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Old 05-24-2023, 12:11 AM   #1
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Fresh water tank not 50 gallons

2022 Astoria 35 foot fifth wheel is supposed to have 50 gallon fresh water tank. I measured the water in the sink and got only 22 gallons. Then I drained the tank from underneath and got 8 more gallon for a total of 30 gallons of water from my 50 gallon tank. Anybody else having this problem/
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Old 05-24-2023, 02:29 PM   #2
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How do you know the tank was full?
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:21 PM   #3
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As Franktafl says, what was your filling protocol?
I'll assume you started with a dry system and first filled fresh water until full before starting your measurements at the sink.
Is there a water heater tank? If so, maybe 6 or 10 gallons of fresh transferred to that tank from the fresh tank upon first filling.
Did you also collect water from low point drains to account for the volume of water in the plumbing?
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:45 PM   #4
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Good advice posted above.

Sometimes there are problems with filling the fresh water tank to full.

There will be a vent and overflow. Mine vents at the gravity fill opening. Some vents are hidden underneath. If the vent is block or kinked, the tank will not fill completely.

Some installations are difficult to fill fully. Fill rate may slow down when the tank nears full.

Some vents may be installed so they siphon water out of the tank after filling. That of course leaves you with less than a full tank after a while.
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:55 PM   #5
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All water lines were full and the 6 gallon hot water tank are full.
Slowly filled tank with water. No thread end to screw hose on to. Just hold hose up to hole to fill. Plenty of room for air to escape while filling. Inlet hose to take is1 and a half inch. There is no doubt the tank is full.
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Old 05-24-2023, 04:30 PM   #6
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After talking to Dutchman this morning, they said my tank dimensions are 38 x 54 x 5.5. The inlet and pump suction ports are on the side of the tank. So I can only fill to within 1 " from the top of tank and the suction line only still has 1" of water below it. So when i drained the tank I got that last one inch of water which was 8 gallons. I'm only getting 3.5 inches of water capacity. Poor design!
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Old 05-24-2023, 06:21 PM   #7
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My two 50 gallons also really only provide 85 or so. As you noticed the entire tanks are not really usable. Imagine something deceptive in the RV industry? Ha.
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Old 05-25-2023, 11:02 AM   #8
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There are a couple of folks that have been on this forum that have reported broken tank straps on the fresh tanks because they could not support the weight and bouncing around when traveling.

NOW, that’s poor design!

The amount of water you got out of the tank is probably due to lots of factors, one of them being a clogged vent pipe. My RV had a piece of plastic covering the vent and would not allow me to fill it past ten gallons.

Anyway, welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy your new camper and not let this be something that affects your future travels greatly.

What are your plans for travel? Post some pictures when you can.

Frank
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Old 06-01-2023, 01:08 PM   #9
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On my 2012 Komfort I had a problem where the tank had drooped below the retaining straps and the tank would never empty all the way. My fix was to get rid of the straps and use 6 1/2 inch angle iron equally spaced and put 1/4 inch waterproof plywood on the angle iron and put the tank on that. Now I get my full 40 gallons of water if I fill the tank. Which I rarely when on the road. A lot of weight there.
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