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Old 05-11-2015, 05:24 PM   #15
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Thanks for all of the good feedback.


Very helpful.


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Old 05-12-2015, 06:09 AM   #16
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Basic laundry type bleach. Clorox. Roman cleanser, House brand.

I'd worry about purity with pool chemicals.
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Old 05-12-2015, 06:23 AM   #17
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John
Keep in mind you are gonna use just a small amount of bleach (chlorine). Google it to get it right, as I have CRS. Also, make sure you disconnect any water taste filter when circulating the bleach/water thru pipes. Distilled vinegar added to the water after the bleaching can help get rid of that bleach smell/taste. We don't drink the water from our tank. We bought a water tester, I think for less than $15, and it tells you the parts per million present in water that is not hydrogen or oxygen. I test the water upon arrival at a campground and if it doesn't pass the test or smells, I turn off the ice maker and use bottled water for drinking.
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Old 05-12-2015, 09:26 AM   #18
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When I lived in Phoenix I did a test at the faucet in the summer. There was 1ppm of free chorine at the tap. Fill your tank with that water and you won't need bleach. For this reason I like to use municipal water for my rv as most will add some amount of chlorine.
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Old 05-12-2015, 09:39 AM   #19
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I use hot tub/pool Sodium Dichlor chlorinating concentrate. A little bit goes a looonnng ways. It comes dry in a small bottle so it is easier to safely store when on the road than large bottles of bleach, and there is no after-taste to flush out.
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Old 05-12-2015, 03:07 PM   #20
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I've always used just plain (i.e. un-scented) household bleach and haven't had a problem. I try and stay away from the "fancy" bleaches that have thicker formulas for "no spill"... there are extra chemicals in there I'd rather not put in my fresh water tank. Store brands of plain old liquid bleach are usually the "simplest" ingredient list!

Also... be aware that bleach DOES break down over time. So if you have an old bottle of Clorox on board the RV... you might want to pitch it and buy new to do your sanitizing. Not only does the chlorine concentration diminish over time, but it breaks down into salts that can actually promote the growth of "stuff" in your tank. No sense going through the sanitize procedure only to have it do more harm than good, right?!
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Old 05-12-2015, 03:22 PM   #21
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I use real-lemon juice couple of times a year. Do not need to worry about it damaging anything. After pumping through system I have no flavor remaining. If a little taste is present I do not care because I like lemon in my water drinks.

Perhaps if you only clean water system every few years then maybe you need strong dose of BLEACH.
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Old 05-12-2015, 03:48 PM   #22
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it is easier to safely store when on the road than large bottles of bleach
Why do you need to take the bleach on the road with you? Most people don't sanitize that often, usually only once or twice a year. (I sanitize once after de-winterizing, and then keep using the rig so the water stays fresh.)
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Old 05-12-2015, 03:59 PM   #23
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If you plan to sanitize your plumbing system, you will need to be pumping water with 10ppm of sodium hypochlorite residual through your pipes. A cup of 6% bleach in a 40 gallon tank will get you to a bit over 10ppm.

This is the concentration necessary to actually sanitize the surfaces of your plumbing system; tank, pipes, water heater. If you were merely chlorinating your water, then 1ppm or less is sufficient.

For the most part, if you are using chlorinated city water in your fresh water tank, you will not need to sanitize it, but if you are ever using well water (and how would you know?) then sanitizing periodically is a good idea.

Lemon juice or other acids like vinegar are NOT sanitizers; hydrogen peroxide is, but not in the concentrations one gets by dumping a few bottles of Walmart 2% household peroxide into your tank.

Full disclosure: career in dairy manufacturing, dairy plant sanitation and quality assurance.
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Old 05-12-2015, 05:21 PM   #24
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I use only hydrogen peroxide as it does a great job, no after taste, no smell and dissipates withing 24 hours. 250 ml in 80 gallons.
My guess is that you're not using Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide or 15% (or greater) hydrogen peroxide, right?

I don't think either of these is available to consumers.

Anyway, you're probably using over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide (3%) which will thoroughly clean the bacteria, but not kill them.
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Old 05-12-2015, 05:31 PM   #25
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If you plan to sanitize your plumbing system, you will need to be pumping water with 10ppm of sodium hypochlorite residual through your pipes. A cup of 6% bleach in a 40 gallon tank will get you to a bit over 10ppm.

Full disclosure: career in dairy manufacturing, dairy plant sanitation and quality assurance.
Um, that may be dairy industry standards, but there's a separate standard just for the RV industry, NFPA-1192.

This RV standard recommends a sodium hypochlorite solution of 50 or 100ppm (not 10ppm).
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Old 05-12-2015, 06:18 PM   #26
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Hummmm...This is one of those posts that answers will vary drastically from one person to the next. For instance, my owner's manual specifically states to use 1/4 cup of chlorine per 15 gallons of water and let it set for 12 hours. Since I have a 90 gallon tank, that would mean that I need to use 1 and a 1/2 cups of chlorine if I filled the tank...right? That's a hell of a long way from a couple of table spoons!

Be careful of what is posted here. Read your owner's manual and follow it to a "T".

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Old 05-12-2015, 06:29 PM   #27
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I use pool chlorine (65-70% dry hth), doesn't leave an unpleasant after taste like the bleach chemicals do (1-2% chlorine, mostly water and some other undisclosed chems).

You can use a pool chlorine test kit (I use strips) to test for free chlorine after you've sanitized the system, if there's no free chlorine, you need to sanitize again.

Carrying dry hth is very safe. Spilled bleach would be a nasty caustic mess to clean up.
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Old 05-12-2015, 06:56 PM   #28
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Hummmm...This is one of those posts that answers will vary drastically from one person to the next. For instance, my owner's manual specifically states to use 1/4 cup of chlorine per 15 gallons of water and let it set for 12 hours. Since I have a 90 gallon tank, that would mean that I need to use 1 and a 1/2 cups of chlorine if I filled the tank...right? That's a hell of a long way from a couple of table spoons!
That's straight from the NFPA 1192 RV standard (except the 12 hours part) -- 1/4 cup per 15 gal water is 50ppm.
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