De winterize questions

We bought a new camper this year and we sanitized the fresh water tank before using it. Like others have said...It's a cheap and easy thing to do and you really never do know what's in the tank and pipes after they have sat at the manufacturer for who knows how long. Better safe than sorry.

I suspect most people who own RV's sanitize their FW system at least annually - usually when they "de-winterize". That includes the FW tank, water heater, and all water lines. Lots of "how to" threads if you use the forum search feature.

Sanitize the tank, ESPECIALLY if it has never been used. You don't know the conditions under which it has been stored before you got it.

Did you open a hot water tap while running water into the water heater? If not, it probably didn't fully fill. The answer is to pressurize the water system and open a hot water tap until no more air blows out. That will stop the sloshing sound in the water heater.

you shouldnt hear water slopping around in the water heater, it should be full
pressurize the water system and open a hot water tap until you get water with no air.
check that hot and cold are hooked up the right way on the heater!! cold comes in at the bottom. crack t&p relief valve until water comes out

BUT REALLY IMPORTANT, make sure the heater is hooked up correctly, cold water in at the bottom, hot out at the top, if its backwards, the tank will not fill completely and im sure its been done wrong before. if its not filled completely, you wont have much hot water of course but even more important, the electric heater may not be submerged completely in water and it WILL burn out

I believe you will be sanitizing the tank, not sterilizing it.
bumpy

I would sterilize the water tank. Even if you have never used it, you don't know what could be growing in the tank.
It's a simple and cheap process.

Did you run the hot water to get the air out of the tank when it was filling?