Sanitizing the water system
I see that information about sanitizing the water system has turned to some peoples opinion on whether they think it needs to be done. Because everybody's circumstances vary it is sometimes practical ...
Forum Discussion
mike-s wrote:TechWriter wrote:
No, they probably use Santoprene.
Some, for the diaphragms. EPDM, which doesn't have great resistance, for seals. (this is for the common Shurflo pumps). Faucets gaskets are most commonly neoprene.
My AquaJet water pump has a Santoprene diaphragm and Viton valves. I think Shurflos also have Santoprene diaphragms, but EPDM valves. So bleach won't do much, if anything, to an RV's water pump.
Also, since water with bleach isn't going to dwell very long inside of a faucet, I don't think it's much of a worry here either, right?
mike-s wrote:
I'd guess the same for toilet and dump valve seals.
Toilet seals aren't an issue unless you just dump bleach in the loo and let it sit there. So don't do that.
Holding tank gate valve seals, like Valterra's, are also probably made of Santoprene.
mike-s wrote:
In addition to reactivity, one must consider the length of exposure. Chlorine takes more time than iodine, which takes more time than organic acids, assuming reasonable/recommended concentrations.
True. But since there's not much in an RV that's going to be affected, so what?
Finally, while iodine may be great at sanitizing water, it's not recommended for sanitizing hard surfaces like a water tank which the OP was orignally asking about. Whoosh!
