How to sanitize freshwater

[tonkim]

Hi all,

Loving life every second weekend in our new 32' Minnie Winnie. All systems work great but I would like to sanitize my fresh water tank but not sure how to.
It only has a hose hook up, no slide out little tray to dump bleach into.
Anyone give me an idea on how to do this procedure.
Thank you

[ZOOKER]

I used a plastic water bottle to put the bleach in and just poured it in the holding tank then added water. If that does not work a piece of hose with adapter hold hose up in the air and pour in the bleach then add the water. Hope this helps

[SteveLevin]

Agree; we put a 1/4 cup of bleach into a 1 gallon bottle, pour that in, then right away fill the tank. You might not want to use 1/4 cup; we have a 105 gallon fresh water tank

Oh, and we use a funnel for pouring the bleached water in to try and make sure it doesn't get on the side of the coach.

Steve

[Koop]

I think the OP is saying there's no gravity fill. Pour the bleach into the hose, then connect the hose to the fill. That's how I do it.

[Lovin2Camp]

Originally Posted by Koop

I think the OP is saying there's no gravity fill. Pour the bleach into the hose, then connect the hose to the fill. That's how I do it.

X 2!

[MyLife]

I found this information on line:
Tanks Clean as a Whistle

If you boondock away from city water, you will be glad to have a clean and safe fresh water tank. Sanitizing a fresh water tank is straightforward. First, determine the capacity of your fresh water tank, and bring it to near full of fresh water. The trick is to add a 1/4 cup of household bleach for each 15 gallons of tank capacity. However, to do this, you will not just dump bleach into the tank; rather get a container with a capacity of at least a quart. Bring the container near to full, and carefully add the requisite amount of bleach. Mix carefully, and funnel this diluted solution into your fresh water tank. Top off the tank with fresh water.

Now run your water pump and draw water through all fixtures until you smell the odor of chlorine. Everything should now be allowed to sit for at least three hours, and overnight if possible. Once the wait is over, drain the fresh water tank and "sweeten" it. After treating with chlorine (an alkaline), using baking soda (another alkaline) may not work as well as using the old vinegar trick.

Get yourself apple cider vinegar and, following the same physical procedures as for the bleach, add a quart of vinegar for every 15 gallons of tank capacity. Of course, you will need to "up the size" of your dilution container. Again, you are ahead to let the cider solution sit in the system for a few hours. Drain it out, add fresh water to the tank, and run the fixtures until the smell is gone.

Now you have a clean tank, keep it clean. Do not let your fresh water tank filler sit about without a proper cap. In hot, dry climates, you would be surprise how a trail of ants can sniff out your fresh water tank and attempt to infiltrate your RV "watering hole." It is a major headache clearing ants (or other contaminants) out of your tank--so much easier to keep them out in the first place.

[LeeRevell]

Good advice! And I leaned about ants and water once when I camped in the woods by motorcycle. I let my backpack water bladder sit on the ground awhile - soon it was swarming with thirsty ants! Had a heck of a time cleaning them off without getting stung! I sure don't want them in the RV!

[bikermike]

I use a pump to fill my water system with antifreeze that I purchased from Camping World part # 4411 and it will let you pump bleach into your potable water tank through the hose fill port.

[Big Bear Local]

Originally Posted by Koop

I think the OP is saying there's no gravity fill. Pour the bleach into the hose, then connect the hose to the fill. That's how I do it.

X's2

[DGShaffer]

Same here. I link all of my fill hoses (4) and elevate the free end. Then I pour in the total amount of bleach for the tank in my MH then connect it to the spigot and turn it on until water just starts to flow out of the elevated end. With the spigot off I let the hoses sit for about an hour then connect it to the fresh water inlet and fill the tanks. now my house system and my hoses are clean.

Every few weeks I drain and fill my tanks simply by using the chlorinated city water at my home. That keeps things clean all season long

[UFO Pilot]

My RV has a whole house filter in the wet bay. I remove the filter, fill the housing with bleach and then fill the tank. After the sanitizing procedure is complete, I install a new filter.

If you don't have a whole house filter on your RV, you can make up a portable one with parts and fittings from any hardware store. I see them being used in campgrounds all the time.

[stevertx]

Hopefully this isnt hi jacking the thread, but on a similar note, if we only use our RV once every few weeks, is it ok to leave the fresh water tanks full? Or should I drain them at the of each trip?

We use ours for weekend quick trips

[nothermark]

We leave water in the tank from Spring opening to Fall closing. If I'm worried I just add a bit of bleach. The Clorox web site has an article on how much to use based on your capacity. Reality is that you have a fairly closed system so the chances of getting something growing are small.

[GENECOP]

We fill our water filter with Vinegar.....