How long will water stay useful in the holding tank

[Gocoffeer]

12Volt...you have made a decent point. concerning "safe to drink" points. I can not use a pool chemical test to offer a quality check that will determine safety. I would have to pull a sample of my water at specific time intervals and take the samples immediately to the 4H department in my area for testing. In the preliminary testing .... I will associate a specific PH change with the ability for growth matter to form. This I will make as an assumption....if an environment is present for algae and bacteria to grow eventually it will happen. I must just report that the PH change has occurred and growth can occur at this PH.

[TwelveVolt]

I should have mentioned that the water temperature in South Florida in the summer is 85F+. That means water in the tanks would have been higher since closed cabin temperatures would have been over 100F.

Why not do your tests in tupperware or buckets? Then you can do multiple tests at a time and see the results. What ambient temperature will you use?

Although I have no personal experience with cisterns, you reminded me of a paragraph from the book "Don't Stop the Carnival". The new owner of the Caribbean resort is looking into the nearly empty cistern with his handyman and asks "Why don't we make the take-up pipe longer to reach deeper?" The answer is "Because that is where all the dead frogs, lizards, snakes and insects are". Do they really not use any chemicals to sanitize cisterns???

[Gocoffeer]

12Volt...another good point...But I am going to mimic as much realism for the RV water storage tank test as possible. I have a 17 yr old MH and it should give data based on its age...how well it was sanitized by myself and any general system issues. I have read that the shower head can feed tainted water back into the water holding tank. This certainly is a factor to consider if this is the truth.
I would certainly expect a PH change to be reflected if there is backflow from the shower head into the tank in less time than if the water sat in a most sealed holding container.

[clyon51]

Originally Posted by Gocoffeer

Dear forum readers: How long will the water in the holding tank stay fresh?

Since it is 6 billion years old, I would have to say another 6 billion years. Providing the tank/system was sanitized and you don't introduce any substance that bacteria will feed on and multiply.

Yes a bit tongue in check, but that is the basics. Water in of itself does not go bad. Bacteria are everywhere, but they dont multiply in an enclosed system without nutrition of some sort. Water and minerals ain't it

[jzick]

For the last 6 years we have traveled 5-6 months continuous, and used the motorhome for an occasional weekend or day trip during the winter. Our fresh water tank is always at least 3/4 full. Most years I drain the tank and sanitize the system in the spring, some years I get lazy and do not. We use mostly shore water when we travel, but do use on board water enough to empty the tank in a couple of months and refill it with water from whatever campground we are at. During our travels, whether our extended summer travel or when the unit is in winter storage, we drink the water, bathe in it, use it for sanitary purposes, and the dog drinks it.

A couple of years ago, I gave samples from spring and fall to a good friend who works for (not named government agency) whose job it is to test public drinking water. His results said the water in the tank after sitting all winter, and water mostly in the tank all summer were just fine for all uses.

Bottom line, if you feel better dumping fresh water frequently, do so. I just plain do not worry about it.

[clyon51]

Originally Posted by jzick

Bottom line, if you feel better dumping fresh water frequently, do so. I just plain do not worry about it.

X2. I try to sanitize once a year, but don't usually make it. Can't begin to say how many gals I've drank out my tank that has had the same water in it well over a year.

[MartySQ]

My question is this... your pool test kit is designed for a certain amount of 'something' to change before it turns or indicates a change has occurred. That assumes in it that the water is not ingested, so I am wondering if the levels of change incurred and noted by the test are low enough to be a safe value for consumption. I realize this is not what you are asking or testing for exactly, but it is a concern of mine that you not generalize that because a pool test came out ok that the water would be safe to consume.

[TwelveVolt]

A theme in this thread seems to be the contradiction "I sanitize, but I don't really need to". Wouldn't it be more time/cost effective to just convince oneself that everything is fine and skip sanitizing altogether?

The reality is that we share this planet with microorganisms and ingest many each day. Most we encounter don't have any noticeable effect on us. Its the less friendly ones that cause us to treat our drinking and pool water. The population of a region will build resistance to the contents of their drinking water and ask "what problem"? Moving down the road and using many water sources means potential exposure to an assortment of chemicals and organisms.

By the way, the pH of a pool is not used as an indicator of biological activity. The chlorine or bromine compounds used to sanitize the pool are most effective in a narrow pH range and drop off considerably outside that range. If the pool water is too acidic or too alkaline, then you are wasting your chlorine dollars. That is why other chemicals are used to control the pH.

[ctcamper]

An old friend of mine told me he use to have to clean out the drinking water storage tanks at a shore resort in the north east. Periodically they would let the water drain and shovel the bottom out . There would be a pile of gunk when he finished but not alot. He said the guys use to try and be funny and shut the hatch for a minute to black him out lol

[clyon51]

If anyone here likes to get grossed out, just remove your hot water tank and fully empty it. They are round and there is always an inch or two of water/sediment below the drian plug.

I just did this to my 14 year old heater. Just think, I've been drinking water that's been exposed to 14 years of crud and sludge. Who sanitizes their hot water tank? I bet a few will start doing it now

[Gocoffeer]

All good opinions. Thanks.... I will continue with the test that begins this Saturday.

Craig

[Shadowcatche]

Treating a swimming pool in not treating drinking water for "long term" storage. a quick search found http://health.mo.gov/atoz/ehog/pdf/Ch_6.9.pdf and while it is applicable to using jugs to store water, there are similarities. An RV water tank has fittings that can trap impurities and harbor nastys. Basicall it boils down to clean the tank with bleach, (Dichlor is by the way a dry form of bleach). Then add clean/treated, water. Good for six months.
I never add water to my fresh water tank with out filtering through two or if I suspect source three water filters. The first filter is a ceramic carbon filter which can be cleaned of silt dirt pollywogs etc. The second filter filters down to a couple of microns and gets most chemicals etc. out. The third filter is NBC nuclear, biological, chemical. with this I can safely pull from rivers and streams and filter out such things as Girdia, (beaver fever) [we camp in Canada a lot] bacteria and cysts.

[Gocoffeer]

Shadow: I am curious as to the model and make of your filter system. I bought the CAMCO carbon inline filter for RVing. I have a new filter awaiting the second part of my test. If you have a moment please let me know what you are using. My filter can not purify water...it can only filter and remove certain elements and particle sized objects in the water.

Thx

Craig

[Shadowcatche]

The filter is the Trav-L-Pure Camper Canister - Water Purifiers and Water Micro Filters - General Ecology This is a water purifier and is NOT cheap which is why I only use it when I am in doubt about water quality. I used the First Need water purifier for a number of years while canoe camping in the back country of Canada.
Our trailer is a large teardrop and has a 10gal on board water tank and 6 gal Suburban water heater and external shower point, solar... As long as we can find water in what ever form we can do serious boondocking.
There are other water "purifiers" and that is the word you want not filter.
One source is RV Water Filter Store: Standard Filter Canisters for Whole RV which seems to have a fairly good selection of filters but note the only filter that will take out Viruses that I can find is the General Ecology.