Sanitizing the water system

[sourmug2]

I'll start by apologizing if this thread has already been posted. Maybe someone could direct me where the old thread would be located but here goes: I have a 2000 Safari Zanzibar and am VERY new at RV'ing (only one trip so far). We are getting ready to head out again in a few weeks and we're cleaning everything and getting everything ready. Here's my question: We have never sanitized the fresh water system. I know...yuk. My problem is that I can't locate where to drain and re-fill with water and bleach. I've looked everywhere and there is no place to fill the tank with any liquids. I seems like the MH has a sealed system.
Am I overlooking something or can someone tell me how to sanitize a water system that appears not to have any fill area?
Thanks!

[Ramblin]

I usually attach the hose to the fill port, filled with bleach, then attach it to the water supply, and inject it in like that. Then I run the pump, and open each faucet in turn till I can smell it. Let it sit for a few hours, then drain it all out and flush with clean water.

[Midniteoyl]

If you have a filter you can fill it up with bleach... Otherwise, the hose trick works..

[Mr_D]

On our rig (and a lot of others) you can use the water pump itself to draw fluids into the tank. It's made for winterizing to add the antifreeze directly into the system. But if you leave the tank valve open it can also fill the water tank.
To sanitize a water system you use ¼ cup bleach to every 15 gallons of tank capacity. I mix the bleach in a bucket, drop the winterizing hose into it then turn on the pump. Does the job in just a short time. Then I fill the water tank through the hose, then pump the water through the system, opening each faucet and let it flow till I smell the bleach. Let it sit for 24 hours, then dump it, fill with plain water and pump that through the system. Then let it sit 24 hours and dump that too. then you should be ready to go.

[sourmug2]

Thank you all for your replies, but I'm still confused on something (like I said, I'm new...lol). Some of you have said that after the bleach and water mixture sits for an extended period of time, drain or dump it. How do I do that? Is there a plug on the pump itself?

[HD4Mark]

Originally Posted by sourmug2

Thank you all for your replies, but I'm still confused on something (like I said, I'm new...lol). Some of you have said that after the bleach and water mixture sits for an extended period of time, drain or dump it. How do I do that? Is there a plug on the pump itself?

There should be a dump valve for the fresh water tank somewhere. Ours is a pull handle at the top of one of the basement storage compartments. Another RV we owned had a lever valve under the bed. Take a look under your rig and look for a hose pointing down. The hot water tank will have a plug near the bottom and a relief valve at the top. Keep in mind that if the tank is full a lot of water will drop on the ground. I park ours next to a drainage ditch on our street so it all runs off.

It surprises me how many coaches come without a "stick the hose in" fresh water fill. Ours has both the lever in the water bay to switch to fill from street and a door on the opposite side to stuff the hose in.

Don't worry about being new and asking questions. We were all there once and most of us love to help out.

[Midniteoyl]

You could also run the water into your grey and black tanks to clean those out too..

[Ramblin]

Originally Posted by Midniteoyl

You could also run the water into your grey and black tanks to clean those out too..

+1

[Gary RVRoamer]

Sometimes the fresh tank water is drained via the low point drains on the hot & cold lines? Have you seen those? They should exit underneath the coach, usually right near the water bay. You open those drains and turn the pump on to push the tank water out.

Don't forget to drain and flush the water heater too. It's best to remove the drain on the heater tank itself.

[dons2346]

Use a food grade hydrogen peroxide to sanitize the tank. By using peroxide,, you will not get any aftertaste in the water. Peroxide is safer to use than bleach.

[User1011]

Originally Posted by dons2346

Use a food grade hydrogen peroxide to sanitize the tank. By using peroxide,, you will not get any aftertaste in the water. Peroxide is safer to use than bleach.

What quantity of hydrogen peroxide would you add to an 80 gallon water tank to sanitize it?

Thanks!

[Midniteoyl]

Actually.. If you use bleach, you only need to use a very small amount. So small, that you could drink it and not taste it... Household bleach is relatively harmless. The smell or waft of chlorine (if there) is not bad: it indicates that water is treated and germ free. Once treated and disinfected, the chlorine smell will go away in a few days. Bleach effectively kills bacteria and viruses, stops smells and then breaks down. It's effective germ killing alkaline property is completely neutralized very quickly. It does not stay chemically active in tanks for more than a few days. Most germs require sunlight to grow. Store water in the dark.

1 Gallon water is disinfected by 8-16 drops of regular household bleach (visually about 1/4 of a teaspoon) - double that for cloudy water. One teaspoon will disinfect 5 gallons.

Regularly used water from large tanks may be treated once or twice a month with 1 Oz. bleach per 200 gallons or 5 Oz. bleach per 1000 gallons.

Long-standing water in tanks will be disinfected w/ 1 pint household bleach per 1000 gallons. (2500 gal tanks are fine with 3 pints.)

5-6 % sodium hypochlorite solution, referred to as "common household chlorine bleach", is an alkaline salt. It is not an "acid". However, it very, very effectively kills bacteria and viruses upon contact. It is the world-wide chemical of choice for treating drinking water, or for effectively sterilizing everything from shower stalls to surgical instruments. Truthfully, very heavily chlorinated water may be more irritating to the lungs - if it is used for showers, than it is harmful to the intestinal tract if used for drinking purposes.

[sourmug2]

Again, thanks to everyone for your help, but I'm completely frustrated. I guess what's making me the most frustrated is that since I bought my MH used, it came with ZERO documentation. I had to spend $50 for Monaco to send me a COPY of the owner's manual which doesn't really tell me anything. I can't find a valve anywhere to drain my water tank. I got underneath and I do see two 3/4 inch white hoses coming down from where the water panel is located and another one about a foot in front of the other two but that's it. No valves anywhere. Just hoses sticking out.
I know when I fill the water tank too full, it drains out near the front of the coach by way of another white hose strapped to the frame.
I can't even see the fresh water, black, or gray tanks. It appears to be sealed underneath.
So at this point, I'm unable to sanitize my water system.

[Midniteoyl]

So.. quickly looking around, I found this:

There is a water heater shut off/by pass valve, look in the rear closet on the left side behind the shelving, at the floor level.
There must be an access to the water heater valve. Mine has a panel in the closet that you can remove to access it.

Water pump is located directly behind all water valves in wet bay. Not an easy job to get to but also not as bad as it looks. I don't have a water heater bypass. BTW I have winterized every year with no problems using only the compressed air method

There are manuals for many Safari models in the Files section of the Yahoo Safari group -- SafariFriends.

Subscribe here: Safarifriends-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you go to the website Safarifriends : To promote the exchange of information regarding SAFARI MOTORHOMES.

You will have access to Files, Photos, Archives of messages, etc.

There has to be dump valves.. look behind stuff in the wet bay and look from the inside under cabinets/in closets..