Fresh water tank drain

Smitty325

Active Member
Can someone tell me how to drain my fresh water tank? That water tastes of plastic, and I hoped to drain and refill before our next run. I have a Road Warrior 427, 2017 model.

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pjones1969

Well-known member
There should be a single piece of blue pex with a 1/4 turn valve hanging down below your chloroplast underbelly, you should also see a blue and red together and those will be your low point drains for your water system


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Gary521

Well-known member
We have never liked the taste of the water so we don't drink it. We have always used bottle water for drinking and cooking.
 

Smitty325

Active Member
There should be a single piece of blue pex with a 1/4 turn valve hanging down below your chloroplast underbelly, you should also see a blue and red together and those will be your low point drains for your water system


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I have seen those, not knowing what they are. Am I safe assuming we should drain after each trip?

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Smitty325

Active Member
We have never liked the taste of the water so we don't drink it. We have always used bottle water for drinking and cooking.
That is exactly what I do now. Wish I could get the taste of plastic out.

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travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
That is exactly what I do now. Wish I could get the taste of plastic out.

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Using the search engine here on the forum enter "sanitizing fresh water tank" and you'll find multiple threads on the topic.
Performing this task should be routine maintenance. The water from our tank doesn't smell or taste like anything...


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Smitty325

Active Member
Using the search engine here on the forum enter "sanitizing fresh water tank" and you'll find multiple threads on the topic.
Performing this task should be routine maintenance. The water from our tank doesn't smell or taste like anything...


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Great, thanks

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travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
Great, thanks

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I should have added that including a quality taste and odor filter between the hydrant and water fill is beneficial as well as sometimes you could be inadvertently contaminating your tank.
Case is in point, although we weren't using the FW tank, the water source at the Goshen rally was heavily chlorinated but after passing through our filter and softener that chlorine smell was nonexistent at the indoor fixtures.


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danemayer

Well-known member
I have seen those, not knowing what they are. Am I safe assuming we should drain after each trip?

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Depends how long between trips and how close it is to winter. If we get home but are going out again in a few weeks, I don't drain the fresh tank.
 

Lynn1130

Well-known member
My answer to draining is "ALWAYS". But, then, I live in a climate where bacteria and algae can grow in a matter of hours. I drain the fresh tank when leaving the camp and drain the low points and water heater once home. I forgot the water heater once and the water coming out was black within a few days.
 

Smitty325

Active Member
My answer to draining is "ALWAYS". But, then, I live in a climate where bacteria and algae can grow in a matter of hours. I drain the fresh tank when leaving the camp and drain the low points and water heater once home. I forgot the water heater once and the water coming out was black within a few days.
Eweeeeuu. Im a believer. In the texas heat and humidity, we will NOT take chances....thanks for the heads up

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New here and Just bought a leftover new 2015 Bighorn 3875FB love it so far. It was winterized at the dealer so we have not used the plumbing since we got it home, there is a blue fresh water drain but cannot find the low water blue and red drains underneath. The dealer was supposed to find but it fell Thu the cracks. Cannot find them in the underbelly. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
 

danemayer

Well-known member
New here and Just bought a leftover new 2015 Bighorn 3875FB love it so far. It was winterized at the dealer so we have not used the plumbing since we got it home, there is a blue fresh water drain but cannot find the low water blue and red drains underneath. The dealer was supposed to find but it fell Thu the cracks. Cannot find them in the underbelly. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Stffifthwheel,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. There's lots of useful information here along with a great bunch of friendly and helpful people.

Bighorns don't have low point drains. They were discontinued quite a few years back on the large 5th wheels because in sub-freezing weather, ice can wick up into the tee, blocking water flow inside the coach.
 

SMinter

Member
Unfortunately, you cannot really drain the fresh water tank. The drain fitting on the tank is a bit above the bottom of the tank so there is always a half inch or so of water left. Also the bottom of the tank will sag down some holding even more water. I always sanitize the tank and then flush it a few times before filling for a trip. We drink bottled water but do use the tank water for coffee, teeth brushing, etc. Have never really had a problem.
 

CoveredWagon

Well-known member
Hi Stffifthwheel,

Bighorns don't have low point drains. They were discontinued quite a few years back on the large 5th wheels because in sub-freezing weather, ice can wick up into the tee, blocking water flow inside the coach.

Our 2018 does
 

CoveredWagon

Well-known member
That's interesting. So do you have a red and blue line, side-by-side with valves on them? Also, where do they penetrate the underbelly at? Your confirmation could be valuable to others if this feature has returned.

I was referring to a fresh water tank drain only. It is a blue line. It hangs down a couple of inches below the corplast and has a drain valve at the end. I don’t remember exactly but it’s on the off door side I think behind the rear axle. It is inside of the fram rail. There’s also a drain valve line on the ice maker line. I found that when I first turned on the city water. It is located under the kitchen slide right up against the floor between the axles. The factory had left it opened I assume because the coach was built in January / February and delivered to MI in March.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
I was referring to a fresh water tank drain only. It is a blue line. It hangs down a couple of inches below the corplast and has a drain valve at the end. I don’t remember exactly but it’s on the off door side I think behind the rear axle. It is inside of the fram rail. There’s also a drain valve line on the ice maker line. I found that when I first turned on the city water. It is located under the kitchen slide right up against the floor between the axles. The factory had left it opened I assume because the coach was built in January / February and delivered to MI in March.

Hi Dave - thanks for the confirmation. Yeah, the fresh water tank drain is generally behind the axle, off-door-side, a blue PEX line with a plastic turn valve on it.
 
Our 2009 Bighorn has the fw drain that hangs down a couple of inches below the belly. It is a real pain to reach for people that can't get down on their knees. Has anyone added an extension to the drain and if so, how did you do it and how does it work? Thanks for info.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Our 2009 Bighorn has the fw drain that hangs down a couple of inches below the belly. It is a real pain to reach for people that can't get down on their knees. Has anyone added an extension to the drain and if so, how did you do it and how does it work? Thanks for info.
Bear in mind that the more line you expose to the outside, you better the chance of freezing the system.

What you may want to do is extend the lines and valves closer the the frame rail to make it easier to get to. Still going to have to get down under there to open them but not have to crawl under very far. Do the extending "above" the underbelly material.
 
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