Help To Identify Fresh Water Fill Locations

[Dan Lockwood]

I have a '12 model Raptor 395LEV. Two weeks ago was our first trip with it. We bought it last August and just never had the opportunity to use it until now.

Everything went well with our first trip. Although we did NOT need to have the fresh water tank filled, I do have a question about filling the tank. Right or wrong, I'm assuming that I only have one fresh water tank.

In the left side main basement/water control area, I have a lever TANK FILL POWER FRESH. I have the lever in the NORMAL FLOW position, see pic below. My fresh city water worked flawlessly and we have no leaks that I noticed.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL846/863774/24841920/414451331.jpg

On the other side of the RV just to the rear of the main entrance door, I have a lockable little door.

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL846/863774/24841920/414451329.jpg

http://pic80.picturetrail.com/VOL846/863774/24841920/414451330.jpg

This fill area runs under my interior coat closet and there's a huge wasted space just for the two little hoses. Leave that for another post.

So with the TANK FILL POWER FRESH in the main water control area on the left side, what is the OTHER, assumed to be fresh water fill?

Do I have two fresh water tanks, or just two fill locations. I guess I could see that if i were boondocking I could funnel fill the fresh water tank via the little fill access area on the right side of the TH if I did not have access to a city water hookup.

Can someone tell me for sure what I have and the appropriate way to use one or both of the areas?

Thanks in advance!

Dan

[JRTJH]

A bit of "history"...

On some trailers, when Keystone first introduced the "pressure fill option" in the convenience center, they still needed to vent the tank to prevent over-pressurization of the fresh water tank. Before that "introduction" all the tanks were "gravity fill" with the "behind the locked door" type of gravity fill port/vent. What Keystone did, on many of the models, was leave the vent (still needed anyway) and gravity fill and added the pressure fill to the mix. Over the years, the vent was replaced by a "single vent without the door" and the gravity fill was eliminated.

Your trailer is one of those "first introduction of a new concept" models... Be thankful that you do have the option of using the gravity fill for things like sanitizing the FWT, adding water during dry camping without the need of a second pump or a "round about bypass Rube Goldberg" type of adapter.

I don't know of any Keystone trailer with multiple fresh water tanks, even the 110 gallon tanks in larger toyhaulers are a "single unit". I can't imagine a tank supporting 800+ pounds of water bouncing down a rut filled gravel road, but "they survive, somehow".....

That said, if you bought your trailer used, there's a chance the previous owner may have "modified" the trailer by adding a second FWT. But I've not seen a "dual FWT option" from Keystone as OEM ....

[Dan Lockwood]

Thanks John!

I highly doubt that the previous owners did anything to this other than use if very little. When in Mt Pleasant two weeks ago, I was the first to open the rear deck awning. It has some shipping brackets that needed to come off and there were no scratches on the garage door sides where the awning support rods attach. I made the first scratches...

There just was not a lot of use of the toy hauler when I bought it last August. I'm glad it was used a little as there do not seem to be any issues that need to be tinkered with.

Thanks for help on the FWT explanation, sounds like I got a good "extra" option with the gravity fill etc.

I'm slowly learning what to do with it.

I greatly appreciate all the help from the forum, THANKS!

[roadglide]

I have used my water tank fill till I read horror stories of the valve leaking and filling the freshwater tank and coming back to the camper flooded . I always use the outside fill port . I made an adapter that screws onto your water hose with a clear hose fits inside the water port . I look at it and think do not touch.

[LewisB]

I have used my water tank fill till I read horror stories of the valve leaking and filling the freshwater tank and coming back to the camper flooded . I always use the outside fill port . I made an adapter that screws onto your water hose with a clear hose fits inside the water port . I look at it and think do not touch.

Excellent point - and the very reason one should ALWAYS shut off the pump and/or shore water when not actually in the trailer. (Remember the days we used to get to go outside and sit around the campfire? Even then...:facepalm:)

As John pointed out, the vent line on the newer trailers can still be used to add disinfectant, etc. but the size has been reduced and it would be a pain to use for manually adding water from a 5 gallon jug. So, your setup with both the internal and external fill capabilities is a real plus! Probably even increases your sales value :lol: