I have never sanatized my water lines in my camper. We do not use the fresh water tank but I thought it would not hurt to clean it as we are thinking about doing some Va State Park camping this year with no full hookups. Our tank is 30 gallons. How much bleach would I need and how is the best way to do this. Also would the water taste like bleach. Be bad if my coffee did and i would not be a happy camper.
We use about a cup, we have a large tank though. You can put in a little less. Let it sit for a while, over night even. Drain, fill, drain, fill, drain. Should be just fine.
1 husband 2 grown kids
2010 F-350 Lariat King Ranch, CC, diesel, short box
2009 Arctic Fox 27T
I have a 30-gal. I think I used about 3/4 cup. I put the bleach in the tank and filled the tank all the way up, ran it through ALL of my lines (inc. the outdoor shower), and let it sit for about 2 to 3 hours. After I emptied, I flushed with a full tank of water two times. No smell or taste of bleach after that.
Good luck. Let me know if you get more central or SE in VA, I can recommend some places. I live near VA Beach now but am originally from Staunton. Our state definitely has some nice spots. Happy Camping!!
BigSur2
2012 Keystone Bullet 286QBS
2006 Ford F150 5.4 V8
Vinegar cancels out the bleach smell and taste like magic. After sanitizing with bleach, follow similarly with a vinegar solution (same proportions a for the bleach) then flush with plain water afterwards. Done.
BigSur2 wrote: I have a 30-gal. I think I used about 3/4 cup. I put the bleach in the tank and filled the tank all the way up, ran it through ALL of my lines (inc. the outdoor shower), and let it sit for about 2 to 3 hours. After I emptied, I flushed with a full tank of water two times. No smell or taste of bleach after that.
Good luck. Let me know if you get more central or SE in VA, I can recommend some places. I live near VA Beach now but am originally from Staunton. Our state definitely has some nice spots. Happy Camping!!
Thanks for the info. I'll proably be around the Peaks of Otter or the Floyd area.
Doesn't your RV use the SAME water lines for city water as are used for storage tank water? Not sure what not using the storage tank has to do with sanitizing the lines.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
Two different methods for sanitizing the fresh water system from articles I have gathered. I have used the chlorine process and had good success.
by Steven Fletcher:
Insuring clean, safe drinking water in your motorhome, fifth wheel or travel trailer requires sanitizing your fresh water system. For a new or new-to-you RV you will want to sanitize before your first use of the system. You may also want to sanitize the system if your RV has not been used for some time, for example if it has been stored for the winter.
Method 1 - Generally Accepted Method to Sanitize Fresh Water
The generally accepted method of sanitizing your RV's fresh water system as outlined below involves filling the fresh water tank with a solution of household bleach and running the solution through each faucet. Then letting it stand for at least three hours. Finally, flush the system once or twice to remove the taste and smell.
This procedure is one you'll find in most any book about RVing it tried and true but be sure to read on to find out what I do.
1. Start with a nearly full fresh water tank.
2. Turn the water heater off and let the water cool.
3. Dilute 1/4 cup of household bleach for each 15 gallons of tank capacity in to a gallon of water.
4. Add the chlorine/water solution to the water tank. (Never pour straight bleach into the RV fresh water tank. )
5. One faucet at a time, let the chlorinated water run through them for one or two minutes. You should be able to smell the chlorine. (Make sure you are using the water pump and not an external water supply.)
6. Top off the RV fresh water tank and let stand for at least three hours over night is better.
7. Completely drain the system by flushing the faucets for several minutes each. Open the fresh water tank drain valve to speed up emptying the tank and Open the hot water tank drain plug and drain until it is empty.
8. Close all valves and faucets and drain plugs.
9. Fill water tank with fresh water.
10. Flush each faucet for several minutes each repeating until the tank is again empty. (Make sure you are using the water pump and not an external water supply.)
11. Fill the tank again. The water should now be safe to drink but if the chlorine odor is too strong you can repeat the fresh water flush.
Your RV fresh water system should now be safe for use.
Method 2 - The way I Sanitize My RV's Fresh Water Tank.
A friend and fellow full time RVer, Bill Randolph told me how he uses something other than household bleach which works well for him and I also started using it. I think it is worth passing on to you. Before he retired, Bill spent twenty years in the swimming pool business. He's an expert when it comes to sanitizing swimming pools and spas and says the same rules apply to RV fresh water systems.
Bill uses Chlorinating Concentrate (Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetricone or Sodium Dichlor for short). Sodium Dichlor contains 62% available chlorine. Compare that to household bleach which has something close to 3%. One pound of Sodium Dichlor is equal to 8 gallons of bleach! Also, household bleach contains other stuff, including a lot of salt, and that salt and other stuff is what causes the bad taste and why you have to flush the fresh water tank so well.
Bill says it takes only 1 teaspoon of the concentrate per 100 gallons of water to initially sanitize the system. Remember to run water through all the faucets. After that, just a half teaspoon per 100 gallons with each refill will keep the tank fresh.
Like most of us, Bill travels with a near empty tank to reduce weight so when he arrives at park where he plans to stay for a while he drops a half teaspoon of the concentrate into the fill tube and fills his water tank. This insures the system will always be sanitized.
This is not a case where more is better. This stuff is concentrated and it's best to use just what Bill recommends.
Because Chlorinating Concentrate is so highly concentrated you only need to carry a small container. And it is dry crystals so there is less chance of a spill. However, because it is so concentrated it is highly corrosive so you do have to be careful how you store it and use it. You should be able to find Chlorinating Concentrate at any pool supplies or spa store. Bill says there are several brands to choose from.
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