Smelly fresh water ..again.

[happy2rv]

Regular unscented Clorox bleach is the go to for sanitizing water systems.



Typical sensitization procedure calls for 1/4 cup bleach for every 15 gallons. As previously mentioned make sure every fixture and low point drains are opened to allow bleach water mixture to flow. Turn off and drain water heater before starting and make sure it is filled with bleach water mixture. Then let it sit at least 12 hours. Longer is even better. After it sits, drain the entire system and flush with fresh water.


I actually usually go a little heavier on the bleach, but I make sure to flush the entire system well with fresh water before refilling.



Does the water have a bad taste / smell from the source or is it only after sitting in the RV? We aren't full timers, so we usually sanitize before each trip unless its only a week or two between trips. Sanitizing won't help if there is a problem with the water source though...

[keymastr]

Vinegar and bleach each do different things for you. Bleach sanitizes but does nothing for the hard water deposits from calcium. Vinegar dissolves the calcium but does nothing really for sanitizing, although it can help with odors. I use 1/4 cup of bleach for every 20 gallons of capacity so for my 80 gallon tank I pour in one cup of bleach, fill the tank, run water to each hot and cold faucet until I smell bleach, including shower and toilet. Let that sit overnight, drain and flush a couple times and be sure to run the water for awhile at each faucet. Don't forget the outside shower if equipped.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

It depends on several factors... how hard your water is that's being treated, if it's a salt-based water system and how many glasses of water you drink and if you have medical issues. Elevated sodium in your diet can occur. It doesn't affect everyone but it can affect some. Even a tiny bit of elevated sodium in a person's diet with medical issues isn't good.

Page 5 is the charts showing amount of sodium remaining in water after passing through a softener.https://www.frakco.com/TravelSoftSodium.html

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by keymastr

Vinegar and bleach each do different things for you. Bleach sanitizes but does nothing for the hard water deposits from calcium. Vinegar dissolves the calcium but does nothing really for sanitizing, although it can help with odors. I use 1/4 cup of bleach for every 20 gallons of capacity so for my 80 gallon tank I pour in one cup of bleach, fill the tank, run water to each hot and cold faucet until I smell bleach, including shower and toilet. Let that sit overnight, drain and flush a couple times and be sure to run the water for awhile at each faucet. Don't forget the outside shower if equipped.

Chlorine doseage chart:https://www.cleanwaterstore.com/reso...kill-bacteria/

[garry1p]

If you sanitize the tank and the smell/taste comes back fairly quickly I suspect your anode rod has gone bad the water will take on a rotten egg smell and taste bad.

Easy job to replace but not all water heaters have one.

I only sanitize my tank before the 1st trip in the spring and that is good for the year.

[Jake21]

While in Vegas one Summer our water started having a terrible smell. Turns out the water hose took a turn for the worse and was the cause. Maybe the heat? Don’t know.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Odessa

Has anyone used 'pool shock' ( calcium hypochlorite) in their fresh water tank to keep the water potable?

You should find these links very interesting:

https://thesurvivalmom.com/more-info...-purification/
and
Better than Bleach: Use Calcium Hypochlorite to Disinfect Water
Personally, I use Sodium Dichlor, which can also be dangerous to handle and use if not properly educated.

[ByeTheWay]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

You shouldn't drink water that has gone through a water softener. That's why kitchen sinks aren't typically connected to the softener.

Have you considered taking a sample of your water to your local water facility for testing to see what's in it?

Are you saying Fresh water becomes Salt water?

[happy2rv]

Originally Posted by ByeTheWay

Are you saying Fresh water becomes Salt water?

Sort of, but not really. The softener produces sodium bicarbonate from the ion exchange with salt. It doesn't taste salty, but it does contain sodium, not sodium chloride.



See this article: https://www.culliganmidmissouri.com/...safe-to-drink/

[Odessa]

thank you all for your comments. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and do the bleach thing..then if that fails, I'll try vinegar..lol..I'm nearly 1/2 hour to the closest water fill station. I'm dreading the job.

[lonfu]

Drinking water is a huge subject. Let's start with recomended TDS (total dissolved solids). TDS that is less than 300 is recommended by WHO and is a worldwide standard. TDS in Kingman az tap water is 248. TDS in Oregon tap water is less 100. Most bottled water is in the 80tds range. MY raw well water is at 763 TDS. distilled water is 1TDS. Goal is for 60 to 100TDS. Pure distilled water with no minerals is not good for you but tastes perfect to most folks. Water machines at grocery stores, the TDS varies quit a bit but mostly produces in the 50 TDS or below assuming the filters are kept changed. MY RO system produces 50 to 100TDS, it varies due to the filter age. RO filter systems usually remove about 90% (rejection rate) of any chemicals in the water. This varies according to the age of the RO membrane. RO systems do not remove bacteria or viruses.

TDS meters are sold on amazon for less than $15.00 so you can check your own water quality. They do not detect bacteria or viruses.

The sulfur smell is a bacteria that has grown in your water heater and must be bleached out. vinegar will not do the trick. I tried it. Chlorine will not show on a TDS meter but you can smell it. Charcoal filters get rid of the chlorine smell in drinking water. I buy bottle water at the machines all over the U.S and Canada for drinking water. Most local water supplies have a local "bacteria" in it that can give you the "trots" for a few days when you change water systems. This bacteria can be defeated by washing with soap and letting your dishes/pans and such just air dry for a few hours. boiling water kills the bacteria but does not take out chemicals. Water machines at grocer stores normally have a UV filter light to kill the bacteria.

a good RO UV system that will produce bacteria free water will take up a huge amount of room and cost at least $500. For an RV it will need a booster pump, 5 filters, UV tube and storage tank. the cost to replace the filters every 6 to 12 months will be $100. I've tried the cheaper filter route but they don't last as long or keep the TDS low. I have to check and maintenance my system weekly. Remember, that RO systems need a place to drain waste water to. It takes about 4 gallons of raw water to produce 1 gallon of filtered water.

In this moho, I use a spun polyester 5 micron filter (big blue 10x4.5") for the whole house filter to prevent dirt from plugging up the faucets. This filter allows 15GPM for my shower. I use .5 micron charcoal filter to keep the dirt and chlorine out of our kitchen drinking water faucet. (small one 10x2.5") This water is used for cooking. We buy 6 gallons of drinking water from machines at a time for drinking and coffee and ice cubes. Mt whole house filter sits in a 5 gallon pail outside my moho. Not all water systems require me to use it. That is the value of a TDS meter.

This information comes from having to produce my own water at my home and while on the road all over north america.

[Ray,IN]

Ioufu; this website reinforces what you just said about checking TDS. It is NOT a measure of water purity.
https://www.hydroviv.com/blogs/water...rs-and-testers

[Sweetbriar]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

It depends on several factors... how hard your water is that's being treated, if it's a salt-based water system and how many glasses of water you drink and if you have medical issues. Elevated sodium in your diet can occur. It doesn't affect everyone but it can affect some. Even a tiny bit of elevated sodium in a person's diet with medical issues isn't good.

The minor level of sodium added by a softener for the average hardness found in North America is about 20 mg per 8 oz of water. For more than 99.999% of the population of this isn't a problem. One egg contains 60 mg. A glass of low fat milk averages around 120 mg. A can of Coke is at 45 mg.

[lonfu]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Ioufu; this website reinforces what you just said about checking TDS. It is NOT a measure of water purity.
https://www.hydroviv.com/blogs/water...rs-and-testers

My well water is at 763 tds at the well head, after a 5 micron filter and softener it reads 865 tds and tastes awful. The water hardness, the water that leaves before the softener can not be used to wash anything with. the Alkalines leave a white dust or stains on everything and makes your skin itch and feel sticky after a shower. The softener lowers the water hardness enough to be able to wash things but adds salt to the water so one cannot use it in batteries and such. I don't need to reduce the tds in my drinking water to 0 but I do have to be able to choke it down... The ro system reduces the tds to a good tasting water of 80 to 130 tds. As mentioned before most bottled drinking water is in the 50 to 80 tds range. I'm not raising shrimp, just drinking the water. The water here is so severe that one of my friends house faucets all became plugged due to the hardness by not having a softener and had to be replaced after about 5 years. My experience comes from having to provide clean water for my family to bathe and drink.

The TDS meter is a quick method to see if there are problems. yes, I do have the water analyized for biologicals and such but is impossible to do when on the road. I think of it like a voltmeter checking a battery... you really need a 100 amp load tester to do the job right to see the storage ability of a battery.

When I travel and get a local water supply that is more than 300 tds I have no idea what is in the water. could be salt, could be minerals could be dirt, could be anything so I filter it. Clearly 0 tds water is not good for you but it is good for batteries and washing cars! I have found that when I get water that is over 300tds it affects my plumbing system in my moho. I could go into how I have pulled apart various water appliances in my house and moho and the affects of the high tds water on them but it would be a long post.

Our airbnb moho has been sitting for about 8 months with out use due to the covid19 and our vacation. I heated up the water heater and "stinky water" is back...

Drained the water heater, poured 1/3 cup of chlorine bleach into the hose and ran the hot water through the tank and to the furtherest faucet and then all "hot" others. Put another 1/8 cup chlorine into the hose and ran the cold water through the pipes. I disconnect the sewerhose from the tanks so the water drains through onto the ground because the chlorine kills the bugs in the septic tank. Let it sit for 2 days and then flush. I don't use the tank water for the airbnb. This is what I have done in the past to clean out the "stinky bacteria" in the pipes and hot water heater. Water heater does not have an anode rod.

I hope this discussion helps somebody, it took me years to figure out some of this "water quality" stuff.