How to fill fresh water in a motorhome
Where to find drinking water, what to fill it with, what it costs and what to check before your first time.
The fresh water tank is the first thing you think about on day two of a trip. Let's go step by step: where to get water, what to fill it with, and what to watch so the water stays drinkable.
Where to get water
You can fill up at a campsite, at a service point (Ver- und Entsorgung in German), at many fuel stations and at municipal points. At campsites water is usually included in the pitch price or costs €1–3 per fill. Standalone service points often have a coin meter: drop a coin, get a fixed volume or a few minutes of flow.
Look for a sign that the water is drinkable: Trinkwasser, eau potable, drinking water. Without that sign, only fill the tank for washing and the toilet.
What to bring
A dedicated drinking-water hose — usually white or blue, and it does not leave a rubber taste. Keep it in its own box or bag so the end never lies on the ground next to your waste hose.
A set of adapters matters most. European taps come with different threads, and a universal set with a rubber cone saves you when nothing fits: the cone simply presses against the tap.
A watering can or funnel helps if your filler neck is narrow, as does a mesh filter at the inlet.
Step by step
- Park so the tank hatch is on the tap side — hoses are usually 3–5 metres.
- Run the first few seconds past the tank: the water standing in the pipe is warm and stale.
- Put the hose into the filler neck and hold it or secure it — the pressure can push the end out.
- Watch the level: the panel gauge lies on uneven ground, so listen to the sound and watch the overflow.
- Close the hatch and put the hose back into its own bag, never on the ground.
How much to fill
A full tank is extra weight: 100 litres of water weigh 100 kg. In the mountains, or if the next stop is close, fill half. A full tank makes sense when you go off-grid for several days.
Keeping the water fresh
Once a season the tank is cleaned with a drinking-system product; between trips leave it empty with the taps open so it dries out. In summer water keeps for 3–5 days before it starts to smell — harmless, but unpleasant to drink.
If the motorhome stood through winter, drain the first fill of the season completely: stale water sits in the pipes.