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Where to Fill RV Freshwater Tank? – 5 Reliable Places

Writen by Tom Hank

Fact checked by Joseph Varney

where to fill rv freshwater tank

A fresh water supply is important when you are traveling in your RV. You can use the freshwater to shower in your rig’s bathroom or cook healthy food while camping.

Although some campgrounds will already have RV fresh water fill stations, it can be challenging to find locations to refill your rig’s freshwater tank. So where to fill RV freshwater tank?

In this article, you will know the different RV water fill stations that you can use in various scenarios. You will also know how to find some of these locations the easy way, which can be ideal if you are away from a residential area or RV camping grounds.

Table of Contents

Where to Fill RV Freshwater Tank – 5 Places

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Finding places to fill up your RV’s fresh water tank can be a challenge. In some cases, it is possible to walk up to a local and ask that person for information about the nearest RV water fill up stations.

On the other hand, you can also keep reading to get an idea of where to get water for RV.

Campgrounds

As mentioned previously, many campgrounds have built-in stations for filling RV water tank. However, some camping areas tend to stretch for miles so that it can become a time-wasting effort to search for these locations.

Instead of wasting time and gas trying to figure out the areas to refill fresh water tank during camping, it is best to grab a map of the area.

For example, Yellowstone National Park has different campgrounds that have water refilling stations for your RV. However, the entire park has over 8,000 square kilometers of land, which means it can take days before you find these water stations.

It is at this moment that you should use the map to find and mark these locations. You can also use the map to draw an ideal path that will lead you to those areas.

Travel Centers or Truck Stops

Getting water at a travel center or truck stop can become a game-changer for some RVers.

You can ask the person in charge of these establishments whether there are spigots to refill your RV’s freshwater tank. Furthermore, many of these locations can help you refill your RV’s freshwater supply for free.

It is because many truck stops have a water spigot next to their gas pumps. Use this tool to resupply your motorhome, camper, or travel trailer with potable drinking water while you are on the go.

United States Forest Service (USFS) Campgrounds

When you are not camping in the mountains, you may like to park your vehicle in the boondocks or certain campsites run by the USFS. Here, you can usually find bathrooms and water spigots nearby.

Sometimes, you will find a spigot that doesn’t have a thread on it. If you have a water bandit, make sure to attach it to the spigot. If so, you can gather potable water from the spigot, particularly if the water flow is reasonably strong.

Gas Stations

If you see a gas station, you can likely find a standard outside spigot nearby that you can use. Attach an RV freshwater hose to the spigot and connect it to your rig’s water tank.

Take note that it can be rude to enter a gas station, use the spigot, and drive away. Instead, be courteous and gas up at the station. Then, ask the person in charge to use the establishment’s spigot to refill your freshwater supply.

In many cases, the gas station’s staff would be kind enough to let you use their spigot. However, some may require you to pay for the service, but it should not cost a lot of money.

Online Sources

Some RVers are now giving back to the community by developing and sharing apps and websites that can help others locate freshwater refilling stations.

If you want to use a freshwater refilling location detecting app, access your mobile device’s app store. Android users can access the Google Play Store while iOS users can use the Apple App Store. Search for relevant apps like Campendium or Trucker Path.

On the other hand, if you do not want to download apps on your smartphone, you can use the Internet to search for nearby RV water refilling stations. Make sure to use keywords like RV water fill up stations near me to help refine your search.

How to Refill RV Freshwater Tank

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After finding the ideal location to refill your RV’s freshwater supply, you still have to go through the process of refilling the tank. Here, you will know how to achieve that.

Refill an RV Freshwater Tank Using Gravity Fill Connection

Connect the tank with a freshwater hose and attach the other end to a spigot. Then, use the hose to pour water into the tank with the gravity fill. If you do not have a hose, you need to use a funnel to pour water from a container and into the gravity fill.

Refill an RV Freshwater Tank Using a Hookup

Using a hookup to refill a freshwater tank in an RV is perhaps the easier method as opposed to using a gravity fill. However, this is not readily available for all types of RVs.

If you have access to water hookup, find a tube by the driver’s side. The compartment should have a clear label for this tube that says something like ‘Fresh Clean Water’.

If you are going to refill your RV’s freshwater tank using a city water connection, you should find an orange adapter at the end of this hose and connect it to the freshwater source’s spigot. This attachment is a pressure regulator, allowing you to prevent hose or pipe ruptures during refilling operations.

Link the other end of the ‘Fresh Clean Water’ tube to the ‘City Water Connection’ on the Driver’s rear side.

Once the attachments are firmly in place, turn on the station’s spigot slowly. You should be able to see the water going through the system after 20 seconds. If not, contact a person in charge to help you out.

Additionally, do not turn on your RV’s water pump while you are refilling water. Otherwise, the extra pressure may generate a backflow, which can damage the entire system.

Conclusion

When using the freshwater tank, you might find the amount of water you consume surprising.

Remember to conserve water while camping. Otherwise, you might find it more challenging than usual to find where to fill the RV fresh water tank.

If you find yourself in that situation, here is a quick summary of the steps that you should follow:

  • Ask locals for nearby freshwater refilling stations
  • Search for places like RV campgrounds, truck stops, and travel centers
  • Use online sources to help you search for ideal water refilling locations
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