How do you sanitize your fresh-water tank and lines?
The instructions that came with our rig use a lot of water. In scarce-water Colorado we do not want to use more than necessary. How do you do yours?
Forum Discussion
I would not want to argue with anyone who wants to use their camper without sanitizing the tank. But the OP asked for instructions on how to do the sanitizing using minimal amount of water.
The recommended procedure is to use 1/4 cup of household bleach for each 15 gallons of water. Pump the solution through the supply lines and faucets.
Some people bypass the hot water tank. I do not. There have been numerous studies showing that Legionella bacteria can thrive in RV hot water tanks. Fortunately most of us tolerate exposure fairly well. I had a friend who got really sick and was hospitalized with it for several weeks. I also do not scrimp and I completely fill the FW tank.
There are all sorts of conflicting instructions regarding the soak time. The original studies showed one hour was sufficient, but it seems that it is common to recommend longer soak times including even overnight.
Rinsing out the bleach solution will require a considerable amount of additional water. I completely drain the FW tank and pull the plug to also drain the HW tank. Typically I fill the tanks with fresh water and then drain again. You could probably get rid of the excess bleach by only filling the tanks about a third full and then drain again. Once you have the tanks flushed out the bleach in the supply lines can be quickly pumped out.
The recommended procedure is to use 1/4 cup of household bleach for each 15 gallons of water. Pump the solution through the supply lines and faucets.
Some people bypass the hot water tank. I do not. There have been numerous studies showing that Legionella bacteria can thrive in RV hot water tanks. Fortunately most of us tolerate exposure fairly well. I had a friend who got really sick and was hospitalized with it for several weeks. I also do not scrimp and I completely fill the FW tank.
There are all sorts of conflicting instructions regarding the soak time. The original studies showed one hour was sufficient, but it seems that it is common to recommend longer soak times including even overnight.
Rinsing out the bleach solution will require a considerable amount of additional water. I completely drain the FW tank and pull the plug to also drain the HW tank. Typically I fill the tanks with fresh water and then drain again. You could probably get rid of the excess bleach by only filling the tanks about a third full and then drain again. Once you have the tanks flushed out the bleach in the supply lines can be quickly pumped out.
