How do I sanitize my fresh water tank?

[woodssauve]

I had attended a seminar in the past (years ago) and had heard that I could sanitize my fresh water tank by using the chlorine powder from our pool chemicals.
Help has anyone done this and how much chlorine do I use.
thanks for sharing your knowledge, Jane S

[gljurczyk]

Originally Posted by woodssauve

I had attended a seminar in the past (years ago) and had heard that I could sanitize my fresh water tank by using the chlorine powder from our pool chemicals.

Help has anyone done this and how much chlorine do I use.

thanks for sharing your knowledge, Jane S

Not that I know of, use just plain old bleach non scented. I think they recommend 1/4 cup for every 15 gals. Make sure you pump though your lines and let it sit awhile, I'm sure someone can tell you more but that's what I do.

[lwmcguire]

Well you can use about any oxidizer however do you want to flush a lot of water?

Is your tank dirty?

Normally a tank that is closed to the environment except for the vent and hasn't been filled with water containing bacteria doesn't need a lot of chemicals

I hav used peroxide for the past 50 years

Read the labels and watch the quantity of any off label applications of treatment chemical

[l1v3fr33ord1]

JaneS-

The first place to look for guidance is in the owner's manual for your RV.

That said, here is the guidance from my coach's manual:

1) Use liquid (laundry, household) bleach
2) Dilute 1/4-cup of bleach in one gallon of water
3) Add this mixture to the fresh water tank, one gallon for each 15 gallons of tank capacity (for example, a 60-gallon tank will require 4 gallons of the water-bleach mixture)
4) Add water to tank to fill to capacity

There are other steps to the sanitizing process, but these are the ones that apply to the mixing.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I can't add to what others have suggested! Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Ray,IN]

I use the 2nd method described here. Which may be what you remember. Be advised there are safety issues with storing and handling Sodium Dichlor, just the same as at home working with your swimming pool.
I keep a copy of the SDS in the with my manuals.
FWIW, Hydrogen Peroxide is not effective at household strength. it is effective at destroying bacteria but does nothing to fungus when used full-strength, how much will it cost to fill your fresh water tank? Or do you plan to only disinfect the bottom of the tank; dilution is not an option.
ref: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol.../chemical.html

[tap4154]

I just sanitized mine after it had been sitting for a few years. Water didn’t smell or look bad but I needed to do it. I used the quarter cup bleach per 15 gallon method, diluting a quarter cup in a gallon of water and pouring 3 gallons of that solution into the 50 gallon tank, then topping it off. Let that sit for about five hours and then let it dump, opening the tank drain, all the hot and cold valves and hot/cold low point valves, as well as the water tank drain plug, which all went onto my backyard brick area and into the street. I did that at about 10 o’clock at night so people wouldn’t be walking by.

After doing that I filled it back up completely and ran all the faucets until the air was pretty much out of the lines and hot water tank, and I couldn’t smell chlorine anymore (catching most of it in containers and then tossing it outside onto the grass area so I didn’t fill up the gray tank). However I didn’t want to leave the tank almost full, would rather have it down around a quarter for traveling, but didn’t want to dump it all into the street again.

So I went to Home Depot and picked up a fixture that fastens to the kitchen sink faucet that I can hook a hose to. I ran the hose out to the lawn area in the backyard and just turned on the pump and opened up the hot and cold water and just let it run until I got down to about a quarter tank. That also did a much better job in flushing all of the air and chlorine out. At first the water looked really milky from the air in it, but now it comes out of all of the faucets very clear. By the way, before I sanitized I removed the whole house filter and sanitized it with the filter housing empty (I have no secondary filters). After I was all done flushing it I put a new filter I'd picked up at Home Depot into the housing.

[LVJ58]

When filling my 70 gallon fresh water tank I add 16 oz of bleach which seems to work pretty well.

[Brecklundin]

bleach is the best option and buy the inexpensive store brand. Bleach is bleach and the less costly brand sells fast and is going to be fresher and stronger.

Also, rinsing away the bleach is FAR easier that other chemicals. It's highly water soluble which is why flushing it out works so well. Just feed the diluted mix of bleach in a gallon jug until you've added a sufficient quantity to sanitize without burning up anything sensitive to highly concentrated chlorine bleach....just plain store brand bleach...

[RM Art]

Our current pleasure boat carries 77 gals water in two plastic tanks. Other boats have had plastic or metal tanks; larger or lesser volumes of water.

For over 60 years I've been associated-with/often-on boats. Ever since my young years, and continuing today, I gleefully fulfill the position of water-boy... LOL

So.... being relatively new to RVing... I plan doing same to our rig's water as I have done for decades and still do today on boats.

At a certain fill up add 1 cup +/- clorox bleach per 30 gal water. I recommend adding that amount only during every 3rd to 4th fillup. Residual bleach between fill ups keeps tank, lines, faucets and water fresh enough. Amount of Clorox mentioned that is added at 3rd to 4th fillup... shocks the system to stay free of contaminants.

BTW - I don't recommend drinking water from tanks without really good filter system at the tap. Otherwise, we bring drinking water in sterile 5 gallon plastic water jugs.

If your tank has set for long period then I recommend adding twice the amount Clorox mentioned above and filling the tank with ample Clorox added water moved into/through all lines; inc water heater. Then let it set for 24 hrs or longer. Drain everything. After flushing full tank through all faucets, lines and water heater... When empty refill with the 1 cup Clorox to 30 gal water and thereafter follow instructions mentioned above.

This isn't rocket science. However, it is over 6ix decades of keeping tank water in good usable condition.

YRMV

Art