Do you bleach / santize your hot water tank?

How do you sanitize just the hot water system? This is a new one on me.

Seems that if you put bleach into the fresh water tank and then run water from it through all the faucets including the hot side (which puts bleach into the water heater), you sanitize the entire system.

Yes, I sanitize the entire system once a year, then fill the tank with our well water. Most of the campgrounds we go to also have well water.

I was worried the bleach would interact with the hot tank, so that was what was holding me back.

I have Full Timed in my MH since July 2002 and I do drink the water from the fresh tank, use it for cooking etc.

In all that time I have never sanitize the system. A lot of the campgrounds I go to use city water that has chlorine in the water. And in the winter I use well water that is not treated.

As a halogen, chlorine is a highly efficient disinfectant, and is added to public water supplies to kill disease-causing pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoans, that commonly grow in water supply reservoirs, on the walls of water mains and in storage tanks.

I too have never sanitized the water system in any camper. We do drink and cook with the water. Many RV parks and campgrounds have enough chlorine in the water to do the job. We have never sanitized the water system in our house in over 30 years and there is no chlorine there.

I only sanitize when I first by a rig...new/used.

Guess I would do it again IF some how got contaminated but haven't had that happen......don't fill with untreated water

We only use fresh water tank/pump....and we use that water for everything

If your using city water, why are you worried about sanitizing your water system? It's already in the water your using.DAH

No.

I drink from my 30 year old garden hose too!

But I do occasionally bleach the black tank! (really)

If you would ever cut apart the fill and vent hoses, then you might well see the biological garden growing in there. I have seen enough for me to sanitize the system all the way to overflowing.

That rain water and whatever, that makes it's way down the poorly designed vents, has no chlorine.

slacker cruster wrote:
I was worried the bleach would interact with the hot tank, so that was what was holding me back.

The water heater is not turned on during the sanitizing. Only after the system has been rinsed.