% bleach to sanitize fresh water tanks
First time doing this chore. Most sources say to use household bleach 1/4 cup for every 15 gallons of fresh water capacity. Mix required bleach amount in some fresh water, pour into your tanks, fil...
Forum Discussion
Years ago I got tired of all the advice and personal opinions. I did a literature search and found actual scientific studies and recommendations. Sorry I did not save the webpage and could not find it. I am positive of the results.
The recommended bleach concentration is 1/4 cup of standard household bleach for every 15 gallons. Standard household bleach is in the range of 5-6%. The recommended soak time was 1 hour, not 4 hours, no 12 hours, not overnight, but 1 hour.
There is probably little or no harm to soaking for a couple of hours or so but it is best to avoid prolonged soaking and especially avoid high bleach concentrations. Bleach is not friendly with pump seals, etc.
I could not find any solid, scientifically based recommendation for the frequency of disinfecting RV tanks. It seems that a tank in regular use with typical municipal water containing bleach will be good indefinitely. If you use something like unchlorinated well water you might want to disinfect at least every couple of months, but that is strictly a personal opinion. I have found that my RV water starts to stink after a couple of months when not used.
Beyond any doubt, sanitize the water water system. Legionella can be a really nasty disease and there have been reports of Legionella growing in hot water RV tanks. Doing the hot water side is a pain in most RVs. I first remove the plug anddrain my HW tank, use a spout to clear out any sediment, then I put the plug back in, fill with water containing bleach, soak and hour, then remove the plug to drain, and finally reinstall the plug and fill with regular water.
The recommended bleach concentration is 1/4 cup of standard household bleach for every 15 gallons. Standard household bleach is in the range of 5-6%. The recommended soak time was 1 hour, not 4 hours, no 12 hours, not overnight, but 1 hour.
There is probably little or no harm to soaking for a couple of hours or so but it is best to avoid prolonged soaking and especially avoid high bleach concentrations. Bleach is not friendly with pump seals, etc.
I could not find any solid, scientifically based recommendation for the frequency of disinfecting RV tanks. It seems that a tank in regular use with typical municipal water containing bleach will be good indefinitely. If you use something like unchlorinated well water you might want to disinfect at least every couple of months, but that is strictly a personal opinion. I have found that my RV water starts to stink after a couple of months when not used.
Beyond any doubt, sanitize the water water system. Legionella can be a really nasty disease and there have been reports of Legionella growing in hot water RV tanks. Doing the hot water side is a pain in most RVs. I first remove the plug anddrain my HW tank, use a spout to clear out any sediment, then I put the plug back in, fill with water containing bleach, soak and hour, then remove the plug to drain, and finally reinstall the plug and fill with regular water.
