey to flush"? With the addition of a pump, couple of one way flow valves and diverter valves and you get double use from your fresh water.
Could do that, but picking up an extra 60 gallons in the bladder isn't much of a hassle since I can use the trip to dump the sewer tote anyway. Figure the fewer plumbing parts and connections in the RV the better. Fewer things to leak and I'd rather not have greywater anywhere near freshwater lines.
👍 Thanks :-)
Hey Ray, great video. Have you ever used your TDS meter to test your water at your sink before and after the last filter under the sink?
Thanks. :) The filters don't generally affect the TDS reading since the solids are dissolved in the water itself and not particles suspending in water that can be blocked by a filter. You can see my tests here www.loveyourrv.com/testing-rv-water-supply-for-total-dissolved-solids/
Great video ray it’s good you have all the options how many days can you go before you have to get water or dump my trailer has 60/60/45 gallon tanks the best I’ve done with 2 people and 2 dogs is a week thanks
We used to conserve and go about 9 days on our 60 gallon tank but now its more like 5-6 as we become heavier users because we can now. :) When I need water I take a load of waste in the tote, then strap the tote on top of one of my tool boxes and fill the bladder in the truck bed and return to camp.
@@LoveYourRV right on thanks
I manually refill the fresh tank after 1 week but stay camped for 2 weeks and empty the black and 2 greys when we head out. Charlie Fuzzy.
What is the brand of connector you have for powering macerator (orange, mounted to wall of storage bay)? Thanks.
They are a brand called Hyclat. I bought them on Amazon amzn.to/3N3TF3n
Looks like you've got an inverter powering all of your 120v sockets now, rather than just the one special socket?
The old 1000W inverter I installed 11 years ago powers 3 dedicated sockets I installed not connected/separate from the RV OEM AC power panel. One in the living area, one in the bedroom, and one in the storage bay. I used it this way for 10 years. But, with the recent addition of the EcoFlow power station and its 2400W (5000W surge) inverter, I can now power anything in the RV so I have its inverter output wired to the RV OEM power distribution panel via a 30A auto transfer switch. So when off-grid powers all the RV OEM sockets and appliances then if I plug into shore power the transfer switch automatically switches over to use shore power instead. Here is the current state of the off-grid electrical www.loveyourrv.com/our-rv-boondocking-power-systems-current-state-of-things-2022/
Did you consider the 60 gallon Aquatank instead of the 30 gallon? The 60 gallon is $56 cheaper. I am looking at them but an torn between the 30 gallon vs the 60 gallon. Get twice a much capacity for less $$'s.
I used to have the 30 gallon but it suffered damage recently czcams.com/video/ky_Zd96TrW8/video.html so when I replaced it I bought the 60 gallon which you see in this video. Not sure where you are looking at prices but when I bought the 30 gallon a few years ago it was about 30 dollars cheaper than the 60 gallon. Maybe there is a supply issue now that is causing the price increase because it was always cheaper before. www.amazon.com/AQUATANK2-Water-Storage-Bladder-Gallon/dp/B009MU64Y0
How often do you dump the 36 gallon tote? We are two adults and one child. I am deciding between the 21 gallon and 36 gallon. $100 difference. I am mostly doing three to four days of camping. Between the tanks in my 21 foot travel trailer and the tote.
I just finished an 14 night stay in a provincial park and dumped twice with the tote. Not being that stingy on water usage. 2 people showering every 2-3 days, daily sponge baths between them and wash dishes done once a day. We use only real dishes and cutlery. Our trailer has 3 waste tanks 38 gallons each. Shower/bathroom sink, kitchen sink and black.
@@LoveYourRV Awesome, I think we only have black and grey tanks but I am sure we should be able to do four days!
What is the flow (gpm) of your shower at low flow?
I haven't measured the flow at the shower. It depends on how much you open the faucet. Usually, I can have a shower with 2-3 gallons. Wet down, soap up then rinse. My wife is the same unless she has to wash her hair, she has long think hair so then its more like 5-6 gallons.
I have a similar setup but I have a concern about mold or bacteria growing in the bladder between use, especially all folded up. Do you have any thoughts on that concern? I know it's going to be filtered but I would rather start with water that is as clean as possible.
Here is what the AquaTank directions say:
"Store your Aquatank II in a safe, cool, dry and clean place. Before you use (or if you are re-using) Aquatank II,
purify it by placing 3 to 5 gallons of water with 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water added to it (non-scented
bleach and not pool chlorine) and then fully drain. Now you can fill your Aquatank II. The purity of the water in
Aquatank II is only as good as what you put in it. Contaminated water or suspect water is not potable and
should be discarded and not used for cooking or drinking. To give longer storage life to any stored water, keep
it out of sunlight and keep it cool as possible"
If I'm using it a lot I'm not too worried because most of the water sources I use are chlorinated and I store the tank our of the sun in a box. If storing for an extended time I do what the instructions say before the first use. Basically I treat it the same way as my RV fresh tank. Cheers, Ray
Thanks, I appreciate the information. I'll probably do a bleach rinse before storage and another one prior to use just to be cautious.
I wouldn't get overly concerned unless you are filling with unknown well water or from say a lake or creek, a little bleach and water once in a while should do the trick.
Do you have to disinfect the bladder periodically like you do with your fresh tank using bleach?
Here is what the AquaTank directions say:
"Store your Aquatank II in a safe, cool, dry and clean place. Before you use (or if you are re-using) Aquatank II,
purify it by placing 3 to 5 gallons of water with 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water added to it (non-scented
bleach and not pool chlorine) and then fully drain. Now you can fill your Aquatank II. The purity of the water in
Aquatank II is only as good as what you put in it. Contaminated water or suspect water is not potable and
should be discarded and not used for cooking or drinking. To give longer storage life to any stored water, keep
it out of sunlight and keep it cool as possible"
If I'm using it a lot I'm not too worried because most of the water sources I use are tested and chlorinated and its getting flushed by the next fill and I store the tank out of the sun in a box. If storing for an extended time I do what the instructions say before the first use. Cheers, Ray
Haha one look I under your bathroom sink and you know your Canadian. LOL
Why's that? the CSA sticker?
@@LoveYourRV Scott Paper abounds. I can see the plant up river from my house. Kruger now for a few years.
Actually, they very are easy to get in the USA, almost every Walmart stocks them. One of the only 1 ply that you can get these days. Great for RV tanks, RVers love them for that reason. In Campbell River, I'm usually stuck using Cottonelle 2 ply septic safe as they don't stock the Scott. OK but not as good as Scott I think.
Here is a look at the label www.loveyourrv.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_20220317_172154_730.jpg Says made in the USA
@@LoveYourRV Like everything else in the world it has been sold over and over. Hahaha. As a curler it still rings CDN for me.
Where you carry all this stuff ,tote,portable solar panels ,generator, portable power stations, and all
The portable tote has a built-in ladder hanger, so it gets strapped to the rear trailer ladder. Solar panels fold up and get stored in the crew cab of the pickup truck, the gas generator gets stored in one of my larger toolboxes in the truck bed, the small power station gets stowed on the floor in the crew cab and the larger power station stays stored in the trailer basement storage.
@@LoveYourRV thanks
So dumping the black tank still requires moving the RV.
NO, all the waste tanks can be moved into the portable tote tank via the macerator pump. The main reason for using the macerator is to chew up any solids. It is like a sink garbage disposal and reduces any solids in the waste stream to less than 1/8th inch in diameter. You can see my demos here www.loveyourrv.com/flowjet-rv-macerator-pump-demos-and-review/ where I used it to empty the RV waste into a house sewer. Cheers, Ray