filling water tanks on the road - ettiquite?

Submitted: Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 16:06
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Hi, just wondering what is the accepted practice for filling water tanks on the road when free camping. Are there suitable places to go to access water ie. petrol stations or is a night in a caravan park required?

Sorry if this is a repeat question but I couldnt find anything in the forums. Feel free to direct me elsewhere!

Cheers,
Kelly
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Reply By: Member - John and Val - Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 16:18

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 16:18
Hi Kelly,

You need to keep your eyes open especially outback and top up whenever there is an opportunity todo so. Also depends on the quantity and quality that you want. We usually ask at servos and have never had a knockback. Tourist I places often have a tap (some like at Katherine require a refundable deposit) or can tell you where to find one. Sometimes there is a park in a town, but check that you aren't getting recycled water, ditto with public toilets where there is sometimes a tap.

Some of the free camps have water too - check in one of the free camps books.

FWIW in all our travels, when we bush camp whenever we can we have never run out of water.

Cheers,

Val
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Follow Up By: Member - Gordon T (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 23:11

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 23:11
My on board tanks hold 140L and I am loathe to take that much from a servo even if they approve it. I would certainly fill jerry cans at the servo. I tend to rely on Council (parks, ovals, info centres, silos and other government outlets with a tap. Many places (including servos) now have topless taps which require a special tool to open. This may not be so much as to prevent people stealing water but more about people turning taps on and leaving them running fast when the place is not manned. I carry with me a tap top tool (spanner) which can be purchased at under $10 from most hardware stores - certainly Mitre 10 and Bunnings carry them.
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Follow Up By: Alloy c/t - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:16

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:16
Gordon T , you are a thief , plain and simple every time you use your $10 tool you are stealing water that someone else has to pay for .
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Follow Up By: Member - Gordon T (NSW) - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:46

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:46
Alloy: Thank you for your clarification of my character. You suggested I am a thief – then can I ask if you are dumb? Please re-read my posting: firstly I said I am loathe to fill a 140 L tank at a servo even if approved by the servo operator – then I said water is generally (freely) available at parks and the like. What is the difference between getting water at a council park or a free camping site (where there is water available) – in both cases you are not paying for it so is it thieving? Taking it a step further, if you deposit your rubbish dutifully saved from your week in the nearby National Park and place it in a street bin in the first available town – is that thieving a service from that community?
If you were half alert Alloy, you’d know that most public taps – even servo taps - are now protected by topless taps, as I said not so much to stop thieving of water but to stop wastage by (vandals)leaving taps fully running overnight. How do I know: well, I have been in an environment where it was great fun for drunken idiots (and others) to enter the grounds and turn on the underground taps, leading to flooding of the grounds and a lot of wasted water. Removal of the tap tops stopped this.
Alloy, if you are to get water out of even a servo tap for which you may have asked, most of which have their handles removed, you’ll need your own tap key!
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Follow Up By: Alloy c/t - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:10

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:10
So just because you have tool you are not a water thief when at an unmanned tap at a park or servo or wherever ,,, YOU DONT HAVE PERMISSION ,YOU ARE A THIEF.
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Follow Up By: ModSquad - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:31

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:31
Please maintain respect here. There's no need to SHOUT!
Moderation is just rules

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Follow Up By: Been-Everywhereman - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:44

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:44
My response is not a viscious as alloys,

but keep in mind you are assuming your rule is wide spread, but from my own experience i dont want people pilphering my water so i leave the top off.

I wouldnt use a multifit house key to enter someones house in the outback assuming they only lock the door to keep the crooks out.

We must respect locked doors and keyless taps.
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Follow Up By: Been-Everywhereman - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:45

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:45
Sorry Alloy, i take that back, my appology..
I should have said "direct"
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Follow Up By: Member - Gordon T (NSW) - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 11:41

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 11:41
It is up to the individual whether they “take” the water or not – my point is that even at a servo and most other public places (where you might have asked for the water) because they have a top less tap, you will need the tap key to get the water !!!
It has been my experience, particularly in WA where they seem to have a lot of van parking bays especially in the smaller communities, there is usually a tap at the front of the bay, I suspect to assist vanners with their water needs. Unfortunately, particularly in the west, the water is so hard you’d give it a miss anyway.
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Follow Up By: ross - Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 11:24

Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 11:24
Im with Gordon T,I dont think taking 20-30 litres of drinking water from a govt source is going to hurt anyone.
I forget the cost of scheme water but its only a few cents per 1000 litres.

You can always leave 5c next to the tap and tell them keep the change.
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 11:41

Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 11:41
Hi

Here in sunny Bunbury water out of the tap is $1.237 per 1000 litres (for the first 133 kL). So in this example, for 30 litres the cost would be about 3.7 cents.

Cheers
Greg
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Reply By: kedroncruiser - Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 17:10

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 17:10
it,s always good to ask first.
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Reply By: kev.h - Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 17:21

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 17:21
I always ask and offer to pay have never been knocked back and only had to pay once out west at a servo (they were trucking drinking water in as their tanks had run dry $2.00 was cheap as we were low- only took 50 lt)
Other places to check -Tourist info ctrs, local council depot, country police station - good for local info,I have even stopped and asked a guy watering his front lawn if he could spare a 20 lt jerry full got some local knowledge on where to go and what to see
I never fill from the tanks at free camps take only what i use while there because that's what it is there for
Be careful with random taps in parks and toilet blocks because it could be untreated or even worse treated effluent recycled from their sewer plant unless its signed potable best left alone
Cheers Kev
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Follow Up By: dieseltojo - Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 18:49

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 18:49
Hi folks, Sure pays to ask prior to filling up.
A servo at Lakes Entrance in Vic refused me 20 litres last year, claiming he received a $10000-00 bill due to water thieves. So all his taps were locked off.
I went up the road and the next servo said no worries.
They also got to fill my diesel tank with 150 litres of fuel.
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Follow Up By: Member - Kevin S (QLD) - Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 12:14

Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 12:14
To give away some water to sell some diesel sounds like a good deal to me.
Kevin
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Reply By: Motherhen - Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 20:07

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012 at 20:07
Hi Kelly

As aforesaid servos are a good opportunity. We need fuel more often than water, and if needing water, i ask if we can top up our tanks before deciding to purchase fuel there (if there are other servos in town). Usually they are happy to oblige, but knock backs can be due to not having a suitable tap or having it in the driveway where stopping to fill would block the flow of traffic to the bowsers.

Some Visitor Information Centres have water with easy access - fee or free. If not, ask and they will direct you to a water source if there is one available. Some Shires also have water for a fee, but this may be from a stand pipe so unsuitable for filling tanks. As also said, water in parks may not be potable so be sure to find out first (from Visitor Centre or Shire). Be prepared to pay a fee in some areas.

We can manage on minimal water when in a tight situation, and still go to bed freshly washed each night. We also carry a jerry can of drinking quality water in the tow vehicle for emergencies.

If drawing water from a lake or river, we choose not to put this in our tanks, but use it direct from a bucket so our on board quality water lasts longer. Some people have good filters and pumps so use these sources.

As above and more at Collecting Water and Emergency Survival Water

Motherhen
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Follow Up By: Member - Carl- Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:02

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:02
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You did not say what type of van you were topping up. Road vans almost always require to put the hose into a filler, where off road vans have snap on connectors. Make a snap on filler and mount it on the draw bar of the caravan. Have a hose the right length for quick connections (7 feet) and have it handy in the car. Pull up at the servo and connect the hose first and start filling. Then fill with fuel and go and pay for it. By the time you return, you tank should be full. Take off the connector and leave.

Get a water filter as well. Put a snap on connector to that one as well.

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Follow Up By: Shaker - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:36

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 09:36
Are you suggesting to take the water without asking?
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Follow Up By: Alloy c/t - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:05

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:05
Thats exactly what their doing , stealing water.
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Follow Up By: kev.h - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:32

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:32
Exactly Alloy c/t and the fact you have the special tap key makes it a pre-meditated crime (not opportunistic) I wonder how long before someone gets prosecuted all servos have surveillance cameras these days
Imagine going to pay for your fuel and the the attendant says $200 you say but I only put in $150 of fuel then they say yeah the other $50 is for the water unless you want to be part of a police investigation you have no option but pay
Under Qld law (not sure of other states) there is no controls on water resellers they can charge as they see fit & yes I do work in the water industry and we have prosecuted several water thieves
Simple solution ALWAYS ASK FIRST and respect their decision if they decline
Cheers Kev
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Follow Up By: Member - Carl- Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 17:43

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 17:43
Ok, we are not talking about taking water here when in the outback and where water is in short supply.

The majority of caravan travellers are on the eats coast. In case no one has noticed, the people who man the cash registers in petrol stations do not care. They are there because they cannot do a better job.

If I am stealing water what do we call the $3.00 chocolate bar at a gross profit of 400% that they are selling?

There is a cost of business for tourism and this is part of it.
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Follow Up By: ModSquad - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:05

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:05
Axel, youve made your point, so please leave it at that.
Moderation is just rules

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Follow Up By: OutBack Wanderers - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 22:06

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 22:06
Carl

You should really really watch what you type

"They are there because they cannot do a better job"

Well, excuse me, Mr Carl

And what profession should these dumbo's be doing?

I actually talk to our garbo's, postie, cleaners in malls because they are the ppl who keep the towns services running, obviously, all these lowly paid workers are not good enough to have a job, I'll even bet your down on dole-bludgers too, no matter to you, people in decent jobs are not good enough for you

Anyone who buys anything in the shop is either very rich or dumb, thats why they made supermarkets, cheap cheap

At times Carl, you make sense, but tonight, you've shown your true colours.

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Reply By: Motherhen - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 11:19

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 11:19
Hi Kelly

I hope you haven't been put off by the side swipes here about 'stealing water', while everyone is saying ask first. No doubt like everywhere in society there are people who will sneak in a use water without asking, as they may do with other things too. The general advice stands - most of us do not have problems getting water when out and about.

We did have concerns when coming out of the Northern Territory and into the northern Queensland Artesian water area, where the deep artesian water smells like rotten eggs, despite time in cooling tanks. We went to a CP in Mt Isa to spend a couple of days looking around, and found the town water not nice to drink (it failed my cup of tea test), so didn't put it in the tanks. Knowing what was ahead and our tanks already getting down i was concerned. However when we got to Boulia we found the bore water at the CP fresh and nice so filled up tanks and a few drinking water bottles. This lasted us some weeks, by supplementing it with water use direct from the bucket, all the way to Gloucester in NSW where i had been told the water was good. We were getting the caravan brakes adjusted and asked the mechanic about where we could fill as people had told us there was a park we could go to. He started thinking then said "What am i talking about - i have a tap here and you are welcome to fill up".

Also in small towns where the Shire runs the local caravan park, they usually allow water filling by non-guests either free or for a small fee. You may not know if you didn't ask.

Motherhen
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Reply By: Lucko - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 13:49

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 13:49
You need to be a little careful when using "topless" taps in public places. Sometimes these type of taps are used just because they are using recycled water intended for irrigation only. Sometimes they are marked as such, but not necessarily - something you certainly don't want in your tanks!

Mark
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Follow Up By: Member - johnat - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:44

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:44
Something that seems to get lost in the discussion of "recycled" water is that ALL water is recycled. It goes round and round, no water in the world is "pure, new and unused".

We have, at our place, a BioCycle waste water treatment plant. It treats the grey and black water from our house and the cottage by aeration and chlorine. The output of that unit is almost good enough to drink, especially if passed through an activated charcoal filter.

Most water can be drunk if treated properly. I'd be interested in probably charcoal filter and then UV treatment if I were to be using water from doubtful sources. Trouble is that UV needs 240V input. Makes it awkward to use when "free" camping unless youhave an inverter and plenty of battery capacity.
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 14:33

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 14:33
Yep, always ask.
If you get knocked back, then offer to pay the 5.5cents it costs for 20litres of water, or better still offer twice the cost price!
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Reply By: briann532 - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 20:43

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 20:43
Strewth...............

I logged on after a long time not visiting this site for obvious reasons.

After reading this thread I remembered why I stopped frequenting.

If this is the way you speak to eachother no wonder the country is getting so screwed up.

I thought my fellow travellers would at least have some respect for others.
Obviously not.

I''m pretty certain now, I won't be back.

Sorry to all of you who contibute so valuably and mostly I will miss more than anything is Doug T.........
You, dear man, are a legend and one a lot of people will remember and talk about for years to come.
I wish you well and hope to meet one day.

Brian N
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Follow Up By: Dave W - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:54

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:54
Yeah briann532, got to agree with you mate, there's absolutely no need for this sort of carry on by people who have got similar interests, touring this beautiful country of ours. It's about time some of these cretins out there accepted the fact that we're all entitled to our own opinions whether or not they agree with them. Calling a bloke a thief is totally unacceptable in my opinion and the clown responsible should be barred from posting on this site at all. Wonder if he'd have such a big mouth in a face to face situation!! Hope to god I never end up parking next to him somewhere out there.

Like you I stopped frequenting because of all the nasty crap that was going on. I won't be back.

Dave W
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Follow Up By: Pedirka - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 22:26

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 22:26
Me too briann532, my first time back for many years (surf'n the web).
Things have changed, where's the respect for each other.

This is my first comeback thread, surely it's not like this throughout the forum.
Going to take a look, hope this is a one of?

By the way my feeling about borrowing water is 'if its not yours, always to ask'

I remember years ago (roughly 1994) we were in Marree S.A. At the time the town was running very short of water.
A traveler who left Adelaide 1.5 days previous had forgot to fill his water tanks before leaving and decided to fill his tanks at Marree. No-one said anything but the locals were understandably miffed.

Pedirka
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Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (NT) - Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 14:58

Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 14:58
Brian
Thank you for your kind words, but don't leave us mate, look at it like this , it's only text so let it pass by and go on to the better posts and enjoy EO.

Doug.

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Reply By: Geoff H (Q - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:27

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:27
I believe the forum throws up some great topics with great informative responses.

I don't agree with the way some members word their responses but it's interesting reading and I will keep reading.

I do wonder if any of the antagonists ever travel because I imagine they would be the recipient of a few broken noses if they speak that way face to face.

Regards
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Follow Up By: The Explorer - Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:45

Friday, Jan 27, 2012 at 21:45
Hi

Yes, No doubt about it. They are either good fighters or can run real fast :)

Cheers
Greg
I sent one final shout after him to stick to the track, to which he replied “All right,” That was the last ever seen of Gibson - E Giles 23 April 1874

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Reply By: fisho64 - Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 00:22

Saturday, Jan 28, 2012 at 00:22
yes though its unusual to see Mr Alloy C/T posting twice. Often he posts accurate information, but usually worded in a somewhat confrontational manner-then doesnt return to follow it up.
Much like throwing a rock at a gate then running off when the dogs start barking.
In this case he has returned to "poke the hornets nest" again, a change of "modus operandi" for him/her.
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Reply By: wendy H - Sunday, Jan 29, 2012 at 16:02

Sunday, Jan 29, 2012 at 16:02
Streaky Bay council wanted $20.00 for 50 to 100 litres.......as with most CT tanks water tends to dribble out when filling so we didn't fillup.............drove home with just a little left ......
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