Fresh water tank

[nothermark]

[QUOTE=IdahoBob;3818315]

Originally Posted by Super Thirty

When I put our trailer "to bed" for more than a couple of weeks, I fill the fresh tank with water from our city water supply. I figure that water has enough chlorine in it to kill most anything smaller than a pony.

Bob

It does not. The concentration for cleaning or disinfecting is too high to drink.

[Highway 4x4]

Contact your water company to see how long it can be stored. Things grow in an empty tank more. I keep mine full but drain and refill every 2 months. It's my earthquake emergency water.

[jtbuilds]

Originally Posted by Highway 4x4

Contact your water company to see how long it can be stored. Things grow in an empty tank more. I keep mine full but drain and refill every 2 months. It's my earthquake emergency water.

In a sealed container water can be stored a long time...but a RV tank is not sealed. Once the water sits in the tank for a few days there wont' be any chlorine in the water...things may not grow in the tank but they will in the water.

With pool test kit the chlorine level can be maintained. A carbon block filter on the water coming out of the tank will remove chlorine and other things from the water.

[egwilly]

[QUOTE=Super Thirty;3817587]

Originally Posted by champyun

Speaking of fresh water tanks ... is there a good way to 'clean' your tank? We filled our fresh tank a while back (as a backup during a hurricane) and it's not been used in some time. Can the water become undrinkable/unusable over time?[/

I add bleach ( Javex ) to a full tank first time out of storage. Turn on the water pump and run all the taps. Drain the tank and fill with fresh, run the taps again and drain again. Never had any issues. The amount of bleach is dependent on the size of your tank. I got the mix from my owners manual which stated to prepare a solution of 1/4 cup chlorine bleach for each gallon. It said to use one gallon of solution for every 15 gallons of capacity.

That's a lot of bleach! I aways use 1/4 cup per 10 gallons. Flush and refill.

[champyun]

[QUOTE=egwilly;3822861]

Originally Posted by Super Thirty

That's a lot of bleach! I aways use 1/4 cup per 10 gallons. Flush and refill.

Thanks for all of the answers to my question. This may sound like a dumb question (forgive me, I’m a newbie) but how do you add the bleach to the tank? I don’t see where I have access. Am I missing something?

[60sumtin]

[QUOTE=champyun;3823135]

Originally Posted by egwilly

Thanks for all of the answers to my question. This may sound like a dumb question (forgive me, I’m a newbie) but how do you add the bleach to the tank? I don’t see where I have access. Am I missing something?

No such thing as a dumb question. You pour it in through the fresh water tank inlet on the side of the trailer. You'll likely need a funnel though.

[60sumtin]

[QUOTE=egwilly;3822861]

Originally Posted by Super Thirty

That's a lot of bleach! I aways use 1/4 cup per 10 gallons. Flush and refill.

You are actually using more at 1/4C per 10 gallons as opposed to the owner's manual recommended 1/4C per 15 gallons.

[Highway 4x4]

[QUOTE=Super Thirty;3817587]

Originally Posted by champyun

Speaking of fresh water tanks ... is there a good way to 'clean' your tank? We filled our fresh tank a while back (as a backup during a hurricane) and it's not been used in some time. Can the water become undrinkable/unusable over time?[/

I add bleach ( Javex ) to a full tank first time out of storage. Turn on the water pump and run all the taps. Drain the tank and fill with fresh, run the taps again and drain again. Never had any issues. The amount of bleach is dependent on the size of your tank. I got the mix from my owners manual which stated to prepare a solution of 1/4 cup chlorine bleach for each gallon. It said to use one gallon of solution for every 15 gallons of capacity.

That would be 1/4 cup for 16 gallons water.

[jtbuilds]

Don't pour chlorine directly into the tank.

There are several You Tube videos on how to sanitizes a tank.

Chlorine is available off the shelf in 5% to 12% concentrations. A 1/4 cup of 12% in 10gal is enough to burn eyes, throat, lungs.

[Super Thirty]

I add the chlorine bleach after filling with measured amount of water. I use a funnel to add the bleach. Good idea to where rubber gloves.

[nothermark]

If you do not have a gravity fill the easy way most of us add bleach is to connect one end of the hose to the low point then pour the bleach into the hose and connect the other end to the RV. Turn on the water and the mix goes into the tank.

Household bleach is ~6% when new. It loses chlorine over time. It will not burn your skin but it will take the color out of clothing and possibly create a hole if poured directly on cloth. Avoid the fumes by working with a light breeze. There are a couple of common concentrations used depending on whether you are cleaning or disinfecting or treating drinking water.

You are disinfecting so it is too strong to drink or shower with. Run it through the system by opening each faucet like winterizing. Let it sit a few hours then pull the tank drain. Refill with clean water. Any residual chlorine will be diluted to a safe level by the clean water. Let each faucet run a bit to flush the lines the first time you turn it on. I usually do it as part of spring cleaning so I use the water for wiping down counters and the shower. It's roughly the same as using the wet wipes.

[IdahoBob]

[QUOTE=nothermark;3820829]

Originally Posted by IdahoBob

It does not. The concentration for cleaning or disinfecting is too high to drink.

I was thinking (maybe incorrectly), that since we have been using our tank water with no known adverse physiological consequences, it likely was not contaminated. Thus it did not need to be "cleaned and disinfected", just "maintained". With that assumption, filling it with public utility chlorinated water would do that.

I am also influnced by the fact that this process (ignorance?) has worked for us for many, many years. Maybe we've just been lucky. Or maybe that's why I am bald.

Of course I have been overlooking the fact that over time chlorine gradually loses its effectiveness. A quick internet check did not tell me how rapidly that happens.

When I was new to RVing, I read all I could and dutifully "sanitized" our tank in accordance with whatever proceedure was advised at that time (1993). I recall that it took forever to get rid of the chlorine smell, even after post treatment with baking soda.

But, now armed with these iRV2 forum opinions, I will reconsider the possible error of my ways. Maybe I will dis-infect the tank before our next trip. Maybe.

Thanks everybody for the education.

Mr. Wonderful

[dix39]

[QUOTE=IdahoBob;3824131]

Originally Posted by nothermark

I was thinking (maybe incorrectly), that since we have been using our tank water with no known adverse physiological consequences, it likely was not contaminated. Thus it did not need to be "cleaned and disinfected", just "maintained". With that assumption, filling it with public utility chlorinated water would do that.

I am also influnced by the fact that this process (ignorance?) has worked for us for many, many years. Maybe we've just been lucky. Or maybe that's why I am bald.

Of course I have been overlooking the fact that over time chlorine gradually loses its effectiveness. A quick internet check did not tell me how rapidly that happens.

When I was new to RVing, I read all I could and dutifully "sanitized" our tank in accordance with whatever proceedure was advised at that time (1993). I recall that it took forever to get rid of the chlorine smell, even after post treatment with baking soda.

But, now armed with these iRV2 forum opinions, I will reconsider the possible error of my ways. Maybe I will dis-infect the tank before our next trip. Maybe.

Thanks everybody for the education.

Mr. Wonderful

I guess it affects us in different ways. I still have my hair, but who knows what else may be going on.

I didn't know about any of this when we got our first camper in the late 70s so none of it was done. I don't remember if I gave any of our campers the bleach treatment until we got our first MH a couple of years ago. The water coming out of that thing smelled so bad something had to be done. The bleach treatment cured that.

We have filled our tank with water from all over the US, mostly rest areas, since the late 70s when we got our first camper, but only with potable water. Some of it tasted good and some not so good. Perhaps we too were lucky. We have always filtered the water we drink, at least from the time filters were available.

Good stuff to know, thanks.

Steve

[60sumtin]

The little bit of chlorine bleach left in the system after being sanitized and replaced with tap water is negligible. Carry on with your routines.