Hello; I have a 35 ft. Holiday Rambler class (A) motorhome RV.My wife & I purchased it new in 2006.I have NEVER sanitized the fresh water tank!I drain it along with the grey and black water tanks and flush fresh water into all three tanks upon returning from any camping outings we have been on!I am able to park right next to my home, and I use a Maserator for the black & grey tanks right into my home clean-out.While they are draining, I open the fresh water drain and let what-ever water is still in the tank to drain onto the grass.I would then refill the fresh water tank again, and then let it completely drain until empty, and that's all I've ever done!I am being told that I should sanitize the fresh water tank at least once every year. I don't ever do this! Can someone explain how this is really done, so I could do it.

If you have city water, which is treated with chlorine, you are probably ok. We had a well and had to sanitize ours.

How important this may be depends on whether you drink the water or not.We don't; we drink bottled water.Having said that, we sanitize at least once a year (de-winterizing time is convenient).Isolate hot water tank first in case bleach might react with materials in tank.I don't have exact proportion, but add something like 1/2 cup of bleach to a gallon of water and add that to about 1/2 tank of fresh water. Drive around to slosh it around. Wait 4 hours. Operate all your fawcets to drawn some solution thru all your water lines.Dump it all, flush a couple of times.

Thinking of doing this too. Is there any benefit then to also let it sit in the black and grey for 24 hours after you've run it though the FW?

I sanitize ALL of my tanks, hoses, connections, etc. a couple times a year. You never know what peed or licked the faucets, that you just hooked up to. You never know if 'something' got into the ground water. What kind of illnesses the people that just used the dump station ahead of you had, etc. Better safe than sorry.

We also sanitize our tanks when we dewinterize. We use our own home water in the tank, not putting other water in it. We got a tip on here about bringing a spray bottle with us and sanitizing the hook up ends before actually hooking up! We have an inline filter but we only drink when it's our own water, otherwise we use bottled water.As for the black and grey tanks--we thoroughly clean and sanitize before winterizing. When we dump, we pour at least 5 gallons thru the black and about 2 thru the grey and dump again, then fill w/2 gallons and treatment in black and about a gallon in grey so it doesn't dry anything on the bottom.

fresh water tank sanitizing??? | Good Sam Community

wny_pat1
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/plumbing/sanitizing.htm
J-Rooster
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
First of all Welcome to RV.Net Frank! You asked a great question! I'm on city water at home and that is where I fill my RV fresh water holding tank. There is chlorine in our city water so that's why there is no need for me to sanitize the tank. Also we do not drink any water out of our fresh water holding tank! We don't like chlorine! We only drink bottled water that has gone thru a RO process. We use our holding tank water for bathing and cleaning when were dry camping. Mostly we use City water instead of the holding tank water when were RVing.
Effy
Explorer II
Aug 12, 2013
rvten wrote:
Why sanitize the Blk/gray tanks? Soon as you put any waste into them they are contaminated.
Just a good rinsing to remove any build up is fine.

understood, but I know if they sit for a while, unused, despite how good you think you flushd them, they can get pretty ripe. Often the grey is worse than the black. My intention is not to sanitize per se, but mitigate new bacteria which promotes a lot of odor.
rvten
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
Why sanitize the Blk/gray tanks? Soon as you put any waste into them they are contaminated.
Just a good rinsing to remove any build up is fine.
crimmps49
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
We also sanitize our tanks when we dewinterize. We use our own home water in the tank, not putting other water in it. We got a tip on here about bringing a spray bottle with us and sanitizing the hook up ends before actually hooking up! We have an inline filter but we only drink when it's our own water, otherwise we use bottled water.

As for the black and grey tanks--we thoroughly clean and sanitize before winterizing. When we dump, we pour at least 5 gallons thru the black and about 2 thru the grey and dump again, then fill w/2 gallons and treatment in black and about a gallon in grey so it doesn't dry anything on the bottom.
Go_Dogs
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
I sanitize ALL of my tanks, hoses, connections, etc. a couple times a year. You never know what peed or licked the faucets, that you just hooked up to. You never know if 'something' got into the ground water. What kind of illnesses the people that just used the dump station ahead of you had, etc. Better safe than sorry.
Effy
Explorer II
Aug 12, 2013
Thinking of doing this too. Is there any benefit then to also let it sit in the black and grey for 24 hours after you've run it though the FW?
PeppyPilot
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
How important this may be depends on whether you drink the water or not.
We don't; we drink bottled water.
Having said that, we sanitize at least once a year (de-winterizing time is convenient).
Isolate hot water tank first in case bleach might react with materials in tank.
I don't have exact proportion, but add something like 1/2 cup of bleach to a gallon of water and add that to about 1/2 tank of fresh water. Drive around to slosh it around. Wait 4 hours. Operate all your fawcets to drawn some solution thru all your water lines.

Dump it all, flush a couple of times.
weathershak
Explorer
Aug 12, 2013
If you have city water, which is treated with chlorine, you are probably ok. We had a well and had to sanitize ours.

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fresh water tank sanitizing???

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