When you purchase an RV, especially for the first time, it can be a bit overwhelming! There are some things that take getting used to and understanding what each component in your RV is can take a bit of time. Here are several terms and systems to become familiar with.
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Fresh Water
The greatest feature of the RV is that it’s a home away from home on wheels! You can cook, shower, and sleep in your vehicle. To make use of every part of your RV, you need to understand the different water systems. Included with the RV is a fresh water system. This allows you to store fresh water, usable when you’re hooked up in an RV park or if you’re roughing it. Included with your hookups is a city water hookup, this is where you get your fresh water or just directly through your pipes to your sink.
Gray Water
There are two different tanks for holding waste water, gray and black. Gray water comes from the sink water and the shower. Refer to the monitor to see if the gray water tank is full. If the sink or shower isn’t draining, this is most likely an indicator the tank is full as well.
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Black Water
The black water tank holds waste and water from the toilet. There are toilet chemicals available for you to add to your tank to keep back the unpleasant odors. Only toilet paper should ever be put in the toilet and make sure you use RV Safe TP. Anything else could plug the black water tank and leave you with a messy repair! We recommend you drain the gray water after the black, to flush out your hose and ALWAYS wear gloves.
Where to Dump
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Most campgrounds will either have dump stations or you’ll have a sewer dump at your campsite. If not there are often local dump stations and even truck stops/gas stations will often have dump stations. Most gas stations offer it as a free service if you get fuel with them.
While this is just the beginning of understanding your RV, knowing the water systems and how they work are important to your health and comfort.