All right, I was an idiot and accidentally put wiper fluid in my potable water lines during the winter. I checked, and it does have methanol in it. I have a pop-up trailer with a water tank below, a water heater, water pump, and then lines to an outdoor shower and a faucet inside. There is an obvious wiper fluid smell coming from the water. I have flushed the system 9 or 10 times by filling up the water tank with fresh water and running it through the whole system. I've run a flush with some vinegar solution as well as a bleach flush. The smell has definitely gotten less, but I can still smell the chemicals. Am I totally screwed or is there a way to save my water system from having to be completely replaced?

your going to need to sanitize your system. you can do a mix of 100% bleach (1/4 cup per every 15 gal) fill everything up including your lines and let it sit for 12 hours, then drain and rince till the bleach taste is gone, or I dont use bleach any more I use Capt Phab purge tank clenser. its costs more than bleach but the time it saves me I find valuable. it disenfects and cleans but you only have to rinse once, instead of 10 times to get rid of the bleach taste.

to late for that he already flushed it a bunch of times. its not the methanol thats flavoring the water lines its the "other additives" they put in windshield washer fluid that are doing that.

Someone said they had a source for cheap vodka? Could help me get out of a financial predicament.

Mixing household bleach with methanol can produce methyl hypochlorite, and may generate toxic gases such as chloroform, hydrochloric acid, chloroacetone, and dichloroacetone.in my opinion your best bet is time. Blow out the system completely of every last possible trace of liquid. Methanol will evaporate rather quickly, heat will help that process.

Other additives like bug melter.... I'd be doing multiple bleach soak and rinse cycles of the lines.

Wiper Fluid in Water lines | Good Sam Community

18 Replies

Grit_dog
Trailblazer
May 26, 2026
Drink bottled after til the smell goes away?
I mean, a popup water tank can’t hold much more than enough to do dishes.
- Lwiddis
  Nomad III
  May 26, 2026
  No long term disbursed camping in a pop up.
- StirCrazy
  Moderator
  May 26, 2026
  you would be surprised haha
  
  I had an issue where I had a "taste" and I flushed it like 30 times and wouldnt go away untill I used the Sodium Percarbonate on it. now I just do that every two or three years as a maintance thing, or sooner if I think I need to.
Lwiddis
Nomad III
May 23, 2026
Someone said they had a source for cheap vodka? Could help me get out of a financial predicament.
bid_time
Nomad III
May 22, 2026
Mixing household bleach with methanol can produce methyl hypochlorite, and may generate toxic gases such as chloroform, hydrochloric acid, chloroacetone, and dichloroacetone.
in my opinion your best bet is time. Blow out the system completely of every last possible trace of liquid. Methanol will evaporate rather quickly, heat will help that process.
- Grit_dog
  Trailblazer
  May 23, 2026
  True, but not after flushing out all the meth…. Disinfect the piss out of it and see if you can smell (anything, lol) after a high dose of chlorine.
- StirCrazy
  Moderator
  May 22, 2026
  to late for that he already flushed it a bunch of times. its not the methanol thats flavoring the water lines its the "other additives" they put in windshield washer fluid that are doing that.
  - Grit_dog
    Trailblazer
    May 25, 2026
    My bad. Missed the bleach n vinegar part.
    Ya idk.
    I don’t add stuff to potable water lines that isn’t plain water (or some chlorine to disinfect). so was spitballing.
StirCrazy
Moderator
May 22, 2026
your going to need to sanitize your system. you can do a mix of 100% bleach (1/4 cup per every 15 gal) fill everything up including your lines and let it sit for 12 hours, then drain and rince till the bleach taste is gone, or I dont use bleach any more I use Capt Phab purge tank clenser. its costs more than bleach but the time it saves me I find valuable. it disenfects and cleans but you only have to rinse once, instead of 10 times to get rid of the bleach taste.

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Wiper Fluid in Water lines

18 Replies

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