Water tank taste and level

[angler24]

Hi folks.

We picked up our 15A in March and love it. I do have a few questions about the fresh water tank.

The Escape orientation indicated that we did not need to do anything special about cleaning or priming the new fresh water tank. However, every time that we've filled it the water tastes bad. No chemical taste or anything like that just kind of nasty water. We often fill from our own well which has delicious water and by the time we taste it from the Escape it is pretty lousy. Is there anything that I should/could be doing to prevent this?

Also, does anyone have a good way to figure out the water level. Escape told us that we could view the water level by looking at the tank. Either my eyes are bad or I never have the right light to see the actual water level. Seems to me that the tank is not translucent enough to view the water level. Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Jane

[Bruce Wray]

I've found even the white/blue RV water hoses can impart a plasticky taste to the water, so I use a filter hooked right to the water tank inlet. Also, you might mix a box of baking soda in a gallon of water and put in into a half-filled tank. Run that water through all your pipes and let stand for several hours repeatedly, that should deodorize your lines.

Bruce

[Devil Dog]

We had the same problem. Bad odor and taste, couldn't make tea or coffee. We discovered it was the white water hose supplied with the trailer. The new ones at "Crappy Tire" that have a hex fitting on one end don't smell.
We also poured a 1/2 bottle of that water fresh and flushed every thing out. Baking soda as mentioned by Bruce is an other good idea.
Try a bright flash light to see the water level if there is no indicator inside the trailer.

[GaryH]

I'll have to try the baking soda thing. I've always used a bit of bleach & let it sit overnight. But then we carry our drinking water in a portable blue jug. And i know what you mean re how to tell how full the water tank is! Sometimes it's just a guess. I've often thought that they should incorporate a see-through gauge

[soultrek]

Not exactly high tech, but mine has a small hole at the 2 o'clock position from the filler hole. If I'm paying attention I turn off the faucet when I see water start out that hole; if I'm not then I recover when the water streams out around the hose at the filler hole. In either case I guess it's full.

[Vermilye]

Since I never know what the quality of the water will be at the location I need to fill my tank, I've added a separate faucet & filter for drinking, cooking, and, of course, making coffee!

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by angler24

Hi folks. Also, does anyone have a good way to figure out the water level. Escape told us that we could view the water level by looking at the tank. Either my eyes are bad or I never have the right light to see the actual water level. Seems to me that the tank is not translucent enough to view the water level. Any suggestions?

Without a gray water tank on my old pop-up, I used a 5-gallon bucket to catch the water and then mentally kept track of how many times I emptied it while camping. Subtract that number from the 20 gallons I started with and I always knew about how much was left in the tank.

[angler24]

Thanks all for your helpful replies. I will try the baking soda wash and flush. Also, great idea to keep track of the buckets that I emply!

And, you all get it - really the coffee is the most important meal of the day. Gotta save the good H2O for that morning jolt!

happy trails,

- Jane