Recently started noticing a nasty taste/smell to our fresh water system. Initially I attributed it to the DW using a 'new' garden hose to reach the one spigot on the house that comes off the domestic water system (vs. the canal/irrigation water that supplies all the other outdoor spigots). The water pretty much smelled/tasted like the black rubber on the inside of that hose...We drained, flushed, refilled (from a completely different water source, at a different location, using our usual white 'potable' water hose) and... it still smelled/tasted bad. Maybe not quite as bad as before, but close.Went and got some de-winterizing solution, and followed the directions - basically drain the system, fill the tank, add the solution, run thru the lines (including water heater), then drain and flush with plain water two more times. That said, the water source *has* been from the same spigot on the house as before, albeit with proper white 'potable' water hoses.The water *still* tastes/smells kinda funky. I have somewhat of a hard time thinking that using that one hose, one time, would have contaminated the *entire* system that badly.Any other ideas/suggestions? We'd discussed adding a small amount of chlorine (bleach) to the tank to try and clean things a bit; I've also seen some discussion elsewhere about build-ups in the water heater causing grief and needing flushed with vinegar solution to remove. Given the fairly sudden onset in this particular instance, I have my doubts about that being the case here, but I'm open to ideas.Thanks,Monte

Of course you should sanitize the ENTIRE system with bleach. There are many videos and helpful sites online to help you. Also, drain and flush the water heater.

Sanitize your water system. There's funky water caught somewhere.Here's how:https://learntorv.com/eww-stinky-water-sanitizing-the-fresh-water-system/For us, we had stinky water and I sanitized the system. We got lazy and didn't do the washer/dryer hookups since we didn't use them.The stink came back in a couple of weeks. This time around, we re-sanitized the system and DID the washer/dryer hookups. My wife was up with her head in the closet handling that end of things. She said she almost threw up, it was that stinky.

FWIW, this is what we put in the tank so far:Camco TastePURE Spring Fresh Water System Cleaner and Deodorizer for RV and Marine - Cleans and Freshens Water Lines, Great for Dewinterizing - 1 GallonDidn't seem to do much.Probably not related... but we also changed the anode in the WH at the same time as the problem appeared. Though the more I read around the Interweb, it appears that certain kinds of anodes (plain aluminum vs. aluminum-zinc alloy) are more prone to generating that sort of stank... hmmm...

i'd sanitize your tank. if you decide to do that be sure to remove any water filters from the system first. then drain your fresh water tank including the water heater. be sure to release the pressure on the hot water tank before removing the pump. when the fresh tank and hot water tanks are empty close the fresh tank valve, re-insert the plug in the hot water tank and close the tank's pressure relief valve. to sanitize the tank:add 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach for each 15-gal of fresh water your water tank holds into a clean bucket or jug and pour into the fresh water holding tank. a little too much chlorine is better than not enough, just don't overdo it. do not add straight chlorine bleach directly to the tank. if you don't have a gravity fill port you can pour all or some of the bleach solution from the bucket or jug into your white RV water hose and then connect it to your fresh water input in your wet bay. if you do it this way you may have to do several rounds depending on how much solution you have made. add a bit of fresh water to the fresh tank between rounds.then *nearly* fill your fresh tank with this mixture (somewhere between 3/4 and full). when done drive the RV around the block a few times to slosh the solution in the tank. if you fill the tank completely full the solution will not slosh the walls and top of the tank. be sure to make frequent turns to assist moving the water in the tank. I used to accelerate to a few MPH and then stop quickly.then starting at the faucet farthest from the water pump open each faucet and let the water run until you smell the bleach. close that faucet and then open the next. repeat until all faucets have been opened and closed. fill the fresh tank with additional water until full and then let it sit overnight.the next day drain the bleach solution. you then have two options. - fill your fresh tank with fresh water and then run water from each faucet in the manner described above until you no longer smell the bleach. or- make a new solution of baking soda and fresh water in a clean bucket or jug. i'd recommend 1/2-cup to each gallon of water and I'd mix up 1-gallon of this mixture for each 20-gallons of tank capacity. introduce that mixture into the fresh water tank in the same manner as described above and then drive a few miles as described above. then run water from each faucet in the manner described above until you no longer smell the bleach. the baking soda should give off a sweet smell and taste.leave this solution in your tank for a day or two and then dump and refill with fresh water.that ought to do it for you but if not then as the shampoo bottle says...rinse and repeat! if you're good to go then *replace* your water filters. good luck!

Question on the 'sanitizing' aspect...This was a sudden onset thing. One trip, it was fine. Next trip, few weeks later, nasty smell/taste.Only major changes were a) the new hose (used one time) and b) the new anode (in the tank for every flush and refill).How likely is it that the entire fresh water system got contaminated by that hose, that one time, to this extent?We're definitely going to do the bleach sanitizing routine; sounds like we should have been doing that all along. Live and learn. Probably borrowing trouble here, until we see if that works or not, but I'm a little skeptical that we picked up some sort of bacterial problem that fast unless there is something else at play here.

Bad taste/smell to fresh water | Good Sam Community

memilanuk
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2019
Well, so far, the bleach seems to have done the trick. Probably need to flush it at least one more time to mitigate the chlorine taste, though.
aftermath
Explorer III
Jul 07, 2019
What Grit Dog said,

I sanitize my tank each year and drink the water! Yeah, I really do and neither I nor any of my family have had to go to the hospital. Imagine that. There have been a few occasions over my 30 years of camping out of a trailer where we did get a strong sulfur odor. This, I am convinced is from the water we loaded on while away. Once it was so bad we had to go out and buy water but that was the only time.

Use the bleach method to sanitize your system. It is important as others have mentioned that you get this solution in all of the lines. If you have introduced the bad water into your HW tank I suggest you drain it and fill it with the bleach solution too. Get them all, outside shower, spray nozzle at the sink, get them all.

You really can't over do the bleach. If you use a weaker solution you will have to let is sit longer. I use 1 cup in my 30 gallon tank and let is sit for 3 hours or longer.

Good luck. Let us know how you fixed this issue. We all would like to hear.
3_dog_nights
Explorer
Jul 06, 2019
Have had still water go bad while storing, started draining the water heater after each trip. Also went to the hardware store and bought a fitting that replaces the water heater drain on one end and has a garden hose fitting on the other. Hook up to hose and open the pressure relief valve. When you turn the water on you are back flushing the tank, fill till it comes out the pressure relief. Disconnect everything, re drain, and replace the original plug. Your good for the next trip.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 06, 2019
Some of y'all are getting a little carried away with the bleach. Don't overdo it unless you want to wait longer/flush more water through. 1/4cup of 5-6% household bleach per 15-20gal is sufficient.

The key is time. Get a good solution in the tank and run through all the lines and let it sit a day. Then empty, flush once or twice and you'll be good to go.

This is predicated on the OPs tank needing sanitized. His post made it sound like the water taste was not from old/stale water but either way sanitizing it can't hurt
Dave_H_M
Explorer II
Jul 06, 2019
have you got an in line water filter in there somewhere. mine got all funked up and the water got real funky.
ppine
Explorer II
Jul 06, 2019
I drain the water tank at the end of trips and use bleach as a disinfectant, but I don't drink out of the water tank. I bring well water from home for drinking.
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Jul 06, 2019
memilanuk wrote:
Recently started noticing a nasty taste/smell to our fresh water system. Initially I attributed it to the DW using a 'new' garden hose.......

The water *still* tastes/smells kinda funky. I have somewhat of a hard time thinking that using that one hose, one time, would have contaminated the *entire* system that badly.

I don't have a hard time believing that. I recently bought a new garden hose. It has been used a dozen times or so to wash the car, water the lawn, etc. The water coming out of the hose still stinks with a chemical odor. After sitting for a while the first few gallons come out really, really stinky and actually sudsy.

Even when you use a hose designed for drinking water, you should run a few gallons before filling your RV water tank.

In addition it is important to sanitize your water system. That means 1/4 cup bleach for every 15 gallons of water and at least a soak of 1 hour or more. Sanitizing should be done at least at the start of every season. I also sanitize if the RV has not been used for several weeks. In some camping areas, the water is clean but not chlorinated. If you fill your tank with non-chlorinated water, consider more frequent sanitizing.
PartyOf_Five
Explorer
Jul 06, 2019
We add a cup or two of bleach at the beginning of each season then Purge all the lines including the water heater. It usually takes 3 or 4 flushes but then we know everything is clean and don't have to think about it again. I'd start there too.
TechWriter
Explorer
Jul 06, 2019
memilanuk wrote:
We'd discussed adding a small amount of chlorine (bleach) to the tank to try and clean things a bit . . .

Instead of adding 1/4 cup of bleach per 15 gal water (as previously mentioned), use 1/2 cup of bleach per 15 gal. Then let it sit for an hour and flush with water.

Make sure the bleach/water solution gets into all your RV's plumbing and the water heater.
TechWriter
Explorer
Jul 06, 2019
ajriding wrote:
I agree with the bleaching, but be aware that the bleach . . . will or can harm the sewer valve rubber gasket rings.

Nope. Unless your RV was built in the 1990's with polybutylene (PB) plumbing, bleach will not harm those "gaskets" (or "seals") because they're made of beach-resistant Santoprene -- not natural rubber.

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