Draining & Sanitizing Hot Water Tank Rialta ‘95

[Shnoby]

Hello,

I bought my Rialta a few weeks ago and there are obviously a few things that were not used for a good while. I was reading I am supposed to clean the hot water tank once a year. I watched a couple of videos on how they’re supposed to work but I can’t find any information in my owner manual on how to do this on my coach.

So my question to you: how do you dump and sanitize the hot water tank on your Rialta?

I managed to drain the regular water tank by accessing the drain valve through an access hole trough the bed storage. I guess I can do same for the hot water tank. But how do I clean it?! That’s gonna be A MESS if I attempt doing it trough this access hole. And I don’t see an option to get under each the RV and being able to spill that tank out.

Thanks for your input on this!
Shnoby

[BFlinn181]

Most water heater tanks have a drain plug that will dump outside the RV. Pull the lever on the pressure relief valve to allow air into the tank. A couple of gallons of white vinegar can be used to dissolve any mineral deposits in the tank. While you might not have a Suburban water heater, the use of vinegar is the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEPy21nIrQ

[Skip Y]

I would also consider sanitizing the entire water system. Add 1/4 cup bleach to the fresh water tank for each 25 gallons of water capacity (include the 6 gallons for the water heater). Pump this through each faucet, hot and cold, until you get a faint smell of bleach at each faucet. Let this sit for a while, overnite is best. Then dump the fresh water and the water heater, find a full hook-up site, and flush the entire system until you're satisfied the bleach is all gone.

Skip Y
2010 Journey 40TD
2015 Equinox
WIT 47083, FNCA 263635