Community Forums

gwarshawsky · 07-22-2011, 07:59 AM

I have a 100 gallon water tank in my fleetwood revolution. Though i usually do not have it full,should I be adding bleach to the water in the tank,and if so how much?

I am new to this forum and am still trying to figure out the proper way to use this,so if this question appears twice my apologies.

Parkerrs · 07-22-2011, 08:14 AM

I only use bleach to sanitize the water system of the rv. The procedure was outlined in my owners manual. I can't remember the ratio but on my unit I have a 100 gal. holding tank and use 12 oz. of bleach to a full tank.

I put the bleach in and fill the tank completely. After this turn on each spigot until the lines fill with this mixture. Make sure the water heater bypass is engaged as you don't want the mix in the hot water tank, also don't flush or run the mix through the toilet as it will cause the seals around the ball valve to fail in a short time. Don't ask how I found out about the toilet thing. Let this sit for a minimum of 4 hours then drain everything completely , refill, flush lines and drain again. Now your fresh water system is sanitized. I do this twice a year or after a long storage ( 2 months or more).

Be careful not to overdose the system with bleach or fail to flush it. Long ago on a 5th wheel I didn't know the procedure and dumped 2 gal of bleach in a 75 gal. tank forgot to by pass the hot water heater. after doing this I took a hot shower in the unit and came down with Chlorine poisoning an hour later. This makes for a quick way to fill your black tank in one night from both ends of your body, not a pretty thing at all.

gwarshawsky · 07-22-2011, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parkerrs

I only use bleach to sanitize the water system of the rv. The procedure was outlined in my owners manual. I can't remember the ratio but on my unit I have a 100 gal. holding tank and use 12 oz. of bleach to a full tank.

I put the bleach in and fill the tank completely. After this turn on each spigot until the lines fill with this mixture. Make sure the water heater bypass is engaged as you don't want the mix in the hot water tank, also don't flush or run the mix through the toilet as it will cause the seals around the ball valve to fail in a short time. Don't ask how I found out about the toilet thing. Let this sit for a minimum of 4 hours then drain everything completely , refill, flush lines and drain again. Now your fresh water system is sanitized. I do this twice a year or after a long storage ( 2 months or more).

Be careful not to overdose the system with bleach or fail to flush it. Long ago on a 5th wheel I didn't know the procedure and dumped 2 gal of bleach in a 75 gal. tank forgot to by pass the hot water heater. after doing this I took a hot shower in the unit and came down with Chlorine poisoning an hour later. This makes for a quick way to fill your black tank in one night from both ends of your body, not a pretty thing at all.

Thanks

Gary RVRoamer · 07-22-2011, 08:53 AM

If the water you fill it with is already chlorinated, it's fine for at least a couple months of storage. If not, or you are unsure, you can always add a small amount of regular, unscented bleach to the fresh tank. For basic purification of drinking water, use 1/2 teaspoon of regular bleach per 5 gallons of water. If the water is cloudy or otherwise suspect, double the amount of bleach.

This is less bleach than you would use to sanitize the tank and water lines, something you should do at least annually.

melvonnar · 07-22-2011, 12:57 PM

I have city water; I fill and flush my tanks every couple of months with city water, never added any bleach, in over 30 years I have never had a problem, I don't like bleach, once it gets in the system it takes forever to get the stink out. I tried it once; never again.

beaverfever · 07-22-2011, 04:07 PM

you can use sodium diclor also. three tablespoons per 100 gallons of water to sanitize tank. it say's you do not have to rinse tank after using but i do

Easyrider · 07-22-2011, 05:30 PM

To remove the beach smell after sanitizing your fresh water system, add some baking soda to your water and leave it set for about a day, drain it and your're ready to go. I also run the bleach water through the water heater and toilet and have never had a problem with either one.

Mr_D · 07-22-2011, 09:37 PM

My owners manual says to use ¼ cup bleach to each 15 gallons of water, run the water through the system out each spigot and leave for 24 hours. Drain and refill with plain water also running it through the system. Drain and refill then enjoy the camping. They also say to mix the bleach and water in a 5 gallon pail before adding to the system.
I've only done this a few times to my system and in the nine years we've had it and never had a problem.

Gary RVRoamer · 07-23-2011, 08:40 AM

The 1/4 cup per 15 gallons is for sanitizing the system. What we are discussing here is adding bleach to purify water for drinking purposes. You don't need anywhere near as much bleach for that.

BZam · 07-23-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melvonnar

I have city water; I fill and flush my tanks every couple of months with city water, never added any bleach, in over 30 years I have never had a problem, I don't like bleach, once it gets in the system it takes forever to get the stink out. I tried it once; never again.

Ditto.

I did use bleach at one time but then decided it was not worth the effort. If we dry camp, I just bring some store bought water. We use about a gallon a day for coffee and brushing out teeth. If there a while there is usually somewhere to refill my jugs. My wife has a small container of bleach in kitchen and she uses several drops in dishwater and on sponge to clean the counters.

In one situation when at my son's home for long period, after I have refilled the 100 gal RV tank a couple of times we 'drink' directly as I figure its flushed out enough.

menoble · 07-23-2011, 09:04 AM

Our FW sits in the driveway most of the time, so we usually buy a couple of gallon jugs of drinking water for human consumption and use the tank water for everything else. Our country well water tastes wonderful, but I don't recommend letting it sit in a plastic tank in the hot sun for very long.

cvrvr · 07-23-2011, 01:03 PM

I use bleach to keep my water tank clean.

One word of caution. DO NOT USE SUDSY TYPE OF BLEACH. It will take forever to get it out of the system.

George

Mr_D · 07-23-2011, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

The 1/4 cup per 15 gallons is for sanitizing the system. What we are discussing here is adding bleach to purify water for drinking purposes. You don't need anywhere near as much bleach for that.

OP didn't specify that.
If your water is chlorinated, like most public systems, it's not necessary to add more.

brucemcdou · 07-23-2011, 01:33 PM

I second the comment about sodium diclor instead of household bleach. You'll find it sold with swimming pool/spa chemicals. It's dry instead of liquid, so much lighter and smaller to carry and use. And it doesn't give the nasty "bleach" smell unless you use too much.

I also agree that if you only fill from a water source that's already chlorinated (most urban water systems) you probably don't need to add bleach to "shock" it unless it's sat for a long time in high temperatures or have some other reason to worry about the water supply.

We add a small amount of the sodium diclor every few water fills, or if we fill from a source we aren't sure is chlorinated such as a NP campground. The instructions will tell you how much - VERY little compared with the liquid laundry bleach. For drinking and ice cubes, coffee etc. we triple-filter the water: we have a whole-house filter, then a Pur filter on the kitchen faucet, then we use that to fill a Pur pitcher and keep in the fridge - so the water we actually drink has most everything filtered out. Maybe overkill but I'd rather not spend a RV trip in the bathroom!