disinfecting water tank

[LeonB]

Has anyone done this? The manual says to add a bleach/water solution to the tank. How do you get it in? I only have a hose connection with a valve selector for city water/water tank.

Help!

[LeonB]

Has anyone done this? The manual says to add a bleach/water solution to the tank. How do you get it in? I only have a hose connection with a valve selector for city water/water tank.

Help!

[doc]

Suggest if you have no other way than the hose entrance do this: Hold the hose up and slowly pour bleach into the hose, connect it to the faucet and let the water pressure push the bleach into the tank.

[skigramp]

Yes I sanitize at least once a year ...

My brother in law had a rig that only had water tank fill via "city connection" ...

He diluted the bleach in about a gallon of water ... laid his hose on the ground with both ends elevated ... then he took a small kitchen funnel and poured the solution into the hose (he said this took patience and a steady hand ...

after you have all the solution in the hose ... connect to the spigot and then to the motorhome ... turn on the spigot ... voila ...

Hint: You need both ends of the hose disconnected ... he used to use masking tape to tape both ends of the hose to the legs of his camping chairs ...

[ChasA]

I read somewhere that you can get a garden hose end sprayer that has a male hose fitting on the outlet when you remove the spray head. You can then put a bleach concentrated solution into the jar, connect the output of the sprayer to your water tank and turn the valve to city fill. I would recommend a new sprayer. Good luck,
Chas

[lthrnk]

If you have a whole house water filter in the basement unscrew the canister and set aside the filter. Put a cup of bleach in the filter canister and screw it back in to place. Turn on the water hose and flip the switch to fill the tank, this will put the bleach solution in to the tank. Turn on the water pump and open the interior faucets, just until you smell the bleach solution from the faucets. Let it sit for 24 hours and then flush the system with clean water, through the tank, until no more bleach smell. Reinstall the filter in the housing and proceed as nrmal. Also, make sure you remove any filters that are in the inside of the unit so they don't get soaked with the bleach solution.

[RotorWing]

Here is a link to how I sanitize mine http://www.rvbasics.com/techtips/san...er-system.html
I find it much easier and you don't waste water.

Chris

[rvn4fun]

Sacrifice a small fresh water hose by cutting it just long enough to reach from city inlet to a gallon jug of bleach mixture. Turn on your unit's water pump to create a vacumm and pump will suck bleach mixture into unit's fresh water holding tank.

[tallyo]

Do you have a water filter at your hose connection?. If so remove the filter then add 2 cups of bleach and then fill the tank then turn all the faucets on and then keep doing to finish the flushing... then add more fresh water and so on...even take the RV for a ride and let the water slush around etc.

[Tom N]

Drop the winterizing hose from your water pump into a bottle of bleach and pump away. Same as pumping the pink antifreeze.

-Tom

[ChasA]

Tom N,
Your suggestion should work great for the plumbing, but it won't sanitize the freshwater holding tank.

[codgerbill]

I have a opening to the fresh water tank on the opposite side of the coach (passenger side aft of the entry door) from the city water connection. I assume it is for filling the fresh water tank directly from a hose and is meant for filling at a state park or a location that does not have a city water connection at the camp site. I was planning on putting the bleach solution into the fresh water tank from that location and using the double mixture (1/2C/gal of water) and then driving around a bit to slosh it around in the tank. I am wondering , if under those conditions, do I need to fill the tank (80 gal) completly?

[ichn2go]

Bill, the fuller the tank the more cleaning you will get. More water will clean more or most of the tank. Leave enough room for the water to "slosh".

For goodness sake just drain some water outta the hose by lifting it in the middle and work towards the open end , pour the bleach in the hose , attach it to your intake, fill the tank and let it sit for the designated time. If you want to sanitize the pipes run some of this water through the faucets first and then let it sit. Flush the system with fresh water, refill the tank and away you go. We have the little door on the passenger side and we use this to add the bleach.

We only use this water for washing, , cleaning etc not for drinking. We carry our drinking water with us for coffee, drinking , the dogs in bottles or buy bottled water...You have to be careful lest you visit with Montezuma for a while. Dogs are suceptible to this malady also. Good Miles and Be Safe

[DancinCampers]

Tom N's suggestion will work if you turn your city water valve to water tank fill before you draw the bleach from the winterizing hose. But I would not use straight bleach, but rather a bleach/water mix.

[codgerbill]

Ichn2go,
I took your advice and yesterday sanitized the fresh water tank at a State Park. I did fill the fresh water tank and I did find out that if one overfills the tank there is a overflow thingy. I wasnt paying as much attention as I should have and when I endended up draining the tank after letting the bleach/water solution set for a couple hours I did notice the level in the fresh water tank looking thru the translucent material of the tank. I saw the level come down as the tank was empteying and from that I concluded that the overfilling was why the water was gushing out underneath the coach. I did use the "gravity fill tube" to fill the water tank and to add the bleach/water mixture prior to and during the filling process. I want to thank the responders for all thier help. It sure makes life a lot easier.