Fresh Water Tank during travel

[JoeVMorton]

We are about to take our first trip where we boondock for a night on the way there and on the way back.

I was planning on filling the fresh water tank of our 23MLE before we leave. I couldn't find much on this topic, so here are some questions:

1.Is it safe to do, the owners manual really doesn't mention it? I saw a video that talked about one manufacturer being the only one that tests with full tanks. It seems like it should be a basic use case but I have been surprised before.

2.If so, is it best to travel with a full tank when possible so that there is more stability/less sloshing?

We have plenty of capacity with our tow vehicle, so the weight shouldn't be an issue from a towing perspective.

Would love to hear from anyone with experience with this.
Thanks,
Joe

[bg71361]

I tow full all the time no issues at all, just don't hit the brakes and you won't have a sloshing issue, lol
Have a great trip!

[JRTJH]

There are a couple things to consider when deciding to tow with water in the fresh water tank, or for that matter in any of the black or gray tanks....

Used to be there were baffles in the FW tank to help reduce weight shift from "sloshing water". In recent years, many FW tanks no longer have baffles. So, a PARTIALLY filled tank will "slosh and can cause weight shift".... The nice thing about that is that a COMPLETELY FULL FWT doesn't permit sloshing, so there's no issue with weight shift caused by moving water.....

The same can be said for the contents of the black or gray tanks. Going down the road, water in any tank will "move left or right" as the driver corrects the tow vehicle to keep the rig centered in the lane. Passing vehicles that create a "bow wave" will push the trailer, causing that water to "slosh" in the tanks. Same with hitting a pot hole, exiting the highway, making a left or right turn, changing lanes, braking, accelerating and any other "movement with any "G-Forces" on the water in the tanks"....

All that said, I regularly tow with a full fresh water tank and our tank is in the extreme rear of the trailer, so subject to the greatest amount of trailer tail wagging and sloshing. I've never had any issues with any controllability or weight problems....

Speaking of weight, look at the decal on the front roadside of your rig. It will give you the "CCC" Cargo carrying capacity of the trailer. Right below that you'll see comments about the weight of the water. That water is cargo and comes directly off the CCC and goes directly onto the GVWR.

So, as an example, if your trailer has 1500 pounds of CCC and you have a 50 gallon FWT, then filling the tank full will add 440 pounds to your trailer, reducing the 1500 pounds of CCC to 1060 pounds for everything else...

On some trailers, depending on loading and location of the FWT, you might see some weight shift, but on most fifth wheels, that is negligible and doesn't affect trailer towing much if at all. I don't notice any change in towing characteristics with my rig whether the FWT is empty or full.

[dutchmensport]

I have always traveled with the minimum amount of water in the tank as possible. We always land on campsites that has water available somewhere, so traveling near empty is not an issues for us.

There were times (with all 4 of our trailers) where we have traveled with full tanks. The first travel trailer was the real learning curve. I always towed with a heavy truck, but one tow, the trailer seemed like it was swaying everywhere. It wasn't actually "swaying", I finally figured it was the full water tank causing the weird sensations, like a heavy wind blowing the side of the camper, or low pressure in a tire, or something just not right.

Eventually I put 2 and 2 together and realized the "squirely" feeling was because of the fresh water tank.

Even today, towing with a 1 ton dually long bed crew cab, pulling a 14,000 pound fifth wheel, I can tell when the fresh water tank is full, half full, or empty. There is a difference in the way the trailer tows.

Part of the learning curve is just THAT! Experimenting with your trailer and getting to know it, intimately! When something adverse happens, you KNOW it immediately. If something changes, you know it immediately! The only way to reach that point is to use the camper under different conditions and tow it under different conditions too. Doing so with a full tank, and then immediately following with an empty tank, you WILL feel the difference. Repeat this a few times and after a while, you'll just know when things are different.

Now, about the endurance or strength of your camper. The fresh water tank should be just fine, full or empty. They are suppose to be made to travel with water.

My opinion, .... fill it full, and go have a great time!

[Canonman]

An overnight stay shouldn't need more than 10 or so gallons of FW. When we travel I try to limit the FW to 1/3 tank, about 15 gallons or so. Often times I need to fill the FW prior to finishing the last leg of the trip on the way to our intended campground. I can't really say I notice any difference in the way the trailer handled either full or partial.
I'm not really a fan of traveling long distances with full tanks. I've heard some horror stories about tanks breaking loose. Especially if you consider the current conditions of our highway systems.

[NH_Bulldog]

We always add 6-12 gallons to the tank before a long trip to give us water for “pit stops” and even overnights.

I don’t like adding all that extra weight for no reason (ours would add 450 lbs. to the rear of the trailer if we filled to capacity). I am not sure how much water we have left after putting in 12 gallons, but after a 15 day trip and getting home yesterday from a 10 day trip, we have not had to add any more water. I will probably drain and rinse the tank this week and add back 10 gallons for our next series of trips. I carry an empty 6 gallon water jug if I need to add more along the way.

[LHaven]

I've seen a number of postings here about rigs that came out of the factory with faulty tank bracing, and the tank drops out. A full tank on the road is more likely to drop out than a full tank sitting at a campsite. I travel with 1/3 tank only, enough to use the toilet a few times on the road, and and take a quick shower if for some unexpected reason I can't find a campground for the night.

[jxnbbl]

Travel with a full tank when starting the trip as we sometimes only stay at Harvest Host for the first long 1000 mile + segment. The one item to mention is that if I have not used the trailer in a month or two I alway sanitize the tank first. Unlike others, I never fill at a dump station (in the rare case that we have to dump).

[Stircrazy]

I always fill my tank before I leave. I can do most trips with out putting "unknown" water in my tank, just by filling up before I leave home. if its a longer trip it lets me be picky on the water I put in the tank.

[JoeVMorton]

Thanks for the extremely helpful replies everyone! It's good that it's safe, I guess we just have to work out the best approach for us.

I have traveled before with about 5 gallons of water (and treatment) in the black tank per someone's suggestion. We were going through the mountains in GA and I did feel that it had at least some impact. All of the sloshing caused me to turn off the alarm.

I will double check the sticker, but we are supposed to have 2,122lbs of CCC, so that would still give us north of 1,600lbs with a full tank.
Joe

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

There are a couple things to consider when deciding to tow with water in the fresh water tank, or for that matter in any of the black or gray tanks....

Used to be there were baffles in the FW tank to help reduce weight shift from "sloshing water". In recent years, many FW tanks no longer have baffles. So, a PARTIALLY filled tank will "slosh and can cause weight shift".... The nice thing about that is that a COMPLETELY FULL FWT doesn't permit sloshing, so there's no issue with weight shift caused by moving water.....

The same can be said for the contents of the black or gray tanks. Going down the road, water in any tank will "move left or right" as the driver corrects the tow vehicle to keep the rig centered in the lane. Passing vehicles that create a "bow wave" will push the trailer, causing that water to "slosh" in the tanks. Same with hitting a pot hole, exiting the highway, making a left or right turn, changing lanes, braking, accelerating and any other "movement with any "G-Forces" on the water in the tanks"....

All that said, I regularly tow with a full fresh water tank and our tank is in the extreme rear of the trailer, so subject to the greatest amount of trailer tail wagging and sloshing. I've never had any issues with any controllability or weight problems....

Speaking of weight, look at the decal on the front roadside of your rig. It will give you the "CCC" Cargo carrying capacity of the trailer. Right below that you'll see comments about the weight of the water. That water is cargo and comes directly off the CCC and goes directly onto the GVWR.

So, as an example, if your trailer has 1500 pounds of CCC and you have a 50 gallon FWT, then filling the tank full will add 440 pounds to your trailer, reducing the 1500 pounds of CCC to 1060 pounds for everything else...

On some trailers, depending on loading and location of the FWT, you might see some weight shift, but on most fifth wheels, that is negligible and doesn't affect trailer towing much if at all. I don't notice any change in towing characteristics with my rig whether the FWT is empty or full.

You mentioned bow waves…. slack tanks ( partially filled) on ships and fishing vessels can cause the vessel to roll over due to changes in the center of gravity…wonder if a half full tank of water and or grey and black could cause trailer sway?… 250 lbs of weight shifting from side to side may cause some issues? yes?

[fjr vfr]

I always fill mine completely when traveling. We cross the country both ways every year and never had an issue. We go over some pretty rough roads...tank is still there...lol
My tank is positioned right over my axles, which is ideal so little to no effect due to the weight. Personally I would rather travel full then half full knowing the water and its weight is constantly shifting all around.

[rlh1957]

It is safe.Look at your placard on left side of rig. It usually gives weights including FW tank full.

We always travel with water in FW tank.
No more than 1/3 - 1/2 full is good. This gets you through a few overnight stops or fuel stop bathroom breaks.

Top off near your no-water hookup camping site.

[Peto]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

I am not sure how much water we have left after putting in 12 gallons, but after a 15 day trip and getting home yesterday from a 10 day trip, we have not had to add any more water.

27 days on 12 gallons? You should become a sailor, that sounds like crossing usage.

[Mikelff]

I am with the limited water in the fresh water tank crowd. If it’s just an overnight boondock, 10-15 gallons should be more than plenty. Usually about 10. That’s only 80 to 120 pounds. The other consideration is if you use your fresh tank for drinking water. I don’t. I use filtered gallon water jugs and bottled water. The fresh tank is used for everything BUT drinking water. I have not found an RV park that doesn’t use certified safe water, so I don’t even use a filter anymore. I carry a filter and if the RV Park has water that seems a bit funky, I’ll hook up the filter. When you travel with a full tank, for me, that's about 480+ pounds of water. I don’t see any reason to burn the extra fuel carrying water I really don’t need. I have not noticed any effect on trailer handling traveling with just 10 gal. I always start out with empty grey tanks and about 5 gal in my black tank. If I’m going to be boondocking for a week or more, I’ll fill my fw tank somewhere close to my campsite. If later I need more, I have 4, 5 gal. water jugs and I’ll run for more water and pump it in and replenish. When we leave I drain the fw tanks and hit the road, find a dump station and empty my tanks and put 10 gal. Potable water Back in fw tank and hit the road.

[Kzneft]

Always fill before we go.

[crowbar]

I always travel with water tanks full from home. Never had a problem.