Blog Caravan Water Tanks 101 – What You Need and What You Don’t

When you’re checking out potential chariots for your great Aussie adventure, caravan water tanks may be the last thing on your mind. Instead, your top questions may be:

‘What’s the cooking situation like?’

‘Will I get a cosy night’s sleep?’

‘Where can this bad boy take me?’

But when you’re planning to tour this wide, brown land, ensuring you have an adequate water supply is essential. An epic BBQ and comfy king mattress are great, but they won’t save you from the misery of drinking chickpea water and hoping desperately for a hydration station to come along!

So, what’s the go with caravan water tanks?

Caravan water tanks

When caravanning, you’ll become familiar with all the different ways you use water. You’ll also realise that you need to set yourself up with different water storage for different uses.

Caravan freshwater tanks

Your freshwater tanks are crucial for off-road adventures. They supply water for:

• Drinking
• Cooking
• Hand washing
• Showering
• Toilet flushing (depending on your set-up)

It’s important to keep these tanks filled, topping up as often as possible to ensure that you’re always travelling with enough safe, fresh water for your needs when heading to remote locations.

Choose a time when you’re staying put for a few days to periodically clean your tanks.

• Drain all water from the tanks and connected systems, such as taps and hot water systems, by opening taps and valves until no more water comes out.
• Use a cleaning solution, following the manufacturer’s instructions. You can also use diluted bleach or white vinegar if you prefer, topping up with fresh water.
• Run the water so that the cleaning solution gets to all pipes and taps.
• Let it sit for the recommended time.
• Drain completely.
• Fill your clean tanks with fresh water.

Caravan grey water tanks

Grey water tanks collect water from showers, sinks and washing machines.

While there is no legal requirement to have a grey water tank fitted in Australia, you will need one to visit some caravan parks. While most allow dumping of wastewater, you may come across the odd one that requires you to take all your wastewater with you when you leave.

You can reuse grey water if it is properly treated, but it generally turns quite unpleasant if stored, so best to dump it as soon as you find a legal spot to do so.

Regular cleaning is important to keep your grey water tanks hygienic.

Caravan black water

Toilet water and waste are stored in a cassette, or portable tank, until they can be disposed of properly.

Follow the use instructions for your unit, including regular sanitising. Use only authorised disposal points to empty it.

Caravan water tanks – is bigger better?

Given how crucial water is to life, it may seem obvious that bigger is better when it comes to water tanks. However, you need to find the right balance between enough water to safely complete your planned trip and the weight restrictions of your caravan and towing vehicle.

Your camper’s weight won’t change if you are channelling water through the freshwater tanks and into the greywater tanks. However, the weight will increase if you top up your fresh water tanks before emptying your grey water tank. This might not be a big deal if you have loads of capacity still in the system, but if you’re close to your max weight, keep an eye on this.

JAWA Off Road Campers offer ideal water tank storage

When planning on going off-road, JAWA Off Road Campers has you covered. Designed for Aussie adventures, big and small, you’ll find your perfect caravan in the range.

JAWA Off Road Campers come standard with the following:

• 12 ft range: 2 x 100L poly fresh water tanks
• 13 ft range: 2 x 100L poly fresh water tanks
• 15ft, 16ft, 17ft and 18ft ranges: 2 x 120L poly fresh water tanks

All JAWA Off Road Campers come standard with an 80L grey water tank, which should be enough for self-contained camping of between 3 and 6 days, depending on your water use habits. This is usually enough time to find a place where disposal of grey water is allowed.

Choosing the right off road caravan

When it comes to choosing the right off road caravan for your needs, water tanks are an important factor to consider, but there’s lots more for you to think about. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about weighing up all your options, we can help! We’ll take you through a variety of Aussie-tough JAWA caravans, helping you compare the features that matter to you.

To experience each caravan in person, visit us at one of six JAWA showrooms. Our knowledgeable staff will demonstrate how to get the best out of your caravan’s water tanks and other features.

To contact us, call 1300 00 JAWA or fill out our online Quick Enquiry form.