How does a caravan water system work?
Let’s face it, modern caravans and campers are pretty lux these days. There are so many systems on board to make your camping super comfy, like hot and cold water on tap whenever you like, wherever you are.
But have you stopped to think how your water system actually works? You are probably aware of the items in your water system that you can see ie taps, shower or toilet, but what about all the other parts?
No, the water doesn’t just magically come out of the tap when I turn it on, there are plenty of other components that complete your water system, and some you need to maintain.
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Caravan/Camper Water Storage
Caravans and campers usually have 2 sources of water to feed into your taps, shower or toilet. Onboard water storage via tanks and/or connecting to mains water.
First, I will explain the onboard water system, then what happens with the mains water connection system.
The information in this blog is of a general nature, and will be relevant for most on-road, off-road, or campervan systems.
The Onboard Water System
As the name suggests, you will be carrying water onboard via water tanks, which are mostly mounted under the floor of your caravan. These can be refilled via a fill point, usually mounted in a convenient position on the side of the van. It is a good idea to filter your water as you fill your tanks to keep them as clean as possible.
How to fill your tanks
Always fill with potable water. We always use an in-line filter that is connected to the hose that we use for filling.
It is a good idea to only use a food-grade hose and only use that hose for filling your water tank to avoid cross-contamination.
Grab your food grade hose and in-line filter here
Some caravans will have multiple water tanks that you will need to switch from one to another when one tank runs out of water, and some caravans have automatic switching systems, or some will draw water from both tanks at the same time.
Most caravans will have a water level gauge to show you how much water is left in your tank.
The Caravan Water Pump
Right, you have your tanks full of clean filtered water, so how does it come out of the tap when you turn it on? That job is for the water pump. Most caravans and campers will have a small 12v water pump hidden somewhere, about the size of an average hiking boot.
The pump pressurises the water system, then automatically turns off when a pre-set pressure is reached. When you turn on a tap, the water pump automatically turns on, feeding water from your tank and out of your tap.
Once you turn your tap off, the water pump automatically turns off. You may have heard the buzzing sound of the water pump while it is turned on.
If that pump cycling on and off starts driving you (or the kids) a bit mad, a water accumulator smooths it right out. We’ve covered exactly what one does and how to fit one in our guide to caravan water accumulators.
What to do with your water pump when travelling
A good tip is also to turn off your water pump while travelling or when you are going to be away from your caravan for a while. We had an experience when one of our water pipes suddenly burst.
Luckily, we were in our van at the time, and we could turn off the pump before we lost all of our water in our tank.
Water filtration systems.
Just like at home, you can get water filtration systems for your caravan. We drink from our water tanks all the time, but we use a filter for the water going in, and use a filtration system before it comes out.
Depending on where you want the filtered water will depend on where you place it.
You may only want filtered water from one tap or filtered water to the whole van, including the shower and toilet. But I’m not sure why you would need filtered water for the toilet.
The filters are usually hidden in a cupboard with easy access, so you can change the cartridges from time to time.
Need a water filtration system? Pick up one here
The Grey Water Tank
Some caravans will have sinks and showers. Where does the water go? Into another tank called a grey-water tank. This tank is isolated from the other water tanks, and its job is to store the water that comes from the sink drain and shower drain.
In a lot of areas like national parks and free RV overnight stops, you a not allowed to release any wastewater onto the ground, so it needs to be contained in a sealed system like a grey water tank.
This water can then be released into a public dump point, which can be found in many towns and caravan parks. Just be mindful of the size of your grey water tank so you don’t overfill it before you can get to a dump point.
Most caravans will have a gauge to let you know how full your tank is getting.
Also to note that toilet waste does not enter the grey water tank. The toilet system is a separate system.
Mains water connection.
When you are staying at a caravan park or anywhere you have close access to mains water, you may not want to use your on-board water. You can connect your caravan to mains water and enjoy the benefits of mains pressure, not needing to fill up your water tanks or not running the water pump which can sometimes be a bit noisy.
Whenever connecting to mains water, always make sure your water pump is turned off. Use a food grade hose and the correct connections for the garden-type tap and the inlet mounted on the side of your van, usually near the water tank filler points.
Most connections are common garden tap/hose connections, either brass or plastic. You will need to use a non-return valve on your hose fittings so that no water can flow from your van back into the water source, therefore possibly contaminating the water source.
If you need a pressure reducing valve, check out these here
Another good idea is to fit a pressure-reducing valve to your hose fittings. Some areas have high water pressure that can be too high for the water hose connections within your caravan. This may lead to leaking connections or burst hoses.
We also use the same inline water filter that we use to fill our water tanks connected to our hose. This makes sure that only filtered water enters our caravan’s water system and we can keep it a clean as possible.
Water system maintenance tips
Another good idea is to periodically clean your water tanks so you can have the freshest water as you possibly can.
Most water pumps will have a strainer that you will need to remove and clean periodically. Make sure you turn off the water pump and release the water pressure before you remove the strainer, or you could end up with a face full of water. To release the water pressure, simply turn off the water pump and open up one of your water taps.
Keeping on top of jobs like this is easier with a proper checklist. We use our Caravan Maintenance Schedule to keep track of what’s done and what’s due.
Our thoughts
Hopefully, now you have a little more understanding and maintenance of your water system within your caravan or camper, and the next time you turn the tap on, you know how the water gets there.
