Will the water to go off or taste bad??

No bad taste or sign of slime.

It is treated Brisbane water,

You gotta be joking eh Oldplodder.
If the water out of my tank tasted like Brisbane water I would change it.

The theory is good, but in practice I doubt the tank would fully dry while still connected, at least not for a very long time. Having a nice moist environment may induce growth, even without direct sunlight.

Personally, I tend to top mine up and then (if I remember) change the water before the next trip.

Cheers
Gerry

Mazcan,

Is this factual, commonly accepted as good practice in the/your caravaning fraternity or just your experience? (Maybe a combination of all three)

I have only ever emptied the tank on the CT and never thought too much otherwise about the science of it.

hi spade
i have practised what i preached above from 1980 when i bought my first van right through to 2005 when i quit my third van and if you read the other threads herein
you will see others do like wise with good results and its all 3 for me over many years
as i said algae needs -air /space and sunlight to grow a full black poly tank and black poly connecting hoses deprives it of these elements
it only ever grew in my tank when left half full like someone else said you can drain a tank but it does'nt mean the tank is bone dry

and i found out by trial and error that mine alway had water still in it even after i thought i had drained it and thats all algae needs to start growing quiet rapidly

i have also had many years of experience on a farm with the same issues in water tanks and troughs exposed to sunlight and air half full and full
what more can i say
take it or disbeleive it the choice is entirely yours does'nt really bother me i'm easy no sweat
but i dont write stuff on here to mislead anyone and hope it is of use and hopefully
be helpfull to someone if not all
cheers and enjoy a good drop of h2o

Mazcan,
I was not trying to be a doubting Thomas. Just genuinely interested in the background of the practice.

When is algae actually bad for you?

I grew up where our drinking water came directly from a dam that was full of slime about 50 acres in area. The inlet point was less than 100 metres from our house. The home tank the was stored had a healthy lining of slime also. The only filtering was for the benift of the water pump and not the consumers. Don't recall it tasting bad as we probably just thought that taste was normal. All the additives gave the water "texture".

I know some algae are toxic but surely most aren't. Otherwise I would be dead.

hi spade
now your digging deep
i really dont know the specific reason what or when it becomes toxic but the algae blooms they get in rivers /streams and lakes seems to be the stuff thats toxic as it kills fish and bird life
but it receives run off water from polluted areas all sorts of contaminants a lot more so than a roof catchment
ive drank water like you from static supplies where algae was present and provided you dont stur it up must be ok as like you i'm still alive
but maybe/ could be a bit green -----lol
cheers

X2

Couldn't agree more - lived on rainwater for over 16 yrs in the country and only problem was when small animals or birds sometimes got in the tank. Never drain my camper trailer tanks and water seems good. Just to be safe though I always take a few 10L 'cubes' and use these exclusively for drinking water, hot drinks, cooking and cleaning teeth. Use my water tanks for dishes, washing up, showers etc. Even have two kettles, one for each water type. Main reason for being a bit paranoid is that I know I've got good water quality at home but have no idea really when topping up all over the place. 10L cubes are cheap and readily available. Cheap insurance.

Cheers

TG

We have one caravan tank for drinking water only, so revert to that only if normal fill water doesn't pass the taste test or if we run out of general water, although we only top up any tanks with water we think is OK. If water is a bit sus, but OK for washing etc, i use it straight from the bucket (this also allows any sediment in river water to settle).

Mh

Yep, and you probably would not want to know what birds, reptiles and whatever members of the rat and mouse family are called do on and in your roof and gutters that act as a water catchment for said tanks.

Bon appetite

Cheers Pop

Hi Paul; my sentiments exactly.

As Pop says, these tanks get all sorts of added flavouring and substances to build up our immune systems. I have family and friends in town who regularly come out and fill there drinking water bottles with what ever has accumulated in our tank rather than drink the chemical treated water in town.Water is only boiled for drinking if used in a cup of coffee or tea.

Mh

hi ianw
i have simular size tanks here in bunbury at my house
and use it all year round as i cant stand the poison that comes through the scheme pipes it makes me feel sick if i drink it i take water to perth when i go cant drink their frog pee either

i flush my gutters out 3 times a year if need be
but usually twice is enough my tanks are fibre glass and black inside and no light gets in
i looked in them today with a spot light and theres no algae and every one that comes here and has a cup of tea say its the best cuppa they'd had in a long time whats my secret ---the answer is ---------rain water
i only turn on the scheme water to wash the driveway/patio or dirt off the vehicles together with truck wash
cheers