A reminder for those who sanitize the water system.

[Bobbo]

According to my Winnebago manual, it is 1/4 cup bleach per 15 gallons of tank capacity.

Fill the tank, pump through all plumbing, including the water heater.

Let it sit 4 hours.

Drain, and flush with water.

If you double the amount of bleach, you can cut the sit time down to 1 hour.

[martipr]

mlts22 wrote:
When draining, I like dumping part into the black tank, part in the grey tank, which helps on odor control.

Bleach in the black tank kills the bacteria that decomposes the contents.

[run100]

My owners manual says after draining the bleach solution, refill with a water & vinegar solution to remove the bleach taste and odor. The solution should be kept in for up to three days, drained and then rinsed.

Been doing this annually (or so) for thirteen years. Works great.

[Okie1]

Any water including City Water will only hold a Chlorine Residual for a few days, then you have no protection. It is always a good idea to sanitize at the beginning of each season.

[AH64ID]

[Cecilt]

^X3. Never sanitized my water system since 2010. We don't use the fresh water tank and always hooked to city water. We use water to brush teeth and I use to make coffee that I only drink. None of us have been sick yet. Too much paranoia today.

[Dave_H_M]

Old-Biscuit, I think you may be preaching to the choir here. :h

With all the "things to do on an RV" I sometimes wonder if folks have time for enjoyable things in life.

I have my money on the city water doing the job for my system.

[Kit_Carson]

Bobbo wrote:

Kit Carson wrote:
Is it necessary to completely fill the tank or can you just do half tank?

If you do half the tank, you can't get the solution on the top of the fresh water tank.

Actually, after I put in the bleach and fill the tank with water, I drive the RV around a hilly block about 3 times to both mix the bleach and slosh it onto all tank surfaces. Only then do I go home and run it through all of the lines/other tanks, and start the 4 hour time.

Thanks, Bobbo, I did not think of the top of the tank. Makes perfect sense to me. And, I could be exercising my generator while driving around the block....

[Old-Biscuit]

dodge guy wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
I only do an initial sanitize when I get a new/different rv .........

The water sources I use have standards/regulations/testing so no reason to repeatedly sanitize.....
I don't use creek/river water so what's the point?

If the trailer sits unused for a bit of time (all of June for us) things can happen in the water tank/lines. it doesn`t take long for a bug to start reproducing in the warm/stagnant lines of your fresh water system!

Yes, flushing out the lines from a fresh (new) water source is good. sanitizing is better. if you use your RV every weekend or 2 and are always using the fresh water tank then there is no real reason to sanitize as often. we use strictly FHU`s so I keep the fresh water tank clean, as we only use it for flushing and washing hands while on the road.

If not going to use rv.......
Open fresh water tank drain, drain water heater and open low point drains......no stagnant water

[Bobbo]

Kit Carson wrote:
Is it necessary to completely fill the tank or can you just do half tank?

If you do half the tank, you can't get the solution on the top of the fresh water tank.

Actually, after I put in the bleach and fill the tank with water, I drive the RV around a hilly block about 3 times to both mix the bleach and slosh it onto all tank surfaces. Only then do I go home and run it through all of the lines/other tanks, and start the 4 hour time.

[AH64ID]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
I only do an initial sanitize when I get a new/different rv .........

The water sources I use have standards/regulations/testing so no reason to repeatedly sanitize.....
I don't use creek/river water so what's the point?

In my old TT I had to sanitize it every few weeks one year for the odor until I realized the filters where getting stinky. Once I pulled the filters to dry between trips I could go all year, or longer, without a sanitizing.

On my new TT we are going on the 3rd season and I have't sanitized since new. It gets drained between trips and I have zero issues.

I will be adding creek water to it this fall for hunting, it's clean and drinkable (very close to the source and I have been drinking it for 20 years and dad for 30). I'll probably sanitize it after that trip, but my normal use is like yours.

ksg5000 wrote:
I let the bleach mix sit overnight - no downside, doesn't cost anything, and no additional work.

My understanding is that bleach slowly deteriorates the tank and seals, so I wouldn't leave it in there any longer than needed.

[dodge_guy]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
I only do an initial sanitize when I get a new/different rv .........

The water sources I use have standards/regulations/testing so no reason to repeatedly sanitize.....
I don't use creek/river water so what's the point?

If the trailer sits unused for a bit of time (all of June for us) things can happen in the water tank/lines. it doesn`t take long for a bug to start reproducing in the warm/stagnant lines of your fresh water system!

Yes, flushing out the lines from a fresh (new) water source is good. sanitizing is better. if you use your RV every weekend or 2 and are always using the fresh water tank then there is no real reason to sanitize as often. we use strictly FHU`s so I keep the fresh water tank clean, as we only use it for flushing and washing hands while on the road.

[Old-Biscuit]

I only do an initial sanitize when I get a new/different rv .........

The water sources I use have standards/regulations/testing so no reason to repeatedly sanitize.....
I don't use creek/river water so what's the point?

[poppin_fresh]

Maybe I'm odd, but I dont mind the faint (and temporary)odor of bleach for a bit in the system as I know it's a sign it's sanitized.

We don't drink water from the faucets in the RV, so having water that might taste "municipal" is not a concern either.

[RAS43]

Johno02 wrote:
but its harder to get the bleach odor out.

Refill the tank and add a half cup of baking soda and pump through the system. Let it sit a couple of hours and then drain and fill. The bleach odor is gone!

[Greene728]

bob213 wrote:

mlts22 wrote:
When draining, I like dumping part into the black tank, part in the grey tank, which helps on odor control.

I have been told that if you use chemicals in the black tank (not the geo method) that you should not put bleach in the tank. The bleach kills the enzymes in the chemicals and tank and they no longer do their job of breaking down the waste.
I'm not a chemist, so I don't really know if this is true, but it is what I've been told........

Not really true as they are holding tanks and not septic tanks. It takes lots of time to develop enzymes and just as much time for them to break down waste like in a septic tank. Your tanks in your RV are just for holding the junk then dumping them into a septic system when dumping them. Hope this makes sense.