Tips to Minimize Water on Your Next RV Trip

One of the things new RVers don’t realize is just how much water you can use while staying in an RV. Between washing dishes, taking showers, and rinsing sand off, you can go through a lot of water. In an RV, there are several occasions where water conservation is a priority.

If you plan an extended stay at a campground that does not have a sewer hookup, for example, you can only use as much water as your gray tank will hold. If you don’t want to break camp and run to a dump station, you’ll need to watch your water use.

There might be occasions where you don’t have a water hookup, too. In that case you can fill your fresh water tank, but if you want it to last your entire stay, you must conserve it. So, to help you conserve water in your RV, here are some tips.

Know your tank’s capacity

Before you go on an RV trip, know how big your tanks are. You should know how much your fresh water tank can hold and how big your gray and black tanks are. Break out your owner’s manual to get those numbers.

Don’t trust your gauges

Most RVers will tell you that tank gauges aren’t always accurate. So, if the gauges aren’t right, how do you know how much water you’ve used from your fresh tank or how full your gray water tank is?

In time, you’ll know your habits and RV so well that you’ll know how long your tanks can last. You can use your gauges as a reference but know that they’re not always spot on.

Limit your dirty dishes

When you’re planning your meals, think of easy things you can grill or make one-pot meals that won’t dirty many dishes.

Another way to limit dishes is to keep paper plates and plastic silverware on hand. When you’re done eating, you can toss the mess right in the garbage; no washing necessary.

Teach kids to conserve water too

Kids love to play in water, even when washing their hands or brushing their teeth. Teach the kids to turn the tap off while they’re doing these chores to converse water.

Limit your shower times

Be sure to limit shower times too. After a long day exploring, it’s so easy to slip into the shower and stand under the hot water for a bit, but you have to be mindful of how long you’re in the shower. If conserving water is a priority, a five-minute shower is sufficient.

Rinse sand off outside

Rather than wash sand off in the shower, use the water hookup outside or go to the nearest bathhouse. If you do this outside, you’re not using water from your fresh water tank or pushing unnecessary water into your gray tank.

Using water in an RV is different from using it at home. Usually, you need to converse water, and you can do so by changing some of your habits. Hopefully, these tips will help you conserve water.