How to Properly Connect the RV City Water Inlet

The RV city water inlet is an easy way to provide pressurized water into your RV unit. The RV city water inlet on the outside of the RV makes it possible to hook up to an outside source, such as a campground or residential faucet using a hose, and have pressurized water running on the inside.

To hook up to the RV city water inlet, you must first remove the outside cap and get a hose that is designed for drinking water. A specialized RV drinking water hose is drinking-water safe and made of materials approved by the National Sanitation Association, which means it contains no toxins, rubber, or lead. Attach the hose to the unit directly or you can use an elbow connector to make it easier to get connected and disconnected to the RV city water inlet.

Once connected to the RV city water inlet, pressurized water will come into your unit, bypassing the water pump. This provides pressurized water to faucets, showers, and toilets. On newer models with an enclosed service center, you can also fill the freshwater tank by switching the valve inside near the tank.

Be careful of the pressure when connecting to the RV city water inlet, because some campgrounds use wells with a pump and can have high pressure levels. Even outside garden hoses can have high pressure levels. It may be necessary to connect a regulator to the hose before attaching it to the RV unit. This will keep the water pressure coming into your RV around 40 to 60 psi. Another suggestion is to attach a filter to remove any sediment and water contaminants before the water enters the unit.

Having pressurized water coming into your RV will give you the water you need to cook, take showers, and use the bathroom. This is definitely one of the benefits of connecting to a water source while taking an RV vacation.

Another video from RV Repair Club shows you how to install a quick-release adapter to your RV city water inlet to make it easier to connect to water sources.

12 Responses to “How to Properly Connect the RV City Water Inlet”

1. John B Lewis March 5th, 2022

   I always hook up to the hose bib, then turn the water on before connecting to the RV. This clears the air out of the hose, to minimize hammering when faucets are turned on. I also let the water run a little bit before connecting to the RV, in case there is any rust in the supply lines.

   Reply

2. Carl May 17th, 2021

   I need a new connection as the plate is rusted. The round plate mounted on the RV. I see replacement parts online – but are these basically universal? I cant fine a real store that I can visit that carries these so I need to order online and afraid I will get the wrong one.

   Reply

   • Customer Service May 17th, 2021

     Hello Carl,

     Thank you for contacting us.

     What is the year, make, model of your RV please?

     If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3536, or chat with us on our site.

     We greatly appreciate your business!

     Sincerely,

     Lindsay
     RV Repair Club Video Membership

     Reply

3. Isaiah July 7th, 2020

   Dumb novice question – once you’re connected, is it safe/correct to leave the water flowing into the RV continuously, or do you turn it off and on as needed? Is there an internal mechanism to prevent overfilling?

   Thanks

   Reply

   • Customer Service July 7th, 2020

     Hello Isaiah!

     That’s a great question!

     The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members to our online community. We do have a promotional offer if you are interested. This would include access to expert advice (like this), plus discounts, hours of Premium videos, etc. Please feel free to take a look. You can message us right back with your question if you decide to become a member and you will have a response within 1-2 business days from our experts!

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     If you have any further questions, please contact Customer Service at 1-855-706-3536 at your earliest convenience, or chat with us on our site.

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     RV Repair Club Video Membership

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4. Janelle robertson December 31st, 2018

   recent purchased a 20014 Milan trailer, discover a water spot right at doorway of bathroom wihtin 10 minutes of turning it on where can this possibly come from

   Reply

   • Customer Service January 4th, 2019

     Hello Janelle,

     You would have to check all of the plumbing in that area. It could be a bad fitting, bad connection, cracked water line, crack in the hot water tank, water valve on rear of toilet leaking etc. Open all cabinets in the area, check under the sink and behind the toilet. These are the most common places that water could be coming from. Really the only way to find a leak is trace the water and check all of the plumbing in the area.

     I hope this helps!

     Dan
     RV Repair Club Video Membership

     We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
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5. Michael October 21st, 2018

   I see someone already suggested that r pressure regulator should be a faucet, minimizes possible hose bursting.

   Reply

6. brenda luis May 1st, 2018

   We have brand new 2018 5th wheel we were trying out the water ..we weren’t sure if we had anti freeze from dealer in lines… while connecting to city water…we have water in bathroom and toilet..but our kitchen sink is in the rear of camper… no water…we have the bypass off..which is located in compartment of storage….. any suggestions on why this is happening???

   Reply

   • Customer Service May 8th, 2018

     Hello Brenda,

     The bypass valve typically is designed for the water heater so you can drain the water heater and bypass around it to add antifreeze. This way you don’t need 6 gallon of RV antifreeze in the water heater. It should not have anything to do with the water lines going to the kitchen? I would believe there must be a shut off valve in line to the kitchen? Follow the lines from the kitchen working up to the water pump and I would think you can find the valve.

     Thanks,

     David
     RV Repair Club Video Membership

     We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership.
     https://go.rvrepairclub.com/C12241

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7. Jim Manning June 23rd, 2015

   This vid should be replaced. Tell us to put the pressure regulator at the tap; one filter at the coach; and a finer filter under the sink for drinking water.

   Reply

   • Customer Service Techs June 26th, 2015

     Hi Jim. Thanks for watching the video and for the feedback. We love getting comments from our community. You bring up some really good points. This particular video was intended to be more of a general overview of the city water system and some suggestions to improve water quality/taste. We have actually shot some more in-depth videos that show installing the pressure regulator at the tap and an in-line filter that will be posted to the site in the future, so you’re points are right on the mark. And we’ll certainly be shooting more segments around water systems in the future. Again, thanks for watching and love the comments…keep them coming!

     Safe travels!

     Dave

     Reply