Water management in a camper

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When travelling in a camper, water management is essential. This holds even more true when exploring remote places. Having enough water allows you to shower, wash dishes, use your toilet and more. When camping, there are three types of water you should keep in mind:

  1. Fresh water
  2. Grey water
  3. Black water


Fresh water

Our campers all come equipped with water systems for fresh water. The freshwater tank size ranges from 30-122 litres, depending on the camper model. A water system ensures that you have fresh water to take showers, wash dishes and have water for cooking.

Fresh water

To fill the water system, use the provided hose to fill the water via the water valve on the camper. To save fuel, ensure your water tank is empty before leaving the campsite. Exactly how to empty the freshwater supply will be explained at pick-up, as this varies from camper to camper.

The average human needs around 20 litres of water per day to shower, do dishes, cook and clean. This number is just a rough estimate as shower times, the type of cooking, amount of cleaning and much more can vary substantially.

To save water while camping, we recommend washing all the dishes once a day instead of after every use. Ensure you use a basin and do not let the water run while doing dishes.

💡 Tip: use a basin and wash the dirty dishes last. This way, the water will stay clean longer.

You can also save water by taking a ‘navy shower’. This type of shower involves you turning on the shower to get wet, turning the shower off to lather up, and then quickly rinsing everything off. The faster you shower, the more showers you can take.

💡 Tip: Use wet wipes occasionally to stay clean. You can skip a shower now and then.


Grey water

Grey water refers to the dirty water in your camper. Grey water comes from washing dishes and taking showers. Built-in sensors notify you when your grey water tank needs emptying.

Grey water

Two options exist to empty your grey water tank. These depend on your camper model. On the smaller models, there is a drainage valve on the inside of the camper. On the larger models, there is a drainage tap under the vehicle. The correct disposal of greywater is a must, as incorrect disposal can lead to groundwater contamination. You can find all greywater dumping grounds in Europe on this list (Only available in German language).

As a rule of thumb, all fresh water you use ends up in the greywater tank. If your freshwater supply is running low, your greywater tank likely needs emptying.

❕ Important: Please dispose of your grey water correctly - we share the planet!


Black water

Blackwater refers to water and waste that lands in the toilet. Blackwater systems come with all our camper vans & motorhomes that have a built-in bathroom with a removable storage tank called cassette toilet. This means they have very few moving parts and that everything is easy to reach. You can carry the cassette like a suitcase because it has a fold-out handle. Read more about our campervan toilet here

a compact cassette toilet is being removed from a campervan

The only vehicles that do not have built-in lavatories are the Ford Custom, VW Bulli and Mercedes-Benz Marco Polo. Nevertheless, you can book our mobile camping toilet called Porta Potti (incl. biological sanitary liquid) for only 29€ per booking. With this compact toilet, you can be self-sufficient on the road.

Mobile Camping-Toilette inklusive biologischer Sanitärflüssigkeit im Grüne

To empty your blackwater tank, take it out of the toilet maintenance shaft and dispose of it. You can do this by flushing it down a toilet or a specific blackwater drainage system at your camping grounds or home.

The blackwater tank holds 18 litres, but we recommend inspecting the level daily. We recommend that you empty the content every other day. Again, this depends on use. If only used for emergencies, you will need to clean the canister less frequently.

💡 Tip: Use restrooms at campsites, rest stops and restaurants to extend the time between emptying.


If you need more information, feel free to check the camper details. Under the camper details, you will find the fresh water supply tank size and much more. If you require further assistance, our customer service is available for questions. You can contact our customer service via the chat function or at +49 89 889 970 86.

We wish you happy camping,

Your FreewayCamper Team

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