no-logic
Colgate, Wisconsin
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When my wife and I are on longer trips we often have to add more fresh water in order to shower, wash up, and do dishes. In the past we've used 2 x 5 gallon jugs to add fresh water. I devised a system where using the house water pump we can pump it into the fresh tank. But we are getting older and these jugs can be hard to deal with. We want to buy a new Rhino 15 gallon waste water tote in order to replenish our water as it has wheels and would make life easier. A friend told me that these are not safe for potable water. We don't drink from our fresh tank and won't store water in this tote. It would strictly be for topping off the fresh tank. Has anyone else done similar or have any input on doing this?
Thanks!
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TexasShadow
Spring Branch, TX USA
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I can't think of a reason against using a new water tote for fresh water, but I would be sure to mark it clearly as potable water ONLY.
TexasShadow
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BB_TX
McKinney, Texas
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Do you use the fresh water tank for cooking? Dish washing? Tooth brushing? Even if you do not normally, I still would not put any questionable water in the fresh water tank.
Some of the totes are made with HDPE plastic which is considered safe for food and drinking water. As long as the tote was never used for anything but clean potable water and sanitized periodically I see no reason not to use one to transport fresh water. Use a large permanent marker to mark it POTABLE WATER ONLY.
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agesilaus
North Florida
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You can buy a 30 gal, or larger, bladder that will fit in the back of your truck. And much cheaper than one of those totes. Amazon has them
29 gal
* This post was
edited 08/04/22 09:30am by agesilaus *
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Lwiddis
Southern California :(
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I wouldn't do so unless the plastic container is approved for drinking water.
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camperfamily
New Jersey
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Second something in bed of truck. A 12v pump isn't terribly expensive to use to pump the water from there into your fresh tank (if your current arrangement can't do this). At the end you have no heavy lifting or moving and a bladder is easily stowed away.
Would I use a waste tote for potable water? Likely not. There's other options.
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Matt_Colie
Southeast Michigan
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I had a collapsible wagon that I put lots of things in to move them and one was a marine water bladder. The bladder was just that and the wagon could be folded up and stowed on board.
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IAMICHABOD
Sunny So Cal
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I see no reason not to use a new unused tote you described.It is made out of HDPE it is widely approved by both standards organizations and code agencies for potable cold water applications.
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ktmrfs
Portland, Oregon
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Since waste water tanks are focused on waste not drinking water, there are lots more materials they can use, including "regrind" or waste plastic that has been reprocessed. If so, not knowing what material was used, once could end up with stuff leaching into the water that you don't want around you. Look on the tank and see if it says X% recycled material. If so I'd be concerned. That recycled material could be food grade regrind or it could be reprocessed assorted who knows what.
If the tank is approved for potable water don't see any issues as long as you can make sure it isn't accidentally used for non potable water.
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dedmiston
Coast to Coast
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I'm not a picky person and I believe in the five second rule. I assume that anything on the list of stuff that's going to kill me has probably happened and is already fermenting in my body somehow, waiting to spring into action when I least expect it.
But drinking from the stinky tote (even if it's never been stunk up yet) is definitely on my personal No-Fly List, especially when there are better ways to do it.
The bladder in the bed of the truck with a portable pump sounds like a winner to me.
Even if you aren't afraid of the cooties or tumor pills inside the tote, think about the weight. If you're already struggling with your 5 gallon jugs, then a tote is going to be even worse even if it has wheels on one end.
I guess one more option though would be to just buy more of the jugs and don't fill them to the point where you can't carry them. Four jugs with 2.5 gallons would be more manageable than two jugs with 5 gallons. Maybe that's easier said than done though, because I typically fill my 5 gal fuel jugs with 5.5-6 gallons because that's what my caveman brain tells me to do (bring as much as will fit into the container).
Anything but the tote though for me. And my queen would nix that plan even faster than I would.
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