Would be 200 gallons too much?

[Hernandez]

I need your help making my mind.
I already bought two 100 gallons tanks for the fresh water, but now I'm concern about the weight. I has the option of buying two 50 gallons and take the $300 that I paid for the 100 gallons as my lost .
I also considered placing only one 100 gallons and balance the bus, putting the bank batteries across.
What is your advice?

 

[bigskypc50]

Need to figure out how long you want to go without hookups? If you will be boon docking all the time and have a family of two or three, I would say no. It's tough make that call without knowing your usage.

Then you have plan the black and gray water tanks to deal with 200 gallons of waste water.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

I need your help making my mind.
I already bought two 100 gallons tanks for the fresh water, but now I'm concern about the weight. I has the option of buying two 50 gallons and take the $300 that I paid for the 100 gallons as my lost .
I also considered placing only one 100 gallons and balance the bus, putting the bank batteries across.
What is your advice?

It's common to not fill the fresh water tanks until you get close to the destination. If you carry just enough water to use enroute, weight is less of an issue.

For reference ... Burning man recommends people take at least 1 1/2 gallons of water per person, per day.

If you double that, a seven day stay for two people is under 50 gallons. If you want to have plenty of water, triple it and you are still under 75 gallons.

I would expect 100 gallons to be easily enough to manage a week off-grid for two people.

On the other hand ... if you want a jacuzzi ...

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

As you use water out of the fresh water tanks the black and grey tanks start filling up.
So the fresh water tank weight might seem important going into the camp area but the sewer tanks have to be hauled out to a disposal sight with the same or even more weight than what you went in with. For example If you are doing a composting toilet then your the concerns would only be between the fresh and grey.
Go in with a 200- gallons fresh and 100 gallon grey then that will leave some extra for outdoor showers,outdoor sink,or a spigot to fill buckets for the fire pit stuff or hose the kids down and let it hit the ground.
Just for thoughts and ideas

 

[Drop out]

Burning Man doesn't account for showering at all.

 

[Twigg-SKO]

Burning Man doesn't account for showering at all.

Well the proposal here is ten times the Burning Man suggestion. If that's not enough, maybe a motel room?

 

[Drop out]

A low flow shower head is 1.5 gpm so if two people each like 10 minute showers daily, that uses all 200 gallons in one week.

If you want to flush the toilet, you have to cut back on showers.

If you want to drink water, wash your hands on occasion or cook with water, you have to cut back more.

So if you can master the art of boat style showers or do without, 200 gallons is more than enough for a week, if not you could run out early.

I don't think that level of conservation is hard but if you try to live off of Burning Man guidelines, you'll look and feel like a crusty, dirty hippy by day three. If it's hot and you have to do physical labor that will hit you day #1.

 

[Hernandez]

Thank you fellows for your input.
To clarify my question let me say that we are a family of 4 and looking to do boondocking for 3 to 4 days at the time. By the way, I would need a black water tank, since we are using a rv toilet.
My hesitation is about carrying all the 200 gallon's weight around.
And because the water tanks would be encase in the bed frame I will like to have a better idea before I start the framing.

 

[EastCoastCB]

200 gallons is 1600 lbs. And it sloshes around.
You want the weight as centered and low in the chassis as you can get it.

 

[tobeamiss]

Burning Man doesn't account for showering at all.

Right. How on earth does a person shower and survive on 1.5 gal a day?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[PNW_Steve]

Regarding showers,

I am kind of picky about showering daily and have lived full time in an RV for several years. I have measured how much water we used for showers and found that I can take a decent "Navy shower" and consume less than 3 gallons of water daily. When I add shaving and tooth brushing I am just over 3 gallons.

While using our composting toilet we used no water for the toilet.

As far as your tanks go you mentioned two 100 gallon tanks. Did you intend to use one for fresh and one for grey? Or both for fresh?

I don't see where you are located. I f you are close enough, and do decide that you want to down size the tanks, I may have interest in the large tanks.

 

[Hernandez]

I live in New Jersey. unfortunately in the other side of the country

 

[turf]

use 1 tank for fresh, and strap the other tank underneath for your waste water