How Long will a Fresh Water Tank last on a Travel Trailer

Every time we go camping, we have to fill our fresh water tank so we have adequate water available for our needs. Sometimes this is easy if we are only going for a few nights, vs needing to conserve water to make it last for a longer duration. This guide will help you conserve and get to know your fresh water tank.

How long will a fresh water tank last on a travel trailer?

A fresh water tank will last 2-3 days for a couple of two using the trailer and even less if there are more occupants. This is based on an average usage of 6 gallons each per day and a water capacity of 30 gallons. If you conserve water, this can be stretched out significantly.

The fresh water tank and system is one of the most vital systems in your RV in which you need to keep maintained and in good working order. The fresh water tank supplies you with water for your shower, sinks, and outdoor shower. This is one system you cannot afford to be without on a camping trip. Follow the guide below to make sure it will stay in tip top shape.

Travel Trailer Fresh Water Tank Guide

How long will a full fresh water tank last?

The length of time a full fresh water tank will last will depend on the tank size, quantity of occupants, as well as now it is used. An average water use in a travel trailer is about 6 gallons of water per day, therefore, a couple of 2 could last about 2 days if they have a 25 gallon tank to 4 days if you have a 52 gallon tank.

Our travel trailer has a 31 gallon tank and we have made it over 8 days before. We used the campground showers, and only used the water in the trailer to wash hands or use the toilet. We could have lasted longer as we did not know how much water was left in the tank when we were finished with our camping trip.

What is the Fresh Water Tank on an RV?

The fresh water tank on your RV is a tank where freshwater is stored for use in your travel trailer. The fresh water tank differs from the city water inlet as it uses the water pump to provide pressure to the water systems in use vs always having pressure from the city water service.

How to Conserve Water in your Travel Trailer

There are 5 simple tips to conserve water in your travel trailer

Turn off water when you are lathering up in the shower

Turn off water when you are lathering up your hands while washing
Use a water bandit to fill your tank if your campground does not have threads on the water supply to add water to the tank
Change your shower head to a low flow model

When doing dishes, fill up a container or side of sink to wash and the other to rinse

Average RV Water Tank Size

The average RV water tank can vary greatly in size, using the examples below, we found tanks ranging from 31-48 gallons. These water tank sizes can last from 5-8 days at a usage rate of 6 gallons per day. Using this rate, you would need to use campground showers, or take a 1 minute shower with a low flow 2 gallon per minute shower head and use only 4 gallons for washing hands and toilet use.

RV Make and Model	Average Fresh Water Tank Size Gallons
Winnebago Micro Minnie	31
Keystone Bullet	43
Winnebago Minnie	37
Dutchmen Aspen Trail	52
Jayco Jay Flight	42-48

RV Fresh Water Tank Storage

Typically we store our RV with the water tank empty ready to fill for our next trip. Sometimes, before I drive the trailer from storage to our house, I will add a small cap full of bleach to a few gallons of fresh water to sanitize the tank and drain before I fill again. This will not fully sanitize the water system, but will help keep your tank fresh and ready to go each time you go camping.

Tip: Always use a drinking water safe hose and a filter for filling your RV

How to Drain RV Fresh Water Tank

Most RV’s will have a low point drain under the water tank. For us, it is right under the stairs to enter the RV. All you need to do is turn the valve open and the water tank will drain. You may have some residual water, so you may want to add some new fresh water to the tank and drain again. Another way to drain the residual water is to drive with the water tank drain open. This will evacuate the majority of water out of your tank.

How to Keep RV Water Fresh

To keep your RV water as fresh as possible, make sure your water tank is sanitized whenever you begin to question the quality of your tank and water lines. We always dump our fresh water and fill with new water each time we take our trailer out as to not have to worry about stale water. Always use a good quality water source with a water filter on your hose prior to filling your RV and you will eliminate many contaminants before they can enter your RV.

How to Sanitize the Fresh Water Tank in your RV

Drain water heater

Drain low point drains
Drain holding tank
Add ¼ cup bleach for every 15 gallons of water to tank

Fill water tank full
Turn on faucets until you can smell bleach
Go on drive to slosh water around in the tank

Let sit for 12 hours
Drain water tanks
Fill up with fresh water

Run faucets until you can no longer smell bleach

How Long to Keep Fresh Water in RV Tank

We have seen that your water will last as long as 6 months if you have a good healthy water tank and system. In our experience, we dump our tank after each trip and fill before we go out so we always have fresh water. With the low point drain under most RV’s, this makes it so simple to drain your water that there is no excuse not to have fresh water for each camping trip.