Sanitizing fresh water tank
Hey guys, my searches are coming up empty, and I forgot( ol timers:) ) what I've been using in the past. Also what do you do for the H2O tank besides draining n rinsing ?.....I think I used regular cl...
Forum Discussion
Those who never sanitize their systems or who are lax about it should reconsider. All sorts of bacteria and other nasties can grow in an RV water tank. It is not at all like water at home. First the water is exposed to the air in the storage tank. The water is stagnant and not constantly being flushed with fresh chlorinated water. Even worse in many areas the water we get is pure but not chlorinated. The nasties can grow quickly. Some of what grows is relatively harmless. Pseudomonas grows easily and produces a relatively harmless pink slime. Very serious organisms can grow. Legionella is one of the worst. It can cause serious illness and death. It is frequently found in RV water systems: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859008/
The procedure is simple. Add 1/4 cup bleach for every 15 gallons of water. Fill the tank, run water through the lines and wait. The standard wait time is 1 hour. To be safe many people increase the time but that is not necessary. Certainly waiting overnight is excessive. Then the system needs to be drained and flushed at least once. The big issue is the hot water system. Many people seem to bypass the system but as the article shows that is a mistake. The hot water system needs to be handled which means separately draining the system.
The frequency of sanitizing is a big unknown. If the RV is in continuous use and the incoming water is chlorinated, sanitizing may never be needed. I still think it is a good idea once every few months. If the incoming water is not chlorinated or the system sits unused, I recommend sanitizing about every month. But I cannot find any studies or data for those situations.
The procedure is simple. Add 1/4 cup bleach for every 15 gallons of water. Fill the tank, run water through the lines and wait. The standard wait time is 1 hour. To be safe many people increase the time but that is not necessary. Certainly waiting overnight is excessive. Then the system needs to be drained and flushed at least once. The big issue is the hot water system. Many people seem to bypass the system but as the article shows that is a mistake. The hot water system needs to be handled which means separately draining the system.
The frequency of sanitizing is a big unknown. If the RV is in continuous use and the incoming water is chlorinated, sanitizing may never be needed. I still think it is a good idea once every few months. If the incoming water is not chlorinated or the system sits unused, I recommend sanitizing about every month. But I cannot find any studies or data for those situations.
