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Old 08-05-2021, 08:05 PM   #1
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Fresh water tank question

What do use use to keep in clean/sanitary.
Mine had a little water in it from last trip a few weeks ago( I could have swore I drained it but didn't)and it was stinky.
I drained it and poured a few cups of bleach in the tank and added a few gallons water. Ran it through the pump . I did this twice and seems to be OK.
I don't drink water from the fresh tank so a little bleach don't hurt. What do you do?
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Old 08-05-2021, 08:42 PM   #2
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Many have their favorites. I use 3R Purogene. But I also cook and drink (from a ClearlyFiltered pitcher) this water as well. And it isn't as hard to rinse out as bleach.
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Old 08-05-2021, 08:48 PM   #3
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FWIW, I’ve read several articles that stated to never pour bleach directly into the tank.

I use 1 teaspoon of Sodium Dichlor (swimming pool shock) in the filter housing with the filter removed.
From my notes:
I have hydronic heat, but if you have a conventional water heater, you’ll probably want to turn the bypass on
1) Turn off the washing machine inlet valves
2) Remove the whole house filter.
3) Add 1 teaspoon of Sodium Dichlor to the filter housing.
4) Fill the FW tank using the city water fill valve (will overflow under the coach when full)
4a) Optional - drive around some twisty roads
5) Disconnect the city water.
6) Turn on the pump.
7) One faucet at a time, let the chlorinated water run through cold and hot sides for one or two minutes. You should be able to smell the chlorine.
8) Top off the RV fresh water tank and let stand for at least three hours. Over night is better.
9) Completely drain the system by flushing the faucets for several minutes each. Open the fresh water tank drain valve to speed up emptying the tank (valve should be in the back of the water bay)
10) Close all faucets.
11) Close the fresh water tank drain valve
12) Pull the strainer off the pump and clean and sanitize it.
13) Replace the filter and you're done.
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Old 08-05-2021, 10:25 PM   #4
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Two cups of bleach to a couple gallons of water seems like a lot to me. I think I used a couple tablespoons in 4 gal's last time I wanted to "refresh" the tank.
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Old 08-05-2021, 10:35 PM   #5
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I drained it and poured a few cups of bleach in the tank and added a few gallons water. Ran it through the pump . I did this twice and seems to be OK.
Wow! You used way too much bleach.

Granted, we used our RV daily as full-timers but we never sanitized our tank in 16 years. We also used it for our drinking and cooking.

https://blog.campingworld.com/rv-bas...-simple-steps/
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Old 08-06-2021, 05:22 AM   #6
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I may have used too much bleach but it don't stink now. Problem solved.
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Old 08-06-2021, 07:13 AM   #7
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I may have used too much bleach but it don't stink now. Problem solved.
In all likelihood you used far too much bleach and since you didn't fill the tank you didn't get all the contaminants. Sonic's description is pretty good and works. Sanitizing takes time, I let mine sit over night, and making sure all the lines are exposed to the bleach-water.
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Old 08-06-2021, 07:18 AM   #8
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Quarter cup of bleach for every 15 gallons. Run taps until bleach smell at each. Let is sit over night. Empty and refill, running taps until zero bleach smell.
Empty fill and good to go. Bypass water heater. We do not shut of the washer. We just make sure our first load is whites.
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Old 08-06-2021, 09:57 AM   #9
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I filled the tank all the way and emptied that and ran another full tank of just plain water through. It's empty now .
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Old 08-06-2021, 12:31 PM   #10
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Glad you got it taken care of. I use about 1 cup of bleach to my 75 gallons and let it sit over night, I do this once a year. This has always worked well for me. Other then that, I have never done anything else to treat stinky H2O. FYI we use our water for everything.
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Old 08-06-2021, 01:40 PM   #11
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Quarter cup of bleach for every 15 gallons. Run taps until bleach smell at each. Let is sit over night. Empty and refill, running taps until zero bleach smell.

Bypass water heater.
New guy here. Asking why the reason for this step??? As a second question, if you fill the hot tank with tap water from the pressurized city water hookup, can you then disconnect and bleed the bleach+fresh water through the system including the hot water lines, without damage?
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Old 08-06-2021, 03:34 PM   #12
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New guy here. Asking why the reason for this step??? As a second question, if you fill the hot tank with tap water from the pressurized city water hookup, can you then disconnect and bleed the bleach+fresh water through the system including the hot water lines, without damage?
Yes!
Here both methods of sanitizing the RV fresh water plumbing system are explained fully.
I also use the 2nd method, with a caution. Sodium Dichlor is between 50%-99% pure chlorine in powder form. It can cause blindness if gotten in eyes, extreme care should be exercised when handling. Sodium Dichlor SDS
Sodium Dichlor is easy to store in an air-tight container. I bought 1lb Sodium Dichlor 10 years ago, still have almost half remaining.

1tsp will sanitize 100G water and the plumbing system. 1/2tsp will make 100G water safe to drink without aftertaste.
To add chlorine I use my whole house filter housing. Remove the filter, add chlorine amount, install in-line with hose, fill tank.It mixes itself.
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Old 08-08-2021, 08:26 AM   #13
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New guy here. Asking why the reason for this step??? As a second question, if you fill the hot tank with tap water from the pressurized city water hookup, can you then disconnect and bleed the bleach+fresh water through the system including the hot water lines, without damage?

This sanitizes your whole plumbing system, not just your fresh water tank. Alot of people omit filling the hot water tank during this process. If you have growth in a tank, its possible to have it in the water lines as well.

Second question- yes, but I would assume the hot water heater would be very diluted due to 6+ gallons of non bleach water. Then adding it from the fresh water tank.
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Old 08-08-2021, 12:52 PM   #14
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I filled the tank all the way and emptied that and ran another full tank of just plain water through. It's empty now .

Most of them have tanks supported by metal supports. The plastic tank will sag between these supports and water will lay in the low spots.

You'll never empty the tank completely. The pickup hose and fresh water drain are probably not at the lowest point of the tank. After storage I always add recommended amount of bleach and fill the tank. Let it sit overnight and then flush all the lines.
Refill and flush again. It only takes about 1/2 hour each to do this.
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