Fresh Water Tank Discovery... - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 03-31-2019, 04:44 PM   #1
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Fresh Water Tank Discovery...

Ok boys & girls... had this rig coming up on 6 years now, and decided to try something I’d never done before.

I should preface this by saying that, when I travel, I usually always drain & then refill my fresh water tank with about 15-20 gals of water... just in case I need an urgent bathroom break on the road, or if I have should have a maintenance issue resulting in me getting grungy & dirty, I’ve got water for a quick shower before getting back behind the wheel.

So this morning, in preparation for my departure tomorrow... I’m doing this. Only this morning, after the old water has drained, I leave the valve open as I’m refilling with fresh water. However, to my astonishment, no water began running out.

Using my meter, I continue past 20 gals to 25... still nothing.

Not wanting to carry more weight, I stopped there. I know the drain valve works... I just drained the old water out. I didn’t open the low point drain... but I did shut the normal city water off, got back into the rig, turned the water pump on, and ran the shower. Works as advertised, so I know there’s water in the tank, and it’s not just leaking out into the belly.

So my question is, I’m wondering how much water has to be in the tank before it reaches the level of the drain valve gate... or, put another way, how much water is left in the tank after you supposedly drain it?

I’ll experiment a bit more next week when I reach my next stop, and have time to play with it... but I did find this very interesting.
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Old 03-31-2019, 05:12 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by ATCguy View Post
Ok boys & girls... had this rig coming up on 6 years now, and decided to try something I’d never done before.

I should preface this by saying that, when I travel, I usually always drain & then refill my fresh water tank with about 15-20 gals of water... just in case I need an urgent bathroom break on the road, or if I have should have a maintenance issue resulting in me getting grungy & dirty, I’ve got water for a quick shower before getting back behind the wheel.

So this morning, in preparation for my departure tomorrow... I’m doing this. Only this morning, after the old water has drained, I leave the valve open as I’m refilling with fresh water. However, to my astonishment, no water began running out.

Using my meter, I continue past 20 gals to 25... still nothing.

Not wanting to carry more weight, I stopped there. I know the drain valve works... I just drained the old water out. I didn’t open the low point drain... but I did shut the normal city water off, got back into the rig, turned the water pump on, and ran the shower. Works as advertised, so I know there’s water in the tank, and it’s not just leaking out into the belly.

So my question is, I’m wondering how much water has to be in the tank before it reaches the level of the drain valve gate... or, put another way, how much water is left in the tank after you supposedly drain it?

I’ll experiment a bit more next week when I reach my next stop, and have time to play with it... but I did find this very interesting.
I was told by Dutchmen that just a few gallons in the tank should product results. Would be nice if they put one of those worthless sensors in that tank so you would know what the story is with the fresh water tank before you run out of water! Do you think blowing a little air through the drain valve would be of any benefit if there is some gunk covering it or algae stuck in it? You can always use a pipe cleaner or one of a bamboo skewer to poke up there.
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Old 04-01-2019, 01:28 PM   #3
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Depending on how the tank drain down valve is designed, I would consider poking something up there. On my current rig, the valve actually sits in a slight depression so when you drain it, it drains it all.

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Old 04-01-2019, 05:38 PM   #4
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I drain mine every 6 months and do the same routine. When filling mine full, 160 gallons, it will not show on the sensors until about 60 Gallons or so. But if I just want to rinse it out I close the valve and put 10-15 gals in and then open it, water immediately starts flowing.



I would say you have a clog or blockage some where. Maybe a poke up the gate valve and make sure it is open and not stuck closed.


Mine is 2-80 gal tanks with a hose connection in between to equalize the 2. Hope that helps, keep us posted.
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