Only partialy fill the water tank?

[1SGBaker]

When our unit was delivered, the guy conducting the walk through said that you should only fill the fresh water tank 1/3 full otherwise the tank supports would break during travel due to overweight. We boondock alot and fresh water is usually not available at site, does that mean we have to bring along a bunch of extra water cans? Have anyone else been told this?

 

[JKellerJr]

When our unit was delivered, the guy conducting the walk through said that you should only fill the fresh water tank 1/3 full otherwise the tank supports would break during travel due to overweight. We boondock alot and fresh water is usually not available at site, does that mean we have to bring along a bunch of extra water cans? Have anyone else been told this?

Kinda defeats the purpose of having a water tank, doesn't it?

I travel with a full tank a few times each year. Knock on wood, no issues so far

 

[DougW9876]

I have often travelled with a full water tank for a short trip. On a long trip I will only put in about 1/2 so we have water to use during rest stops. If at a site with no water hookups, they almost always have a place where you could fill your tank near your destination.

 

[dryfly]

It wouldn't take much to see what kind of tank support you have on the tank. If needed, it should not be a big deal to add some wood or angle iron to beef up the tank.

 

[SilentService]

When our unit was delivered, the guy conducting the walk through said that you should only fill the fresh water tank 1/3 full otherwise the tank supports would break during travel due to overweight. We boondock alot and fresh water is usually not available at site, does that mean we have to bring along a bunch of extra water cans? Have anyone else been told this?

We boondock about 90% of the time and always fill up our fresh water tank. Makes no sense doing a partial fill when your going to an area that does not provide water!

 

[huntindog]

We boondock about 90% of the time and always fill up our fresh water tank. Makes no sense doing a partial fill when your going to an area that does not provide water!

I have never been told this. Been filling them 100% every trip over four RVs since 1992 without any issues.

 

[SGT ROC]

I run most of the time with a full tank. We camp mainly at state parks and Very few (only 2 that I have been to) have water hook ups, although they do have places to fill your tank. We boondock only once per year. It doesn't matter - we always take out own water unless on a Water/Electric site or full hookup.

 

[Myrdynn]

When our unit was delivered, the guy conducting the walk through said that you should only fill the fresh water tank 1/3 full otherwise the tank supports would break during travel due to overweight. We boondock alot and fresh water is usually not available at site, does that mean we have to bring along a bunch of extra water cans? Have anyone else been told this?

I don't roll with any more water in the tanks than we have to have. I usually keep some water in them should it be needed on the road. The heavier your load the more gas you'll use moving it. BUT when I know we will be staying where there is not full hookup, I have rolled with full tanks with no problem..

That Said, I have toured the Imagine Plant, the Solitiude, and Momentum Plants. In those three cases I have looked closely at how the tanks are mounted, and I cannot for the life of me see how anything could fail and cause the tanks to fall out. Those things are put in Pretty solid. Besides, like others have said, If you can't roll with full tanks, what's the purpose of even having them? Next thing you know somebody will be saying you shouldn't drink the water from the fresh tank (another myth, there's no reason why you shouldn't do that either).

But it has long been said that salespeople, make their living selling stuff because they are pretty useless in any other field.... This is just one example of that being true.

 

[ddepew]

If you’re traveling full or near full you might want to install shutoff valves on the overflow and vent so the tank doesn’t siphon. Just remember you MUST OPEN the valves when filling or using the fresh water.

 

[LincolnGuy]

When our unit was delivered, the guy conducting the walk through said that you should only fill the fresh water tank 1/3 full otherwise the tank supports would break during travel due to overweight. We boondock alot and fresh water is usually not available at site, does that mean we have to bring along a bunch of extra water cans? Have anyone else been told this?

I'm here to tell all the naysayers the freshwater tank might NOT be installed like you think. I had the tank drop out in Louisiana going eastbound just outside of Baton Rouge one evening about 6pm. It was about 1/3 full. The support on the backside of the tank sheared the self-tapping screws (only two of 4 which should have been installed) allowing the tank to drop down and scrape the pavement sending steam out because the plastic was heating up, causing a hole in the tank. A local police officer blocked traffic on my side while I managed to secure it. Grand Design after haggling sent the parts free of charge as good faith. It would have taken about 4 months to have a GD authorized dealer fix it. I put stainless bolts in and two straps to keep it from dropping in the future. The coroplast needed to be replaced also.
The Tech asked if I had water in the tank. "Of Course!" He recommended against it.

 

[jjbbrewer]

My 2021 349M has 2 tanks totalling 150 gallons. I usually estimate how much fresh water we'll need and only travel with that much on board. For boondocking with, say, 4 people for 8 days, I'll fill as close to the final destination as I can - which has been as much as 50 miles.

I haven't had a problem with doing that, but @LincolnGuy's post is making me want to pull the coroplast.

If you’re traveling full or near full you might want to install shutoff valves on the overflow and vent so the tank doesn’t siphon. Just remember you MUST OPEN the valves when filling or using the fresh water.

The shutoff valve idea works if you have a 100% perfect memory since the penalty for forgetting is the destruction of your water tanks. I did something much more foolproof because .. well ..

A ton of discussion & solutions are all gone through thoroughly here ..

Solution to water loss while traveling

Many of us have had issues with the loss of water when traveling. Most of the tanks installed by GD have the vent port on the side of the tanks at the top. As there are no baffles in the tanks that I know of, water will surge (splash) around in the tank forcing water out of the vent pipe. On...

www.mygrandrv.com

 

[IBEW Sparky]

If you’re traveling full or near full you might want to install shutoff valves on the overflow and vent so the tank doesn’t siphon. Just remember you MUST OPEN the valves when filling or using the fresh water.

Yup I agree 100%. I was losing quite a bit of water when traveling a full day to certain destinations. I did some investigating and removed the 1½" drain valve from the bottom of the tank to take a look. I turns out that the fresh water tank is 8" deep and fits tight up against the floor of the RV so the molded overflow port is in the side of the tank upas high as possible. Unfortunately the bottom of the plastic welder port is 2" from the top of the tank! This results in a 25% in water loss right from the start. I extend both the 1½" drain and the overflow pipe to a bracket I fabricated and attached to the rear stabilizer. I added a valve on the overflow pipe. Now when I fill up and shut the valve I still have a full tank of water when I arrive at my destination. I've found that by raising just the left side of the RV when filling the tank I can actually get another 10-12 gallons of water in before it runs out the overflow tube.

 

[dryfly]

@LincolnGuy

That's why I suggested in post #4 to check the support of the tank if you intend to travel with water in it. It may be fine but from various threads through the years it sounds like even if they do manufacture it correctly with all the screws in place, there still may not be enough support. It would take so little to add wood or angle iron supports to may it strong.