Finding fresh water is one of the major worries for RVers thinking about boondocking. If you
don't stay in an RV campground, how will you fill your fresh water tank?
We on the TiogaRV Team, find fresh water all over the place.
Rest Stops
Gas stations
Propane stations
National Parks
Simple adapter to get water from faucets with no hose bibb.
Hose adapter.
Very often when we travel by a state or national park, there will be water provided in the
campgrounds. The water faucets in these parks often have no hose bibb. The adapter above
allows you to attach your hose to these faucets.
Gas and propane stations.
By far, the easiest way to fill your fresh water tank is to ask! When you go to buy
gasoline, first ask if it is OK to get some water for your RV. If you are asked, "How much
water you will need?", just reply, "Not much." People do not want to hear, "Only 35 gallons."
If a gas station has no hose bibb, just move on and try the next gas station.
George fills MsTioga's fresh water tank at a propane station.
Radiator filling stations.
We do not like to use radiator water filling hoses for our fresh water tank. Besides
those yucky hoses, it takes forever to fill a tank. Usually these hoses dispense water
so very slowly!!
Sanitizing hose bibbs.
A spray bottle filled with chlorine beach may be a good idea for sanitizing a hose bibb before
connecting your fresh water hose. Spraying bleach on the hose bibb should kill any bad stuff
that could be drawn into your fresh water tank.
Carry enough water hose.
We carry several hoses inside MsTioga. You never know when you will need to run a hose 100
feet or more to get water. We do not like to use the hoses that are already at a place. Use
your own hose.
Ask for help.
Do not be afraid to ask for help. Most people want to help you. If you are in a rural or
farm country area,
and find that you need water, stop and knock on a door. We have met the nicest people by just
knocking on their door and asking, "Would you help me?"
Drink only bottled water.
Sometime ago, we decided never to drink water from our fresh water tank. The interior of our
fresh water tank is not accesible, so we could not clean the inside. Over time, our water
began to have an unacceptable taste. Sanitizing did not help.
Now we only drink bottled water. Often, that water comes
from the same sources that we use to fill our fresh water tank. However, our bottled water
containers can be cleaned easily. We use a Rubbermaid two gallon container with a dispensing
valve, and several plastic jugs for storing backup drinking water. Works great!
Often we fill our drinking water jugs at coin operated bottled water dispensers or at
companies that sell purified water. This is true especially when traveling in Mexico.
