Sanitize Water Tank

[fivejackie]

2115 Hurricane 27K want to sanitize the fresh water tank. I was told by the dealer to use the gravity fill, which is located 7 feet high. Using a 8 foot and a siphon tube to fill 5 gallons of a bleach solution. There must be an easier way.
I've had 2 other RVs and used the house pump to suck the solution into the tank.

[MusicRocks]

Originally Posted by fivejackie

2115 Hurricane 27K want to sanitize the fresh water tank. I was told by the dealer to use the gravity fill, which is located 7 feet high. Using a 8 foot and a siphon tube to fill 5 gallons of a bleach solution. There must be an easier way.
I've had 2 other RVs and used the house pump to suck the solution into the tank.

I always pour the bleach into the empty waterline hose, then attach the hose and turn on the water. This sanitizes the hose at the same time!

[wa8yxm]

That is one method, another is to fill the tank half full via the city fill then mix your bleach into a single gallon down the gravity fill followed by a single gallon of clear water then finish the fill via the city water.

7 Feet high for the gravity fill.. What were they thinking, Mine is oh 5.5 perhaps. (eye level for a 6'2" owner

[DGShaffer]

At the start of every season I link all of my white hoses together. pour in a 1/4 cup of bleach for every 5 gallons or so then with the free end of the hoses elevated slightly, fill the hoses until the water and bleach mixture fills the entire length. I let that sit for about an hour or so while I work on other pre season things.

I then connect the hose to the fill connection and fill the fresh water tank all the way to the top. I turn the water to the hose off and the on board water pump on, I run each faucet until I smell the bleach. This includes the washing machine, low point drains, fresh water tank drain, with the line to the ices maker valve disconnected, I run it until the bleach water comes out of the line a bit. Then I top off the fresh water tank and let it sit for about 3 hours.

After that it takes about three times of filling the tank and draining it to get rid of the smell which includes flushing all the faucets starting at the third fill.

It may sound like a lot of work but it's pretty simple. What you don't want is to get sick from bacteria living in the dark spots of your water system. I also replace the on board water filter at the beginning of each season so we have no issues at all drinking the water or using the ice in the ice maker.

[Czar Of Poop]

Hi FiveJackie,


Does your fresh water tank smell or have a taste problem? If not and your only flushing it because is new, then Camping World sells a product that you can pour directly in to the tank at the gravity fill. I don't think you have to dump it, just start using your tank on a normal basis.