The plumbing in an RV is similar to your home’s. There are pipes to deliver hot and cold water to sinks, toilets and tubs and drains to carry away wastewater. Where they differ is that there are tanks in an RV for both water supply and to collect wastewater in place of your well or city water line and septic system or sewer line for when you’re not connected to a water/sewer system.
Fresh Water
Fresh (potable) water comes into an RV in two ways, either through a hose connected to city water through a spigot at your campsite or through a tank mounted in the vehicle. Usually the tank is filled through a separate connection on the outside of the RV but some rigs have valves that allow fresh water tank to be filled through the same hose connection as the outside city water connection. Because standard garden hoses will leach chemicals into your water, you should always use one designed for RV fresh water use. These are usually white and in order to keep the clean for potable use shouldn’t be used for washing the car or any other purposes.
When connected to city water through a hose things work pretty much like they do at home. When you’re running off the tank you’ll be using the RV’s water pump, which turns on and off when you open the taps.
One additional feature in most trailers and motorhomes is a water heater bypass. Most people need to winterize their RV to avoid damage from pipes freezing and the bypass allows the water heater tank to be drained separately from the rest of the freshwater pipes, saving both time and antifreeze.
Hot Water Heater
Most modern RV hot water heaters are dual LP gas/120VAC electric systems, LP for when your not plugged in, electric for when you are. Be aware that even though your water heater is running on gas it does require 12VDC (at a low level) power to operate. Much like in houses, RV water heaters are available in both tank or tankless designs.
Wastewater
In your house there’s only one wastewater system which is either connected to your city sewer system or a septic system. In most RVs the water from the sinks and tub/shower drains into one tank, called a grey water tank and the toilet runs into another, referred to as the black water tank. These tanks are connected through separate valves to a common drain usually on the driver’s side of the RV that has a connection for a hose that allows the waste to be directed into a sewer, either at the campsite if it has full hookups or at a sanitary dump station.
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