GypsyWindTraveler Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Does anyone know how many gallons the tank on the Dolphin holds? 20 gal? 40 gal? and is it safe to fill it up and drink straight from the faucet? or should we get a filter for over the faucet? is there a way to test? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 According to this 1985 sales brochure for the model 500 fresh water tank is 17 gallons http://www.toyotamotorhomes.com/manuals/do...ft_brochure.pdf You should always sanitize your tank before filling it for the season. http://rvbasics.com/techtips/sanitizing-yo...ter-system.html Once this is done your water supply should be acceptable for drinking. The duration between sanitizing is dependent on how much you use your water supply. If you fill and empty your fresh water (through normal use) at least once a week you should only need to sanitize the tanks when you bring it out of storage. If a tank of water lasts you all year you will need to drain and sanitize more frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supurcar Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Since the subject is water I have some input and a question, instead of filling our tanks we carry bottled water in the fridge, saves on the weight while driving and it is easy to get bottled water anywhere. Our fridge has a square cut out in the shelf so we can put a large bottle in there. then we just attach the water hose when we camp for other uses. My question is about the plumbing, we do not use the sink or shower so there is not much in the grey water tank usually. I do not drain the thing until it gets full or at least registers on the guage, we notice this last trip that the drain in the sink smelled awful. Like really bad, so I am ondering if I have some standing water or if this is normal if the tank grey water tank is not drained after every trip. Is it okay to put liquid plumber in the drains or use that treatment made for the toilet to make the drains smell better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 What I do about fresh water is to take about eight or so 1 liter bottles and fill them with water and FREEZE them. Then I put them in the fridge door which helps cool down the fridge the night before as it is plugged into AC. By the 1st evening's stop the water is still mostly frozen but there is enough to remove for cold drinking water. You can also rotate these bottles in and out of the freezer compartment while you are driving if you are on a long adventure so that you keep a constant supply of frozen water for the fridge door. Besides the 1 liter bottles I carry 2 gallons under the sink for warm water use (making coffee and cooking with). I only use the fresh water in the RV tank for "plumbing functions" (washing dishes, shower, toilet) but I still sanitize with bleach as part of my "normal getting ready process" when I plan to take the RV out. As to your odor issue. This URL will give you some ideas on how to cure the problem http://www.newrver.com/holdingtank.html I have used the water softener and bleach method talked about in section #3 for years. Half fill your holding tank and drive around for a few days with softener and bleach in it and you will be surprised what comes out when you dump it. I would not recommend using any household chemicals in your holding tanks. It might be difficult to find a place to dump if your tanks are full of lye or other caustic chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supurcar Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Good link and the just type of info I was looking for. We do not put any kind of solids into any of our tanks, so I am thinking the water set in the tank too long, or maybe a rodent crawled into a drain or something like this. I found we have three settings on our fridge, gas, 12V, elec. I think when I reported it not owrking in a previous thread I must have ahd it on the wrong setting, I am more careful now to have it in the correct position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 The problem is if you have to refill your tank on the road. I remember stopping at a camp ground in Idaho. I filled my water tank with what turned out to be the worst water I ever experienced. It killed a couple of plants I kept on board. It's always good to check with the locals about their water quality. One little recognized additive you may want to try if you're worried about health issues is peroxide. It is cheap and a mild disinfectant. It is safe to drink in low doses. Besides, it won't last long. Check the net for usage before you try it. Bleach is very potent but can form carcinogens with certain components. Always flush good after using bleach. If you dump it in to your holding tank it can form deadly gasses with ammonia compounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I have been on the road since march and have gotten some bad water - ususally just sediment. Now I fill a one gallon jug and look & smell (once had a benzene smell - like bug spray). You can drink the water if you clean your tank. I would then find a good water source and run water thru many times to completely flush. As for the gray tank - remember that the traps in the sinks provide the "plug" that keeps sewer gas from coming up. Also make sure your stack is open. If you let your camper set I would definetly drain the tanks. I drink water from one gallon jugs (that I fill) if I find good water - otherwise I buy one gallon jugs at the stores. MY Itasca spirit has a 14 gallon plastic tank. I flushed it good (after doing the bleach thing) -- be sure to read the instructions - do not over bleach it. The water in the tank is potable but given that I am getting water in so many different places..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherman120 Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 The problem is if you have to refill your tank on the road. I remember stopping at a camp ground in Idaho. I filled my water tank with what turned out to be the worst water I ever experienced. It killed a couple of plants I kept on board. It's always good to check with the locals about their water quality. One little recognized additive you may want to try if you're worried about health issues is peroxide. It is cheap and a mild disinfectant. It is safe to drink in low doses. Besides, it won't last long. Check the net for usage before you try it. Bleach is very potent but can form carcinogens with certain components. Always flush good after using bleach. If you dump it in to your holding tank it can form deadly gasses with ammonia compounds. HA HA that is funny futar you must have gotten some Ashton, Idaho water ... woo .... dont touch it ... lol ... even in a good month it could put you on the toilet all day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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