What kind of pump to use

[GMC Hauler]

I am getting ready for a long trip cross country with the trailer and the family. I will have a few guests. Water is a concern. I will be hitting Walmarts and truck stops most of the time. I have a 45 gallon tank. I also have five 6 1/2 gallon water jugs which will be in the back of my truck for extra water. I don't want to hold and pour the water jug into the inlet spout of my tank (too heavy), so I am leaning towards a water pump. What I need to know is what is a cheap way to go, with some reliability and ease of use? Winshield washer pump? another water pump? Plumb into the factory installed water pump? Anyone have any experience in this? Thanks

[JD Diesel]

Have seen those pumps that you hook upto your drill motor. Might work good with a cord less drill motor. have not used one before but think it will work good for that. smile.gif tongue.gif

[VT_mountain_man]

Hauler: I have used the drill Pump that JD talks about before to move water when camping. It works great with a Garden hose and cordless drill. Just have a spare battery pack as I always forget to charge the one in the drill and it goes dead whenever you need it the most. This may not be the fastest way to do the job. But it will work and not cost a lot of time and money. :D

[HowieE]

Why are you carring all that water? I hit Wal Mart and truck stops all the time and draw water when I fuel. Unless you are carring several hundred gallons of fuel you will run out of fuel long before you need water.

[GMC Hauler]

I have heard the truck stops have water, but I have never hit a truck stop with the trailer. I bought the trailer in November. Do all of them have water, most or just a few? Where are the water hoses typically located at? Any advice for drawing water at a fuel station?

The water is for drinking, cooking, cleaning and showering. I will have 4 adults, 2 kids and 2 dogs.

[tanker]

GMC hauler, I use a pump that I insert into my cordless drill, which is slow. I use it to sanitize my fresh water system. (THIS IS A MUST) Don't start out without doing this. Also pick up an inline water filter at Walmart etc. Use this each time you fill. Also check and ask if it is POTABLE WATER! :rolleyes: We use bottled water for drinking, and mixing ice tea, kool-aid etc. We get a gig couple gallon container and put it on the counter for drinking.I don't need to get sick etc. from bad water. We use ours for showers, dishes etc. Don't want to scare you but do use a water filter prior to putting anyones water in your unit.
Water is free almost everywhere. Wish you well. ;)

[saywhat]

Hauling a lot of extra water cross country is going to be a real pain.You can buy bottled drinking water at Walmart or Sams Club, their brand real cheap which is a good idea for cooking and drinking.You might consider getting a Trailer Life directory which lists campgrounds with the pricing and whether they have dumping stations.What goes in has got to come out and traveling with full waste tanks just sucks up more fuel.Probably would be a much more tolerable trip hitting a few more campgrounds than it sounds like you have planned.Not planning your trip for you,just some thoughtful suggestions.

[david]

I have had my trailer for 6 yrs.and have not used
my tank.
So i sanitize and clean it and filled it up!!!
Two weeks ago i left for Vegas and parts in between leaveing from Houston.
I go up I10 to elpasso and just as i was takeing
the exit i hear some thing draging,ut oh.
The bracees holding the tank poped loose and the tank was hanging!
Well i was lucky ,i drained the tank and straped it up.
You don't need that much water,maybe half ,no more.
All in all it was a good trip,i got home yesterday.
That duramax runs like a dream!!!!!!!!!
David :D

[TJ Moose]

GMC Hauler -
Something I use for gas filling without picking up a can is a "shaky siphon" 5 foot of clear tube with a one way valve on one end. You put the valve into the fluid - shake it up and down for a few seconds and it siphons to a lower container. Not fast, but cheap and simple. I've heard some folks say they've seen them at GI Joes (I haven't) or McLendons (I've only seen it at the Renton store) but you can order one from 4WD hardware at www.4wd.com. (http://www.4wd.com.) I think its $8.99 - and used to be that under $10.00 they'd ship for no extra cost. Or if you're headed through Seattle anytime soon, I do have a spare still in the box hanging in the garage.

[BozDMAX]

I did 18 months of cross-country RVing and I would rarely carry much water unless I knew I would be out of range of fresh water. Stop in a all the truck stops and get their system maps (Flying J has a good one) with a summary of their stops with RV dump stations. Hit a truck stop near the end of the day and fill up water then.

Many state parks will allow you to dump for free and you can add water at the same time. As stated by David above, having 360 pounds of water bounding along behind you in a tank is a good way to make a tank drag along the road. There are better memories to have on a cross-country trip than that.

"The Next Exit" is one of the best books we have found for tracking down water and dump stations, and restuarants and fuel and you just about name it - it is the one book we recommend to anyone who is going for a road trip that includes interstates.

Good luck and have fun

[MTTwister]

Also, remember that distilled water for your Iron is usually less than $1 / gallon, sold in most grocery stores.

[markelectric]

For those who need to fill a tank from a portable can, Use a clean bucket with a bilge pump. Just pour the water in the bucket and let the pump push into your rig. Most bilge pumps are not too expensive.