Bleach water and get bubbles

[budh9534]

Put about 1-1/4 cups bleach in a 2/3 full 40-gallon water tank (2002 Fleetwood Jamboree 29V motorhome) after fill and vent of the water aystem with regular water. When I ran it into a bucket, I got what looked like large soap bubbles which did not happen before the bleach was added. I immediately began draining the tank and have flushed and drained the tank several times and this weekend will hope I get whatever it is out of my water system.

Any idea what might have caused this? I’ve added bleach before without this happening.

[MrMark52]

Hopefully you used pure bleach and not something with softeners and perfumes.

No big deal though. Just keep flushing the tank and lines.

You can also try adding a little vinegar to the flushing water.

[Yosemite77]

Some types of bleach have a thickening agent that makes it easier to pour, and cuts down splashing as well. Unfortunately it can cause excessive suds to form. My guess is that you used Clorox Splash-less Bleach. Obviously, look for a variety without this feature.

[Mark_K5LXP]

Make sure you're not using "splashless" bleach. That could explain why it might foam and insult to injury, it's not real bleach either so it won't sanitize the system. I've almost done the same thing myself, the clorox brand bottles for each kind look very similar.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[TandW]

Pure bleach has no surfactants.

[glwinger]

We keep two different bottles of bleach. One, the splashless is for laundry only. The other bottle is labeled for trailer only.

Another thing, use only quality bleach. Most of the bargain brands do not contain enough sodium hypochlrorite to sanitize properly and may have other ingredients that cause foaming. Look at the label for at least 7% solution. Cheap brands do not even show the ingredients.
We bought the Awesome brand once and you could not even smell the bleach.

[budh9534]

Yes, it was unfortunately the no splash version! Thanks to all that responded.

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by budh9534

Yes, it was unfortunately the no splash version! Thanks to all that responded.

Good catch. I almost did that when I got my new toy hauler. Grabbed the bleach bottle from the laundry. Luckily I noticed it when i filled the measuring cup. The better half didn't realize she bought the no splash stuff. She didn't like it.

[SLOweather]

Originally Posted by MrMark52

You can also try adding a little vinegar to the flushing water.

"Mixing bleach and vinegar creates potentially lethal chlorine gas. If you notice a pungent smell after mixing household cleaners, you should immediately leave the area and try to breathe in fresh air."

[MrMark52]

Originally Posted by SLOweather

"Mixing bleach and vinegar creates potentially lethal chlorine gas. If you notice a pungent smell after mixing household cleaners, you should immediately leave the area and try to breathe in fresh air."

Thanks SLOweather!

I didn’t recommend mixing bleach and vinegar together, only to add a little vinegar to the fill water after several flashings of the water system had failed to remove any remaining chlorine odor.
And while I’m not a chemist - I wouldn’t recommend for someone to put their nose to an opened bottle of bleach either - where one can also get a pretty hefty whiff of chlorine gas - without the vinegar.

[SLOweather]

You're welcome! In another lifetime, I was a CA State certified Grade 3 water treatment operator, Grade 5 Wastewater Operator. I worked with liquified Cl2 and SO2 gasses, and aqueous Hypochlorite and ammonia. Been gassed by Cl2 a couple of time from a leak (think green cloud).

I always get nervous when someone recommends mixing bleach with anything.

And, NOTE: to the OP. IMO, 1/4 cup of bleach would have been more than sufficient for routine disinfection!

I use 12 ml in my 60 gallon tank regularly to keep it fresh and fine to use and drink. (That's a little less than a half ounce (0.40 oz).

Originally Posted by MrMark52

Thanks SLOweather!

I didn’t recommend mixing bleach and vinegar together, only to add a little vinegar to the fill water after several flashings of the water system had failed to remove any remaining chlorine odor.
And while I’m not a chemist - I wouldn’t recommend for someone to put their nose to an opened bottle of bleach either - where one can also get a pretty hefty whiff of chlorine gas - without the vinegar.

[MrMark52]

And a couple of other comments about bleach -

1) there are different concentrations of bleach - most household bleach for clothes washing is 4-6%. Check the bottle ingredients for concentration.
2) you can buy liquid swimming pool bleach at the big box stores or your local pool chemical supply store. Concentration can be as high as 12% (meaning it would take roughly 1/2 as much to sanitize your system as 6%).
3. bleach sitting on the shelf degrades and is sensitive to both light and temperature. Always keep bleach in a cool area, check the date code or manufacture, and never store in a clear or translucent container.

[wildtoad]

Too much bleach? I was at an RV resort with a splash pad for the kids. There were bubbles from the water hitting the ground. And no they didn’t add bubble soap. Chlorine will bubble if too much and not throughly rinsed out.

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by MrMark52

And a couple of other comments about bleach -

1) there are different concentrations of bleach - most household bleach for clothes washing is 4-6%. Check the bottle ingredients for concentration.
2) you can buy liquid swimming pool bleach at the big box stores or your local pool chemical supply store. Concentration can be as high as 12% (meaning it would take roughly 1/2 as much to sanitize your system as 6%).
3. bleach sitting on the shelf degrades and is sensitive to both light and temperature. Always keep bleach in a cool area, check the date code or manufacture, and never store in a clear or translucent container.

I just checked 2 different containers of household bleach. Clorox and A1.
Both show a concentration of 7.5% sodium hypochlorite.