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Old 04-15-2013, 04:06 PM   #1
skifreak76
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disinfect fresh water tank

I need to clean my fresh water tank. is there a better way to do this other than using 3/4 cup of bleach and filling the 47 gallon tank just to drain it all out. I have no problem using bleach it just using all that water, and draining it onto the ground.
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:16 PM   #2
f6bits
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I did mine right before a camping trip. You really need to fill everything up to be fully effective. My routine:
1) At end of trip, fill up fresh water tank at the campground or the storage facility.
2) A few days before next trip, add the bleach mixture and flush the lines.
3) Let sit for those few days.
4) Drive to next campground and let the driving motion really slosh things around.
5) Drain, flush, and refill. Repeat.
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Old 04-15-2013, 04:38 PM   #3
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Like F6bits said, there's really no good way to get chlorine (disinfectant) to all the nooks and crannies in the fresh water system unless it is completely full. The way it is explained in the owner's manual (and many I've read before) is to fill the tank partially, add the bleach (1 cup per 40 gallons of tank size) mixed with water in a bucket to the tank, continue filling until full, make sure some water comes out the overflow vent as that hose has potential pathogens in it, turn on the water pump, run the furthest water faucet (hot first (to flush the hot water tank) then cold) until you smell chlorine, then move to the next closest and continue until all faucets are done. Don't forget the toilet, outside shower and all outside faucets. Now the time to allow chlorine to sit in the lines varies, it really needs to sit at least overnight, but remember, chlorine is a gas and it will bubble out of the water in the tank with time, so allowing it to sit for a week or more probably wouldn't be a good idea. After your "sit time" drain the tank, fill with fresh water, run the faucets as when flushing, then drain the tank a second time. Fill with fresh water, add 1/4 cup of baking soda to freshen the water if the smell is unpleasant. Then, go camping.

As for "wasting" the water by dumping it on the ground, most people use far more water than you'll need every time they water their lawn or wash the car. If you've ever been to Mexico and suffered "montezuma's revenge" you'll feel differently about dumping a few gallons of water on the ground to properly clean your fresh water system.
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Old 04-15-2013, 06:54 PM   #4
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How do you get the bleach into the system? With a funnel or something?
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:06 PM   #5
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The owner's manual suggests NOT pouring straight bleach into the tank. However, I fill my tank about 1/3 full, then pull the hose out of the fill port and insert a funnel with a piece of hose attached (sort of like an old transmission funnel used to be built) pour the bleach into the tank and keep filling with the hose. Apparently, bleach (chlorine) will dry out the fill hose and make it brittle, but I've never had a problem.

The "suggested" way is to dilute the bleach with 2 or 3 gallons of water and pour that into the port, however I think that's a bit overkill. To each his own I suppose, but I've never had a problem with brittle hoses as long as I continue flushing the fill port with water until the tank is full.
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:08 PM   #6
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Yep. Funnel. I cobbled my own together similar to this:


I resorted to this so I could fill from a 5 gallon jug. Now I have a better jug with a good fill spout. If you have a second pair of hands, any long neck funnel should work.
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:18 PM   #7
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Do people really find the need to disinfect the tank every time? If I recall the manual calls for before the first use and then annually? Just asking as this is my first travel trailer. I don't ever recall using the sink in the pop up as a kid.
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:23 PM   #8
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I did mine after owning it for one year. It was already a year old when I bought it, but hardly used. I plan on making it an annual ritual. I don't think anybody here suggested doing it more often.
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:27 PM   #9
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Ah..ok. I took your first response to mean you were doing this before each trip.
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:44 PM   #10
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No NO NOOOOO I disenfect once a year at the start of the season. After that, we run so much water through the tank it doesn't have time to grow anything..... And, we use well water, so there's no chlorine in our tank, about the only time it gets any extra chlorine is when we refill at a campground that has a city water system. Otherwise, it's "ala natural"

Pretty much, I dewinterize, flush all the pink stuff out of the plumbing, fill the tank with water and bleach, let it sit overnight, flush and refill and we're good to go. Winterize in the fall, and then repeat next year.
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Old 04-15-2013, 07:47 PM   #11
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IT was Scott's replay that made me thing people were doing this each time. All the confusion is cleared up now.
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Old 04-28-2013, 06:04 PM   #12
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I believe the originator of this thread asked if there was another way other than bleach to disinfect his tank. Well there is for sure it is the new improved way. Any Listerine, Scope or other mouthwash that comes with an antibacterial formula will work as well as bleach. The cool thing is if for some reason you do not get it all out you will at least for a little while have minty fresh breath with you have a glass of water. By the way it does not effect cooking in anyway if not quite all off as it boils out quickly.

I maybe a newb to RVing but I have been talking to RVers for the 5 years it took us to decide on a TT.
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Old 04-28-2013, 07:01 PM   #13
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DanandDonna,

Do you have any data on using mouthwash to disinfect an RV water supply? Have there been any studies to record the effectiveness of this method?

I ask for two reasons. One is to assure that the information you are providing is accurate and second, it's a novel approach that I've not heard before.

As for cost, a cup of bleach costs about 25 cents, a bottle of Listerine is 2 or 3 dollars. Bleach has been used effectively for a number of years and is cost effective. Your described method may work (I'd sure like to see some data on it) but it's certainly not as cost effective and so far, seems to be unproven in the RV world.

Do you have any further information?
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