De-Winterizing Question

[TheBigPig]

I'm a new TT owner and this might be a dumb question, but...

I plan on flushing the antifreeze from the water lines and sterilizing the fresh water tank this week. The camper sits about 100 ft from a hose bib. Can I use a regular garden hose to do this? My RV hose is only 25' and moving the camper to do it is not ideal. The lot is shared and it'd tie up anyone trying to enter or exit.

I don't think this should be an issue to flush the tanks, but figured I'd get some thoughts.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by TheBigPig

I'm a new TT owner and this might be a dumb question, but...

I plan on flushing the antifreeze from the water lines and sterilizing the fresh water tank this week. The camper sits about 100 ft from a hose bib. Can I use a regular garden hose to do this? My RV hose is only 25' and moving the camper to do it is not ideal. The lot is shared and it'd tie up anyone trying to enter or exit.

I don't think this should be an issue to flush the tanks, but figured I'd get some thoughts.

Some folks won't use a plain old water hose because of taste... I grew up drinking out of a plain old water hose so for me I'd use it in a heartbeat..

[Camping family]

Originally Posted by TheBigPig

I'm a new TT owner and this might be a dumb question, but...

I plan on flushing the antifreeze from the water lines and sterilizing the fresh water tank this week. The camper sits about 100 ft from a hose bib. Can I use a regular garden hose to do this? My RV hose is only 25' and moving the camper to do it is not ideal. The lot is shared and it'd tie up anyone trying to enter or exit.

I don't think this should be an issue to flush the tanks, but figured I'd get some thoughts.

Your just flushing the pipes I don’t see a problem

[JRTJH]

If you'd drink from that garden hose, it's safe enough to use to sanitize your trailer water system. If you'd refuse to drink from it, then don't use it to sanitize your trailer.

The objective is to fill the lines with "potable" water, introduce chlorine to disinfect the plumbing so it doesn't present a hazard if the water is used in cooking, brushing teeth, etc.

In other words, if the water from that hose is "safe enough to drink" then it's "safe enough to sanitize your trailer.

[skids]

Once the FW tank, lines, and HW tank are sanitized and rinsed, I “purify” water that will be used by adding a teaspoon of bleach (the unscented hyperchlorate stuff) for every 10 gallons. I use well water and I don’t expect it to stay safe to drink without doing that. Concerning 100 foot garden hose ... I would consider what it was used for. For example, if it was rolled up with water in it last year and this is the first use of the season, nope. Rinse it. If you used it for hooking up to rain barrels that had stagnant water, nope. I do have hoses that I save for filling the camper. Lets face it, that white hose in the storage compartment is not necessarily “clean” inside. Rinse hoses well and purify water in the camper’s system.

[flybouy]

What's the source of the "lot water"? When I was a kid we all drank out of a garden hose but they were rubber and of course weren't aware of lead poisoning or plastics that could leach out carcinogens either. With that said, I don't use water if I don't know the source AND filter it. Nothing ruins a camping trip like everyone "busting a gut" to use the toilet.
JMHO

[TheBigPig]

Thanks for the input. I did end up using the garden hose to flush the coolant and sanitize the FW tank and lines. The source is from my office building which I drink the water from daily, so no concern there. We rent out the lot behind the building where my camper is being stored.

[jxnbbl]

I've had to deal with this before which drinking water hookups at a large sporting event. The health department will not allow you to hook up a standard garden hose from the 'city water source'. It has to be a portable water hose (the white ones) and it has to be disinfected (bleach) during the hookup, then flushed.


I just went through this with a trailer for the first time and did the following.



Rinse out the system with a standard garden hose, then sanitize it with bleach. Run the water through all the faucets until I can smell bleach and let it sit overnight. The next morning is another flush and then a fill for my first load of water for the season. This time, I attach my inline filter (carbon) at the end of the hose prior to entry into the system.