System capacities

[MikeSR83]

Greetings all. Hoping this hasn't been beaten to death already, but I am once again frustrated by the lack of information available from Keystone. Having spent a career in aviation I was used to being able to open a manual and find, at the very least, simple block diagrams depicting onboard systems. Anyway, what I'm after is the capacity of the fresh water tank on our 2015 Montana 3160RL. Every on-line search I've attempted says 66 gallons and I'm sure I've seen 60 gallons somewhere in the past. Today I drained the system, including the water heater, and after bleeding the hot water side of the system of air my water meter showed only 52 gal when the tank vent began spewing water. That supports the 40 gal plus 12 in the water heater theory unless I missed something in the refill process.

Anyone out there who like to add to the confusion?

Thanks very much - Mike

[AZ Traveler]

It is about 50 gal usable. Carry a bladder and a pump to refill when needed.

[rohrmann]

Ours is also rated as 66 gallons fresh capacity, but that includes the 12 gallons in the water heater tank, so your 52 gallons in the actual tank is pretty close, the same as ours. The other two gallons would be in the plumbing system.

[MikeSR83]

Thanks for responding. Until today I was going on that theory: 60 gal including the water heater. However, today I drained he water heater, then bled the air out of it by opening a hot water faucet. Then when the air stopped (and it took a while) and was replaced by water it seemed reasonable to believe the water heater was then full. I continued the fill until water came out the tank vent. At that point I was at only 52 gallons on the in-line water meter. Though math was always my very worst subject I believe that those numbers would support the "40 gallon tank plus the water heater" theory.

I'm probably spending way too much time this, and most of the time it's not an issue. I must admit that my frustration and disappointment with these manufacturers does fuel my stubbornness, so I'll just let it go, relax and enjoy the rig...

[mlh]

It is a little misleading but you take the water heater out and all the lines.
Lynwood

[DutchmenSport]

You already did the absolute best think to find your own answer, you used a water meter and filled everything when it was empty. You now know how much is actually in the water heater and the fresh water tank. And that my friend, is really the best you can do. Everything else is just numbers on an internet page.

The next thing you might try to do is fill the fresh water tank and keep track of how many gallons of water can actually be pumped out of the tank with the on-board water pump. This number may be less than the 40 and probably is. Then, when the pump does nothing but pull air, drain your fresh water tank into a bucket on the ground and measure how much is remaining in the tank that's not usable, but is obtainable if you have no other choice.

We purchased a water meter for our camper last year and it was one of the better things we did. Even though we always, 100% of the time, use our fresh water tank, we still had no clue how much water we were actually using. Now we do.

We live in the country and are on a an electric submersible pump well. We never hear the pump actually run (never), and of course, the water is not metered in any way. So, even at home, when filling the fresh water tank in the camper, we have no clue how much we are filling. We have no clue how much our actual usage is in the house either. So the meter on the camper was a true eye-popper!

[jimcol]

Just looking for reasons for the differences. Is it possible the meter is not accurate?

[davel]

I too am disappointed in Keystone's refusing to share technical information about their products...disappointed is not a strong enough word though. I've had a Winnebago motor home since 2004 and any and all information is available. Want to mount something, they will share detailed drawings for your coach about wall construction. I bought a complete wiring diagram at purchase and have downloaded plumbing diagrams as well. After purchasing a 2011 Montana I contacted Keystone's and was told by a snippy woman that "Keystone's does not support owner modification of their products"! I told her I wish I had known that before I invested money in one of their products. That was several hears ago and I still get angry!

[Todd & Mary]

From what I have been able to find, during a few search's for info of my own.
Keystone does not give a high amount of detail direction to their builders so that any 2 of the same model units are built the same, hence their resistance to give out any detailed data. Because they cant! But I may be wrong!

[John and Barbara]

I have the same issue with Keystone and the RV industry in general. I was a pilot and A&P mechanic also. These folks could make things a lot easier with very little effort.

[Camp CA]

Specs say 66 gallons. I like your method of draining all the tanks and re-filling with a water meter to measure its capacity. I am curious about the meter's accuracy but that could be confirmed by filling a 5-gallon bucket to verify. I use a turbine meter to pre-fill the holding tank but have never tried to fill it its spec capacity due to the risk of over filling it.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2015-...3160rl-tr24014

[MikeSR83]

Following up on this subject, it's been a while, but I must report that, assuming the information is correct, here's what I got from Keystone after giving them my VIN:

"Thank you for contacting Keystone RV. Your fresh water tank has a 54 gallon capacity and the water heater holds 12 gallons. Have a great weekend!"

This is the best response I've gotten from them. Usually I am disappointed, but on this they appear to have done the right thing. Maybe there's hope...