Understanding How Water Tanks Work for a Popup Camper
Some popup campers have water systems underneath the camper, some don’t and that’s ok. If you have a pop-up camper with a water system, you might not have both a freshwater and a wastewater system. Newer popup camper models from the 2010s and newer start putting both in larger PUP models.
Underneath the trailer, you will be able to see one or two large boxes that have pipes connecting to the trailer. There are two basic water systems that function independently from each other. If you have your camper’s manual, you will be able to find out the capacity that each tank can carry and which services you have. Knowing how much water your tanks can hold is extremely imperative. Typically, a popup camper has 5 to 15 gallons tanks but newer campers could have 30 gallons.
The two basic water types systems
Freshwater system:
This box houses fresh, clean, and drinkable water. If your camper has a connector for city water, then you can bypass the holding tank or fill the tank up, and then you can disconnect the hose. You can also add fresh water via a large container to the connect by a spout. You can buy these at the store or create your own.
Wastewater system:
This could have two different boxes called greywater and black water, which is considered dirty water from your toilet, shower, dirty dishes, etc. Grey water tanks hold water from doing dishes, brushing your teeth, or shower water and usually from the kitchen sink or shower stall. Black water tanks hold nasty water from the toilet. This tank is handled carefully, and you should use gloves. This is not drinkable water and should never be mixed up.
How to tell what type of tank you have in your camper
If you have only one box underneath your camper, this means it is either your wastewater or freshwater tank. To determine which one you have, look at the box for stickers or details describing what type of box it is. If it is one or the other all you need is either a freshwater hose to connect to your freshwater inlet value located shore side of the camper and the box is your wastewater tank. If you have a freshwater tank, then you will have a pipe below your camper to install a hose to connect to a wastewater portable holding tank, which you can store underneath the camper.
City Water Connection
To attach a city water hookup to your popup camper, you need to first find the freshwater inlet. This is located on the shore side or the driver’s side of the camper. The camper’s freshwater inlet has a female hose fitting and should fit a male fitting from a clean water hose. The other side of the hose is a female end and should hook up to the campground’s spigot.
Use only a designated hose only for freshwater use. The hoses are mainly white or blue and should not be used for no other purpose than filling your freshwater tank or attaching city water connections to the camper and come in serval lengths. Do not use a standard water hose or pocket hose, these are not food grade and can contain bacteria.
It is in best practice to use a water pressure regulator value when hooked up to city water. This can be very costly if you don’t damage plumbing pipes inside the camper. Another item to buy is a water filter, this will help with hard water and better-tasting water. These two items don’t cost much but can help you a whole lot when camping.
Emptying your water tanks
Both tanks should have a plug or a cap that will close and open. This should connect to a long-specialized hose with little to no mess. The hose should be long enough to connect to the RV dump station or site’s sewer drain or a portable wastewater.
How to sanitize popup camper’s freshwater tank
You should clean and sanitize your freshwater tanks at least 2 to 4 times a year. The main times to do so are when you pull the camper out for the camping season(de-winterizing) and when you store it away for winter (winterizing) Occasionally you will want to do this if your freshwater tank has a sour odor or has a bad taste. This my friend is caused by bad water, bacteria, or long periods of irregular use. Good thing though this is easy to fix look below at how to sanitize your water tanks.
A How-to Guide to De-winterize A Popup Camper & Prepare for Camping Season
