Fresh Water Holding Tank Revisited

[eZAK]

Here are my findings so far;

Assuming the Fresh water tank holds 50 gal. (as confirmed on this forum)
I drained 6 gal. from the drain valve (after pump ran cont.)

[Water heater in 'bypass' and drained (12gal.) water hold about 1gal. before and after tank drain]

That leaves me with only 44gals. of usable water!
A far cry from the advertised/stated 66gals. Unacceptable!

I will update this post when I hear from Keystone.

[mhs4771]

Remember that disclaimer at the bottom of just about any MFRs specs:
"Specs subject to change". Covers them for any difference.

[prndl]

The specs probably say "capacity" not "usable". For calculating weight not how long you can stay in the shower.

[raygreg]

Originally Posted by eZAK

Here are my findings so far;

Assuming the Fresh water tank holds 50 gal. (as confirmed on this forum)
I drained 6 gal. from the drain valve (after pump ran cont.)

[Water heater in 'bypass' and drained (12gal.) water hold about 1gal. before and after tank drain]

That leaves me with only 44gals. of usable water!
A far cry from the advertised/stated 66gals. Unacceptable!

I will update this post when I hear from Keystone.

I'm holding my breath waiting for Keystone's reply. I totally agree with you their 66 gal measures up way too short.

[jeffba]

Originally Posted by eZAK

Here are my findings so far;

Assuming the Fresh water tank holds 50 gal. (as confirmed on this forum)
I drained 6 gal. from the drain valve (after pump ran cont.)

[Water heater in 'bypass' and drained (12gal.) water hold about 1gal. before and after tank drain]

That leaves me with only 44gals. of usable water!
A far cry from the advertised/stated 66gals. Unacceptable!

I will update this post when I hear from Keystone.

So you came up with 50+6+6=62 vs brochure's 66.
Now I realize that 4 gallons would mean someone will miss a shower, but it still seems a bit trivial to me.

and thinking you have only 44 gallons of usable, means you are not charging your system when you fill up? Why would you not do that?

[beeje]

Originally Posted by jeffba

So you came up with 50+6+6=62 vs brochure's 66.
Now I realize that 4 gallons would mean someone will miss a shower, but it still seems a bit trivial to me.

and thinking you have only 44 gallons of usable, means you are not charging your system when you fill up? Why would you not do that?

I agree. About 5 mins after I start to fill the tank (gravity fill port) I turn on the pump and fill the heater until it flows out of all fixtures, hot and cold. Continue filling until it comes out of the vent hole. I do not use the pressure fill in the convivence center. They should have never gotten rid of the gravity fill port IMHO.

[eZAK]

I did hear back from Keystone RV.

Their reply was; "Your fifth wheel was installed with a 54 gallon fresh water tank. The water heater holds 12 gallons. Combined equals 66 gallons."

Just to clarify!
The Water Heater is NOT a fresh water tank!
At least in my 30yrs. of experience it hasn't been!
[My previous 5'r had a stated capacity of 62gals. of which 60gals. were usable. The 10gal. W.H. was Not factored in]

But hey, Anything is possible!

Maybe I'm supposed to put the water heater in bypass so I can drain that water and use it.

Or maybe the industry changed in the last 10yrs. since I brought new.

And maybe it IS common knowledge now, that as a prospective buyer,
one should automatically deduct the W.H. capacity from the stated fresh
water holding tank.

To jeffba,
You stated; "So you came up with 50+6+6=62 vs brochure's 66.
Now I realize that 4 gallons would mean someone will miss a shower, but it still seems a bit trivial to me.

and thinking you have only 44 gallons of usable, means you are not charging your system when you fill up? Why would you not do that?"

Sorry, But your assumptions are incorrect!
We always travel with the water heater full, lines full, and pump off until needed.
Fresh water tank (according to Keystone) is 54 gals. Minus 6 gals of unusable equals 48 gals.

[sourdough]

Not to pile on but it does seem trivial to me. I have always read the stats on my new trailers and hoped for the best then lived within the confines of whatever that might be. I am, I guess, a professional nitpicker but of all the things I wanted to nitpick it wouldn't be the capacity of any of my holding tanks...we all know that is "whatever it is" and then, what do you do....sue somebody - for 4 gals of water?.

[dieselguy]

I realize you feel mislead by brochure advertising, but I'd guess the FW tank is a standard size (same) though out most all Montana models. Many of us live with what we have and others use a bladder to add to the OEM capacity. Other than vent ... you won't change much other than kick dust. Depending on how you are setup at another campsite, you may get another 4 gallons from the 6 you currently discount as unusable.

[jeffba]

Originally Posted by eZAK

I did hear back from Keystone RV.

Their reply was; "Your fifth wheel was installed with a 54 gallon fresh water tank. The water heater holds 12 gallons. Combined equals 66 gallons."

Just to clarify!
The Water Heater is NOT a fresh water tank!
At least in my 30yrs. of experience it hasn't been!
[My previous 5'r had a stated capacity of 62gals. of which 60gals. were usable. The 10gal. W.H. was Not factored in]

But hey, Anything is possible!

Maybe I'm supposed to put the water heater in bypass so I can drain that water and use it.

Or maybe the industry changed in the last 10yrs. since I brought new.

And maybe it IS common knowledge now, that as a prospective buyer,
one should automatically deduct the W.H. capacity from the stated fresh
water holding tank.

To jeffba,
You stated; "So you came up with 50+6+6=62 vs brochure's 66.
Now I realize that 4 gallons would mean someone will miss a shower, but it still seems a bit trivial to me.

and thinking you have only 44 gallons of usable, means you are not charging your system when you fill up? Why would you not do that?"

Sorry, But your assumptions are incorrect!
We always travel with the water heater full, lines full, and pump off until needed.
Fresh water tank (according to Keystone) is 54 gals. Minus 6 gals of unusable equals 48 gals.

So basically if you charge you water heater when you fill up your water tank you would have 12 more usable gallons. I would think you would be happy with that!

[chessera2527]

we have camped for years in horsetrailers and motorhomes and now a montana and the deal is you take enough water to do what you want to do. We have had 35 gal tanks and now we take 2 55gal drums of water one for the horses and the other for the camper. Get er done !!!!

[GreG L.]

Everything I see from Keystone about Montana says "Fresh Water 66 gal", not 66 gal tank. If you get really picky even that may be incorrect if you add all the water in the lines it's probably 68 gal.

[mlh]

You say this is unacceptable OK.
But what are you going to do it?
Sue Keystone? Have them install a bigger tank just for you? Good luck. It would be cheaper to just buy a new camper.
Lynwood

[AZ Traveler]

If this is your biggest issue sounds like you have a good trailer. Its easy to carry some spare water.

[jeffba]

This is a tough thread

[eZAK]

It IS a Tough Thread!
But Hey, brand loyalist and narcissist rule the day!

There is a lot of assumptions and misinformation being posted!

So to clear the air here is what Keystone's final word is;
(Pertaining to the Montana and Montana High Country lines)

The "Fresh Water 66gal" in all our spec sheets and else ware, "refers to the fresh water System capacity, and not just the fresh water tank"

I wish I would have known to assume this when shopping for a new 5'vr

The take-a-way on all this IS (with out blinders) Truth in Advertising !!

[beeje]

I certainly don't know for sure but I would bet the most manufacturers calculate their water supply in a similar fashion.. at least including the water that's in the water heater

[Nard Dog]

In my youth I remember getting really mad when I learned my 27 gallon fuel capacity pickup only let me put 22 gallons in it. Was a real head scratcher.

[rws262]

What is the best way to “charge” the water heater when filling using the power fill?

[RMcNeal]

I make sure the water heater bypass is NOT engaged, then hook up with normal flow. When I can't hear water running in the water heater anymore, usually about 2 minutes or so, I go inside and run hot water in kitchen and bath room. Granted, the water is cold since heater isn't on, but that gets air out of the hot water lines and ensures the water heater is full.
Then switch over to power fill and fill the FW tank as desired, typically until it runs out the side. This also makes sure all your lines, cold and hot, are full of water too.
BTW, you don't want or need the water pump on for this process. The city connection pressure will do the work for you.