We all know a horror story or two about leaky RVs and water damage. That really isn't what we are talking about here today. While this is important, the water we actually use in our RV has all kinds of ins and outs. Literally, and no pun intended here. Today, I'm share some tips, gear and ideas for water input and use for your RV.

Tips to Solve Your Campground Water Problems!

Water at the campground starts at the initial hook up, and there are all kinds of things to consider.

Do I have enough water pressure or too much?
What about the quality of the water?
How can I make better use of the water we have?

This water pressure regulator will help ensure you don't have too much or too little pressure.

Initial Water Hook Up

When connecting your water, you are preparing to really tackle all three of these above. Let's start at the spigot. I would encourage you to purchase a water pressure regulator. We recently stayed at a campground where the water pressure was too low, and we had some black tank issues after this stay. Every RV is different, but typically water pressure should:

not exceed 60 PSI and
should ideally be around 40 to 55 PSI.

A water pressure regulator will help with this issue. Sure, I know that some big rigs can handle much more water pressure than these numbers above. But, in a typical travel trailer, this is ideal. The regulator has a mechanism that you can adjust to turn the pressure up or down. Its a simple and effective piece that we should have owned long before now!

You need a water filter, but don't stop there. The sediment filter below, is another added bonus to your hookup game!

I also think it is best to get an inline water filter and sediment filter. These two items will help you to have better drinking water. We recently stayed at a campground on a well system. The sediment filter helped big time. Before attaching a sediment filter, I had a film of orange in the bottom of my shower and sinks from the water. The filter seemed to reduce this almost entirely.

We have an elbow connector that makes hooking up our fresh water hose a breeze!

Once you get your hose to the city water inlet, I recommend an elbow connection to help ensure a good connection. If you have a different water connection, you may not need this. But my husband swears by this adapter on our Grand Design. It will reduce pressure on your hose at the connection spot and make a clean connection without drips.

We make lots of ice while camping. I typically use boiled water from my kettle to make our ice. It just tastes better that way.

Water Use at the Campground

So, once the water is hooked up, what else do you need to know? Well, much of this is going to be driven by the type of camping that you do. We typically camp with full hookups. We aren't worried about using up our tank capacity.

I use my electric kettle and boil lots of water. After we get hooked up, I boil my first kettle of water. Once it is cooled, I start using it to make ice. I will even boil extra water for our water bottles. Its more of a habit at this point. And we all drink water from the faucet in our RV. But, I use lots of boiled water. I really think this improves the quality of our ice. And maybe I'm a slight germaphobe. It is what works for us! And, you do you.

If we have left over water of any kind, it goes down the toilet. This can be left over ice from drinks, water bottles at the end of the day before I clean them or even a dog bowl. Your black tank needs enough water to break down the TP and waste. This is one of the best things you can do to keep everything moving. I don't like to waste water and just pour it down the drain. Putting it down the toilet just puts wasted water to use!

Next, I would suggest flushing with enough water. Flush for at least 10 seconds each time you use the toilet. If you are at a site without full hookups, this is a whole different discussion. I'm not going to factor into that scenario. But, for a full hook up, give your toilet a good flush or you will greatly regret it! Teach your kids to count to 10 when flushing. You can always drain a black tank mid trip if you are at a full hook up site.

The storage bags for hoses is a game changer!

Hoses and Maintenance

Be sure to keep a watch on your hoses. Keep them clean. Keep them stored in a clean place where they won't mold or mildew, and keep them away from anything sewer related. You will want to replace your fresh water hose from from time to time. And, I have a fresh water hose that is one color (white) and our black tank flush hose is bright orange. I never get them mixed up because they are different colors entirely. We use hose storage bags from Camco. We have one for our fresh water hose, one for our black tank flush hose and one for the electrical cord. We also use a set of wrap it straps to keep everything secure and in place. My husband swears by these!

Our new black tank flush inlet valve solved a small leak we had!

Different colored hoses keep you from mixing up your hoses!

Finally, those connections and inlets for water on your RV will wear out at some point. Replace them when needed. Our black tank flush inlet on our RV started to leak this spring. So, I replaced it with a new part. Problem solved. This is a 10 minute repair that cost about $22 for the part. Keep a watch on your connections. If you see that they are loose, cracked or leaking, it may be time for a change. A little upkeep small items will keep your investment running for the long haul. Don't neglect your RV and you will enjoy it so much more!

RV water doesn't have to be a big deal unless you make it one. It is like everything else on your RV. Take care of it, and you are good to go. We use our RV quite a bit. If you are looking for other camper related gear for your rig, check out my Amazon Store. I have everything divided by category. I do recommend using only RV specific products for your tanks and RV in general. This line of thinking has served us well over time.

If you have questions, feel free to drop me a line or make a comment at the bottom of this post. I love to hear from readers. Until next time...happy camping!

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